24 - Thailand
“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” - Hippocrates
September 2024
Despite being the first country on this world tour that I’ve previously visited, Thailand was a breath of fresh air on many fronts. Stepping off my redeye flight from Istanbul, the humid, tropical climate welcomed me. As I rode the train into central Bangkok, I vividly remember the morning light peeking through the narrow spaces between the high-rises, casting its soft, orange-red rays on my face. Something stirred in my soul. I had finally made it to my hands-down favorite continent—Asia.
Three weeks passed by rather quickly in this beautiful country. I split up my time as many folks do with a third in Bangkok, another third in the north (Chiang Mai), and the remainder in the south (Koh Tao).
Cities
Several adjectives come to mind if you asked me to describe Bangkok, often depending on what neighborhood you’re exploring: delicious, seedy, crowded, peaceful, majestic…I could go on. This incredible city has so much to offer.
Remember how I felt really homesick after my parents and I parted ways in Istanbul? Well, eating amazing and cheap Thai food was exactly the medicine I didn’t know I needed. And while I had some good meals up until this point, I had very little Asian food, so a core piece of my soul and stomach were beyond ecstatic to be in this part of the world.
I mentally locked in and set out on a mission to eat my way through the Michelin guide app’s street food picks. In the evenings, I explored night markets, professional Muay Thai fights, jazz bars, and a couple rooftop bars. To cap off the day, I’d cool off at the pool at my hotel. I stayed at Hyatt Place—fantastic value as I booked with points.
One of the best experiences I had in Bangkok was booking a food tour of Chinatown. The city has a heavy influence from Chinese immigrants, and its Chinatown is one of the best I’ve been to. The tour itself was phenomenal. I think we had 9 or 10 dishes from different street vendors—every single one was delicious 😋. I have way too many food videos to share, but here’s a few to give you a flavor of the quality of the food (pun intended).
I then made my way north, taking a train to the former capital of Ayutthaya, a UNESCO World Heritage site filled with centuries-old Buddhist temples. I spent a couple nights here exploring the historical sites and food scene. I found my favorite meal up to this point of the trip at a night market here—the fried mussel omelette from Hoi Tod Singha Buri. I’ve mentioned this place in the Six Month Superlatives post, and they’re 100% worth plugging again.
From Ayutthaya, I took a surprisingly comfortable sleeper train to Chiang Mai. I visited my old friend Bird, a native Thai whose family runs a couple (ethical) elephant sanctuaries. I last saw him 10 years ago when I first came to Chiang Mai. At that time, one of Bird’s rescue elephants had given birth to a baby, Sky. This time around, Sky was all grown up and pregnant with her own baby. It was a full circle moment that had me tearing up.
The rest of my time in Chiang Mai was filled with more food tours, exploring temples, going on hikes, and relaxing at cafes when it was raining. The original plan had been to spend a few days further north in Pai, but a monsoon was passing through the area that flooded some roads, so I decided to stay put.
After a flight south followed by another sleeper train and insanely choppy overnight ferry, I arrived on the island of Koh Tao. You might be familiar with this one or some of Thailand’s other beach areas—Koh Samui (filming destination for season 3 of The White Lotus), Koh Phangan (home of the infamous full moon party), Phuket, etc.
Koh Tao is probably most known as the place to learn scuba diving on the cheap. This was my main reason for visiting: to pick up a few intermediate-level certifications before I tackled more challenging dive spots in Southeast Asia.
I went with a shop called Crystal Dive Koh Tao, and my instructors were excellent. I became a much better diver in just a few days and finished my PADI Advanced Open Water, Nitrox, and Deep certifications! For you non-divers out there, this just means I could now use a nitrox tank (32-36% oxygen instead of the normal 21%) + dive to 40m/130 feet. With these three licenses (and the beginner Open Water certification), you can dive recreationally in most places.
With the rest of my week, I went on a few fun dives, checked out my first Muay Thai class, and nervously drove a scooter around to explore different beaches. I felt so relaxed and at peace, a common thread I’ve noticed whenever I spend extended time in or near the water.
Accounting
Total spent in 22 days: $2,184.61 ($99.30/day)
Activities/Tours: $1,051.57 ($47.80/day)
Food: $338.28 ($15.38/day)
Lodging: $364.05 ($16.55/day). I used Hyatt points for my week in Bangkok, so this total is pretty low.
Miscellaneous: $182.10 ($8.28/day)
Transportation: $248.61 ($11.30/day)
Pondering
Both emotionally and geographically, this felt like the official start of the second leg of my trip. How come? Well, on the emotional front, you know that I embarked on some extensive soul-searching in my first four months in Africa and Europe. And while I had so much fun exploring those parts of the world, I seemed to constantly reserve part of my mental capacity for the whole “heal from divorce and betrayal” issue. But now, especially after walking the Camino de Santiago, I had reached an emotional milestone. I felt more free, relaxed, and able to just enjoy my travels. It was time to have fun, without any major caveats!
And geographically, Asia feels undeniably different than where I was coming from—the language, the food, the weather (hellooo 80% humidity 🥵)—I had stepped into a distinctly unique, but familiar and cherished, world.
I often think back on that feeling I had when I first arrived in Thailand; I couldn’t help but smile. Maybe it was the warm glow of the sunrise that greeted me. Or how I had pushed through the feelings of homesickness and loneliness in Turkey to get there. Or maybe it was the excitement of being in a new country. In any case, I felt a sense of belonging that had eluded me thus far.
This feeling only grew stronger. From familiar foods and aromas, to reuniting with my old friends Bird and Sky, to finally spending extended time in the ocean, Thailand embraced me in a way I won’t soon forget. On more than one occasion, locals mistook me as one of their own and would start speaking Thai to me until I gave them a confused look. Perhaps I don’t want to openly admit this, but sometimes I do feel a bit more at ease, more in my own skin, when I’m around those who look like me.
The idea of belonging will become a theme throughout the rest of my time in Asia, so I’ll touch on it going forward. And even though I travel with the mindset that I’ll always come back to visit, Thailand was still the first country of the itinerary where I longed to stay just a tad longer.
I now venture a bit further east to Manila and the Philippines, where on one hand, I witness the most desolate poverty I’ve ever encountered. On the other, I experience the best diving of my young underwater career.