Thailand was pretty amazing.

You can see our photos HERE.

The photos are backwards. The first pictures you see are the last ones of the trip- but since it is backwards I will talk about our trip backwards.

The first picture is a man just standing in the middle of crazy busy Bangkok with his elephant. Not a strange occurrence. Bangkok was hot. There were markets everywhere. You can buy Pad Thai and other Thai dishes on the street for $1. Beggars are everywhere. We started giving them money until we realized the line of them was endless.

The slums that we saw as we rode wooden boats through the canals were in stark opposition to the Grand Palace and the opulent reclining Buddha.

We saw a couple of movies in Bangkok- the Dark Knight (which I hated) and Journey to the Center of the Earth in 3-D (unrealistic but very fun).

Next is Pattaya. This is a place where the bars are full of prostitutes and they are everywhere. I recommend staying at your hotel if any of you ever travel here. We stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel which was very exciting for my kids and very family friendly. Piney loved the Lil Rockers Club.

After that is Phuket. This is where the great beaches are. We stayed at Le Meridien hotel because it was the only place that accepted 3 year olds into their kids club. There were a lot of activities by the beach such as rock climbing, giant chess, mini golf, and swimming. They even had a pet elephant that roamed the grounds. Out on the street everyone wants to sell you a custom suit, give you a massage or give you a ride in their Tuk Tuk (sort of like an open taxi). You could also buy a t-shirt that said "No I do not want a custom suit, massage or Tuk Tuk ride."

Next was Chiang Mai. Here is where we rode elephants and zip lined through the jungle. Even Piney! She had a great time. I have never heard her laugh so hard. This is also where we saw a snake show. They told everyone that they had a jumping snake and then they threw it into the audience. Everyone screamed, but it was a joke- it was only a piece of rope. We went to a fancy spa here called "Let's Relax". M and I got full body massages for 2 hours only $20 each! We also saw more amazing temples, monks and buddhas.

Well, if that isn't enough to get you all to visit Thailand, I don't know what is!

Labels: fun family activities