Exploring the Land of Smiles: My Trip to Thailand

Thailand is a country of diverse landscapes, from beaches to mountains, elephants, delicious food, and rich culture. It has something to offer everyone, whether you’re seeking the excitement of a busy city or the peacefulness of the countryside. As someone currently living in South Korea, Thailand was much larger in comparison with countless areas to explore, making it difficult to choose where to go as a first-time visitor.

And that was the hardest part of trying to plan a trip to Thailand: deciding where to go. I was torn between going south to the beaches or heading north to the mountains, but in the end I choose the southern part of the country. But, when I say Thailand is full of many destinations I mean FULL. There were so many places I wanted to explore yet it was impossible to see everything on my list because there was so much to see, and I loved the fact there was so much to do.

Normally as an introverted traveler I shy away from big cities because I’m not a huge fan of crowds. Even so, I wanted to experience Bangkok while in the country, and ended up enjoying it more than I thought I would. I spent the first few days of my trip exploring the city before heading to Krabi and almost delayed my departure because I like it so much. The city was busy with activities around the clock. I walked so much even after using the BTS skytrain and I think I only used the bus once because the train went everywhere we really needed.

One thing that surprised me while walking around was how many Korean ads were over the city with K-drama and K-pop billboards and products displayed, so it was kind of cool seeing bits of Korean culture there when traveling or shopping.

One thing I loved was the street food, and in many cases it was even better than some of the restaurants we ended up going to haha. There were so many things to try I ended up eating a lot of food I had no idea what their names were (one of my favorite parts of traveling to new places haha) and then getting lots of teas to cool off from the hot weather. There were also some really unique cafes to visit and enjoy tasty drinks at as well that were perfect to chill and rest at after a busy day.

I think January was definitely a great month to visit the country, the weather was warm and hot but not unbearable, and in the evenings it felt wonderful. And since I was coming from Korea where it was very cold it was a great time to warm up before coming back to another snowstorm (which ended up being the coldest winter in nearly 20 years). Also, Thailand was actually the first vacation I’ve ever gone on that I didn’t end up sunburnt, which I was super surprised about because I was outside a lot. The sun just likes me there I guess? 😉 

All in all, Thailand was the perfect destination to recharge and explore. I have a lot to share about my experience there, so stay tuned for my upcoming posts!

If you go to Thailand would you go north or south?