I feel like I am in a fever dream! I spent the last couple weeks in Thailand & am currently processing my trip as a whole. It was my first time traveling far out of the country & it is an experience that I will always treasure fully. It is an experience that fed the depths of my soul.

I started my journey flying out to Dallas Texas in order to travel with my friend Sam. We hadn’t seen each other in 4 years & so it was one hell of a Sam reunion! Together, we took two long flights to reach our destination. The longest flight being 15 hours!! I cannot stress enough how delusional I felt during our travels…about 30 hours of travel and a time difference change before landing in Bangkok.

At least there was red wine on the plane!

Landed in Bangkok! Very delusional w long travels and no sleep!

So we started our Thailand trip in Bangkok, then went to Chiang Mai, and then ended in Phuket. My friend Sam and I started/ended our journey together and shared part of our journeys with our friends Emma, Anna and Jainyn.

Let me do my best to break down each leg my journey a little bit!

BANGKOK

Sam and I landed in Bangkok in the middle of the night and spent about 3-4 days there. Bangkok is wild and felt like a place that never sleeps!

During our time there we ate lots of yummy Thai food, had a spa day (a 3 hour couples massage & facial), went on a boat tour, explored some pretty temples, went to both day/night markets, went on a walking tour through our hostel, and went out to some of the night clubs.

Busy streets of China town!

Fishies eating my dead feet skin! A wild market experience!

Beautiful temple !

Gold temple!

Peaceful meditation!

On our boat tour!

Walking tour! (Not ft one other girl in the group).

It’s impossible to put into words all I experienced in Bangkok, but let me list some of the things I took away from there.

1. the traffic is very chaotic and yet somehow functional
2. the markets are endless
3. people are so friendly and inviting
4. the food tastes so fresh
5. there’s so much going on & yet people are slower in experiencing their days
6. temples are everywhere & they are all gorgeous

Next we flew from Bangkok ——> Chiang Mai

CHIANG MAI

The next leg of our journey we spent about 3 days in Chiang Mai. There we stayed at the most beautiful and relaxing hotel I’ve ever been in. The trees were abundant and the critters were peaceful &&& the breakfast buffet was immaculate.

Our zen hotel!

Best breakfast buffet ever!

The majestic tree at our hotel! Full of magic !

During our time in Chiang Mai we explored more markets, ate more yummy foods, went to an ethical elephant sanctuary, and did a Thai cooking class. Sam & I also went to a silver temple and made silver rings!

Elephant!

Feeding the elephants !

Oh she’s a silver silver temple!

Working on my ring!

Thai cooking class!

I cooked this!!

Night out in Chiang Mai w all the girls !

Again, it’s impossible to put into words all that I experienced in Chiang Mai, but let me list some of the things I took away from there.

1. the food here is also so fresh…the eggs and orange juice were my fave
2. elephants are beautiful creatures & all have lots of emotions — people need to stop supporting the abuse and mistreatment of elephants (any living creature in general)
3. cooking classes are a blast! I will definitely be going to more in the future
4. orchids taste so good
5. 7-11 toasties are a must

Next we flew from Chiang Mai ——> Phuket

PHUKET

The last leg of mine and Sam’s journey ended in Phuket. We spent about 4 days there. The other girls spent time with us there as well and left a day earlier than us in order to continue their journey elsewhere in Thailand.

During our time in Phuket we explored beaches, went to different restaurants, rode motorbikes, and went on a speedboat tour to Phi Phi islands. My friend Emma and I went on our own personal hiking journey as well which was filled with love & magic. And Sam and I explored the cutest Sunday market which ended in a giant rain storm.

Viewpoint from the hike w Emma !

Our personal beach spot on our hike!

Fishies !

Exploring the coast!

One of the best coffee spots!

<3

Last sunset swim before our flight !

The food here is so pretty!!

Had to buy ponchos!! The rain storm was wild! So much rain!

Once again it’s impossible to put into words all that I experienced in Phuket, but let me list a few of the things I took away from here.

1. the saying here is “fuck it, I’m in Phuket”
2. random adventures filled w positive manifestations lead to the best memories
3. the speedboat tour was too touristy & made me sad to see how disconnected some people are..definitely not my fave experience in Thailand…the islands were gorgeous though
4. the speedboat made me extremely nauseous
5. the food continues to be super fresh
6. people litter way too much! Remember, if you pack it in, pack it out!! No excuses!!
7. durian tastes & smells nasty
8. motorbikes are the way to get around in Thailand

At the conclusion of our trip, Sam and I headed back to Dallas together…another long stretch of traveling. And from Dallas, I headed back home to New Mexico.

Thailand will forever hold a special place in my heart. I am still processing my trip (I’m an emotional girly) & am taking the time to reflect on my experiences and reflect on the people I met during my journey.

My thoughts and adventures are a little all over the place in this blog post, but thank you for reading and for partly experiencing my journey with me. Stay tuned for more Sam adventures !

Love, Sam! 💛