Vacation recap September 1, 2008

I’ve been back from Thailand for almost a month and I still wish I was there.  I don’t know if it’s because I always tend to think cities I am not residing in are better than where I live or if it’s because it’s truly greater.  I’m gonna go with the latter reason on this one because in this case, the grass really was greener on the other side. 

In one word, Thailand was phenomenal.  I loved the people, food and ambience.  It had a very chill vibe and everyone seemed so relaxed.   My friends and I arrived to Bangkok around 10pm and got to our budget accommodation by midnight.  We decided to roam the streets aka bars since we only had 2 nights in the city.  We stayed in a popular tourist area so the streets were very lively and full of people even at 1am.  We sauntered into a random tavern place and drank cheap cocktails.  The entire bar was essentially wasted and the people were quite funny to watch.   Most of the tourists were European (British & German) and one man told me he was impressed to see some Americans traveling there. 

  (I’m on the right)     (Crazy Kim doing the victory sign)   

The next day, we did a boat load of sightseeing and shopping.   The palaces were ostentatious, the Buddha’s were serene and the shopping was overwhelming.  This one mall the locals encouraged us to visit was enormous!  There had to have been at least 10 floors of just about everything you would ever need in a lifetime.   It was quite different from malls back home though.  At this mall, you could still bargain and negotiate prices as if you were buying from an outdoor vendor.   I was surprised how much I was negotiating because I usually never do this sort of thing.  However, people assumed we had exchanged American dollars instead of Korean Won and they were quoting ridiculous overpriced amounts.  I told one vendor, yes I am American but I work in Korea and make money in Won.  He just stared and said, Ahhhhh.  Korean money is not doing all that great right now and although Thailand was still cheap for us, it wasn’t dirt cheap.

  (Riding in a Tuk-tuk)       (Canoe ride at the floating market)

The next morning, we left Bangkok and headed for Koh Chang.  The entire trip took about 6 hours and we got to Koh Chang ready to relax.  The island was so cute and quaint.  We were in desperate need of some R&R and the island was the perfect solution.  In Bangkok, we barely slept since we had such little time there.  In Koh Chang, we caught up on our sleep, got massages, drank fresh fruit juices, ate on the beach, drank many cocktails, shopped a bit, lounged in the pool and ate thai food galore.  It was really a glorious time.  The hotel was perfect and very quiet due to low season.  The crowds of Seoul seemed so far away from the Island and its peacefulness was much enjoyed.

Beach at the hotel

Sunset on the beach

All in all, it was a fabulous trip and worth the 8 year long wait it took me to go on vacation.  I’m already planning my next vacation and this time, it’s barely 8 months away.  Ciao…