A couple of years ago my brother and I started going on Sibling Trips. Our first one was a road trip to San Diego where we explored the city and caught a Padres game, but for our second annual Sibling Trip, we wanted to go abroad. We tried to think of a place where neither of us has ever been and most importantly was relatively cheap once we got there. As you might have guessed by now we made the decision to go to Thailand.
Altogether we were gone for twelve days and went to three different regions of Thailand: Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Phuket. I also have to note that I never realized how far away Thailand was until I had to travel nineteen hours to get there! Full disclaimer, I watched Titanic (my favorite movie) three times while flying there so that took up around twelve hours of my time. After flying, for what seemed like forever, we finally arrived in the far off land of Thailand.
Bangkok
Okay, I’m just going to say it…I absolutely did not like this city. For starters, this is the busiest city that I’ve ever been to. There’s an obscene amount of people, traffic, the heat, and humidity are on another level, and everyone from tuk-tuk drivers to shop owners are trying to rip you off or mislead you. Although this city really got under my skin, there were parts of it that made escaping bustling Bangkok possible.
Some of the sites we enjoyed most were The Grand Palace, Wat Arun Temple, Wat Pho (also known as the Temple of the Reclining Buddha), and the MBK Center (crazy large shopping mall with 2,000+ stores). All of the temples were very sacred and a great retreat from the rest of the city. When visiting the temples it’s important to note that your shoulders and knees must be covered. I brought a scarf to cover my shoulders, as I was wearing a spaghetti strap dress, but that wasn’t allowed so I was forced to buy a t-shirt in order to even enter the grounds. You will also be instructed to take off your shoes and hat before walking into any of the temples.
Another great retreat for us was the Lebua Hotel (yes this is the same hotel where the second Hangover movie was filmed). We stayed in a suite while we were there and it was just as grand and luxurious as it appears to be in the movie. The hotel was always willing to help guide us to where we wanted to go and would even tell our taxi driver where to drop us off and pick us up. This was extremely helpful as communicating in Thailand was very difficult.
Starting our trip off in Bangkok and not loving it made me a bit anxious for the rest of the trip. Luckily, I was about to be pleasantly surprised with our next two destinations, Chiang Mai and Phuket.
Chiang Mai
A short one-hour plane ride north of Bangkok is the serine landscape that is Chiang Mai. Unlike Bangkok, Chiang Mai is all about being at peace. Visitors and locals live very leisurely here, which was a breath of fresh air compared to where we had just come from.
Chiang Mai had everything I was hoping for, adventure, unique shopping, delicious local cuisine, and traditional Thai massage experiences. We spent our days here relaxing in our pool, shopping through the night bazaar, and walking around the Old City. The best part about being in Northern Thailand was the excursions that we went on. Below is what I’d highly recommend experiencing while you’re visiting. All of these suggestions I found in Vogue articles, and if it’s good enough for Vogue it’s good enough for me.
Patara Elephant Farm – The number one thing I had to do when traveling to Thailand was to spend time with the elephants. (Pro Tip: Do your research before deciding on an elephant sanctuary to spend the day at. You want to make sure the place you go to treats the elephants with the utmost respect and care.) We were elephant owners for the day and it was the most magical experience I’ve ever had.
“Elephant Owner for a Day” is a special program created for everyone to learn and interact with elephants as what an owner would do daily, during which time you are trained to approach your elephant correctly, know the elephant’s temperament, feed and check its health, learn about and take care of your own elephant, bathe and brush it in the river, learn how to ride on its neck, and communicate through different spoken commands.
Patara Elephant Farm
Our elephant, Maequan, was the sweetest creature and left an imprint on my heart that I’ll always remember. Along with getting to spend the day with the elephants the farm also provides everyone with a large lunch spread of traditional Thai cuisine. This experience is worth every penny.
Cheeva Spa – Going to Thailand and not partaking in a Thai massage is unheard of. I did some research before leaving on our trip and decided to book a half-day of massages at the Cheeva Spa. The spa sent over a car to pick us up and drop us off at our hotel (talk about excellent customer service) and pampered us from the moment we arrived until we left. While at the spa, we got foot massages, full-body massages, and facials. After your massage is over you are treated to the traditional Thai dessert of sweet sticky rice and mangos. A sweet end to a more than relaxing day.
The Riverside Cafe – Best. Restaurant. Ever. This amazing restaurant is located right along the river and almost every table has the luxury of enjoying this view. It has an amazing assortment of Thai cuisine and Western dishes. We enjoyed this restaurant so much that we ate there every night we were in Chiang Mai, and Evan still talks about eating there a year and a half later.
Vila Cini – I’ve mentioned before that when I travel the only souvenirs I like to get are ones that can’t be bought anywhere else in the world. When it came to Thailand, that meant buying silk. This picturesque teak house sells high end, locally handmade silk products that will take your breathe away. While there I bought my mom and I silk pouches and bookmarks for my grandma.
Phuket
Phuket is located in the southern part of Thailand and is known for its beaches, is the perfect place to jump off to the other islands, and was a great last stop on our first trip to Asia. In all honesty, I think the best way to visit Phuket is by staying at a nice resort that’s away from all of the tourists. Because it was our first time, and we don’t have the money to stay at the hotels that I found in Vogue, we stayed in Central Phuket and walking distance to Bangla Road. Instead of talking about sweating through all of our clothes, constantly running into the same frat bros from Lousiana, and experiencing the scariest cab ride of our lives, I’ll talk about the experiences that took my breath away.
Phi Phi Island – You know all those pictures of Thailand that you see on Instagram that instantly puts Thailand on your travel bucket list? Well, this is the place. We, unfortunately, we got to only spend one afternoon here. (Pro Tip: Actually book a place to stay on Phi Phi and take in everything that you can. Really wish we did this…guess that means we have to go back!) Although we were only there for one afternoon, we made the most of it by tanning on the sandy beaches, admiring the long-tail boats, and swimming in the warmest water. If you’re like us and only go to the island for a day, you can take a two-hour ferry each way from Phuket. Bottom line, you can’t fly to the other side of the world and not go here.
Two Sea Tour – Apart from our elephant experience in Chiang Mai this was my second favorite excursion of our trip. The Two Sea Tour is a high-quality tour in Phang Nga Bay and includes a stop at the famous James Bond island, as well as time to relax on a secluded beach. The tour starts super early in the morning, our pick up time was 4:30 am, and all guests get picked up and dropped off to their hotels. The early start time allows you to be the only tour out on the water. On the tour, you spend eight amazing hours exploring remote areas and picturesque seascapes that can only be accessed on kayaks.
When you take our sea cave tour in Phang Nga bay, you have the opportunity to venture into an environment that few people will ever get the chance to experience in their lifetime.
Two Sea Tour
Along with exploring, the captain and crew also teach all their guests about the ecosystem and how to be eco-friendly. To top off this amazing excursion, you also get breakfast and a delicious traditional Thai lunch. This company is all about high quality and showing you the true gem that is Phang Nga Bay.
Thailand, you were the trip of a lifetime and we’ll certainly be looking back on you for a very long time.