We took a taxi from our hotel to the Koh Samui International airport. It was nice experiencing it during the day. It feels more like a resort than an airport because of the layout and open air set up. We used the kiosk to print out our tickets and started making our way to the gate. I kept thinking we couldnât possibly be going the right way because it felt like we were walking through an outdoor mall, not an airport. The path from the main check in area and the gate is entirely outdoors, shaded by a metal roof and lined with lots of shops with big glass windows on one side. On the other side are lush gardens and beautiful landscaping. Once we reached our gate there was lots of seating with a roof overhead. Since the layout is all on the ground floor, passengers are loaded up into open air buses that transport them to the airplane, and then everyone walks up the steps into the plane. We arrived early, so we went to a bar and enjoyed fresh coconut and a smoothie. There were plenty of comfortable seating areas outside, including swings overlooking the tarmac. It was the most beautiful and relaxing airport Iâve ever been to.
When we landed in Bangkok, we took the air train and then the metro to Asoke Bangkok. We stayed in the Thai Pan Hotel, which was close to where we stayed when we started our trip in Thailand. I really enjoyed how everything and anything we could want was within a short walking distance from where we stayed. Bangkok is a huge city and not a place I could stay long term, but it is so convenient to have whatever your heart desires within a short distance either by walking or with public transportation.
The Thai Pan Hotel was a more traditional hotel than anything else we stayed at while travelling. The service was great (staff held the door when we entered and exited). Our room was on the 14th floor, so we had a nice city view. They had an outdoor pool on the 5th floor in the shade, so it was a perfect way to cool down in the 90 degree heat of the city. We had the pool to ourselves per usual and enjoyed every minute of it. The room was comfortable and also had a bathtub, which is unusual for Thailand bathrooms in our experience.
We found a huge covered market not far from where we were staying. It was tucked away down an alley, and we were one of the very few tourists in there. The vendors were selling food, clothing, beauty supplies, and lots of other items. We had amazing, inexpensive food and ate in the cafeteria style seating area with long tables, plastic chairs, and fans.
The best restaurant experience we had while in Bangkok was at Mercy Republic (http://mercyrepublic.com/en). When we arrived, we were greeted by the owner himself, Mercy G. He was dressed in a fancy white hip hop sweat suit and looked sharp. He explained that he had opened Mercy Republic to show people that there are lots of hip hop artists who are vegan and to make vegan food palatable to everyone whether they are vegan or not. His restaurant is crafted with compassion in 4 areas: animals, health, fellow humans, and the environment. We really resonate with this since those are the reasons we are vegan as well. He had a wall full of large photos of musicians who are vegan. He then went back to where he was live DJing music while people enjoyed their dinner. He played lots of our favorites. We stayed until closing and said our goodbyes. We will definitely be back next time weâre in Bangkok. What a magical night!
On our last day in Bangkok, I wanted to get a haircut. Our flight was scheduled in the early evening, so we had plenty of time before we had to head to the airport. There were several highly rated hair salons on the road we were staying at, so I went to Kosy Massage and Cut. We were greeted with hot tea and a comfy couch. Tracker had a Thai massage while I had my hair cut. I explained to the stylist what I didnât like about my hair and what I was hoping she could do. She did a phenomenal job, removing the weight off my hair and adding layers to give it a fuller look with more movement. She gave me advice on how to care for it and styled it. They had two little dogs in the shop, and one of them climbed up into my lap after we were finished for some sweet cuddles. I left feeling fabulous!
Thailand holds a special place in our hearts. We love how welcoming Thai people are to foreigners like ourselves. They are so encouraging when we try to say the simplest phrases in their language. The food is so fresh and vibrant. Itâs a very safe country to travel, and people are happy to help if youâre confused or needing support. Part of the reason Thai people are so welcoming to tourists and foreigners is because of their large tourist industry. And when tourists decide to stay, the government has safeguards in place that prevent foreigners from competing or taking jobs away from Thai citizens. When a foreigner applies for a visa and they will be working (like a digital nomad), they have to show very clearly that they wonât be taking clients away from Thai people. The government also has rules in place to make sure that land is owned by Thai people. Foreigners can buy condos, but no more than 49% of all sellable units in any given building can be owned by them. There are also entry fees to national parks that are marked different for Thai people and for foreigners. This prevents prices from rising too high for Thai people to afford the same beautiful places that foreigners want to visit while collecting enough income to cover the costs of upkeep. We also love the Thai language. We have been studying Thai leading up to this trip, and you can learn so much about how people think by how they speak. We especially have enjoyed learning how to read Thai script. Itâs beautiful and very precise in describing how to say words. I love how the vowels are around the consonants based on where the sound is in your mouth. Thai culture is very polite, and their language reflects this by using the word âkrapâ for men and âkahâ for women after a phrase to indicate politeness. Itâs so nice to have a word you can sprinkle in at the end of phrases to convey that you mean well and respect the person youâre speaking with. The healthcare system in Thailand is incredible as well. We didnât need to go to the hospital while we were there, but we have heard many stories about the positive experiences others have had with Thailand healthcare. One American woman on Youtube that we follow needed a prescription while she was in Thailand. She went to a few different pharmacies, but they were out of her medication. I have read that if your doctor provides a prescription that can be filled in Thailand, pharmacies will fill it for you. Since they didnât have it in stock, she went to the hospital. The staff helped her fill out paperwork since she was a new patient, and she was able to see a gynecologist that same day and was given a new prescription which she was able to fill. This entire process took about two hours. This is not possible in the US. New patients have to wait months to see a specialist. And the entire visit cost her $9, which is less than most copays. No country is perfect, but these are a few of the reasons we like Thailand so much and want to return.
