Today marks two years since we were on our honeymoon in Thailand! I can’t believe how quickly the time passed, but I can still taste the Pad Thai in my mouth and feel the sand in my toes. Currently planning—in my head—a trip back asap.
Now, what I said in the previous paragraph is basically what you would naturally hear about Thailand—the food and the beaches. But there is so much more to just that and I’m going to explain.
The Culture
Exactly how the Catholic faith influences Latin American culture, the Buddhism faith influences the Thai culture. Every corner of every block you will find a Spirit House. These Spirit Houses hold the Buddha and people go there to pray and give their utmost respect. We witnessed so many different ceremonies in these blocks when we explored the area around our hotel.
The main attractions in Bangkok are Buddhist Temples. The Temple of the Reclining Buddha “Wat Pho” and the Temple of the Emerald Buddah “Wat Phra Kaew” are the two most popular sites, just around the corner from each other. Edwin and I visited both in the same day. The Temples are religious sites, therefore it is meant to be respected and you have to dress modest and take your shoes off when entering. They are so remarkable, unlike anything else I’d ever seen before.
Edwin and I aren’t Buddhists, but we gave our respect and gave our moments of silence in the temples. We partook in a Buddhist meditation. It was a full day “retreat”, per say, where we practiced the different mediations that Buddhists practice. It was an eye-opening experience; a once in a lifetime chance. Definitely something you don’t experience on the daily.
That’s how we like to travel. Wherever we go, we find something unusual for a tourist but usual for a native. It gives you an authentic experience and we encourage you to try the same the next time you travel!
The Weather
Let me tell you, it’s HOT! Me, coming from Texas, I absolutely LOVE the hot weather. I kept telling Edwin before we left that I was so excited to be in the heat, and that I was going to be able to handle it because “I’m from Texas”. (I know, us Texans are a bit prideful of our state, but what can we say? It’s the best! :D)
Anyway. We went in May when it was very humid. In Bangkok it feels worse because you are surrounded by all of the buildings that are really close to each other, the smoke from the cars, people smoking, candles and other things that surround the Spirit Houses. It felt that all of the hot air was just stuck in one spot and wasn’t moving.
At least in the area where there are a lot of buildings, we were covered by shade. But when you go to the Temples, there is no shade what-so-ever. In that case, make sure you take a hat, sunscreen and sunglasses. Our very first day in Bangkok, we visited the temples. It wasn’t until the end of the day when we bought our hats. Let’s just say I was miserable (just look at the image below). Maybe I should take an umbrella next time?
BUT I have good news. It doesn’t feel like that at the beach. Well of course it’s still very hot, but you aren’t surrounded by so many buildings and the rush of a city. You are surrounded by blue waters and tropical vibes.
We went to Krabi which is on the opposite side of the ocean to Phuket. It was gorgeous. And the weather was perfect for the beach.
The People
Man are they sweet! Simple as that.
Our tour guide was the best guy ever. He gave us all the ins and outs of everything. He took our pictures for us and even treated us to an ice cream. He made us laugh and was always so friendly.
And that sense of hospitality goes for all of the people we met there. Thankfully, everyone we were in contact with spoke English. It gave us comfort knowing we were taken care of so far away from home.
The Food and Drinks
Okay, I said I wasn’t going to talk about the food, but I just have to! First off, it’s definitely much better than the Pad Thai you get from an Asian restaurant. I mean, of course. We loved it so much that we got it almost every meal.
The times when we didn’t order the same dish, one of our dishes always came out first. So if you’re planning on going to Thailand, don’t expect your meals to come out at the same time. They serve your food as soon as its ready–even if it takes 20 minutes for the next meal to come out.
Everywhere we go we like to try the local beer. We tried a few, but the one we fell in love with (and got every time after) was Chang. It’s a light beer and doesn’t hurt your wallet. Which leads me to the next topic…
The Prices
It’s extremely affordable. We decided to go to Thailand for our honeymoon, because when we were searching for plane tickets, the prices were in our budget (probably because it was during the hot season). We bought the tickets and started doing our research to find out that everything was very inexpensive. I had read an article about the prices and it said you could eat all three meals in Thailand for only $3 a day. So true!!! But that is mainly talking about the street food, which we only tried once. We always went to restaurants, yet they were also all super affordable.
We’ll be back someday.
There is so much more to say about this incredible country, that I think I will continue to write more in the future. Make sure you subscribe to see what else I have to say about Thailand.
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