Thailand is known for its natural beauty, cultural richness, and culinary delights, and visitors can have many memorable experiences:
Natural beauty: Thailand has over 100 national parks, verdant mountain ranges in the north, and stunning beaches in the south.
Culture: Thailand has ancient temples, royal palaces, and Buddhist monks. It has also been influenced by the cultures and religions of India, the Kindgom of Funan, and the Khmer Empire.
Food: Thailand offers a variety of culinary delights.
Unique experiences: Thailand offers unique experiences for every type of traveler.
Unplanned or unexpected moments: Some of the most memorable moments are unplanned or unexpected.
Here are some other things to know about Thailand:
The name of the country in Thai is Prathet Thai, which means "Land of the Free".
Thailand is the only Southeast Asian country that was never colonised by a European country.
Some of my Top 6 Memories in Thailand
Walking among elephants (Chiang Mai)
I walked next to an elephant! I touched an elephant! The average size of a male Asian elephant is 12,000 lbs and a female is 6,000 lbs. These creatures could easily squish me! Yet, they were calm and majestic. The ones I met had suffered a lot from abuse, and I’m glad I got to learn more about their stories.
First moment going underwater when scuba diving (Similan Islands)
My first time scuba diving in the OCEAN was in Thailand. After five days of classes , I put my head underwater in Thailand and all I could see was everything. (Haha, that’s not dramatic AT ALL!) That’s when the joy of scuba clicked for me. I wasn’t sure I liked scuba diving until then. It was like I had blurry eyesight and put on glasses for the first time. From right at the surface I could see the ocean floor. Later on, I saw a variety of sea creatures and huge wall formations. There is an unbelievable underwater world full of things to see and discover. It can be scary and dangerous if you let it, but it’s worth it!
Looking up to see the many lanterns floating up (Yee Peng Lantern Festival, Chiang Mai)
We saw lights floating up as we were eating dinner and realised that there were still celebrations going on. (We thought they were the day before and we had missed it.) So we followed the lights and people after dinner until we were on the bridge where people were lighting them up and letting them go. Seeing the lights float away along with (symbolically) all the negative vibes and frustrations of life brought peace with how things are and appreciation for the opportunity to be there and celebrate joy with strangers.
Zipping through the streets at night on a tuk tuk (Bangkok)
We didn’t take many tuk tuks in Thailand, but I’m glad because we had an unforgettable tuk tuk experience. The transportation for our food tour in Bangkok was by tuk tuk, so we looked like a colorful parade of six tuk tuks zipping from one restaurant to the next. There wasn’t much traffic, so we sped through the street, feeling the wind in our hair and the adrenaline of exploring Bangkok at night and discovering all its best food spots.
Sitting at a table on a sidewalk, inches away from the street, eating one of the best Pad Thai ever (Bangkok)
Speaking of the food adventure in Bangkok… We had eaten so much on our food adventure that we were holding our stomachs, but there we were at one last place. This restaurant had been there for over 50 years! The seating spilled out from the restaurant onto the sidewalk with metal tables and chairs. There were cars whizzing by. There we were, our food group, enjoying the best Pad Thai I’ve ever had.
Being drawn into a bar on Bang-La by a Thai cover band singing Zombie by The Cranberries (Phuket)
I know it sounds strange, especially given how crazy I thought Phuket was. We wanted to see what Patong and Bang-La was all about, so we ventured out from our hotel after almost deciding we would go to bed instead. There was loud music, bright lights, and promoters asking for our attention for their show or drink special. Shortly after we arrived to the start of Bang-La, we heard some familiar lyrics and music coming from a bar. It was Zombie by The Cranberries covered by a Thai band and they were rocking out. We grabbed a seat, amazed by how enthusiastic the band was and surprised to hear this familiar song on the other side of the world. The covers didn’t end there. They played more songs and so did the next band. After all the (frustrating) craziness we’d experienced in Thailand so far, we sat back and relaxed, taking in a familiarity of home.
The beautiful thing about travel is that there are always new adventures. Even if you travel with someone, what you feel during your trip and what sticks with you is your own. Chances are, the memories you keep are moments unplanned or unexpected. You never know when something amazing is about to happen. Take note of the things that happen (that’s why I travel with a journal!) and reflect on the memories that make you smile. I hope you have many of those experiences in your travels this year!
What’s one of your favorite, unique travel moments you’ll always remember?
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