Thailand Fun List

Bangkok

• Visited many temples, including the gigantic reclining buddha at the Wat Pho temple and the tiny emerald buddha at Wat Phra Kaew temple.
• Participated in a water fight to celebrate Thailand’s New Year called Songkran. The city was mostly shut down for 5 days so grandmas, toddlers, and teenagers could throw or squirt water on each other. Streets were crowded with people, and more than one elderly Thai women pointed their water hoses or buckets at me and Mekael, smiling with glee. A small toddler squirted me with water, and I playfully retaliated by completely soaking her. No one was exempt from the water celebrations.
• Took a food tour in Bangkok’s Chinatown, trying fish meatballs, coconut soup, chicken salad, a custard steamed bun, shrimp, mango sticky rice, satay, duck soup, and a pork steamed bun.
• Celebrated Easter at an Orthodox church. The liturgy was in Russian and Thai. After the beautiful service, we were invited to have lunch with the priest, a nun from Cambodia, and many parishoners.
• Traveled to the ancient city of Ayutthaya, which was the capital of the Siamese Kingdom from the 14th to 18th century. We saw many Buddhist temples and shrines called stupas.

Koh Tao Island

• Enjoyed my favorite Thai dish in Kao Tao: Pad See Ew. It was so much fun to eat this dish in Thailand, and I had newfound appreciation for the many Thai restaurants around the US where I can order this dish as much as I want.
• Cycled around Koh Tao island to visit some snorkel spots with Mekael: Ao Hin Wong and Tanote Bay. The island was quite hilly, and the sun scorched our backs as we pedaled. There were many times we had to dismount and walk our bikes up or down hills that were too steep, and many passersby in motorbikes or cars cheered for us. There was even a kind man who asked us if we needed help. At Ao Hin Wong, there were so many fish that swam up to us, saying hello and tickling our legs and feet. At Tanote Bay, we swam into the water and Mekael climbed a gigantic rock that was 20 meters high. He jumped off the cliff into the cool water as I cheered for him!
• Tried Tom Yum, which is a steamy, hot soup, which was quite an experience on a steamy, hot day. It was full of vegetables seeped in the most luxurious lemongrass. I teared up either because it was so spicy or it was the best meal I’ve had so far on the trip.
• Walked to Aow Luek and Shark Bay. Ironically, I saw sharks at Aow Luek but not at Shark Bay. I saw many colorful fish in both places. The waters were bright teal and clear, and the sand was pure white. There were only a few other people at the beach; it was almost just me and nature. I gasped at this secret beauty of the shimmering water and colorful fish. The sun was setting as I arrived at Shark Bay. The beach was covered by tourists. The water was vacant of both fish and sharks, but I saw an old anchor.

Phuket Island

• Visited the street markets in Phuket, where we saw everything from edible insects to delicious pastries to fried bananas.
• Sampled durian for the first time at an open market. Durian is a popular and much-loved fruit throughout southeast Asia. We saw many street vendors selling whole or peeled Durian throughout Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, and Malaysia. The smell is unlike anything else; it is a blend of rotting, sour fruit and other smells that make my stomach turn. Strangely, it tastes mildly sweet and has a custard texture. If there was a smell to associate with southeast Asia, it is the smell of Durian. We even saw signs forbidding it in buses and on elevators, because of its strong smell.
• Watched as our Pad Thai was prepared in front of us. We listened to live music as the sun was setting, savoring the last few bites in Thailand as we prepared to bus to Malaysia.