Prior to leaving the USA, we had many friends tell us that they would love to come and visit us somewhere during our travels. The one person who actually did make the trip to see us was my sister, Rhonda. We discussed and debated where she would visit; Argentina and South Africa were both contenders but due to schedules and costs, ultimately, she decided upon Thailand. Jon and I left South Africa and flew to Bangkok, where we spent a few days adjusting to jet leg before her arrival. Despite a middle-of-the-night airport pick-up, she was ready to hit the ground running and make the most of her two weeks in Thailand.

We were all slightly delirious at 5am when Rhonda finally found us at the airport!

Bangkok
Our first few days together were spent in the capital city of Bangkok at a quiet guesthouse a few minutes’ walk from both Koh San Road and the Chao Phraya River. We took a lot of walks around our part of town, sampling iced lattes at the various coffeeshops and shopping for the ever-elusive bikini that Rhonda wanted (but never ended up purchasing). A chaotic tuk-tuk ride took us to the Grand Palace, which was so crowded it was hard to enjoy, and Wat Pho, a much more serene site and home of the giant Reclining Buddha. Rhonda’s friend Harry joined us for part of our travels, allowing us to split up one afternoon (sightseeing in Chinatown for Rhonda and Harry; napping at the guesthouse for me and Jon). Those of you who know Rhonda will realize that she couldn’t make the trip to a foreign country without finding a swing-dance community! Her hobby took us to an upstairs bar in a new part of the city for an evening of swing dancing – something Jon and I never would have done on our own.

Pad thai became a regular snack for Jon on the streets of Bangkok.

This is one of the rare pictures from the Grand Palace without crowds blocking the view!

While in Bangkok, we managed to find our favorite pad thai vendor down the street from our lodging, sampled some coconut ice cream, and partook in some international cuisine of Korean and Mexican meals. We made extensive use of the public transportation, taking a ferry boat ride down the river and utilizing the BTS above-ground transit to move around town. A trip to an eight-story mall rounded out our time in Bangkok before heading to the airport for our next destination.

We found a quiet park surrounding a lake while in Bangkok; it was a nice respite from the noisy and chaotic streets!

We split our time between cultural sites, like Wat Pho in Bangkok, and relaxation!

Koh Lanta
Wanting a few days of beach time, we booked a short flight to Krabi and then transportation onto the island of Koh Lanta. A quieter, sleepier island than neighboring Koh Phi Phi or Phuket, our time on Koh Lanta was laid back and relaxed. Beaches were the main draw and so we rented two scooters to traverse the island and explore the various parks, bays, and shorelines. Green trees and mountains provided beautiful scenery to the southern tip of the island and Mu Ko Lanta National Park. We spent a couple hours laying on the sand, jumping in the waves, walking to the old lighthouse, and watching the monkeys. Working our way back north, we stopped at two additional beaches before rain caused us to return to our hotel and seek out dry clothes. Beachside bars and restaurants were where we spent our evenings, sipping Mai Thais and playing euchre with the sound of the surf behind us.

Scooters are the way to get around in Asia! Our first experience was with Rhonda and Harry on Koh Lanta, driving down to the southern tip of the island.

We spent hours relaxing and playing on the beaches of Koh Lanta.

Chiang Mai
For our third Thai destination, we elected to visit Chiang Mai, a cultural city in the north. It was here that we got to learn a little bit about Thai culture by visiting markets and temples and sampling local cuisine. Our main activity was a full-day cooking class with Thai Secret Cooking School on the outskirts of town. We started out our day with a trip to the market to learn about local ingredients, followed by time in the garden picking herbs and vegetables that we would use in our dishes, and finally by cooking (and eating!) a five-course meal. The cooking class was a great way to learn about Thai cuisine and sample some new dishes; plus now we have a few new recipes to try out at home! Although we didn’t have any other planned activities during our time in Chiang Mai, that didn’t mean we were stationary! Walks around town took us to the Wat Chedi Luang Warawihan, Wat Phan On, and Wat Phantao temples; a reconstruction of the Tha Phae Gate (the original, now destroyed, dating back to 1296); the night market for dinner (twice during our four days in the city!); and coffeeshops where we played with cats, drank at my namesake (Lana Coffee!), and played board games. The pool at our guesthouse was the perfect place to drink a Chang beer and escape the heat of the afternoons, giving us time to rest after our explorations.

I’m convinced this was Rhonda’s favorite part of her visit to Thailand! A cat cafe!

We selected different dishes for our five courses that we learned to cook while in Chiang Mai.

Summary
While we definitely could have added more cities and stops along our route, the three places we visited were enough for us. We had a good mix of relaxation time and fun activities. By visiting these places, we could experience the capital city, a quiet island, and a northern cultural community. We got a good taste of Thailand by getting to know these three areas and made us all eager to return someday to explore additional cities and regions. We are grateful to my sister for spending the time and money to come visit us on her vacation. It was nice to have someone else with us to suggest things we normally wouldn’t have done on our own and allowed us to enjoy time with family. Harry’s visit was the perfect addition as well, making for an entertaining and fun-filled trip. These two weeks spent touring Thailand definitely stick out in my mind as some of my favorite times on our trip – thank you Rhonda (and Harry!) for such an enjoyable visit!!

We tried everything, including these natural coconut juice drinks in Koh Lanta!

We were thrilled that we got to spend time with Rhonda and Harry while in Thailand!! Thank you both for making it such a fun two weeks!!

Bonus
We had many inside jokes develop during our two weeks together!

• It’s a great blue watery road!
• When are we going to relax?!
• How can you yawn with such a tiny mouth?!
• Bowing practice with the monks… or Ronald McDonald!
• Rhonda and Jon, on vacation together, again!
• Rhonda goes on too many dates…at least that’s what people say!

This is the “Jon and Rhonda on vacation together – again!” picture!

We *finally* found time to relax by the pool in Chiang Mai!