A Grand Overview to Traveling to Thailand

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We had a couple of options which both had multiple stops in the destination country but ultimately my wife and I wanted to go big on our honeymoon so we chose Thailand.

Neither of us had been there nor been that far from our home in North Carolina, USA before. So naturally we’re talking about a big trip and a lot of big adjustments while traveling.

Overall though it was phenomenal on so many levels. It’s pretty hard to fathom how we got there and how amazing everything has been for our relationship, wedding, marriage, and honeymoon. I’ll focus this post more on a general overview of traveling to Thailand from the West and particularly coming from the US and South Eastern region.

If you’re a foodie and have the ability to travel to Thailand, it’s definitely something you should do when you’re able to.

A Foodie’s Paradise

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Every single meal and snack consistently raised the bar for us on what dining experiences could be.

This photo shows a dish of Thai style stir fried shrimp, carrots, morning glory, and eggs on a bed of rice noodles. This is from believe it or not, a shopping mall’s food court in a restaurant called Wok Experts.

A couple of considerations before you dive in face first to delicious dining in Thailand:

1. Their cuisine is spicier than most. This wasn’t a problem for us as we did not order anything too spicy when given a choice and have a decent tolerance for it overall. If you do have a low spicy tolerance or taste and still want to enjoy Thai food learn the phrase: “Mai au pet” (Not Spicy) or “Mai au prik” (No Chilies or spices at all).
2. Their cuisine uses the following ingredients quite often: Soy, Fish Sauce, Rice, Milk, Eggs, Chili Peppers, Garlic, Tamarind

Once you’ve dealt with those considerations you’re ready to enjoy the best food of your life. My wife enjoying both Asian cuisines and fine dining was not only impressed, but so much so that she actually surprisingly said to me a time or two that it was just too much and she wanted a break from all the good food. Never in my life had I expected to hear that from her, but there it is.

Coming from a US State (NC) that has no Michelin ⭐️ restaruants, it was amazing how you could just randomly stroll up into a place to eat and they had one for their delicious food.

If you’ve never been to Thailand a must have treat is their favorite dessert: Mango with Sticky Rice. If you live in a non-tropical country trust me when I say you’ve never truly had Mango before.

Since this is an overview I’ll summarize the rest of the food experience:

• Go to the Night Markets and get Street Food (Bring Thai Baht Cash)
• Try other cuisines: Chinese, Indian, Even European like Italian or French, and Latino they’re all great!
• The service is amazing! Wait staff are attentive, accomodate, and really look out for your preferences or allergies. They make helpful suggestions and don’t get in the way of you enjoying your meal, drinks, and the people you’re with.
• The islands in the South (We went to Koh Samui) tend to be more filled with tourists and have more Western world cuisine. They are still quite good, but if you want to have Thai cuisine or something more adventurous you should explore Bangkok.
• If you are looking to support the local economy with your drinking, consider Chang beer. It’s a good lager that is owned, brewed, and distributed within Thailand. Singha’s ownership has ties to China making it a less authentically local choice.
• Most wines are imported so you may consider ordering a cocktail instead. They make lots of unique ones at each place and I recommend a tropical style drink like a spritz, mojito, or tropical fruit flavored.
• Thai Iced Teas are great and you should try one if you haven’t already. You may need to go to a cafe to get them though, some place like the Amazon Cafes that are all around Bangkok.

A Spiritual Paradise

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In part of my life journey back home I’m learning of spiritual self care. It involves things like spending time in nature, relaxing, meditating, reflecting on life, deciding on personal values and acting on them, and appreciating artistic or creative works.

“One Night in Bangkok and the world’s your oyster! The bars are temples but the pearls ain’t free”

One Night In Bangkok - Murray Head

Buddhism

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In Thailand the predominant religion is Buddhism, which is despite some learning in public schools still a foreign lifestyle and concept to most of us coming from the West.

There is way too much to learn from the teaching of Buddha and the practices of his followers, but I’ll summarize a few key takeways that we learned and experienced on the trip:

1. Appreciation for the natural world and all beings in existence. The many gardens, parks, and fascinating wildlife are a sight to behold and something that connected me with our living planet in a way I’d never dreamed. Being able to snorkel and see the coral reefs was just incredible!
2. Life is cyclical. My wife and I often asked each other in disbelief: how did we get here? Or sometimes we wonder why hardships, pain and suffering happen. Buddha teaches that all things happen in the flow of time and come and go like the ebb and flow of tides on a beach. What’s here will be soon gone then some day back again in some form.
3. Respect and appreciation of all people. Thailand is known as the land of a thousand smiles and people there do greet you with a “Sawasdee” meaning good day accompanied by a smile and a bow. They are very polite, humble, and happy people.
4. While it’s chrisitanity that teaches the body is a temple, Thai culture does much to honor one’s own body in the form of holistic self care, natural remedies and thai massages. We highly recommend a Thai massage while you visit it can work wonders to relax your body and mind and help your posture, ease chronic pains, or correct problems that Western society seems to instill in us.
5. Buddhism is not about changing the world, but accepting it as it is and rising above the sufferings of life through development of one’s own life and character. We can all learn a bit from that and spend more reflective time building ourselves up deliberately instead of focusing on cutting someone else down.

No, unlike some of those characters in White Lotus I am not considering converting to Buddhism. But I will always respect the culture of other people, especially those that graciously accept us on holiday in their own land. I think there’s always something great to learn from other people, this especially includes those who are very different and those who have beliefs or values that we don’t agree with at all.

Land of a Thousand Smiles

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Thailand is a beautiful country with incredible nature, delightful people, delicious food, and a rich culture and history. If any of that appeals to you I highly encourage you plan a trip as well. Look out for future posts where I will discuss more tips and tricks for traveling and discuss these topics in greater detail.

Until then, Sawasdee khrap!