In my (not so) humble opinion, there are few things better than traveling around the world with your bestest friends. Lucky me I was able to jet set, with my girl Hailey, on over to Thailand for 10 days where we started our grand adventure through the jungle-y country. We arrived in Bangkok mid-day, explored the infamous backpackers paradise of Koh San Road, and then got some shut-eye. We then flew up to Chiang Mai, partied with some elephants, took a wonderful vegan cooking class, and biked our way through the stunning mountain town.
I'll admit, I wasn't too stoked on seeing the elephants. While I think elephants are perfectly wonderful animals, I was hesitant to visit them due to all the abuse and neglect that surrounds that industry of tourism… However, we found a fantastic place that was a refuge for rescued elephants, and I agreed with their ethics in terms of tourism, so I booked us a trip up to the mountain village where the large pachyderms were living. We took a long and bumpy jeep ride up to the forests, and we grew more eager and eager to see the animals in person. We started to walk into the forest with bundles of bananas, and all of a sudden, we heard faint jingles of bells. Suddenly, five elephants came towards us demanding snacks and snuggles. It was AWESOME. They were so friendly and excited and I could tell they were genuinely happy. We hung out with the elephants for a total of an hour(ish) and then were able to bathe them in the river and give them a luxurious mud bath (gotta stay pretty ya know). What an incredible experience! I would highly recommend this to anyone who is traveling in Thailand. But again, please go to a place that is cruelty free and riding free!
After our 4 days in Chiang Mai, we landed in Krabi/Ao Nang, where we took long tail boats to different islands, hung out with crabs on the beach, kayaked, and cut ourselves on coral while snorkeling. We watched coastal sunsets and ate loads of curry while also chatting endlessly. By far, Hailey and Annie are those friends who I can talk to about ANYTHING, constantly. One of my most memorable moments of my friendship with Hailey was when we road tripped from Missoula, Montana to Olympia, Washington (9 ish hours) and talked non stop the whole way, and then when we arrived at our destination we hung out for at least 5 more hours… still talking. It is such a joyful thing to have friends who you can converse with about literally anything- and it was the ultimate treat to be in Thailand with her for 10 days!!
I had to say my sad goodbyes to my dear Hails, as she had to head back to the US, but I was over the moon excited to hop in a taxi to the airport to meet my other girl Annie! Annie was studying abroad in Bangkok for three months, and was the main reason why I chose to hop on a plane and get myself to SE Asia. We had a joyful reunion (with doughnuts and cookies in hand, duh) in the Bangkok airport as we patiently awaited for our plane to depart to Siem Reap, Cambodia. One of the highlights of the whole trip was spending our first night drinking tea on the porch of our hotel, which overlooked downtown Siem Reap, while watching the rain fall on the ground and the sky light up with energetic bursts of lightning. There is something so invigorating about being recharged by nature, and its def a plus when your best friend is sitting next to you.
We explored the bustling streets, got drunk off cheap mojitos and tried our hand at bargaining with the locals, biked through the alleyways and stone streets, played with children on the side of the street, tried a billion different types of exotic fruit and food, and laughed until our bellies hurt. Siem Reap is known for the beautiful religious sight of Angkor Wat, so it was certain that we would spend at least a day exploring the ancient ruins. Just our luck, it was pouring rain as we were making our way through the stunning landscape. Deep puddles, soaked head to toe, and hobbling around with a broken umbrella. It brought us back to our time in New Delhi, India, whenever we would get stuck in monsoons and would show up to our volunteer site absolutely drenched and looking like drowned rats covered in mud. I can confidently and wholeheartedly say there is no one on this planet I would rather get stuck in a monsoon with. Some of my most joyous moments have been embracing being covered in mud and rain and questionable debris with annie by my side. As weirdly metaphorical as it may be, I am SO blessed to have someone who will always walk through the tough terrain and muddy waters with me. Even if it means being in Cambodia or India. My shoes broke as we were descending down a muddy mountain and our umbrella continued to fall to pieces and we just sat and laughed. Life is so hilarious sometimes. While in Angkor Wat, I had the tremendous honor of spreading my granny's ashes on the wet grass in front of the main temple. What a humbling and profound moment that was for me. You can read about that experience here, if you would like!
After we returned from 4ish days in Cambodia, I stayed in a suburb of Bangkok with Annie as she resumed her daily collegiate lifestyle. While it is exciting to see the touristy things, I really do cherish the beauty of the everyday. I was so happy I chose to stay with Annie and see her day to day life in Thailand, and experience that with her. I am so grateful she welcomed me in and let me join in on the fun! She took me to her classes, introduced me to her friends, took me out to her fav food cart (long live Chicken Lady) and we even laid in bed one day and watched horribly bizarre documentaries. ‘Cause that's what college students do all over the world, no matter where you’re at.
My time in Thailand was all too short, but incredibly phenomenal. The places were stunning, but it truly comes down to who was by my side. I am so thankful for these two forever friends who explore life with me. The word “grateful” doesn't do it justice!