THAI TEA in Thailand is unmatched! Many other Thai cuisines, too. From Thai tea ice cream to Thai tea boba — it all tasted perfect. A meal I had nearly every day was pad see ew — stir-fried noodles with many vegetables in a soy sauce base. 

On the trip, we took a cooking class where we made Thai hot and sour soup, green curry, pad Thai, mango sticky rice, and Thai tea. Of all those things, the mango sticky rice was my favorite. 

It was the longest flight I’ve been on, and it took sixteen hours to reach Hong Kong, and from there, it was a three-hour flight to Bangkok, Thailand. It was quite exhausting, especially due to the humid weather when we arrived. Bangkok is a busy city filled with Buddhist temples like the Grand Palace. It was the craziest city we stayed in on our trip, literally the craziest. 

The amount of 7-Elevens was reassuring at the beginning of the trip because we were scared to eat all the exotic food. I think in total we went fifteen times to 7-Eleven. At the 7-Elevens, there were these treats called “Toasties” which were grilled cheese but better. 

We stayed in a hotel made of shipping containers which was interesting. Every morning in Bangkok we would walk down the road to a lady selling rice breakfast bowls. She would make it right in front of us and it was delicious.

We visited two serene islands in the Gulf of Thailand: Ko Chang and Koh Kood. These islands were full of wildlife and authentic Thai culture. In the clearest and calmest water I’ve ever seen, we would wake up immediately and spend hours trying to perfect our dives and scare away the little fish. We also lounged around on the beach and drank smoothies. 

In the evening, we would dine on fresh fish which tasted delightful. I also rode my first motorbike on the left side of the road which was extremely scary. There were waterfalls with rope swings and little shops on the side of the road that sold ice cream. 

Chiang Mai is a beautiful city that never sleeps. While in Chiang Mai, we stayed in the “moat”, which is the center of the city. We stayed above a mango, coconut ice cream shop. We also visited an elephant sanctuary where we got to feed, bathe, and hang out with a few elephants. They were unbelievably huge and so sweet. 

There’s so much to do! Sticky Waterfall is a waterfall where the rock is made up of limestone, which makes it easy to climb. On a different day, we visited a giant outdoor market and everything was incredibly cheap. I bought fifteen Sonny Angels for $20.

I will never stop reminiscing about Thailand — it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience I won’t forget. That beautiful country is full of life and culture and if you get the chance to visit it, I would definitely say to take that chance.