Thailand Vacation Review: Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Krabi, Cooking Class, Kayaking, Local Cuisine

1. All the temples and ruins: I love anything old and historical. Hearing and seeing the history of the country and learning so much about Buddhism was so interesting and special to me. It was a little overwhelming at times, but I think I understood the general gist and now have a great appreciation for Thai culture.

2. The elephants!: I wasn't expecting such a hike, but it was worth it for the view and the elephants. The mountain views, the rice fields, the small village, and the mini waterfall running through the middle provided a breathtaking and picturesque scene. Seeing the elephants in that environment was so magical, and at times a little scary. At one point, one of the elephants walked right past us (literally inches away) and my life flashed before my eyes, but only because I knew they were rescue elephants and I didn't want my presence to agitate or disrupt their peacefulness.

3. The food: My favorite dishes in Bangkok were rice noodles with roasted duck, papaya salad, and pad thai. I also fell in love with Chang beer. In Chiang Mai, the red curry with chicken from the night market (the one the locals go to) was so good. I tried the mango sticky rice at the floating markets in Bangkok and at the Chiang Mai night market.

4. The cooking class!: The family was so warm and hospitable. I loved learning about their ancestry and getting to cook with them. I even smoked a homemade cigarette, made with a banana leaf the uncle dried, and I'm not a smoker! Their garden literally had everything and the food turned out great, if I say so myself. I was proud of the level of spice I was able to handle on the trip in general. When I made the chicken curry, I was conservative and went with seven chilis (which they consider medium). I wound up having to add another one to two tablespoons of dried chili powder at the end.

5. Kayaking: The scenery was beautiful and the views could not be beaten, but I was scared of falling out of the kayak or crashing the whole time, lol. I probably would have done both if I hadn't paid extra money for someone to help me paddle, and I'm so glad I did.

6. Island hopping: Sitting in the front of the boat provided the best view out of so many unreal views on the whole trip! The water was so gorgeous and felt wonderful to swim in. And snorkeling off a coral reef was so cool!

7. Krabi: Though I enjoyed all the cities I visited and would visit them again, I think Krabi was my favorite location. If I were going for just a relaxing beach vacation, I could easily spend all of my time in Krabi. My hotel on the beach was just wow! The only drawback was the seclusion.