Thailand

Relaxing in a cove near Lamai Beach on the east coast of Koh Samui

Buddhist statues outside Wat Lamai. The temple is home to a folklore museum with artifacts from Samui’s history.

One of the waterfalls at Na Muang on the mountain in the center of Koh Samui

This rock is called the Hin Ta or Grandfather Rock. Can you guess why?! There’s a Grandmother Rock equivalent. Tourists flock to take very inappropriate photos with this rock. Google it…

Eating coconut ice cream made from actual coconut served in a coconut shell near Hin Ta on Lamai Beach

Authentic phat thai (noodles) and curry. Eating local food is one of our favorite things about traveling.

A produce stand selling durian. Durian is a popular fruit in Thailand. It smells and tastes like trash. Literally, like garbage.

Fisherman’s Village in the Bo Phut area on the northern side of Koh Samui. Lots of hotels, food and souvenirs.

Finally some authentic street food! Egg roll and a fried rice ball in Fisherman’s Village.

A beach vendor selling bird wind chimes in Bo Phut

Looking out at the tour boat that took us out to Mu Ko Ang Thong National Marine Park. The park is made up of 42 small islands.

Parts of the Leonardo Di Caprio movie “The Beach” were filmed in Ang Thong. Emerald Lake on Talay Nai played the role of “Blue Lagoon” in the movie.

Our home away from home for a couple nights. Ko Wua Talap on Ang Thong is packed with tourists during the day, but at night, there were just a handful of campers.

The trees around our campsite were full of langur monkeys. You could hear them swinging in the trees all day and night.

Getting ready to head back to Koh Samui

On the Thai mainland, we did a homestay in Khiriwong Village, a quiet village near Khao Luang National Park outside Nakhon Si Thammarat.

On our second day in Khiriwong Village, we hired a local guide to take us hiking in the mountains. We did a homestay at his home where he’d built a couple small huts for guests.

After lunch, our guide took an hour-long nap near the waterfall. It was a little awkward…

In Bangkok, we visited Chatuchak Weekend Market, one of the world’s largest weekend markets. Dinner included fresh mango, phat thai, egg rolls and fried quail eggs.

Food vendors lined the road by the main gate of Chatuchak Weekend Market

At Wat Pho, we visited the giant reclining Buddha. It’s 50 feet tall and 150 feet long.

The full length view of the reclining Buddha

A statue garden in Wat Pho showed the various positions of Thai-style yoga. Each pose targets a specific ailment.

We did a food tour of Bangkok’s Old City and saw some things off the beaten tourist track, including the fresh produce at Trok Mor Morning Market

Sao Ching Cha, or the Giant Swing, was used in religious cermonies from the 1700s to the early 1900s. Participants would swing and try to grab a bag of coins off a pillar. The swing itself was removed in 1935 after several fatalities.

Our guide Chin runs Chili Paste Tours. If you’re in Bangkok, it’s a great way to taste some real Thai food and get away from the other tourists for a bit.

Bangkok’s Nuttaporn has been making fresh coconut milk ice cream the old fashioned way for more than 60 years.

Outside the Bangkok’s famous Pak Khlong Talat flower market, vendors load a took-tuk full of chili peppers

… unfortunately, they loaded it a little too full and the bags all tumbled out. It drew quite a crowd of locals.

The iconic Wat Arun temple at night

May Kaidee makes authentic Thai food that is completely vegetarian and teaches cooking classes at her restaurant in the Khao San area of Bangkok

A statue of King Rama VI outside Lumpini Park, Bangkok’s first public park established in the 1920s.

A mirror selfie (melfie?) on the last day of our 33 day, three country adventure