10 Reasons Why I Love Thailand

The first time we went to Thailand we enjoyed it so much that we had to make sure we exited the country before our one month visa expired. We left Thailand before getting in trouble with immigration and made a southeast Asia loop traveling through Cambodia, Vietnam, and Laos. We then reentered our beloved Thailand through Chiang Mai and spent another 10 days enjoying more of the sights, sounds, and tastes of this beautiful country. The political situation had changed since we were first there and we were warned about returning because of the possible unrest. The military was now in power and a curfew was in place up until we arrived. We were stubborn and didn't let the political issues stand in our way of returning to Thailand. As with any other country, we planned to use our own wise judgement and get the heck out if we felt any imminent danger. Thankfully, during our 10 days back in Thailand we felt not one sign of unrest. Yes, we did notice the military scattered throughout Chiang Mai but the citizens were peaceful and carried about their daily lives as usual. FIFA World Cup fever probably caused more of an uproar than anything! Although our combined stay surpassed one month, we were still sad to leave one of our favorite countries. I suppose when you fall in love with a country you will never have enough. Thailand has a way of grabbing your attention with its infectious charm and in turn it makes it increasingly difficult for you to let go. With that said, these are the 10 reasons why I love Thailand:

1. Incredible food- pad see ew, pad thai, thai pancakes, mango sticky rice, masaman curry...the list goes on! Thai food is one of my favorite cuisines and I discovered dozens of new favorite dishes while we were there. There are so many more dishes that are not on the menu at the Thai restaurants at home which we were spoiled with daily in Thailand. We ate at markets, mall food courts, and restaurants which all equally delivered amazing food. We loved the food so much that we took a cooking class to learn to make it on our own. Please excuse me as I tease you with some food porn:

Chefs in training

3. Natural beauty- limestone karsts, mountain ranges, blue waters...I'm sure you've seen the postcard images, well I'm here to confirm that it really is that beautiful.2. Budget friendly- Thailand overall is the cheapest country I have ever been to. Double room accomodation for as low as $12 per night and $1 for a plate of excellent food. The cheap finds alone make it easy to stay in this country forever!

4. Khao Yai national park- After Bangkok, we made our way east to this amazing national park. For two days we explored the natural wilderness of Thailand. We saw wild gibbons, scorpions, monkeys, whip snakes, great hornbills, and even a king cobra among many other creatures. The hike was picturesque and we drove around for a couple of hours afterwards hoping to see wild elephants. Despite not seeing the gentle giants in their natural habitat, we had an incredible and unforgettable experience.

Giant millipede...not my thing

No, thats not a branch. Thats an oriental whip snake.

Bat Migration from a cave just outside of the national park

5. Historic ruins- Thailand is the only country is Southeast Asia never to be colonized by the west. The Thais are prideful in their rich history and monarchy. We were able to see 1,000 year old ruins and some even from the Angkor period as well.

Ruins in Phimai

Ruins in Ayuthaya, the former Thai capitol

6. Friendly Thais- We felt welcomed in Thailand. We felt how important it was to the Thais to share their culture and history with us. We appreciated it and embraced their warmth and genorosity. When you have been traveling for so long, it is even more comforting to feel welcomed in a foreign country.

We met this awesome gentleman the night before we left Thailand. We had to peel ourselves away from him to make our early flight.

7. Markets- Every city and town has its market and many times there are multiple ones. There are morning markets, day markets, night markets, all kinds of markets. They sell food, goods, souvenirs, books, flowers...everything! We even saw stalls selling bugs for eating which didn't quite appeal to my palate. The markets are your one stop shop and an easy attraction to go to regardless of the time of day. It also doesn't hurt that bargaining is the norm at the markets.

offerings

Those aren't Easter eggs...more like 1,000 year old eggs. But really 100 day old eggs that were burried and now ready to be eaten. The smell is worse than the taste.

Dried fish anyone?

Fresh fruit shakes= my refreshment of choice

Mango wood bracelets

8. Easy and cheap transportation- Did I mention cheap already? Well I guess I'm just trying to drive the point home. Cheap and efficient public transportation... I'm in! Even flights within Thailand are cheap. We took a third class, no air con, hard seat train a couple of times while we were there and they were efficient. Obviously, we weren't looking for luxury so we appreciated it that much more. We could have upgraded but we were just looking to get from A to B. Buses and tuk tuks are also easily at your service.

Bangkok Train Station

9. Culture and religion- Thailand's predominant religion is Buddhism. Therefore, there are a plethora of temples with ornate Buddhas to see. I'm not sure how many we saw but I know it was a lot. It is possible to get "watted" out so it is important to take it easy and possibly tone it down to only a couple a day. I learned a lot about Buddhism while in Thailand. The festivals, monarchy, and religion are all somehow intertwined and shape the culture of Thailand.

Doi Suthep Temple in Chiang Mai

The steps to Doi Suthep

Getting our blessings on

10. $4 foot massages- Thai massages are also about $4 for an hour. However, I found the Thai massages to be more like passive yoga and not very relaxing so thats not what I am going to advertise. The foot massages, on the other hand, are a God send after putting those Bangkok kilometers on your feet. They also incorporate some foot reflexology which is making me a believer.

 

I've been asked many times what my favorite place has been on this trip and it is always a difficult question to answer because each place we have been to has its own unique strengths. It easier to say the places that excel in certain areas such as cuisine, public transportation, markets, etc. Thailand encompasses many of those strengths, which is why I love Thailand.