All of last year, I kept saying “I REALLY want to go to Thailand.” But honestly, I didn’t expect it to happen. I knew I wanted to give myself 2 weeks there, but it’s hard to commit to so much time away. After many months of saying this was the trip I wanted to take, but not seeing anyone take interest in going with me, I just started to forget about it. Somehow, it’s like I willed this trip into existence because come fall, my cousin Brittany and our friend Sanam started talking about how it would be so amazing to do a trip to Thailand for New Year’s Eve. The pieces slowly started falling into place and before I knew it, I had a one way flight to Thailand. Life can be amazing sometimes when your sense of adventure aligns with the universe to make the trip of a lifetime happen.

We began on the island of Koh Samui. We stayed at the Samui Buri Resort, which was simply stunning. The staff was very helpful in helping us find things to do on the island, including our chosen activity the first day.

We booked an island tour, which was a great way to see the surrounding nature reserves and beaches. We traveled around on a large tug boat with some lovely guides who brought us to different hiking trails a directed us as we kayaked around some corners of the island. Just note- if you’re considering a tour like this one, the kayaking was NOT easy! It was fun but the waters are rough and not for the faint of heart. Luckily, everyone had the option to stay on the boat as well.

The next day we spent time walking around the fisherman’s village on the island which was very cute, filled with shops, restaurants and spas. The Thai massages are very cheap, so we got them as often as possible. We stopped for drinks at Coco Tam’s, a popular spot on the island where we could sip cocktails while lounging on the beach. 

On the first day of 2020, we headed off to Phuket! We stayed at a small island just off the main island of Phuket, called Coconut Island. There are only 2 resorts on the island so it was very quiet and beautiful. I highly recommend this resort for any couple or family looking for a more luxury experience. It was simply stunning and offered a great selection of food. We used our first day to relax and settle in and enjoy the sunshine. We made our way into Phuket for dinner on the water and walked around the main strip. We felt like it compared to the Asian version of Times Square- lots of tourists and people approaching to buy things or eat at their restaurant. We weren’t loving this area but I’m sure Phuket has a lot to offer during the day with its vast beach resort scene. Next time we will definitely need to explore Phuket more!

In the meantime, we were happy to continue enjoying Coconut Island. We booked an amazing day trip to the Phi Phi Islands which were approximately an hour away by speed boat. Our tour guide was wonderful and showed us so many amazing spots. The landscape, with the mountainous cliffs riding straight out of the water, looked like something out of a movie. We saw monkeys hanging on the cliffs on one island, went snorkeling around two other islands, and had the chance to go swimming in one of the bays. It was simply stunning, and the photos barely do it justice. 

Our next stop was Chiang Mai, where we arrived at the Eastin Tan hotel. Another beautiful find, with a view of the nearby mountain range. It was situated in the Nimman neighborhood, which is a modern area of Chiang Mai with chic hotel rooftops, top notch coffee shops, and plenty of spas. 

We didn’t get to look around much when we first arrived because we had about 30 minutes to get ourselves ready for our trip to the elephant sanctuary. Our tour guide from The Elephant Sanctuary Care Park arrived right at the hotel and drove us about an hour into the countryside, where we then transferred to an open back truck to go further into the jungle. This is where I hear my parents reminding me to “put on bug spray!” Which I have to agree was a good idea. Despite that, we arrived to the sanctuary and it was an amazing experience. The elephants were wonderfully kind and gentle. If you do this excursion, make sure you’re in for getting down and dirty! This is not a glamorous bathing experience, but it certainly was worth the mud. 

That night after washing up, we made our way to Chiang Mai’s famous Sunday Night Market, which spans right through the old city center. Hundreds of stands selling artisan goods and tasty bites lined the streets. You could even stop along the side for a quick foot or neck massage!

The next morning we were up early to attend a cooking class at Mamma Noi Cookery School. This was my favorite experience of the whole trip. I love to cook and I love Thai food! Such an interactive way to learn a different style of cooking I never would have learned here at home. Brittany, Sanam, and I all tried making different dishes and the half day option provided more food than any of us could finish. I made a chicken coconut soup, Pad Thai, and Khao Soi curry. We finished off the lesson by making Thai iced tea, which was the perfectly sweet ending to the day.

Before I knew it, the girls were on their way to the airport and I was about to be solo for 5 whole days! While I was a little nervous at first, I got very excited as my plans for the rest of the trip started to come together. That first night, I went to the North Gate Jazz Club, which had been recommended to me by many people. It was an awesome atmosphere for live music and a great place for a solo traveler to hang out. I headed back to my new digs, the Soneta Hostel Chiang Mai. Now I know what you’re thinking- aren’t hostels gross??? Aren’t they for college kids??? The answer here is NO- I did my research and was looking to find a hostel that came highly recommended for solo travelers in their late 20s and 30s and this one had everything I needed. No shared rooms, very clean spaces, and amazing location to walk anywhere I wanted.

The next morning I got started early by heading up to the famous Wat Prathat Doi Suthep, a buddhist temple positioned on top of a mountain overlooking Chiang Mai. To get there, it was recommended to arrive near Chiang Mai University where you can hop onto one of Chiang Mai’s Red Trucks- which is essentially their form of public transit. They’re sort of like an Uber pool, but they fit 10 people and you flag them down on the street to see if they’re driving in the direction you’re going. In this case, I waited at the bottom of the mountain for a red truck to fill up with 10 people and we were all driven to the temple. It’s on the grounds of a national park, so the scenery and nature is simply stunning surrounding the temple. The architecture was highly detailed and very impressive, like many other buddhist temples. So breathtaking, and absolutely worth a stop while in Chiang Mai.

After that, I headed to the cute little artisan’s village called Baan Kang Wat. I browsed the shops and galleries of local artists, tried durian (notoriously smelly native fruit) ice cream, and went on my way to lunch. I went to the highly recommended Kao Soy Nimman, where I arrived to an extremely busy restaurant. There was clearly a wait, which gave me hope that this place would live up to the hype and it DID. It was mid 90s outside, and the spice on that curry had me sweating and ready for a break. So I took the long route home back to my hotel and enjoyed walking by the beauty of the city in daylight.

That night I walked myself over to the Ploen Rudee Night Market where I enjoyed light, freshly made spring roles, white wine, and mango sticky rice while I read my book. It was pure bliss. This market was modern and much less tourist-y feeling with the cheap vendors pushing for you to purchase from them. This market was full of modern, cute stands selling wine, beer, foods from all over the world, and live music.

My final day in Chiang Mai I spent exploring the city. I spent some time at Buak Hard Public Park in the morning and eventually made it to the highly recommended Ginger Farm Kitchen, which was so cute inside and absolutely delicious. I have to say, Chiang Mai was my favorite part of the whole trip. If you’re going to Thailand, you do not want to miss out on this magical place. As wonderfully vibrant and exotic the islands were, Chiang Mai was a place I will never forget, and I cannot wait to go back to. Walkable, accessible, beautiful, cheap, and delicious bites. You couldn’t ask for anything more.

Next, final stop was Bangkok! As most of the convenient flights are out of Bangkok, I planned my final days to be here so I could enjoy even a small portion of this large city. I was hearing so many mixed opinions on Bangkok- some said it was a must-see and others felt that it was just a large, dirtier version of New York or any other big city. With that feedback, I gave myself only one day there to see some temples and get myself rested and prepared to go home. I absolutely felt differently from what I saw. My first great decision was staying at the Riva Surya Bangkok, which was a stunning hotel situated right on the river and amidst the convenient downtown location. It felt like a “splurge” compared to some of the other places we stayed, but it was well worth it for the luxury they offered.

Once I was situated I set out for lunch before hitting the temples. I went to Lueng Pha Pad Thai, which is located right next to the famous original location of Thipsamai, a pad Thai restaurant made famous by Anthony Bourdain. Thipsamai wasn’t open until 5:00pm so I settled for the well-regarded next door neighbor.

My first buddhist temple on the agenda, in close proximity to my lunch spot, was Loha Prasat. The vast grounds were impressive in itself, but the 37 incredible spires spread across it’s set of buildings was the most impressive of all. These spires are representative of the 37 enlightenment virtues of Buddhism and their detail was nothing less than breathtaking. These gold spires sparkled in the hot sun and truly made you feel like you were climbing closer to heaven- or enlightenment, in this case.

Along the way to my final stop, I stopped in a local park and peered into the grounds of many other temples as they were very plentiful in this area. I finally reached Wat Phra Chetuphon (also know as Wat Pho), which was the most stunning temple of the whole trip. It’s difficult to even describe the level of detail in the mosaics, colors, and vastness of the property. Many buildings made up this temple, but the most impressive part ro me was the sheer number of chedis, the spire-like structure which house relics or act as a place of meditation. There were 95 on this property, all decorated with insanely detailed mosaic tiles. I was simply in awe.

Only a day later, I was on my way home to NYC, ready to be home but feeling bittersweet about this adventure being over. The whole trip, all I could think was how grateful I was for this opportunity. To have the privilege to travel the world, experience the cultures that exist in places so far from home, is one of the greatest gifts I have in my life. I will remember this trip for my lifetime, and I simply cannot wait to go back to Thailand one day… but first, there are too many other places on the list!