It was long over due but after over 1 year of being married, Kim and I finally had the chance to spend 2 full weeks together. We decided to call it our "honeymoon" and go to Thailand...
The trip was perfect. We strategically planned the trip to include a little bit of what Thailand has to offer; a little R&R, adventure, and shopping. In between all that, we reunited with and met new friends. Like a perfectly written novel, there were highs, lows, but a happy ending! It goes like this...
We chose Thailand to escape the cold winter weather and hustle and bustle of Japan. We were able to use Kim's airline and hotel points for over 80% of the vacation. We decided to spend a few days in each Bangkok, Koh Samui, Koh Tao, and Chiang Mai. Although we were there for 2 weeks, it really was not enough to fully absorb what each area had to offer. BUT it was just enough time to cover most of the highlights.
Fortunately, our story starts off with a negative. We both got a really bad case of the stomach flu the very first day of being in Thailand. It pretty much wiped us out for 3 full days and took us almost a week to fully recover. I say fortunately because from that point on, everything was perfect.
We started off in Bangkok where we met up with some friends who now live in Dubai. They spent some time in Thailand so they knew a few of the "in's and out's" of the area. After a couple days in Bangkok, we headed down south together to Koh Samui. Kim and I stayed at the Renaissance Koh Samui Resort and Spa. It was a treat as out villa came with it's very own pool. We were still recovering from our stomach flu so we were only able to relax and do some light sight seeing.
KOH SAMUI
Coconut Picking Monkey
Releasing A Good Luck Lantern
You Guess...???
After a few days in Koh Samui, we headed off to the island of Koh Tao. It is about 2 hours away and only accessed by speed boat. There we stayed at the Coral View Resort. The name is a bit deceiving as it is quite far from a resort with no hot water and dorm room style rooms. But for $40/night, it was more my style. There really isn't anything to do in Koh Tao except relax, dive, and fish. Hummm... I think I want to live there.
KOH TAO
Before
After
Leaving Koh Tao, we were fully recovered from our sickness, relaxed, and ready to take on our jungle adventures in the northern Thailand city of Chiang Mai. Chiang Mai was a bit inconvenient on this particular trip because we were crunched for time and the next best way aside from flying is to take a 16 hour train ride. So, we took the 2 hour speed boat back to Koh Samui where we left our friends, took a 1 hour flight to Bangkok, and another plane from Bangkok to Chiang Mai. There are not many Western hotels in Chiang Mai. We found a place called the De Naga for $100 a night on the internet. It was a bit sketchy, not knowing what to expect, but it ended up being the most perfect place. Smack dab centrally located to the night market and other shopping destinations, CLEAN, and really friendly service. We spent 4 days in Chiang Mai and aside from shopping, we rode on elephants through the jungle, played with tigers, saw the native Long Neck tribes of Northern Thailand, took a bamboo raft ride, and went to see a kick boxing fight. Amazing place to be and I highly recommend a visit to Chiang Mai.
CHIANG MAI
Great times in Chiang Mai but before it was over, we stopped back in Bangkok for a few more days. It was New Year's Eve and we stayed at the Hilton with our room right on the river and directly in front of the fireworks! Kim's Aunty and Uncle live in Bangkok so they were nice enough to take us around and I had a friend who was able to join us and ring in 2011. It was a perfect way to end a great trip.
BANGKOK
So the story of Thailand ends with literally a bang. We hope to return again one day but there are many more new stories that we'd like to write. We've been fortunate to be on this road that has taken us on so many adventures where we've met up with old and new friends along the way. Hope to see you soon! Next stop Beijing, China!
