Where we left you….. 

This is where we left you….. Last May we continued our journey exploring different parts of the world. This time it took us on a trip traveling to Thailand and Southeast Asia. Specifically Bangkok, Southern Thailand and then to Bali to work on a film project with friends. Some of you who follow us on social media know that many of the things we had planned, sadly never happened due to a small bite from an infected mosquito. You can read part one of that story here. More on that soon.

We wanted to share with you our adventures and the places we think you should see, up to the point where we needed to abandon our trip and head home. Traveling to Thailand for us was a dream we had thought of for years and it did not disappoint in terms of the natural beauty, historical sites and kind people we met along the way. 

Merida to Houston

We set up everything only a couple of months in advance for our trip, using 80,000 airline miles we had accumulated on our United mileage plus credit card to buy two one-way plane tickets to Bangkok from Houston for a mere $14.40 USD. Additionally we paid for flights from Merida to Houston. We found our house and petsitter randomly and serendipitously through a group discussion that was part of a conference in Santiago de Querétaro last February, with the Location Indie network where our new friend Isaac confessed his dream of living in Mexico (or at least trying it out) for a couple of months. We immediately said “If you don’t mind cats you will have a free place to stay at our house in Merida for three months.” He was in and we were set. 

The time had come and on a hot day in Merida early in the morning, we were off. We were running late as usual and it was especially hard leaving the cats behind. Luckily for us our flight was delayed and we ended up getting to have a cup of coffee with Isaac our cat sitter (and give him the house keys) while we waited for our boarding time.

Merida Airport is notoriously laid back and small for such a large city – nearly a million people in the metro area. After we said our hellos and goodbyes we were off and flying to Thailand on a 24-hour flight stopping in Houston, Taipei and ending in Bangkok.

Houston

We arrived to Houston, Texas around 3pm greeted by Nate’s brother’s wife Kelsey’s brother Johnny (we know, that’s a tongue twister). He is a local Houston resident working as firefighter but training as a fire investigator. He picked us up for our sleeping layover in Houston (our flight was not until 1 am the following day. Johnny and the entire Lyle family (Nate’s brother’s wife’s family) were raised traveling the world in the field of geology. So we were excited to talk with them about all of the things we should do or see. We met up for a nice breakfast/brunch and got the chance to ask a million questions about what to look for and what to watch out for while we were there. This was before we rode in a Tesla model S which was a blast and I don’t think we have ever ridden in a car that quick. 

After a nice dinner and a coffee at Cafe Lyle we hit the rode again, this time for the George Bush International airport to board our flight to Asia. 

Houston to Bangkok – a 24 hour trek

The airport at 1am was an empty ghost town, except for our gate which was packed. We had all of our camera equipment on our backs and were ready to go. Our first flight was landing in Tapai, Taiwan. Once on the plane we were excited because everything was written in Chinese and everyone was speaking Chinese around us, it felt like we were already there. Many movies and Chinese meals later, we landed in green, misty Taiwan. After a coffee break we were on our next flight traveling to Thailand we were heading to warm and balmy Bangkok.

After landing in Bangkok we were exhausted. It was exactly 12 hours ahead and opposite to the time our body felt and all we wanted was to snap our fingers and be lying horizontal in our big, comfy bed at the Airbnb we had booked. Unfortunately that was NOT what happened.

Thai Food

We love Thai food!!!! Traveling to Thailand was a dream and we were going to eat everything as authentic as possible with the exclusion of meat. More difficult than we thought as we went from restaurant to restaurant searching for some vegetarian Thai food which is readily available (and apparently adjusted from the traditional style) in Portland, Oregon. All of a sudden we found 4 pages of vegetarian Thai food in a great restaurant that had a ton of food we had never heard of but loved. What we got included a green curry, Thom Ka soup combo that tasted amazing along with flat wide noodles with veggies (Pad See Ew). 

The Golden Buddha

The Golden Buddha temple was one of the top things to see in our few-day stay in Bangkok and we made it a priority to see on our first day walking and exploring the area. It is a very ornate building with a gold roof and layer after layer of terraces that lead to the top where the golden Buddha sits. We stopped by the ticket office for our tickets and Cassie (as we are accustomed to the rules of temples from our time in India) had her large scarf to drape around her shoulders as we walked into the temple.

We did not know that at the Golden Buddha there was a much stricter dress code and as we approached the temple Nate in his classic shorts and tourist t-shirt walked into the temple with no issues. However, as Cassie approached wrapped up yet with shorts on, was quickly surrounded by employees asking her to leave and return when she was appropriately dressed in the culturally appropriate sarong. **A quick note: if you are in the area make sure to purchase a sarong and check-in with a local about what the do’s and don’t are with dress attire so you do not suffer the same fate as us.. being kicked out and embarrassed.

Pak Khlong Talat (Flower Market)

A couple of cold Starbucks drinks later, we walked from the Golden Buddha temple through the busy and bustling city of Bangkok making it to the Pak Khlong Talat Flower Market. Originally a floating market on the river, Pak Khlong Talat is the largest fresh and wholesale flower market in Bangkok and now sits in a large indoor complex. With fresh marigolds in the thousands being assembled into beautiful displays for an offering to the gods, we were in flower heaven and the smells were equally heavenly. This market felt truly local, void of any tourists and perfectly peaceful because of it. It is located near the river and the Grand Palace and is a must-see. If you watch the video above, the humidity and heat inside killed our audio on our camera mics.

First Day Was A Success

We were pretty ambitious for our first real day of exploring Bangkok and all in all it was a great experience. Bangkok is a wild and insanely busy place, and even though the water and canals could really use a cleaning, it is a beautiful place to wander around and find little surprises everywhere. Being open to visiting the markets where the locals go was an amazing decision for us because we felt like we were truly immersed in the culture and the people even if we didn’t understand anything anyone was saying really, or the signs. It was a fun day!

If you have any stories or thoughts about traveling to Thailand feel free to leave them in the comments below. 

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