In Thailand for my birthday month last year, on my third visit to the country, I was based on the beautiful island of Koh Pha Ngan in the southeast region of the country. To get to Koh Pha Ngan requires a flight to the neighboring island of Koh Samui or Surat Thani on the mainland, and from either of those places, a ferry to the island.
Koh Pha Ngan is deceptively small. Life is laid back and it’s home to the most amazing coconuts and some of the best Thai food I’ve ever had (shout out to Bee’s Kitchen and Mama Pooh’s Kitchen!). But, to get around to the various areas of the island requires a lot of patience waiting for the communal taxis, which are pick up trucks with benches (sans seatbelts) in the back, or the courage to rent a scooter, which I didn’t have. Thankfully, our hotel was right on the beach and within a fairly easy walk to our workspace, so for the week and a half that I was actually on Koh Pha Ngan I was able to relax and explore in equal measure. Thong Nai Pan Beach was one of my favorites and watching sunset at Amsterdam Bar is a must (I hear 360 Bar also offered beautiful sunset views, but I didn’t make it there).
The island is most well known for the infamous Full Moon Party that takes place each month on Haad Rin Beach. There is plenty of debauchery that (don’t worry, mom) we witnessed and didn’t partake in, but it was definitely an experience to see the party in full swing. Personally, I preferred the more laid back Jungle Party that takes place the night before every full moon. The night after the Full Moon Party, we were up and at ‘em to catch a 7 am ferry to Koh Samui for our flight to Chiang Mai.
Chiang Mai is my favorite city in Thailand. Although it’s the second largest city in Thailand after Bangkok, it is much less hectic, the food is delicious and there are a lot of modern comforts mixed in with traditional Thai culture. It’s also easy to get around with Uber and the local taxis -- red pick up trucks that you hail on the side of the road and hop in the back. Not to mention, Chiang Mai is close enough to more rural areas of Thailand so we were able to spend an afternoon riding ATVs through rice paddies and across beautiful vistas, which was a welcome escape from the city.
In recent years, Chiang Mai has become known as a great place for “digital nomads” because it has a ton of cute cafes and restaurants; there is also plenty of cheap street food. We stayed in the Nimman Road area, which is pretty trendy and home to my namesake mall! In July 2016, the MAIIAM Contemporary Art Museum opened about half an hour outside of Chiang Mai, and it is totally worth the trek. The museum houses the private collection of its founders, the Bunnag family, and is easy to get through in an afternoon. There is some really interesting work by modern Thai artists, but one of my favorite rooms featured works of art honoring the late Thai President, Bhumibol Adulyadej AKA Rama IX, who was widely revered in the country and had recently passed in October 2016.
Like much of the rest of the country, Chiang Mai is home to a number of Buddhist temples. Four of the more well known are Wat Chiang Man (the oldest), Wat Phra Singh (adorned in gold), Wat Chedi Luang (which gives off major Angkor Wat vibes) and Doi Suthep (the most sacred temple in Chiang Mai, which overlooks the city). Wat Chedi Luang also hosts a program where younger monks talk to the public and you can just grab a seat and start chatting with them about their lives, which is pretty cool, and I’ve done it both times I’ve visited Chiang Mai.
My final stop in Thailand was Bangkok, where we spent my birthday. It was my third time visiting the city, and if I’m being honest, I’ll be ok if I don’t get to return for a fourth visit. The traffic is horrific and it’s way too difficult to get around, especially because the city is so big. There are, of course, plenty of good restaurants and bars, among them the Banyan Tree hotel’s rooftop Moon Bar and Gaggan and Nahm, two of the 50 best restaurants in the world. My favorite part of visiting Bangkok this go round was getting out of the city and visiting Ayyuthaya, the old capital of Siam. Many of the temples there, which are all ruins now, were built in Khmer style so resemble Angkor Wat and are incredibly beautiful.
If you haven’t been to Bangkok before, some obligatory temple visits are Wat Pho (Temple of the Reclining Buddha), the Grand Palace, which is home to Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha) and some of the most ornate and intricate designs of all the temples, and Wat Arun (Temple of the Dawn). I didn’t make it to the weekend market, but I hear that’s well worth a visit if you have time as well!
