Best of the Best: Our Top 9 Experiences

At the end of our trip, we tried to make a list of our top 10 experiences. Instead we came up with two lists of “tops;” when we tried to come up with the tenth, we decided that there were too many competing for that tenth slot to complete the list. So here are our top nine, to complement the other top 11 experiences.

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Mini-Post: Visit the Unrest-aurant!

We have a few days in Bangkok before we begin the long journey back to the US. Unfortunately, this is a weird time to be here. Every time we have tried to visit Thailand on this trip, there has been civil unrest. This time, the city is under martial law, as the military successfully executed a coup d’etat two weeks back. Nothing seems to be happening on the ground, but we thought it might be wise to speak with our hostel owner about the situation in case there was something we needed to know. Her response:

“This happens all the time here. There have been like 20 coups that I can remember. It’s too bad the military has stopped the protests; I usually send guests there to get free street food!”

So next time you’re in Bangkok during some kind of uprising, don’t be afraid. Just look for the best snack cart you can find and chow down!

Mini-Post: Gatorade in Thailand

This is Gatorade, right? Anyone speak Thai?

Rebecca’s cousin recently informed me that the water we had been drinking throughout our travels in Thailand, the cheapest we could find, was distilled water. Distilled water, he informed us, leeches minerals out of your body, disrupting your electrolyte balance. So to counteract this, I decided to go with my tried-and-true method of rehydration: Gatorade. It has valuable electrolytes, and it’s something I’m familiar with; I’ll just water it down with my distilled water to counteract the sugar. Luckily, with Gatorade’s excellent branding, I was able to find a bottle even though I don’t speak Thai. So here’s to Gatorade, one of America’s most recognizable brands, for saving me from passing out on those hot Thai days.

Thailand to Cambodia: The Land Border Crossing Saga

After two uneventful nights in Bangkok spent recovering from our flight and visiting stuff, we decided that we would head over to Cambodia to visit the temples of Angkor Wat. But instead of flying, which would cost about $110 per person, we took a bus. The experience that followed was a stressful crash course in scam economics.