It had been eight years since I was last in Thailand. When I left, I wasn’t in any rush to return. I had been living on the island of Koh Phangan, known for its wild parties, 20-something international travelers, bootleg moonshine that sometimes kills foreigners, and psychedelic mushroom shakes. I mostly kept out of trouble by crossing the island each day on my scooter, training on Haad Rin Beach, and swimming in the ocean. It wasn’t until I got to the departure airport that I realized I had overstayed my 30-day tourist visa by two days. As luck would have it, the local currency in my pocket covered the fine. When I was warned that the overstay might affect my ability to enter the country again in the future, I simply said, “Thank goodness,” and left without much desire to return. At the time, I knew there was much more to see, explore, and eat in Thailand—but it would be years before I felt any real pull to come back. You can only neglect a continent for so long (excluding Australia—highly neglectable, in my opinion). And when it comes to flying over a place en route to somewhere else, I’ve […]
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I chose Bangkok for a few days to cushion the entry and time-zone adjustment while re-acclimatizing Asia. It had been three years since I was in Asia and I needed to eat copious amounts of Thai food to back-fill my deficiencies upon re-entry. It was my first time in Bangkok, and I coasted by for a few days by working and walking around looking at Asian stuff in the streets. I did a food tour through the Chinatown district which is known for its variety and mix of cuisines.
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My most laid-back destination this year, Koh Phangan is an island off of the Thailand mainland. It’s a beachy place without an airport and lots of expatriates. I arrived early here with about 20 friends to attend the monthly Full Moon Party (and flee the toxic smog of Malaysia). We rented an AirBnb on the north side of the island for the week before the party and afterwards moved to the south side (near Haad Rin beach) for the rest of November. November begins the rainy season here and most days it rains hard. I have a scooter that I’ve rented for the month and use to cruise back and forth to the Muay Thai gym on the west side (other side) of the island (about a 25 minute scooter ride away). Afterwards I do running and swimming intervals along Haad Rin Beach and try to dodge the jellyfish.
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