What to see in Thailand? Here are more exclusive photos of my recent Thai Adventure!

In case you haven’t read or seen my recent post Ten Reasons to Visit Thailand, I have a little more to share(but go back and read the post too) Of the 1500 photos of Thailand that I snapped, it was impossible to narrow the best down to just the ones I published in the first post. So… I thought a photo essay with fewer words and more pretty photos was a great plan!

Honestly, this once-in-a-lifetime trip to Thailand will be nearly impossible to duplicate. My friends at the Tourism of Thailand (TAT) showed us up close and personal what it was like to really see Thailand. Yes, we visited the popular and touristy temples (a must do) but we also dove in deeper to experience Bangkok on a personal level. To experience life in rural areas where tourists don’t venture nearly as often was such a gift.

That being said, any visitor can take my list, or follow the colorful photos straight to the location with a little ingenuity, a little help from a tour guide and an adventurist spirit.

What to See in Thailand ~ Tourism 2018 Kickoff in Bangkok ~

We were honored to attend two different public events celebrating the newest tourism campaign for Thailand. All of the country’s dignitaries were in attendance and it was quite an amazing show.

The first evening of the announcement showcased colorful floats with dancers and music while we sat as VIP’s eating gorgeous Thai snacks and sipping deep purple fruit drinks. The second evening was a fancy Thai bash like no other. Twinkle lights hung from enormous trees while we were thoroughly entertained by talented singers singing (mostly) American songs and the introduction of the new and engaging marketing video. There were elegant table after table of eye-catching and tasty hors d’oeuvre, creative cocktails with names like The Lady’s Groan (what?) I think there may have been a language issue. So funny and colorful! It was a blast! Amazing Thailand celebrated over 1,000,000 visitors in 2017.

On the Street

So much happens on the streets of Bangkok. You can buy flowers, raw or grilled fish as well delicious, creative snacks. One of the most interesting nibbles we purchased was a small taco-like shell with marshmallow creme and cilantro. Sounds weird, but it was delicious! This city is so vibrant and so different from any place I had ever experienced. So much movement, strong aromas, busy streets and lots of smiling people.

What to see in Thailand ~The Floating Market

Bike Riding in Bang Kracho –

Bang Kracho is an unexpected green oasis in the middle of the city of Bangkok. Unchanged, quiet, and natural we rode through farms and by modest homes on the river and we passed a local tavern that was packed with patrons for lunch.

Needless to say nine Americans biking through their quiet village was quite a sight!

More Food…

I was quite the newby in Bangkok and not really a HUGE fan of spicy food. It hurts my delicate constitution(lol). I took a bite not seeing a slice of very HOT Thai chile. I asked for milk to help combat the heat, alas, no milk. I literally toughed it out and suffered in silence. This was a group of people I did not yet know, so I really didn’t want to look wimpy on the first day!

After that fiery lunch, my new friends took me under their wing and became my “tasters”. They would try the dish first and say “Yes, Suzanne eat this or No! don’t eat this one.” For rest of the trip there were no more “near death” experiences thanks to my experienced Thai foodie travel partners.

More of the exquisite temples

Saying goodbye to Asia ~

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Thai boxing in Bangkok ~ Oh My!

Is Muay Thai also known as Thai boxing on your adventure list? The martial art form of Muay Thai is HUGE in Thailand. It’s very popular in the U.S. as well. Part of the comprehensive travel experience created by our hosts at the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) was to visit Krudam Gym for a morning lesson of Muay Thai.

Kenzee, my private trainer at Equinox in Pasadena was thrilled that I could “enjoy” an authentic experience in this sport while I was in Thailand. I was aware that they teach Thai boxing at my gym and it definitely seems challenging. I have taken kickboxing classes before, but it has been years.

The wear and tear on my knees from decades of tennis, workouts, classes and bootcamps, running, walking and stairclimbing gradually wore out the meniscus in my right knee this year. I had surgery and I am good as new but leery of any crazy athletic out-of-the-ordinary sporting endeavors.

However, as they say, when in Rome (or Thailand)… I wanted to be a trooper, join the group and experience this workout for myself. It feels good to bring out that inner badass, doesn’t it?

Yes it was hard, really hard

OMG! This was a workout like no other. We arrived at 8:30am to the open-walled gym and the air was a cool 80 degrees with high humidity. I began to sweat before I hit the mat. Yay! We were greeted by nine, enthusiastic boxing experts eager to assist and teach us their beloved sport.

We started with stretching (so far so good), we moved on to running around the gym (good, but starting to worry) then it was time to get serious. We finished the running part and now it was time for the five minutes of jump rope. FIVE MINUTES? Have you jumped rope for five minutes straight? This was just the warm up! I was traveling with a fit group of younger women and my intimidation quotient was very high.

I tried to pretend like I wasn’t worried and kept telling myself, how hard can this be? I am fit, I can do this! Let me tell you friends, this is a challenging, full body work out, but ultimately I really enjoyed it!

We really did have a blast!

After stretching, my teacher/partner wrapped my hands with tape and helped me on with my gloves. We followed the instructor through left hand jabs, right hand jabs, elbow somethings and two kinds of kicks. We pounded the pads as well as the enormous punching bags.

It was intense, intimidating, sweaty, incredibly challenging and the young men who taught us couldn’t have been more gracious and helpful. Truthfully, near the end of class my acid reflux (how lovely) was acting up and I didn’t feel very well, but it subsided eventually and the glow of accomplishment returned.

Would I recommend this activity to other travelers? Absolutely! The entire experience was deeply authentic and satisfying for sure!

Everyone else in the group really enjoyed themselves and I know they would give this a ten out of ten as well.

Add Thai boxing to your Adventures List!

Have you found your inner badass? What helped you get there?

For more on my trip to Thailand… Check out this post~

My Epic Adventures in Bangkok :: Ten Reasons to Visit Thailand – A Must See in 2018

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2017 was a very busy and truly spectacular travel year!

So I decided to do a quick year in review, not to boast about how many places I have been, but to unpack, pause and appreciate what can be accomplished through thoughtful planning, careful research, great relationships, accumulated miles and points and the best dog sitter in the world!

I started the year with knee surgery on Jan 6^th, so the pace of the travel was slow in the beginning, but it quickly picked up in early March. I may not have been fully recovered but we had adventures to take, people to see and places to go. There was no sitting around.

Here is how the year went…

I took twenty-five trips… yes that is hard to believe. Visited five countries; Mexico, Spain, Italy, Thailand, China and the U.S. of course. Eight U.S states and fourteen new cities around the world! There are undoubtedly several tiny Italian villages that are not counted in this list!

There were three major cities we visited several times: Seattle, San Francisco and Washington DC. I traveled to a new continent! Asia was added in a spectacular splash with a trip to Bangkok and Guanzhou, China sponsored by Southern China Airlines and the Tourism Authority of Thailand.

What do all these numbers really mean? To some they will believe I am certifiably insane. Are you one of them? To others you will find this list inspiring and will plan to visit the same cities that we have and enjoy many of the same restaurants and adventures.

Personally, I feel very accomplished as well as grateful that I can do what I love, share it and connect people and places through Adventures of Empty Nesters.

More importantly, I have met new travel friends and locals who have enriched my life in so many ways.  We forged new partnerships with travel brands and even created a new video. Have you seen it?

You can see it ==> HERE!

Our daughter was engaged recently so add this to the list of happy adventures!  At the end of the summer I also had a second surgery on my foot. Good grief. Getting older is a bugger isn’t it?

Some More Favorites

This is a hard one, but I looked over my Instagram to see which photos had the most comments and combined them with photos that I am especially fond of and came up with a few for this post.

Adventures of Empty Nesters began four years ago and we are now a favorite among other empty nesters, midlife travelers (and their kids) foodies, as well as luxury travel destinations. This blog is being read in over seventy-five countries! In addition, I am a contributor to a new online magazine called Getting on Travel where twenty five talented travel writers over the age of fifty share their expertise and enthusiasm for luxury travel. I am surrounded by such a great group of people!

I also traveled with three travel blogger friends to Cozumel, Mexico where we had quite the adventure! The four of us come from four corners of the U.S. Sara from Travel with Sara is from Iowa, Tam from Travels with Tam is from Texas, I live in California, and Melody from Wherever I May Roam lives in Florida. Additionally,I have started a business consulting with new bloggers who are looking for guidance, as well as bloggers who may need a new perspective or additional help to get to the next step. I am loving this!

A favorite for the year in review?

You may be wondering which destination was my favorite. Every destination brings something to the table. Is it the gorgeous scenery of Montana or a delightful Italian cooking school? Could it be spring baseball for the Dodgers in Arizona? How about our day trip through the ruins of Tulum, Mexico and our stay in Mayakoba? Could it be the foodie town of Austin, Texas or the Hyatt Carmel Highlands and the picturesque community of Carmel, California? Or was it The Best Luxury Resort of the Year – the Park Hyatt in Mallorca, Spain?

Honestly, I cannot pick just one. We enjoyed so many unique cities and something special was imprinted on my heart from each of them. Every time I landed in a new place, I felt like I could say “This is my favorite.”

The Wonders of Thailand ~

However my trip to Southeast Asia was probably the most mind-blowing. I had never been to a city where people grill food in woks on the street and only steps away are beautiful hotels and luxury shopping. In Thailand we marveled at golden shrines, breathtaking sunsets, UNESCO heritage sites and floating markets. My experience at the floating market in the rural outskirts of Bangkok truly touched me. Sitting among simple wooden boats, seeing the colorful displays of clothing, fruit and a myriad of mementos was unforgettable. I truly never dreamed of seeing a place like this where people lived so authentically and so vastly different than how I do.

Oh and the food!

As you know, food is a HUGE part of travel and we always dive into the local cuisine, top-rated-most- written about restaurants and enjoy a hand-crafted cocktail or two. I will gather up a top ten dishes of the year very soon!

Where did you go this year? Please leave your favorite city in the comments. It would be fun to see where everyone has been in 2017. Many of you are BIG travelers and have wonderful stories to tell.

We do encourage other empty nesters to share their travel stories here. Do you have one? Let me know if you would like to contribute. Email me at suzannestavert@me.com

How was your year in review?

Happy New Year Friends,

Suzanne

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Asia has always been on my wish list, but when the opportunity to visit Bangkok with the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and China Southern Airlines came about, I said “Pick me, pick me!”

A fun-filled travel plan was created to transport seven, seasoned, travel writers, a friendly public relations representative and an energetic authority on Thailand from the TAT. Our proposed adventure was to explore Bangkok and visit several outlying areas as well. It was a travel recipe of epic proportions, coupled with a luxurious airplane experience like no other! We all were more than ready for this Southeast Asian Adventure.

Our Adventure in Thailand ~

Our itinerary was quite ambitious with most days starting at 8am and concluding at 10pm, visiting places with long Thai names like Wat Mahathat (a temple) and Ayutthaya (a city). It was a learning process for me and I gradually began to be more familiar with these names and what we were able to see and do was captivating. I was so thrilled for this opportunity and eager to see this extraordinary country.

Truthfully I had no preconceived ideas about what to expect in Bangkok, but I was blown away by what I experienced. This vibrant city is one of the most visited cities in the world and I can totally see why. The incredible shopping possibilities, crazy amazing food, famous Thai massage, breathtaking historic temples are just the beginning! Add fantastic city adventures, views to swoon over and abundant elegant accommodations, Bangkok is a must see for every world traveler. Even if it takes at least fifteen hours to get there, it is beyond worth the small inconvenience of a 10,000 mile flight.

Although this is one of my longest posts, I attempted to narrow my travel adventures down to ten reasons to visit Thailand. But to be transparent, this checklist is only a portion of my happy adventure, but enough to share why you need to make a plan to travel there and write your own list of favorites!

Travel in Luxury

China Southern Airlines transported us from Los Angeles to Bangkok in total comfort and luxury. We sat in Business Class where we each enjoyed our own personal “pod” with an entertainment center, slippers, a mattress and quilt, plus two pillows and a seat that fully reclined flat into my own little comfy bed! The flight attendants were attentive and two fantastic gourmet meals were served.

The Airbus 380 is the world’s largest double-deck and wide-body jet aircraft with a 40% greater passenger capacity than the largest existing type of aircraft. The pristine cabin offers a super-efficient air filtration system and circulates the cabin air every three minutes. The air was fresh and the plane was quiet and it felt like I was riding in a giant luxury hotel with wings. A staircase takes you from the first floor to the second and my biggest dilemma now is how on earth can I travel in Economy ever again? Seriously, it was so incredible.

Colorful Floating Markets

Of all the many incredible experiences on this trip, this was my favorite. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever believe I could visit such a place. To be in the middle of the famous floating market Damnoen Saduak, ninety minutes outside of Bangkok, in eighty-five freaking, humid degrees while vendors shouted for us to buy their products, as we floated in a primitive wooden boat? I was spell-bound. Who gets to do something like this?

Up close and personal you can see the locally grown produce, handmade sweets, colorful souvenirs and talk with the local people. Language is a challenge, but it all seems to work out, however fortunately, we had our friend Candy from TAT who can speak Thai and made our journey so much easier!

Delicious Thai Cuisine

The food in Bangkok is very distinctive and especially enticing for those people who enjoy hot and spicy dishes. For those of us non-spicy eaters, stay tuned because I am writing a post just for you! I was lucky enough to travel with some very adventurous and well-traveled eaters. They were so familiar with the Thai dishes, I dubbed them my “tasters”. They would determine whether the dish was “safe” for me to try. I was extremely impressed by the layering of flavors. This coconut soup with sea bass was one of many amazing dishes I was lucky enough to sample.

However on an even higher tasty level, I discovered Mango Sticky Rice. The most divine dessert you will need to experience for yourself. It is sweet, delicate Thai mango (which is nothing like the mangoes you find in the U.S.) combined with sticky rice, coconut milk, a teaspoon of sugar and a dash of salt. So good, so ambrosial I could eat this everyday!

Historic Temples, Temples, and more Temples

There are more than four hundred temples (wats) in and around Bangkok, each is unique, with a vast history, but we only had time to visit a few. Some were golden, some were covered in colorful tile, others were blanketed with a rich patina of grit, dirt and centuries of rain and soot. For an architecture lover like me, it was a dreamy adventure.

Many incredibly amazing temples ~

On our first day of this trip we visited the most astounding Temple of the Reclining Buddha filled with sweating tourists, and big crowds. Although the conditions were challenging, I was so impressed by the view of the many colorful temples and enormous reclining buddha, I hardly noticed.

Wat Pho (Temple of the Reclining Buddha)

With so many astounding temples it is so challenging to pick a favorite however Wat Pho took your breath away. It is so enormous that getting a photo of the entire statue is impossible. The buddha rests inside a building so you just cannot get far enough away to take the photo. This was just the first of many extraordinary temples we visited and I just couldn’t believe my eyes!

 

Luxurious Hotels

Bangkok Marriott Queen’s Park

Our first hotel stay was at the newly renovated and HUGE Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park. From the 35^th floor my views were spectacular and the room was classy and sleek. The hotel restaurants offered an abundance of many types of cuisine from the native Thai, to Indian curry, divine sushi,as well as American dishes and baked goods.

The Athenee, A Luxury Collection

Sad to say goodbye to the Marriott, we moved to The Athenee, A Luxury Collection Bangkok another luxurious property in the city. Oh my was this an elegant and refined experience! The newly opened property was quiet, tasteful and sophisticated. Every design detail was exquisite and I thoroughly enjoyed my stay. Relaxing in such comfort and sublime accommodations are the perfect way to end a day of sightseeing in Bangkok.

 

Bangkok Flower Market

Our first stop on our first day was the Bangkok flower market. I could have gone home a happy traveler just after visiting this bustling, 24 hour, wet and wild place, called Pak Khlong Talat.

Flower offerings are a huge part of the Thai culture and this market was filled with hundreds of vendors selling bright strings of marigold garlands, piles and piles of delicate orchids and pearly lotus buds packed over ice. The floors were wet and the air steamy from humidity, but everywhere you looked you saw a rainbow of flowers and the aroma was heavenly.

Bike Riding in Bang Kracho

Who knew there was a natural oasis in the middle of the bustling metropolitan city of Bangkok? We had a blast riding mountain bikes through this tropical rainforest called Bang Kracho, also known at the “The Lung of Bangkok”. We rode through this hidden gem on narrow elevated bike paths through small villages and farms, past coconut palms and fisherman. We ended this amazing day with an authentic Thai country lunch.

We were served new (to me) dishes like large egg pancakes and a rich broth with veggies and pork. This very casual and inexpensive meal was one of my favorites from the entire trip! I loved being so close to the hard-working Thai people in an unspoiled area of the city. Additionally we rode through the huge Sri Nakhon Kuenkhan Park and fed bread and fish pellets to gigantic fish. We also were welcomed by a creepy monitor lizard swimming by. Yikes! It was quite a day!

An intriguing modern city

Since I have returned home, friends and family have asked me “Should we plan a trip?” I always answer with an emphatic “Yes!” Bangkok has so much to offer and you can create an itinerary that suits your passions and interests.

In addition to historic Thai temples and street food, the city is filled with luxury shopping, fine dining and astonishing city views that sparkle and dazzle you. We were invited to the spectacular Banyan Tree Hotel to the 61st floor and to enjoy a four course meal I absolutely adored.

Don’t Forget a Ride in a Tuk-Tuk!

Tuk-tuks are a favorite way to get around Bangkok. Originating from an old fashioned rickshaw, they are essentially a motorcycle with a sturdy metal covered wagon on the back. I am glad that we had this experience, it was a kick.

The traffic in Bangkok is quite a challenge and on one balmy evening our tuk-tuk sped around cars and even in the side lane to bypass traffic!

Final Thoughts

In addition to my ten reasons to visit Thailand and all of the incredible sites, delicious smells, and sounds, the Thai people are kind and friendly and I always felt safe. However, I would recommend hiring a private guide or going on a tour. The city can be overwhelming and having someone else drive you in that crazy traffic would be preferred.

There is so much to see and do that I would have had a challenging time planning my own itinerary. Luckily for our group of travel writers, the TAT organized an amazing week full of adventure. I still have more to share!

To narrow my trip down from the hundreds of photos that I took to just these twenty-eight photos was really hard for me, so I will also put together a photo essay of more stories from our trip. We also attended the impressive 2018 Amazing Thailand Tourism Kickoff Party and took a Muay Thai boxing class!

Have you been to Asia? Bangkok? Thailand? Did you love it as much as I did?

Do you know other travelers who would enjoy the post? Please forward to them!

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Yes! I am leaving on Sunday to travel to Asia for the first time. The wonderful people of China Southern Airlines and Tourism Authority of Thailand Los Angeles are inviting me as their guest along with seven other travel writers.

Pinch me now, I am over the moon excited to see this part of the world! Just imagine walking through Bangkok and the Chang Chui Market, shopping at the Chatuchak Weekend Market, visiting majestic temples, and a bike ride through the inner city oasis of Bang Kra Jao… maybe even a Thai Boxing Class!

I am truly not an expert on Thailand or China, but by the time I return I know I will have history to teach and stories to share, plus colorful photos and lots of travel tips. Craig will be staying home this trip, but he is very supportive of my newest adventure. He and Rocco will keep the Empty Nest running smoothly.

Do you want to follow along on our trip? Make sure you “like” my Adventures of Empty Nesters Facebook page ==> Here.

Better yet, follow me on Instagram ==> Here!

Tips for travel to Asia ~

If you have already visited this extraordinary part of the world, do you have any favorite foods or tips you can share? My itinerary is already planned for me, but any extra info is always welcome.

I am SUPER excited.

Please follow along and stay tuned for all the delicious details and my colorful posts after I return.

Happy Thanksgiving ~ I am very grateful for all of you and appreciate your enthusiasm and support of our empty nester adventures!

Talk soon!

Suzanne

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