It's been almost a month since I returned from Thailand. I meant to write a post the moment my plane landed in the U.S. because I wanted it to reflect the buzzing excitement I felt after two weeks in the Land of Smiles. However, life had other plans for me, and those plans involved catching a virus, getting a double ear infection and developing laryngitis. I guess you could say I had a good excuse for delaying this post.
But even though it's been nearly a month since I returned, I still have so many stories to tell about my visit to Thailand. First, I want to say that I absolutely loved the spontaneity of this trip. I truly didn't plan a damn thing, and I loved it.
I booked my hostels the same day. I ate food I couldn't pronounce. I said yes to every person who asked me to get a beer, visit a temple, take a bus to the countryside or drive a scooter into the jungle. You name it, I said yes to it. Of course, I did have some idea of what I wanted to see during my visit. But if I met someone who wanted to do something different, I just rolled with it. That attitude introduced me to parts of Thailand I never would have seen otherwise.
So what was my favorite part of the trip? Dozens of people have asked me this since I've returned, and I still don't have a good answer. Maybe it's a blessing I didn't have a voice the first two weeks I was back. It gave me time to really think about my response.
Before leaving for Thailand, I was most looking forward to three things: jungle hikes, street food and island hopping. Of course, I also was excited to learn more about the Thai culture, but as far as a "favorite moment" was concerned, I was pretty sure it would be some jungle hike or ocean swim. I imagined hanging my hammock on palm trees and falling asleep in the sun. I imagined falling in love with monkeys and going on waterfall hikes. I imagined the elephants I would feed and the temples I would visit. I did all of these things, and they were magnificent.
But when I think about a favorite moment, I don't immediately think of the elephant sanctuary or Phi Phi Island. Instead, I think about my morning walks along Bangkok's congested streets. Or about the Thai shop owners stacking plates of food near their spirit houses. I think about the bowl of khao soi I ate in Chiang Mai's Muslim district with a spoon I plucked from a communal tin of silverware. I think about the sun tanning my arms and the breeze tangling my hair.
I also think about the people I met. Like Aree, the sweet Thai woman whose home I stayed in my first couple nights in Bangkok. She joined me at several temples and taught me how to meditate and pray to Buddha. I think about our conversations, supplemented by hand gestures to help us understand each other.
I think about my tuk tuk drivers and the way they weaved in and out of traffic. I think about their colorful vehicles and the hollowed, green coconuts that littered their floors.
I also think about Julien, my sweet Frenchman who joined me for a dip in an aqua pool in the middle of a jungle. We swam among nibbling garra rufa fish and laughed harder than I've laughed in a long time. We drank Thai beers and witnessed a red-orange sunset in Kanchanaburi. We took an ocean dip in the rain.
See, I don't have just one favorite moment. I can't sum up my trip with one memory or one activity. I remember all the little moments. The time a monkey pulled my ponytail when I walked too close. The rush of riding on the back of a scooter. The taste of a cold, Thai coffee. These are the moments I will cherish. Because it's the simple things, I think, that I fall in love with most.