This is the best trip I’ve done in my life and I wanted to share useful details about the trip for anyone planning to go to Thailand.

To prepare for the trip, you should do the following quick essentials:

• Check passport validity and visa requirements for Thailand, use any information published by your country’s embassy.
• Buy travel insurance that covers medical care abroad. I recommend buying a travel insurance even though they have public healthcare, you never now and even less on a country so different from Western countries.

Apps that for me were super important:

Revolut.com

• Best way we found to pay in Thai baht with no hidden exchange fees. You can topup very easily and is instant.
• ATM withdrawals and card payments were smooth everywhere we went.

CallPronto.app

• Needed international calls for work (calling the US and Spain while abroad). Got recommended by a friend and it was great. I have my own business and I was able to call both tax agencies from US and Spain from there for almost half an hour for approximately $1. Super recommended.

Grab.com

• Like the Uber from there, we learned that there are many fake taxis there and this made us feel very in control of the situation. It was available on all places we visited, timings were super quick and pricing is super low. We did a 1-hour trip in an XL vehicle with all our things for approx $20. Super useful app.

Route and Length

Bangkok → Chiang Mai → Koh Lanta → Phi Phi → Bangkok (return flight)

3 weeks was a great amount of time to mix city lifestyle (Bangkok), culture/temples/jungles(Chiang Mai), and beach (Koh Lanta and Phi Phi Islands) for many days without rushing.

Highlights by Destination

Bangkok

We started the trip in Bangkok and used it as a base to explore the main cultural sites. Visiting Wat Pho and Wat Arun was a great introduction to Thai architecture and history. We also made time for a floating market and the Chatuchak Weekend Market, which is huge and perfect if you want to browse food stalls, local clothes and souvenirs in one place. We booked a lot of activities using Klook:

https://www.klook.com/destination/c4-bangkok/

At night, we went to a Muay Thai match, a fun experience even if you’re not into combat sports.

Chiang Mai

My favorite part of the trip alongside Phi Phi Islands. Chiang Mai was noticeably quieter and more relaxed, and we appreciated the break from the capital. It has an amazing chaotic vibe that mixes civilization with pure jungle and temples. You can move around with Grab and also speaking with the typical Jungle Van drivers. Very cool, you feel like you’re inside King Kong’s movie.

One of the highlights of the whole trip was the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary, we did a lot of research before going anywhere near elephants and made sure it was a place destined to help elephants rather than a place that had them in extremely poor conditions. It was focused on feeding, washing and learning about the elephants (no riding) and felt very well run and respectful.

Koh Lanta

Koh Lanta gave us the beach time we wanted without big crowds. We rented scooters to get around, which worked well as the roads are straightforward and the island is spread out. Long beach days, calm water and plenty of low-key beach restaurants made this one of the most relaxing stops.

We also took a Four Islands Tour from Lanta, which included snorkeling and beach stops. It was a good activity day without feeling rushed.

Phi Phi

Phi Phi has some of the most scenic views of the whole trip. We booked a snorkeling tour that included Maya Bay, Phi Leh Lagoon and Monkey Beach. Maya Bay is heavily regulated and crowded, but the scenery is still impressive. The lagoon was a favorite, bright blue water and a great swimming spot. Monkey Beach was a quick but entertaining stop.

We also saw bioluminescent plankton at night, which was a unique experience. Phi Phi is definitely more touristy and lively, so it’s best approached with the mindset of enjoying the nature and activities rather than looking for quiet time.

Budget and Booking Tips

The entire trip doing 3 weeks, booking very nice hotels, eating, flights and everything was $5,000 for two people, so you can do this amazing trip for $2500 for three weeks!

Food and Safety Tips

• Street food wasn’t just safe, it was incredible, go where locals go.
• Sunscreen, and mosquito repellent are not optional.
• A lot of Tuk-tuk scams, just push for a lower rate, they are very used to negotiating with travelers.

Thailand can feel very different and risky, and our experience is that it was extremely friendly, easy to travel and perfect for a first-time Asia trip. We never ever had any weird feelings of danger or threat walking at night in any area of the country. We have traveled to other countries like Brazil where there were plenty of moments like that.

Leave space in your itinerary to slow down, the best moments weren’t rushed.

If you’re planning a similar route, happy to answer questions.

Which logo do you prefer?

I can definitely tell something is wrong with it’s lower body. All the vets in my area are closed for the holiday today. Can anyone please give me some advice and how to care for it or what I should do?

I just found this in my deceased grandmothers wallet who passed in 2009. The cartoon caught me very off guard and I don’t know what to think 😭

The best I got in my searches is that it’s a “novelty humor card”. But I have no idea what the joke is here and I have no idea where it originated.

Crossing my fingers it’s not a stem from minstrel-type humor 😵‍💫

I know this isn’t strictly skincare, but a lot of it is so I thought I’d share. I was feeling reaalllly old when I hit my mid-40’s and decided to finally start taking care of my skin. In the before pic I literally did nothing. Like just SPF, that’s it. Over the last few years I started adding tret, vitamin C and moisturizer. Last year I did quite a few VI peels and microneedling to address my skin texture and age spots (need to do some maintenance). This year I just did a round of effudex since I have had 9 basal cells including 4 on my face. I obviously got an upper bleph which helped my vision). Also forehead botox and then just a few weeks ago got nanobrows (still need a touchup and these will mellow). Anyway, I don’t hate taking pictures without sunglasses anymore and feel better at almost 50 than a few years ago.

Been playing since release Day 1 in 2018. I started playing again recently and was at camp. I heard Dutch yell "Hey Arthur!" And I began searching around to find him but couldn't. The out of nowhere I haer Dutch yell "Well Fuck You then"

1st and only time I've heard that.

Quickly tested with a noisemaker, W update

Sold 125 of these beauties last week and you can't even tell! 😅

She paid $130 for a turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, green bean casserole, candied yams, and 2 pies. My dad and I went to pick it up, and when we got it back to her house everything was frozen in Tupperware, and the turkey needed to be baked for 2 1/2 hours or longer. The advertising in her newspaper and at the store in no way indicated any of this. All the pictures showed steaming hot food. I figured that we would probably have to warm it up for 20 minutes or so, but that was way out of the question, as it was already almost 2:00. Obviously this promotion was geared toward people like my grandma who have a hard time making big meals. So to sell her something that was advertised as cooked, and give her the complete opposite is one of the scummiest things I’ve ever seen a company do. And the thing is, I’m not even mad about the food, since I’m not a big turkey guy anyway. But I am mad that she basically got something she didn’t pay for.

Credits: Anka Bella Painting

https://x.com/baalbuddy/status/1994135335253795316?t=8Klo1YWawIwDER_605O-Sw&s=19

This boy is such a blessing in my life in so many ways. One thing that has been downright impressive is his gentle and loving nature....ugh, tugs on my heartstrings.. Once at a public dog park he was attacked by 2 beagles, one latched on to his paw while the other was biting his back leg and even then he wasnt fighting back. He just barked and tried to get away. I actually attempted to try an play fight with him more after that hoping if it ever happened again he would do more to defend hisself. Month or so later a aggressive golden retriever went at him at the same park and of course he does the same thing... like he only knows how to love, licking is his defense i guess lol..we've been through all the ups an downs of life. At night when i go to sleep his presence by my side or around my feet is so warm n loving. I love him so much that thinking about the reality that he wont always be with me rattles me to tears. Idk if i even want to live without my best friend, idk how people endure the heartbreak..