Today was travel day back home :-(. We had the best time and were so bummed to leave! When I ran into Kim and Mike the day before they said we could join them for their transportation back to the airport that was leaving at 9:30am. We woke up around 7 again and went for breakfast.

At breakfast we all ordered the same thing we’d had the day before! I really loved that omelet and today Allyssa and Katie got to try the chive butter too. We all three had an immunity shot to stave off any germs from the plane.

After breakfast we headed to the beach shop one last time. Allyssa and I had both left our purchases on the boat at the dinner ferry so we were able to get them back from Red Sail. We shopped for a bit then went to the other shop at the Kimpton. They had a dress on display that Allyssa had been eyeing for days but unfortunately it turned out the only size they had was too big for her. We left that store and headed back to the beach shop one more time because Katie decided she wanted a gift for her mom that she’d seen. While we were there I also got a few gifts for my sisters. Katie started saying “see you next time” instead of goodbye so that we would have to return to the island! Allyssa and I loved this and adopted it immediately.

We left the beach shop for the last time (for real this time) and went to grab our stuff from the room. We said see you later to the lovely room and oceanfront view and headed down to meet Kim and Mike.

The transportation they had arranged only cost $10 per person, while the one we took from the airport when we arrived was $40! It was nice to feel like we were getting a deal and we really appreciated Kim and Mike inviting us to join them.

When we got to the airport we checked our bags then went through security. Allyssa had the SSSS on her boarding pass so they thoroughly dug through her bag and patted her down. Good news, she was deemed not a threat. Bad news, they made a mess of her stuff and she had to re-pack it all. Kim had also been stopped by security so we were already off to a great start.

At the airport we did a little shopping. Katie and I both got sweatshirts and Kim and Mike got a bottle of rum. When we were done shopping we all grabbed food then played Monopoly Deal. It was weird playing open hand now that we actually knew how to play, but in a shocking turn of events Mike emerged victorious. Allyssa asserted once again that she is not good at the game, however Katie and I remain suspicious. Before we were able to play another game Katie had to board her flight to Miami. We said “see you next time” then Kim, Mike, Allyssa, and I headed back to our gate to wait for our flight.

The flight to CLT was thankfully uneventful. When we arrived the customs process was so easy I didn’t even realize when it was over. I had to collect my bag at baggage claim then recheck it a little ways up. Allyssa had been conditionally approved for Global Entry so she had her interview during this but we met back up. We had to go through security again as though we had just arrived to the airport so we said “see you next time” to Allyssa then Kim, Mike, and I got in line for security. Mike and I made it through without event, however apparently the bottle of rum Kim had purchased in GCM had a bottom too thick for the machine to read so she was unable to carry it on. She had to be escorted back to the area to check bags, then escorted back to the security line. The process took quite a while!

While Kim was having fun with TSA, Mike and I went to scout somewhere to have dinner. We found a place that had burgers which Mike had said was what Kim wanted. We grabbed a table and waited for Kim.

Once Kim arrived we had a lovely airport dinner. The most notable item on the menu was chips and guac for $19. I could not figure out what in the world $19 worth of guacamole would look like but it will remain a mystery because I was not about to spend the $19 to find out.

After dinner I walked Kim and Mike to their gate and hung out with them until boarding. Following my final “see you later” for the trip I was on my own. I headed to my gate to await the flight to CLE which was unfortunately delayed. Other than the delay the flight went smoothly and we landed back in CLE sometime after midnight. I took an Uber home and arrived around 1am.

And that concludes my time in Grand Cayman – for now! This was an incredible vacation with so many highlights, we counted down for months and it was so much better than I even anticipated. I had the time of my life doing activities like scuba, sunset sail, jet skiing, stingrays, etc etc. It was also super fun to spend some down time at the beach. This was the first time I had met Katie and Allyssa in person and they were so awesome, plus it was super fun to make all the friends we did. I am so grateful the trip made it out of the KKL Fan Club Teams chat and am already looking forward to the next one.

In the wise words of Katie Kennedy,

See you next time!

We woke up “vacation early” for stingrays around 7 am.  We got ready then got a couple pastries from the bakery.  Allyssa and I both got the same chocolate croissant she had the day before.  Then Katie and I played Mancala on this neat bench they had until our transportation arrived!

We got on the bus with the others and headed to Safehaven Marina where we had taken the dinner ferry the night before.  Our pilot friends Josh and Austin were also on the excursion so we met back up with them.  We got introduced to the crew and headed out to our first stop.  On the way there, the boat had a problem and another boat had to come rescue us!  We boarded the new boat, got to know the crew, and were off (again) to the first activity.

On the way there, one of the crew members offered to take our picture together.  We thought that was so nice!  Then we arrived and they passed out snorkel equipment and life vests for those of us who wanted them.  Katie and Allyssa opted to stay on the boat, while I decided to bob around in the water for awhile.  I took the life vest but not the snorkel equipment and hopped in.  I bobbed around looking down at the fish until a turtle appeared!  I followed the turtle back near the boat where he had clearly learned to visit for a snack.  Near the boat, one of the crew members named Richard offered me a mask.  I was loving checking out the fish so I took the mask and started looking in the water at the fish.  I saw other people swimming with the schools of fish so I gave back my life jacket and started swimming around.  The water was about a 12-foot max, whereas my shallow dive was to 55ish feet so I was seeing fish I didn’t see before!  I had the time of my life and there were so many fish!  Katie and Allyssa told me later that the boat crew liked how excited I was so they were throwing food near me so fish would hang out with me.  The reef was also super cool.  After about 30 minutes we got back on the boat to head to our next stop which was the stingrays!

On the boat we got another briefing about how to interact with the stingrays.  The highlights were to shuffle when we walked rather than lifting our feet, not to touch their spines, and when feeding them to make a fist so they don’t get our thumbs.  When we got in the water we were shocked at how many there were and how huge they were!  They told us that the females could grow up to 6 feet wide while the males maxed out around 18 inches.  What a crazy difference!  We got to hold them, they brushed our shoulders with them, and we kissed them for 7 years good luck!  The captain of the boat told us that we could get 21 years with tongue but none of us were brave enough for that.  We were a little nervous because their tails were just whipping around but they assured us that these were not the same type of stingrays that killed Steve Irwin, and that the barb was much smaller and closer to their body so we were unlikely to be stung accidentally.  They all had names, the most memorable were Shantelle, Freckles, Big Mama, and Big Mama 2.  We got in a big circle and all got to feed Shantelle, they said her suction power was like 3 Dyson vacuums and it sure felt like it!  We hung out with the stingrays some more then we were offered the opportunity to feed Shantelle again.  This time she bit both me and Allyssa!  We didn’t even know she could do that!  It hurt worse than we expected, Allyssa was suctioned more than I was and said it felt like she was pulling her hand out scraping it on concrete.  Both our wounds bled for a surprisingly long time and we joked that we were attracting sharks.  

After our time visiting the stingrays was over, we were back on the boat to head to see the starfish.  At this site there was a boat that was basically a food truck where we could order lunch if we wanted.  Richard from the boat crew said that they had the best wings on the island.  The main rules for the starfish were not to lift them out of the water and to set them down gently on the ocean floor.  When we got in, the crew basically went out and collected a bunch for us to look at.  That cracked me up!  I liked the starfish even more than I thought I would.  We could feel them suction to us and watch them sloooooowly wrap around us.  We loved them!

Eventually it was time to head back to Safehaven Marina.  From there we got back on the bus to head back to the hotel.  When we arrived at the hotel we went to Coccoloba to have lunch.  I had shrimp tacos and “elote” that was actually esquites when it came out.  The tacos were really delicious.  Allyssa had her last round of chicken tinga tacos then the two of us headed back up to the room while Katie hit the beach.  We both showered, then Allyssa fell asleep while I worked on my first blog post.  I also took a little nappy nap before Katie returned and it was time to get ready for dinner.

We had invited our pilot friends to dinner at Macabuca and we asked them to pick us up.  I had run into Kim and Mike earlier but they already had reservations for dinner that evening so it was just the 5 of us.  When we got to Macabuca it was beautiful!  It was right on the ocean looking over the water and we were able to watch the sunset.  Katie and I ordered Conch Fritters to split but I ended up not liking them.  We hung out for awhile then wanted to check out the gift shop, we asked someone at the restaurant about it and it was closed but they opened it for us!  Katie got a really cute tank top and a pair of socks she had been wanting. We hung out at Macabuca long enough to see two crabs walking around and meet up with Katie’s local friend Ariana.  She was super nice and a fellow cat lover, I really liked her.  She offered us a ride home so we said goodbye to Josh and Austin and headed back to the Kimpton.  We did cucumber face masks then went to bed sunburnt and happy!

Today we planned to hit the beach.  We woke up and went to the gym for Katie’s Boot Camp.  Allyssa and I don’t really work out but Katie does so we wanted her to take us through a workout.  We did a 30-minute workout that nearly killed Allyssa and I but we made it through.  On the way out of the gym we stopped at a little area that had cantaloupe water and chilled scented towels.  It didn’t say what was on the towels but I thought I smelled eucalyptus.  It was so refreshing it almost made the workout worth it!

By this time we were hungry so we headed up to the hotel restaurant, Ave (ah-vay), for breakfast.  They had two types of Eggs Benedict on the menu, neither of which were true Eggs Benedict, but I was able to get past it.  We had an immunity shot that didn’t list ingredients but seemed to contain turmeric and ginger among other things.  It was served in a little glass that looked like a lightbulb.  It was kind of spicy in the back of my throat but it tasted healthy.  For food I ordered a ham and egg omelette with mushrooms and tomatoes.  It came with a pat of chive butter on top and sides of broccoli, a tomato half, sourdough toast, and the most delicious breakfast potatoes.  It was really delicious and I enjoyed it immensely!

After breakfast we headed back up to the room to get changed for the beach.  We suited up and made our way back downstairs.  We wanted to jet ski so we went to the shop by the rental place to look around a little before renting them.  While there one of the ladies running the shop brought over a flyer with events Red Sail Sports was running.  One of the events was a dinner ferry for $20 CI each which looked pretty cool.  We decided to sign up to do that in the evening.  

Our shopping complete, we went to Red Sail Sports next door to rent the jet skis and sign up for the dinner ferry.  The jet skis would be ready in 30 minutes so we hung out on the beach until it was time.  

Once it was our turn we got our jet skis, had a quick briefing on how to operate them and where we could go, and were off!  Our jet skis got up to about 40 mph at max speed.  Allyssa and I each had a single jet ski while Katie took pictures and made friends on the beach.  It was about a 1.5 mile stretch where we were allowed to ride but it felt pretty long.  We zoomed around for 30 minutes until they told us it was time to come back.  We had a great time on the jet skis and would definitely do it again!

Next up was another beach break.  We hung out in the water a little and ordered lunch.  They have little flags by the chairs and all we had to do was flip up the flag and someone came over to take our order!  Katie and I had chicken tenders and fries and Allyssa had her beloved chicken tinga tacos.  

After a little more chill time Allyssa and I decided to go to a gift shop called Captain Marvin’s that someone in the beach shop had told us about.  The hotel called us a taxi and we went to the acclaimed Captain Marvin’s… to find basically a mini mart.  It was the size of a 1-bedroom apartment which took us about 5 minutes to walk around and not like anything we saw.  We considered going into Georgetown to look but that would have been another taxi ride and it was also about time for us to start getting ready for the dinner ferry so we went back to the hotel.

We rejoined Katie and all got ready for dinner.  We went down to get a taxi for the dinner ferry but on the way we walked past the bakery and a cronut caught my eye.  They also had a chocolate covered and filled croissant that Allyssa liked the look of.  We got our pastries and caught a taxi to Safehaven Marina where the dinner ferry was due to depart.  They had a little shop there too (surprise surprise) where I got myself a Red Sail Sports t-shirt and Allyssa got a hat.  

Purchases made, we boarded the boat.  It was a 65’ sailing catamaran and it was beautiful.  We listened to Amy’s safety briefing then set sail!  There were little platforms on the back of the boat with steps where we could get near water level to take pictures and watch the sunset.  There were also two huge nets at the front of the boat that we could sit on.  We could look down through them and see the water.  The boat was really so gorgeous it blew me away.

We sailed for about an hour and arrived at a restaurant called Solis on Rum Point.  It was mosquito city but it was a nice place with a gorgeous view.  We had pizza and drinks and everything was delicious.  There was a feline employee at this restaurant too, he was a little less interested in being friendly with the customers but I did give him some pizza.  He was a smaller black cat and I adored him.  

After a couple hours at dinner we went to the dock to set sail back to the Safehaven Marina.  On the way back we got talking to some of the other passengers.  We met a couple named Mike and Kim and two pilots named Josh and Austin.  They were all really cool and when we got back on land we all went to a bar called Legendz together.  We also met up with some Caymanians who Katie had befriended earlier that day on the beach.  We had a great time getting to know everyone at Legendz, then Katie and I headed to another bar with the Caymanians we met.  We intended to go to a tiki bar but it was closed so we went to a cigar bar called Stogies.  We stayed for a drink then headed back to the hotel.  We drank some water on the balcony and went to bed excited for stingrays in the morning!

Today was scuba day for me!  I woke up early to head to the beach where the boat was set to pick me up for the dive.  I signed the waiver and was fitted for my BCD, then they said the boat was waiting for me so I had to hustle on the sand which was harder than it looks!  I was the first stop so I met the crew whose names were JP, Sarah, and Tash.  They were wonderful!  The next stop was the Westin where we picked up 4 more divers.  They were all very experienced with hundreds of dives all around the world, it was a little intimidating but they were super nice!

When we arrived at the dive site JP gave the briefing.  It was off the West Wall and the dive was called Wall Street.  We went to 100 feet, it was about 45 minutes of guided dive followed by about 15 minutes of buddy dive.  There was a swim-through and JP had said during the briefing that once we were through the swim-through there would be a little surprise, and that he was sure it was still there because he had seen it recently.  My thought was, how could he possibly know that something in the ocean would still be there?  It turned out that on the other side of the swim-through was the shipwrecked USS Kittiwake!  It was a real treat because it is one of the most renowned dive site on the island.  This dive was extra neat because it was at the edge of the island so I could look to one side and see land then look to the other and see open water.

Back on board, we had some orange slices and made our way to the next site.  After decompressing a bit, Tash gave the briefing and we headed down!  This dive was a ledge dive called the Lone Star because it was across from a bar called Lone Star.  It was to about 55-60 feet and it was the same format of 45 minutes guided and 15 buddy exploring.  I liked the ledges a lot because swimming under them, the fish orient themselves to the ledge rather than the ocean floor so it looks like they are swimming upside down.  On this dive I saw two lionfish, which I read were invasive here but the dive master didn’t kill them like they did when I dove in Cozumel.  I also saw a sea turtle!  It looked like a juvenile or adolescent and it was very beautiful.  There were all kinds of other cool fish as well.  I always forget how much I love diving until I’m doing it again.  It’s so fun to be weightless and it’s like swimming through an aquarium, plus no one can talk to you!  It’s important to be conscientious of safety but even so it’s one of the most relaxing activities ever.

Back on the boat I said farewell to my new diver friends and the crew then went up to the room to find Katie and Allyssa.  Our room was beautiful but another guest at the hotel was flying a drone and stopping and staring at us on the balcony so we requested a different room.  The hotel staff was wonderful as always and upgraded us to a room on the 8th floor which had an even better view (I didn’t realize that was possible).  We packed our bags and they said the bellhop would move them for us.

Once we were re-packed we headed into Georgetown for lunch and shopping.  The place we originally wanted to eat was closed.  Unprepared for this, we went into an ice cream shop to ask about places to go for lunch.  They pointed us to a Burger King around the corner which was really not what we were going for.  We wandered a little more ourselves and happened upon a place called Sharkeez that overlooked the water.  I had wings with their special dry rub and house honey barbecue sauce, they were delicious!  I also had a strawberry daiquiri and a green tea shot which were lovely.

After Sharkeez we hit the shops.  I got some gifts for friends and family plus a Christmas ornament and magnet for myself.  Katie and Allyssa got some nice things too, however unfortunately a shop we had walked by earlier that was supposed to close at 5pm was already closed when we returned a little before 4pm!  It was a bummer because Allyssa had seen something she really wanted in there and thought we would be able to circle back.  Following this unfortunate discovery we checked the Google machine and it said that Sandbar was open.  We stopped in and met a bartender (and liquor salesman maybe?) named Matt who was from Canada.  We liked Matt except for he had a really cool button-down shirt with dinosaurs on it and we asked him where he got it and all he would say was that it was some Asian company who reached out to him.  Did not love that he gatekept his cool shirt.  We took another green tea shot for the road and headed back to the hotel to get ready for dinner.  

Getting ready is always an event so we took our time.  Girlie get ready time is one of my favorite parts of going out.  

Once we were ready we headed down to the beachfront restaurant at the hotel called Coccoloba.  Katie and Allyssa thought the water tasted salty so they got a bottle of still water instead, however I liked the tap water so I stuck with that and drank Katie’s too.  They took Allyssa’s because she was the one who had ordered the bottled water.  

I had a seared tuna that I wasn’t in love with but the churros were really delicious.  Allyssa was obsessed with the chicken tinga tacos so she had that again and Katie had braised beef tostadas.  The true highlight was an orange cat named Garfield who works at the restaurant and came by to greet us.  He didn’t stay long because he was clearly very busy.  10/10 service, would tip 20% in Churu.

After dinner we walked on the beach to a bar called Bonny Moon that was supposed to have a DJ until 10 pm, however when we showed up at 9 pm there was no DJ and they were closing in half an hour.  Katie ordered a local mango beer which none of us liked.  

Since Bonny Moon was not the vibe we headed across the street to Pom-Pom at Indigo hotel.  The lady at the hotel was uncool and we didn’t stay long.  

We walked back to the hotel, got un-ready, and went to bed tired but excited about a beach day tomorrow.

I woke up at 3:30am after about 2.5 hours of sleep if I’m being optimistic.  The Lyft driver who took me to the airport was thankfully not a talker which I very much appreciated at that hour.  Cleveland Hopkins was hopping which I had learned to expect at that hour on a Thursday so I got there in plenty of time for my 6 am flight.  I checked my bag and headed through security.  The line was long but there was a sleepy puppy a girl was holding so I took that as a good omen for the trip. 

The flight to CLT was uneventful and when I landed I met Katie at Dunkin.  We were disappointed in the cream cheese situation at Dunkin but mostly just excited to be going on our trip.  We headed to the gate and met up with Allyssa.  Everything was going smoothly until we boarded the plane and sat on the tarmac for quite some time before they told us the plane had a maintenance issue and they needed to run a test.  The plane failed the test so we had to then deplane and wait for another plane to be available to take us.  Thankfully plane 2 had studied harder so we were off!  We played Monopoly Deal on the plane and Allyssa beat Katie and I three times.  I suspect she cheated but there is an outside possibility that it may have been because it was her game and Katie and I had never played before.  She insists she is not good at the game but that is clearly untrue.

When we arrived it was pretty smooth going through customs.  We were pulled to have our bags checked but we just put the large ones through a scanner and they let us go.

It was about a 20 minute taxi ride to the Kimpton Seafire where we were staying.  While we were checking in they brought welcome drinks and chocolates.  When we had completed the check-in process they took us on a short tour of the property.  From there we headed up to our gorgeous room!  We were upgraded to an oceanfront view and it was beautiful. 

We put on our swimsuits and headed to the bar on the beach to have a snack.  We had chicken tinga tacos and chips and salsa.  Katie had a rum punch and I had a piña colada.  My drink had a piece of pineapple in it which I took out and nibbled on as a snack.  When the bartender cleared the plates he tried to take the pineapple and I asked if I could keep it.  He said of course and then a few minutes later came by with more pineapple for us.  That rocked.

After snack time we went to the beach.  There is a stand that has water, sunscreen, and aloe and a person that will help reserve a chair.  She opened the umbrella for us and adjusted the chairs so we were actually shaded.  She also brought us waters.  It was super cool.  Then we went in the ocean which was incredibly clear and blue.  It felt really nice after an early morning and a long day of travel.  We hung out some on the beach then decided to check out the pool which was also very nice.  Someone helped us with chairs there too.  

After the pool we headed back up to the room to start thinking about dinner.  We decided on a place called Seven Mile Burger.  The hotel called us a taxi to take us there.  It was a casual place.  I had a jerk burger with fries and it was delicious.  They also had brownies that were really good.  After that we were exhausted so we headed back to shower and go to bed.  It was a long day but a great one!

Today was our third and final full day in Bangkok. In the morning, we prepared for our exam. Then we took the exam and headed to lunch at a really nice buffet called the Red Oven. It had lots of different types of food and it was all delicious. My favorite was probably the salmon nigiri from the Japanese section and the Luk Chup dessert from the Thai section. They also had a chocolate fountain, which I normally think is gross, but there were no children present so I indulged. The buffet was in a tall building with a balcony so we also got to go out and look over the city.

After lunch we went to MBK market. It was basically a giant mall. We really wanted to buy a beer shirt and were hoping to find something more along the lines of the street markets we’d seen in Vietnam and Cambodia. They had a crafts market in the 6th floor but we weren’t super impressed with it and went looking for a market in the city.

We found ourselves wandering through Little India and a few different markets that clearly weren’t meant for tourists. There were a lot of people selling clothes that weren’t American brands our tourist t-shirts. Although it was really cool to find this, we were on a mission and had limited time before we had to get back to the hotel to head to Thai Boxing. We checked out the markets for a bit and then headed back towards the hotel to see some markets we knew were around there.

Finally, we found what is apparently the only beer shirt in the city. The lady overcharged us even after bargaining and then looked really sad when we settled on a price and she said she wouldn’t even make any money on the sale. There is literally no way that is true but I know that you have to be tough or you’ll get taken advantage of in these situations so I stayed strong (which was hard because the woman clearly knew that I was a weenie as this was all totally for my benefit). However, we got the shirts and that was what we wanted so we headed back to the hotel happy.

From there we had to get ready really fast and then we all got on a bus to go to Thai Boxing at Rajadamnern Thai Boxing Stadium. This was not an official activity, however so many of us went that we got to use the bus to take us there. Thai Boxing, or Muay Thai, was quite the experience. The boxers were very small and young compared to what you see in the United States, and punching was less important. It was a lot of kicking and elbows which is what differentiates Thai boxing from regular boxing. It consisted of 9 fights of 5 rounds each, and the seventh fight was the featured fight. It was definitely my favorite thing we did in Thailand and I’m so glad we got to do it!

After Thai boxing, we went back to the hotel to prepare to travel to Singapore in the morning. Although I didn’t fall in love with Bangkok like I did with Ho Chi Minh City, I was so grateful to get to go and had a really great experience!

Today was our second full day in Bangkok and Arnav’s birthday.

We had a speaker in the morning named John Nielsen who basically just talked about his life experiences. He has worked a lot of different jobs in different countries with different companies so it was really neat to hear about his international perspective. I love meeting people who seem to just let their life carry them where they need to go and he was definitely one of those people. I liked his talk a lot and was really glad we got the chance to hear him speak.

After John Nielsen we had a pizza party for Arnav’s birthday and then chocolate cake. The pizza was from Domino’s but it was really different. The crust was like that of an Imo’s pizza and the cheese was so swirly on top it was difficult to see where it’d been cut. I wouldn’t have gotten Domino’s on my own in Thailand so it was interesting to get the chance to see how different it is. I remember that in Peru it was pretty much the same.

Next on the agenda was the United Nations. Bangkok is the headquarters for ESCAP, or Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. We got to see the conference room and then had speakers who lectured about what they do there, inequality (this one was econometrics heavy), and gender issues in the region. One thing that stood out to me from the inequality lecture was the speaker put up the same chart for different countries and said “economic inequality isn’t just something that happens, it’s a political choice” which I found really interesting. It was sort of an off-hand comment for him but it really impacted me. For the gender lecture, it was more about women’s issues which I found interesting as well because I thought it was going to be more LGBTQ+ focused. I enjoyed all the talks although I have to admit I’m skeptical of the UN. However, I am still glad we had the opportunity to go.

When we got back we changed out of our business casual and went to Arnav’s birthday dinner at La Monita (the little monkey) which is a Mexican restaurant near the hotel. I had a torta and it was pretty good.

Next we went to Lumphini Park to walk around after dinner. It was really pretty and there were a lot of cats and runners. It’s a nice green space in a very busy city so I really liked it.

After the park we headed out to some bars. Most notably we went to the bar where they filmed a part of Hangover 2. However the drinks were $30 so only one of us got a drink. It was a pretty view but I haven’t even seen the movie so I didn’t totally think it was worth it. Afterwards I pet a cat outside so that was fun. We went to another bar and had some drinks and that was a lot of fun.

Overall it was a very fun day. I didn’t totally love the United Nations but it was interesting and I learned a lot, and then I had fun in the evening.

Today was a huge day. It was our first full day in Bangkok and I definitely feel like we made the most of it.

In the morning, we had breakfast at the hotel then took the Sky Train to the pier. We got on the boat and it took us to Wat Arun, in English the Temple of Dawn. The temple was a gift from the Chinese and took 20 years to make because they had to keep bringing materials by boat on the river and it was a 4 month journey. It was beautiful and I really liked it.

After the temple, we got back on the boat and headed to the Department of Trade Negotiations. This was probably my favorite company visit we’ve done so far. I loved learning about ASEAN and how trade impacts these countries, since I only ever really hear about how it impacts the US. The speaker was engaging and I even got a shirt for answering a question right! I loved it and really learned a lot.

After the Department of Trade Negotiations, we went to the Grand Palace by boat. There we were able to see the Emerald Buddha as well as the Royal Palace. Unfortunately we weren’t able to enter the Royal Palace because there are members of the royal family living there. However, it was cool to walk around the grounds. We saw a lizard on the grass and I really liked that.

When we left the Grand Palace we walked to Reclining Buddha. This may have been the coolest thing we’d seen yet in Bangkok. It was just this huge Buddha in a temple laying down, but it was SO big. The rest of the temple was also really cool so it’s not even like that was the only thing that was there. The temple was Wat Pho Temple and it’s regarded as Thailand’s first national university because King Rama I had lots of knowledge engraved in stones there to preserve it.

After Wat Pho we were very hungry so we tried to make our way to the flower market for dinner. Two things went wrong: the flower market has only flowers, and it started pouring rain. We got totally soaked in our business casual clothes that we’d been wearing all day because we started at the Department of Trade Negotiations and never stopped back at the hotel. We stopped in a 7/11 (I love that place) and I got purple Winnie the Pooh flip flops.

We walked to the riverwalk in the rain with our cool new shoes. We actually couldn’t find it at first, but we did find the flower market which turned out to be indoors so we stopped in and looked around. It was really cool and very pretty, I’d never seen anything like it. It was literally a flower market. Shop owners were putting together wreaths, displays, bouquets, and more. I love flowers so I really liked it.

When we left the flower market we tried again for the riverwalk. This time we found it. We were totally starving at this point and it didn’t look like there was any food to be found at first so we were getting super annoyed. However, at the very end there was a restaurant that looked good and prices were reasonable so we ate there. I had Pad See Ew with chicken and it was so good.

After dinner, we walked back through the riverwalk and got on a boat to go to Icon Siam, a huge high-end shopping mall. It was so cool, we all loved it way more than we were expecting. The ground floor is like a food market and I honestly wished that I’d still been hungry. We went into many stores, including Versace, Christian Louboutin, Chanel, Swarovski, and more. Please remember that I am soaked, wearing business casual with my shirt untucked, and in purple Winnie the Pooh flip flops through all of this. It was a unique experience to say the least. We also saw a Maserati and two Rolls Royces upstairs. We had a super good time and I’m really glad we stopped there.

From there, we took a tuk-tuk back to the hotel. Lauren, Arnav, and I went to pick up our laundry and then we went back to the Art Box because Arnav wanted to check it out. He got Pineapple Fried Rice and I got gyoza (I know they’re Japanese but I love them). I love the Art Box so I was super happy to return there.

After the Art Box, we went back to the hotel. It was a big first day in Bangkok but I was glad to see a lot of important sites and had a very fun day!

Today was a travel day but it was still a lot of fun. It was our last day in Chiang Mai and our first day in Bangkok.

We started out by going to the university for a cooking demonstration. They made a noodle soup with chilli paste. I had some, although it was quite spicy! I actually wasn’t a huge fan, it’s a very northern dish and I prefer southern Thai food. I think there was too much anchovy paste for my taste. Everyone else liked it though so that’s good!

After the cooking demonstration we went to hear a lecture from the Mae Jo University president. He seemed very enthusiastic to talk to us and really wanted to talk about life advice rather than university topics, although he did tell us about the university as well. When he concluded, we had a certificate ceremony that was like a mini-graduation. It was actually really cute that they did that for us, and the Thai buddies got the certificates as well. I really loved how enthusiastic this university was to host us, and I really hope that my university is just as good when we have visitors.

After the certificate ceremony we had lunch. There was a choice of green curry or the red curry we’d made earlier. I opted for the green curry as I knew I didn’t love the red. I’m not huge on curry so I still didn’t love the green but I definitely liked it better than the red.

When lunch was over, we did gift exchange and said farewell to our buddies. Benz got Lauren and I some nice dream catcher earrings. I gave her a Miami water bottle with a Blues lanyard and some Miami stickers inside. She said she really liked it. Katie, another buddy, found me and told me that she’d gotten me a present as well because we’d been hanging out on the trip. She got me some honey juice I’d been collecting from others because I loved it so much and an elephant pouch with a little elephant keychain inside. This was so sweet because she really wasn’t obligated to get me anything.

After that we boarded the bus for the airport. Once at the airport, we said goodbye to our buddies and got on our flight to Bangkok.

The flight to Bangkok was on Air Asia again so not the best flight but we made it to the ground so I guess it was fine. When we got to Bangkok we stopped by the hotel then headed out to do laundry and find dinner. We went to a night market called the Art Box and totally loved it. There was live music as well as tons of street food and artisan clothing. It had sort of hipster vibes that I really liked. It was a really cool place and definitely a good start to our time in Bangkok.

On our way home, we stopped at a 7/11 and I bought four different chocolate items. That’s when I realized I hadn’t had chocolate in awhile. Finally, we headed back to the hotel.

It was a really good day. I was sad to say goodbye to the buddies in Chiang Mai but I’m really happy to be in Bangkok and looking forward to exploring the city!

Today was our second and last full day in Chiang Mai. It was a fun day!

We started out at the university’s farm. We learned more about how the Royal Project has helped local communities learn to farm their land most effectively. Then we actually got to go out into the field and plant rice ourselves! It was really fun but I wouldn’t say we were great at it. I never had any idea how rice was grown before yesterday. The farmers flood the field and then just stick the plants into the wet soil, no digging or anything. We were told that the rice we planted would be ready in about 90 days. I wish we could stick around to eat it!

After the rice farms we had lunch then headed to Sunsweet Farms production facility. It’s a place where sweet corn is produced. There are 1,400 workers at the plant and they’re all Thai. It was really interesting to learn about how the corn is processed for consumption. At the facility they make three types: frozen, canned, and sealed. For canned and sealed it takes an hour and a half from when it arrives to when it’s ready to ship out, for frozen it’s only an hour. When we arrived I thought it would be a somewhat lame company visit because I don’t even really like corn, but I got special attention from the tour guide so I was able to ask a lot of questions and I really enjoyed it. I learned a lot about it. I actually love production facilities so it was fun to go; it was like watching How It’s Made in real time.

Next the bus took us to the mall but some friends and I organized a trip to the temple for ourselves. We went to Phra Borommathat Doi Suthep temple. Try saying that five times fast! We had a blast and the temple was beautiful. There was a lot of gold that actually reminded me a bit of Kyiv-Perchersk Lavra. It was probably my favorite thing I did in Chiang Mai.

When we left the temple, we went to a food market and walking street. The food market was delicious! I had dumplings, mango sticky rice, and poached quail eggs. I’m bummed that I was so full because I would’ve loved to eat more. It was fun to go to a night food market because I’ve been looking for that all trip and had yet to find one. I loved it and hope to visit another in Bangkok!

Then we crossed the street and walked around the walking street. It was crazy crowded but there was a lot of cool stuff. It was very different from the walking street in Pattaya because it was basically a market. I liked checking it out but liked last night’s bazaar better.

Afterwards, we went home and I went to bed at 9 pm. It was an exhausting couple of days in Chiang Mai, but I had a lot of fun nonetheless. Tomorrow we have a cooking class and travel to Bangkok!