Thailand has been the place that we have looked forward to the most through our year of planning. Beach houses, Thai food, warm weather, and a heavily beaten backpackers track all have made us believe Thailand is going to be amazing. Unfortunately, we hit a few speed bumps early on. Natalie brought a case of Delhi Belly back from India, we both caught a nasty cold, and Chris found out he has to cut a week out of the Thailand trip to go home for a firefighter interview. That being said, the hot humid climate, tropical foliage, and breathtaking beaches have made for an unforgettable first ten days. Our first couple of days were spent relaxing and recouping in a great hostel in Bangkok. From Bangkok, we took an extremely relaxing bus to Chumphon. With seats that reclined to the laying position, complimentary food and drinks, and a large screen TV, we were pleasantly surprised, as we have grown accustomed to the transportation in India. That night, Chris realized vegetarianism is a challenge. With vegetarian options being the norm in India, delicious vegetarian food was easy to find. However, our first dinner out in Chumphon, we were forced to leave the restaurant, as they not only did not have vegetarian options on the menu, they stated it was not possible to make. After a year of planning and a month of travel, we finally had our first beach day. With the luck we have had thus far in Thailand, it was no surprise we were both stung by jellyfish our first time in the water.

It is safe to say since that first beach day we have been spoiled with delicious Thai food, warm bright blue water, colorful fish, kayaking, beach naps, and sunset beers in the sand. Our first island stop after Chumphon was Koh Tao, famous for its diving schools. There are many great spots to snorkel a short swim from the beaches, so we bought some snorkels and had our own private snorkeling trips instead. We saw fish of every color, massive coral reefs, and even a shipwreck. We read that Koh Tao was the diving island and Koh Phangan was the party island. However, the beach parties in Koh Tao were crazy with loud electronic music, fire shows, and 2 for 1 buckets of alcohol, the true party island that never sleeps. We are now in Koh Phangan home to the world famous full moon party and it feels somewhat desolate. Today we had one of the best experiences of Thailand so far, a cooking class. We started by biking to the local market and learning about all the fresh ingredients we would be using for our meals. With groceries in our bike baskets we headed back to cook. We cooked from scratch; spring rolls, pad Thai, stir fry vegetables, red curry, and massaman curry. After our five hour class, we were full, satisfied, and grateful to have cooked and eaten the best Thai food thus far on our journey. A windy night, a giant bag of leftovers in hand, and our excitement for the Phi Phi Islands to come, we are opting for a night in with Leonardo and The Beach.