Thailand, wow, where do I begin. Thailand is one of the most magical countries on earth what with the topical weather, incredible food and hands down, the nicest people on the planet. With gorgeous beaches, beautiful mountain towns, bustling cities and rich history, Thailand has so much to offer. For many, it’s also a wonderfully affordable destination so in my opinion, it’s one of the best places on earth to plan your next vacation!
Most international travelers will first set foot in Bangkok so let’s begin here, shall we?
A sprawling metropolis, you can find everything from gourmet food to breathtaking museums, fun nightlife to relaxing spa time. Bangkok is home to the floating market, the Grand Palace, the Emerald Buddha, Reclining Buddha, Wat Pho, tuk tuks, the Jim Thompson house and so much more. It’s a terrific city with so much to do and see and you will definitely work up an appetite so let’s chat about food!
I had the wonderful luck of being able to stay at the Riva Suraya, a lovely boutique hotel located in the royal district, right on the Chao Phraya River. Just walking in it smells delicious and they greet you with their own signature tea (yes, I brought 2 canisters home!). The accomodations are great and the views of the river and pool area are serene. Their restaurant and bar is super hip and chic and I had no problem come meal time. Their breakfast buffet is robust and the service is top notch. Dining on the deck was so relaxing I didn’t want to leave but I had to go check out the city sites!
After visiting the beautiful Grand Palace, the Emerald Buddha, Reclining Buddha, Wat Pho, my host, Tak, from Destination Asia took me to a fantastic locale for lunch. Sala Rattanakosin is located in another boutique hotel on the Chao Phraya River and boasts a super cool rooftop deck bar with gorgeous views of the river and royal district sites. And of course, the food was awesome! I started with a tasty cocktail and followed up with a dreamy, vegan yellow curry. It was so good, I didn’t leave a drop!
After lunch, I had some time to walk around my neighborhood and do some shopping. I popped into Bean & Us for a cold pick me up and was delighted to see that they make their own organic soy and almond milk so of course, an iced soy latte was in order! They also had take away sandwiches and homemade goodies so I made a note to come back in the morning. 
I happily made my way to Khao San Road and loaded up on comfy Thai pants, souvenirs and loads of other beautiful trinkets!
After my shopping excursion, Tak picked me up and we headed over to the Jim Thompson House. Located in the heart of the city is this beautiful home created by American silk exporter, Jim Thompson. After having fallen in love with Thailand, he made his life in Bangkok, building this lovely, traditional Thai home and filling it with art and furnishings from the area. Unfortunately, he went missing and now his family and estate have opened his home as a museum and art center.
Following the Jim Thompson house tour, Tak and I hopped into a tuk tuk for a fun night drive through the city. We passed by the king’s palace, china town and into the new part of the city where modern skyscrapers and light rail tracks cover the landscape. Here we found May Veggie Home and stopped in for dinner!
May Veggie Home is an all vegan restaurant serving traditional Thai dishes as well as homemade ice cream! I was glad to be there with Tak and our driver so that we could order a bunch of stuff and try it all! And we did! And of course, I couldn’t leave without dessert so I took a scoop of vegan mocha chip ice cream to go!
Special thanks to Tourism Thailand for the incredible trip! There is way more Thailand to come so stay tuned!
2 comments
From what I remember, Bangkok was a great city to try some vegan food. So many fruit stands and vegan pad thai was to die for! 🙂 Haven’t tried the ice-cream yet – yum!