The Best of Both Worlds: THAILAND!

Thailand was the final leg of my trip. I flew into Bangkok at nighttime and was blown away by its size! And also by the fact that everything was written in Thai... talk about culture shock! I also arrived in-country without a clue of where I was staying (of course I "forgot" to mention this to my family because I didn't want them to worry)... I knew that it would be easy to find accommodation once I arrived... I guess I was feeling a bit spontaneous/adventurous/brave/possibly stupid?

After I got my baggage and bought a SIM card, I googled "Top hostels in Bangkok," and found a long list to choose from. I checked the ratings on a few, made my decision, and called to check if there was availability. There was room that night. I figured out how to navigate onto the Skytrain, which is an above ground subway. I ended up getting off at a stop too early, flagged down a taxi whose driver tried ripping me off (I was warned about this from friends who have traveled to Thailand), got a new taxi driver, and drove around Bangkok for 45 minutes. He didn't know where my hostel was located, so I added the address into Google Maps. Google Maps addresses were in Thai, so it was difficult to navigate, even confusing the driver!

But lo and behold, we found my hostel! And with all that driving around, the price was still half the amount that the first driver tired to charge. What a start to my Thailand adventure!

Enjoy the photos!

Photo 1: Beautiful Jakarta, Indonesia, en route to Bangkok.

Photo 2: Link Corner Hostel, which was the hostel I stayed at. There was nothing special about it, but it was clean and cost only $10 USD/night, so I can't complain! Plus it had free WiFi and each bed had its own power outlet.

Photo 3: The lounge area.

Photo 1: View from my room.

Photo 2: Bangkok traffic.

Photo 3: My first tuk tuk ride!

Photo 1: Wires, on wires, on wires... Dangerous??

Photo 2: My tuk tuk driver doesn't look too thrilled in this photo but he was actually a happy and hilarious man.

Photo 3: The Grand Palace

Photo 1: So grand!

Photo 2: How Thai of me! I became a pro at asking random strangers to take my photo! Ha.

Photo 3: Soi Cowboy... Scenes from The Hangover 2 were filmed here.

Photo 1: Because my hostel was far from my location and it was rush hour traffic, two taxis refused to transport me. I had no choice but to use a motorbike taxi. My experience with transportation in Thailand concluded: The more you're willing to risk your life, the cheaper the fare!

He swerved in and out of traffic at top speeds... Terrifying, but a rush!

Photo 2: A bit of Bangkok.

Photo 3: My next destination: Koh Samui. The flight from Bangkok is only about an hour long.

Photo 1: I landed in Koh Samui and found myself in the same situation as the night I landed in Bangkok: uncertain of where I was staying. I used the TripAdvisor app on my phone to randomly pick a location and a hostel in the area called Behind the Scene Hotel Club @ Samui, located in the village Chaweng. The reviews looked good so I called to confirm availability and took a shuttle to its location. I was expecting something quite basic but was blown away by the quality of the hostel. Not only was it in a great location, but it was clean, nice, had free WiFi and only cost $13 USD/night! The price went up by a couple of dollars on weekend days.

Photo 2: My room had 8 beds total, each having their own power outlet, along with a private bathroom attached. The bathroom had 3 toilets, 3 showers, 4 sinks, and long mirrors in the center. 

Photo 3: While my room had 8 beds, there were only 3 of us staying in it the first two nights. I really enjoyed spending time with those two girls. One was American and the other was British. 

Photo 1: The girls invited me to join them on their day trip. The first part: ATV ridin'.

Photo 2: Beautiful waterfall in the jungle.

Photo 3: Next up: Elephant trekking! I love this elephant selfie!

Photo 1: I feel that there are two things that must be done while in Thailand. The first: elephant trekking. Jane and I had a great time riding the elephant!

Photo 2: Night out with the girls and two guys who had a private room in the hostel. 

Photo 3: Such a funny sign! 

Photo 1: I love this! He was so cute and lovable. 

Photo 2: Jane, Lorna, and I got matching rings. We really haggled down the price!

Photo 3: A shopping center, on a small island! This, along with the numerous fast food chains, made me question if I was really on an island and in a developing country.

Photo 1 & Photo 2: Chaweng Beach.

Photo 3: Gotta love street food, especially when it's $1.52 USD and so delicious! Mmm, pad Thai!

Photo 1: The second thing that must be done while in Thailand: Go to a ladyboy show! A few of my new dorm mates and I went to a show! Check out that ladyboy's small waistline! 

Photo 2: The woman in the middle is a ladyboy! I was impressed!

Photo 3: Midway through the stay, Lorna left for Bangkok. Jane stayed behind and then a batch of 6 new girls joined us. Luckily, the situation wasn't anything like my Sydney dorm mates (except for Stephanie, who I've talked about previously). All the girls were traveling solo, so were eager to meet and hang with everyone in the room. It was a great group of girls. We enjoyed spending days together and all going out at night. The girls were from various countries around the world. Photo credit: ark-bar.com

Photo 1: Such a neat show! I must add: Ark Bar seemed like the beach party to be at, and it's location was right across the street from the hostel, so I spent a lot of time there. Photo credit: ark-bar.com

Photo 2: Since I've completed two years of Peace Corps service, I gifted myself with a night at this gem... The room had a private pool attached and cost just $115.00 USD/night! Okay, yes, it was a lot more expensive than my $10-12 dorms, but the quality of the resort was so grand, that it would've cost double or triple in the US. Also, the price included free internet and breakfast and I was given a welcome drink upon check-in.

Photo 3: Enjoying my private pool. There was a communal pool in the center of the resort, along with  the resort being beachfront. 

Photo 1: I took a similar photo like this, but can't find it, so this one comes from TripAdvisor.com. The significance of this photo is that every Thai toilet has a hose beside it... To clean your bits after toilet use, I'm assuming? I made it a point to keep my bare feet away from the floor drain. Yuck!

Photo 2: Fish spa. Easily the strangest thing I've ever done! The fish loved the skin that was peeling due to the sunburn I got in Fiji. Ha!

Photo 3: Since it was my final night in Thailand and I was at a fancy resort, I got dolled up, wearing the new dress and heels I bought in Sydney. The American Angelina cleans up quite nicely, eh?

Photo 1: I nearly froze to death in a Chinese airpot, so I used my neck pillow as a scarf... No shame! 

Photo 2: Next stop: America!! I was so excited that I didn't care I had a 13-hour flight ahead of me.

Photo 3: Distance give in miles and not kilometers, what???!!! I must be en route to AMERICA!

Photo 1: This was a grand site! I was back in my country! Yahhhh, Obama!

Photo 2: The best welcome on Christmas Eve! It was so great to see my family in their Christmas gear, with that cute welcome sign, along with my friend Jimmy and his mom Martina.


From Samoa to the US it took: 10 planes, in 7 countries, and 7 different time zones! I was jet lagged for quite sometime.