Thailand was actually the first country we went to in Asia and was also the start of our world travels overall! In all honesty, I was worried at first because nothing was really dragging me to travel to Asia beforehand, but after my Thailand I came back many times to get exposed to other cultures. I remember arriving to Bangkok very late at night and sleeping through the whole ride to the hotel. I would go into the streets the next morning for breakfast and to see what was around the hotel. The first thing I felt was a sudden rush of heat hit my body once I stepped out. I’ll never forget how humid and hot it was Thailand that August, especially in the capital of Bangkok. The Bangkok Mall was the first place I ever got to experience what an Asian food court is like. There are too many different smells, selections, spices, and dishes to choose from, so I definitely went with Thai cuisine.
To explore more of Thailand true culture, we traveled north to Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai. That is where we explored more buddhist temples and how locals live outside of the capital. By the end of that week, I would start to see the same statues and temples over and over again since there was always so much gold everywhere. We were taken to a Thai family for them to feed us their traditional food so we can get a taste of what a local eats. I also got to see a lot more spectacular places such as Chiang Rai’s night market where I got bootleg purchases and very cheap souvenirs, the hot springs of Chiang Rai where I boiled quail eggs, and simply seeing the vast rice field where friendly farmers would explain their lifestyle to me. Though, the most memorable trip during my time in Thailand was when we were droven to the White Temple and the many mysteries that surround that area. Of course, the White Temple was an outstanding work of art for a place of worship that I have never seen anywhere else during my travels. It looked like an ancient temple with modern art since its construction started only in 1996.
We decided to go on further from the White Temple to go see the Kayan long neck women village to pay the villagers there a visit. The local women there dressed me in their headwear while also letting me trying on the many rings they wear around their necks. Those were so heavy to wear, it’s insane how they keep their necks from breaking! Speaking of which, their necks actually do break if the rings come off. An elder villager there told me about how the older you got, the more rings got added to your neck so it can grow longer. It is said that these girls start wearing these rings from the age of five for their identify and to actually prevent them from becoming slaves because they made themselves less attractive to the other surrounding tribes. Finally, I was told that these coils are supposed to protect the women from tiger bites, literally and spiritually. After saying goodbye to the Kayan women and leaving the village, we drove up to the Golden Triangle. This place is wedged in between Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar on the Mekong River. Overall, my time spent in Thailand had both good and bad experiences that were an excellent introduction on what extreme traveling feels like. I really want to go back to this welcoming and breathtaking country!
Special notice: Please do not go on the elephant rides or go see their shows there. What they do to those elephants is completely abusive and not okay! They rip babies away from their mothers, mentally and physically torture them until they get the tricks right, and use bullhooks to control them. I highly recommend not promoting this tourist attraction and can tell you from personal experience that it ruined my day when we were taken there.
