a general guide to thailand

August 6, 2017

After receiving many requests for recommendations in my home country - Thailand - I’ve come up with a rough overall guide to one of the best countries to visit in the world! I personally believe that no guide to Thailand is complete, so here is my take based on my own time spent in this amazing country. This specific post will be a general guide that will take a look at the different areas of Thailand as well as all the neighborhoods within Bangkok with a list of just a few favorites in each area.

For more specific neighborhood guides, things to do, how to get around, and other helpful tricks for Thailand, I’ll be posting additional mini-guides occasionally on this blog.

Here goes -

Let’s start off with BANGKOK:

Temples - The must-see temples in Bangkok lie around the old-town area. I suggest spending a day visiting all the temples around this area, early coffee at Elefin, grabbing lunch on Maha Rat Road, dessert at my favorite - Make Me Mango, and winding down with a Thai massage around Wat Pho (spiritual home of Thai massage).

  • Wat Pho
  • Wat Arun
  • Grand Palace (Wat Phra Kaew)
  • Wat Suthat

Day trips - Already need a getaway from bustling Bangkok? Here are a few suggestions for day trips outside the city:

  • Kanchanaburi - This area is known for the famous Death Railway and its bridge over the River Kwai. Erawan National Park is also situated in the Si Sawat area - its 7-tiered waterfall makes for a nice half day hike.
  • Ayuthaya - The old capital of the Kingdom of Siam, this city lies about 80km north of Bangkok - accessible by boat, bus, or train. In 1767, the Burmese army invaded Ayuthaya, leaving the city in ruins. Today, Ayuthaya stands as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
  • Ancient City (Muangboran)
  • Bang Krachao, Bangkok’s Green Lung - drive or take a boat across the Chao Praya, then rent a bike to explore this adventurous and beautiful secluded green space of Bangkok with some small village vibes.

Weekend trips - If you have some extra time, these cities will not disappoint for a relaxing weekend stay.

BANGKOK NEIGHBORHOODS

Old Town / Banglamphu / Khao San:

  • Temples (see above)
  • Khao San Road - the famous backpacker hangout area, this road is filled with bustling street shopping and street food. Worth an hour walk/visit. Eat some roti here!
  • Jam Factory and The Never Ending Summer - Small cafe connected to a small interior design store and bookshop; modern Thai restaurant situated next to the Chao Praya river.
  • Cafe Velodome
  • Bangkok City Library
  • Thailand Creative & Design Center

Chinatown / Yaowarat:

  • Walk the streets of Chinatown - plenty of (and more!) street food and street shopping. The night lights make for a very bustling/lively feel.
  • On Yok Lun - traditional & old coffee shop

Sathorn / Silom: One of the business areas of Bangkok, but still many gems around.

Siam: The shopping center of Bangkok.

  • Bangkok Arts & Cultural Center (closed Mondays)
  • Siam Discovery
  • Siam Square
  • Siam Center
  • MBK
  • Central World, The Groove, Isetan

Sukhumvit: Your upscale part of town.

Thonglor / Ekkamai:

  • Roots Coffee
  • Casa Lapin
  • Featherstone Bistro
  • Phil Coffee
  • Roast
  • Vanilla Garden

Ari


The following regions of Thailand are a whole ‘nother trip in themselves.

NORTHERN THAILAND

  • Chiang Mai
  • Chiang Rai
  • Nan
  • Khon Kaen

ISLANDS - SOUTHEAST

  • Koh Samui
  • Koh Tao
  • Koh Phangan
  • Koh Nangyuan

ISLANDS SOUTHWEST

  • Phuket
  • Koh Phi Phi
  • Koh Lanta
  • Koh Yao Noi
  • Koh Similan

bowl life is the best life

June 16, 2017

Welcome to my first blog post! I hadn’t really thought of a decent introduction to starting off my blog, but we can get right into one of my loves of life - smoothie bowls.

First. a blog space (finally) to encapsulate everything that inspires me in this life: travel, design, architecture, all things food, and lifestyle. I rarely get to share in detail, and on any medium, my thoughts on these interests. Maybe I’ll have an ounce of success on here at trying to maintain consistent /journaling/. But perhaps this space may just serve as a board of life inspiration and ramblings.

On to bowl life.

Smoothie bowl life is the best life, by all mochi standards. But as beautiful as bowl life may be, I’ve gotten quite a few bowl-doubters who ask about convenience and cost. I’ve broken down how I make my bowl life sweet and simple here.

Not all bowls have to start with an acai or dragonfruit base - I stick with frozen berries for simplicity (and rushed work mornings). Add a banana and pick another thickening ingredient. The all-time winner for the creamiest bowls will always be avocado (I put in half of a large avo, but have recently started using one whole Trader Joe’s avocado - they’re small). Other choices - cauliflower, frozen zucchini, or pitted medjool dates. Before you go all /gross/ on me, all these thickeners are absolutely tasteless! Completely there just for texture. Note: cauliflower and zucchini will give more smoothness than creaminess, if you can feel what I’m saying.

Cost-wise: I grocery shop at Trader Joe’s, Costco, Whole Foods, and sometimes iHerb.com (get 5% off: GPF242). I have a shopping system down based on personal convenience (my location and schedule), quality, and freshness. My cost breakdown may even be a bit overestimated since there are cheaper options at Kroger, Jewel, Publix, etc. Finally, I actually don’t always buy organic, like many of you tease. I do when I can, but not all the time.

I’m the type of person who doesn’t measure out my ingredients; I guesstimate and trial-and-error everything. I’ve never been one to follow instructions and deep down hate reading them - games, building furniture (I always reluctantly pull out the IKEA booklet), legos & 3D puzzles, and manuals for appliances & electronics. My one exception with this bad habit of mine is cake-baking, but I digress. All the measurements below have been made using my /exemplary/ estimating skills, but that’s what bowl life is all about - adjusting your proportions until you’ve got it exactly the way you love it.

The creation: there’s an art to this thing. I throw in my base ingredients (always banana first! Then the thickener and frozen fruit), pour in my liquid of choice, add the extras (protein powder, chia, spirulina, etc.), then blend. Pour into a bowl, decorate with your toppings, and you’re done! Max prep time: 15 minutes.

Bowl ingredients:

  • Base = 1 banana + (avocado, cauliflower, zucchini, or dates)
  • Fruit = frozen berries ~1 cup
  • Liquid = almond milk, POM juice, other nut milks, other fruit juices, water (~½ cup)
  • Extras = protein powder, matcha powder, spirulina, hemp, etc.

Color tips: add a handful of spinach for green; stay away from blackberries to avoid brown bowls.

Topping ideas:

  • Fresh fruit
  • Unsweetened coconut flakes
  • Hemp seeds
  • Chia seeds
  • Cacao nibs
  • Granola
  • Trader Joe’s super seed & ancient grain blend
  • Goji berries, mulberries
  • Honey
  • Nut butters

And finally, the cost of 1 bowl: ~ $4

Breakdown:

  • 1 banana: 15 cents (Costco)
  • Half an avocado: 50 cents (Costco)
  • 1 cup frozen berries: $1 (Costco)
  • ½ cup almond milk: 33 cents (Whole Foods)
  • Fresh fruit: $1 based on serving size (Trader Joe’s, Costco)
  • Dry toppings: $1-$1.50 based on serving size (Trader Joe’s, Costco, iHerb)
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