How about we just dump the kids at home and see the world?

I've always envied travel hosts like Anthony Bourdain and Janet Hsieh, who get to enjoy exploring strange quirky places from the far ends of Europe to the rural edges of Taiwan. That's like the BEST JOB IN THE EARTH!

 

 

 So anyway these are 2 travel hosts that I really admire, and they both have great USPs (unique selling points). Okay so one has a badass-motherfker-ex chef vibe, and the other a drop dead gorgeous happy bunny. How do you compete with that? Everyone has their own distinct character, and sure, they probably aren't like that all the time in real life but that's what makes watching them on TV interesting..

Bottom line, if I ever had the chance to try out travel hosting, I would give up eating meat for like.. ONE WHOLE WEEK!

So anyway I'll be heading to Bangkok this Friday, and I was thinking to myself, how can I not go and do the usual stuff there? You know, shop, eat, massage, all the touristy stuff..  And I thought to myself, why do people want to visit Thailand, and more specifically, Bangkok?

Simple, the ladies go there for the cheap clothes, relaxing massages, and for just plain amazing pampering..

 

The lads? Haha, trust me I know, ZE CRAZY NIGHTLIFE!

So anyways, I stayed in Thailand for a month for my post-poly grad trip. Yes, a month in Thailand, and funny enough I got sick of Bangkok after a week, I enjoyed Chang Mai so much more! I took an overnight train and it was such a beautiful experience. Well yeah so there were mosquitoes in the middle of the night, but the sunrise was to die for. Imagine waking up, and looking out of the window to see misty fields with the morning sun in the backdrop. The weather was chilly but still very pleasant .

My friend and I took one of those tribal tours and we stayed in a native village for about 2 nights. We trekked with a nice mix of people, some from Switzerland, France, the UK  and really got to know them over beers by the campfire at night. The best part was when we reached a waterfall at the end of the trek, one which was totally unspoiled! Only the local folk knew where is was, and sigh, it was magical. DAMN I WANNA GO BACK NOWWWW!!!

Sigh unfortunately I don't think I'd be able to find anything similar on this upcoming trip to Bangkok. I hope I'm not being too harsh but I honestly feel that it has gotten too commercialized to have a truly special experience. All the clubs, shopping districts, Muay Thai fights, to me they have all lost their MOJO if you know what I mean. It's like wherever you go, once people know you're a tourist, they either want to make a quick buck or CON ALL YOUR MONEY!

 

I'm sorry Bangkok, I'm probably doing you a huge injustice but I've just had too many unsavoury memories of you. I really hope that this upcoming trip changes my opinion about you, because I know there are so many things to enjoy. So, anywho, I'm just going to head over with an open mind and kick back and enjoy my holiday. Because everyone knows, the most important part of a holiday is the people you go with!