So here it is. Part 1 of my Thailand adventure. I apologise for it being so overdue. Life literally hasn't stopped for the last month and a half, but now my body has finally forced me into resting.
My trip to Thailand was my first time overseas and as well as my first holiday in forever, and my first proper holiday with my boyfriend (now fiancé). So there was a lot to be excited about.
We flew into Bangkok and had two nights in the amazing (and ridiculously affordable) 5 star hotel Siam @Siam Design Hotel. Being both poor uni students, it was a completely different experience spoiling ourselves with such luxury. Whilst we spent some time wandering through the city, exploring the shops, we admittedly spent most of the time in the hotel soaking up some sun, relaxing by the infinity pool and indulging in a romantic 2hr couples massage package. Who even knew one could be so impossibly relaxed? We finished the day with cocktails and dinner at our rooftop restaurant.
From Siam, we went to the outskirts of Bangkok city to meet up with our Intrepid tour. We went out to dinner on Khao San Road and had amazing thai food for a mere $1.50. Wandering through the night markets there was an overwhelming experience. The sheer amount of people.... you just lose all sense of personal space. People in your face trying to sell you suits or invite you to a pingpong show (I'm sure some of you may know what I'm talking about, and the rest can probably figure it out). But the Coconut ice-cream and Mango Sticky Rice were well worth braving the crowds for.
We couldn't help but laugh at the hilarity of one bars motto -'We do not check ID cards' slathered all over their menus, staff t-shirts, and as you can see in the photo, bright neon signs. Ironically just across the road you could buy any ID one could possibly need. I wish I could say I'd bought the awesome Bart Simpson print denim shirt. However I stupidly hesitated at the hefty 600 Baht price tag, which realistically translates to something ridiculous like $23. One of life's big regrets I suppose...
On our last day in Bangkok, before catching the overnight sleeper train to Chiang Mai, Tom and I decided to go all out and hit up the 3 big temples - The Grand Palace, Wat Pho and Wat Arun. In Thailand's heat and humidity it was a full on day, but well worth it to see the breathtakingly beautiful details covering every tiny little surface on every pillar, doorway, wall. EVERYTHING.
In Thailand, modesty in dress is of upmost importance, particularly for the temples. So I'm not going to lie, day-to-day outfits were pretty minimalistic. My Thailand fashion can essentially be summarised by 101 ways to wear a scarf. I am by no means a diva (and am very proud to say I survived the whole 2 weeks with carry on luggage alone), but I do always like to dress well and add something of myself into each outfit. So having a trusty scarf close at hand meant I could be respectful of the Thai culture, but still have some fun.
The Grand Palace was the most spectacular. Just the sheer size of the place was unbelievable. I think I spent a good 5 mins on this one window frame when we first walked in, when just around the corner was insane beauty on an incredible scale. Gold and glorious. We spent about an hour in what was probably 20% of the entire place.
From there we walked to Wat Pho, the reclining Buddha. A 43m long, 15m high gold monster of a buddha that was sincerely mind-blowing. The temple walls surrounding the buddha laced floor to ceiling with intricate detailed paintings.
Finally a short ferry ride across to Wat Arun, the old capital of Bangkok and home to probably the steepest stairs I've ever climbed (as I'm sure my very unattractive face would show). An incredible thigh workout for sure. I also got interviewed by these adorable Thai school girls, obviously for a school project. They asked me my name, where I was from and what I had learnt to say in Thai. They thought it was quite funny that the first thing I said was "Hello, I'm vegetarian". They also taught me to say something like "You are/I am very cute".
It was an incredible few days, but we were so ready to move on from the hustle and bustle of the city and into the more rural and cultural parts of Northern Thailand.
Alas, I am leaving you here for now, with Part 2 and 3 to be shortly along the way. I promise I won't be so out of touch.
Karissa x
OUTFIT 1: Vintage top, vintage denim shorts, ASOS sandals, Sportsgirl sunglasses
OUTFIT 2: Sportsgirl scarf print top
OUTFIT 3: Shakuhachi bikinis
OUTFIT 4: ASOS t-shirt, Sportsgirl animal print scarf (worn as vest)
OUTFIT 5: ASOS t-shirt, Sportsgirl scarf (worn as skirt), Sportsgirl sunglasses, Sportsgirl watch
We flew into Bangkok and had two nights in the amazing (and ridiculously affordable) 5 star hotel Siam @Siam Design Hotel. Being both poor uni students, it was a completely different experience spoiling ourselves with such luxury. Whilst we spent some time wandering through the city, exploring the shops, we admittedly spent most of the time in the hotel soaking up some sun, relaxing by the infinity pool and indulging in a romantic 2hr couples massage package. Who even knew one could be so impossibly relaxed? We finished the day with cocktails and dinner at our rooftop restaurant.
From Siam, we went to the outskirts of Bangkok city to meet up with our Intrepid tour. We went out to dinner on Khao San Road and had amazing thai food for a mere $1.50. Wandering through the night markets there was an overwhelming experience. The sheer amount of people.... you just lose all sense of personal space. People in your face trying to sell you suits or invite you to a pingpong show (I'm sure some of you may know what I'm talking about, and the rest can probably figure it out). But the Coconut ice-cream and Mango Sticky Rice were well worth braving the crowds for.
We couldn't help but laugh at the hilarity of one bars motto -'We do not check ID cards' slathered all over their menus, staff t-shirts, and as you can see in the photo, bright neon signs. Ironically just across the road you could buy any ID one could possibly need. I wish I could say I'd bought the awesome Bart Simpson print denim shirt. However I stupidly hesitated at the hefty 600 Baht price tag, which realistically translates to something ridiculous like $23. One of life's big regrets I suppose...
On our last day in Bangkok, before catching the overnight sleeper train to Chiang Mai, Tom and I decided to go all out and hit up the 3 big temples - The Grand Palace, Wat Pho and Wat Arun. In Thailand's heat and humidity it was a full on day, but well worth it to see the breathtakingly beautiful details covering every tiny little surface on every pillar, doorway, wall. EVERYTHING.
In Thailand, modesty in dress is of upmost importance, particularly for the temples. So I'm not going to lie, day-to-day outfits were pretty minimalistic. My Thailand fashion can essentially be summarised by 101 ways to wear a scarf. I am by no means a diva (and am very proud to say I survived the whole 2 weeks with carry on luggage alone), but I do always like to dress well and add something of myself into each outfit. So having a trusty scarf close at hand meant I could be respectful of the Thai culture, but still have some fun.
The Grand Palace was the most spectacular. Just the sheer size of the place was unbelievable. I think I spent a good 5 mins on this one window frame when we first walked in, when just around the corner was insane beauty on an incredible scale. Gold and glorious. We spent about an hour in what was probably 20% of the entire place.
From there we walked to Wat Pho, the reclining Buddha. A 43m long, 15m high gold monster of a buddha that was sincerely mind-blowing. The temple walls surrounding the buddha laced floor to ceiling with intricate detailed paintings.
Finally a short ferry ride across to Wat Arun, the old capital of Bangkok and home to probably the steepest stairs I've ever climbed (as I'm sure my very unattractive face would show). An incredible thigh workout for sure. I also got interviewed by these adorable Thai school girls, obviously for a school project. They asked me my name, where I was from and what I had learnt to say in Thai. They thought it was quite funny that the first thing I said was "Hello, I'm vegetarian". They also taught me to say something like "You are/I am very cute".
It was an incredible few days, but we were so ready to move on from the hustle and bustle of the city and into the more rural and cultural parts of Northern Thailand.
Alas, I am leaving you here for now, with Part 2 and 3 to be shortly along the way. I promise I won't be so out of touch.
Karissa x
OUTFIT 1: Vintage top, vintage denim shorts, ASOS sandals, Sportsgirl sunglasses
OUTFIT 2: Sportsgirl scarf print top
OUTFIT 3: Shakuhachi bikinis
OUTFIT 4: ASOS t-shirt, Sportsgirl animal print scarf (worn as vest)
OUTFIT 5: ASOS t-shirt, Sportsgirl scarf (worn as skirt), Sportsgirl sunglasses, Sportsgirl watch
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