More than 26 million tourists visited Thailand in 2013, so it's clear that I don't have much work to do in the area of encouraging people to go there. So instead I wanted today's post, which showcases my favorite photos I've taken over the course of my six trips to Thailand, to let you in on the more personal reasons I love it so much.
If there’s one word that’s synonymous with “Thailand” in my mind, it’s “freedom.” My first visit to the Kingdom, after all, came just months after I moved to China to teach English; my second just weeks after I achieved location independence for the first time in my life. My third trip to Thailand, which occurred less than a year after my fist, was by invitation, the first sign I saw that I might be able to eventually make a living solely from my travel blog.
My fourth trip to Thailand, in the fall of 2012, hosted the proudest moment of my life (flying my little sister to Thailand, her first transpacific journey). My fifth was a testament to my resilience after a brutal breakup and my sixth saw me once again invited to the Kingdom in an official capacity. I’m not sure exactly when my seventh trip to Thailand will occur, but I hope you’ll join me in savoring these photos, and the freedom they convey, until then.
Skyscrapers as seen through a Buddhist temple in Bangkok.
An advertisement along Silom Road in Bangkok.
Bangkok's 18th-century giant swing, as seen through the modern city.
Another view of the Giant Swing.
Bangkok pedestrians carry umbrellas to block out the oppressive summer sun.
A scene at Wat Kalayanamitr in Bangkok.
A dog naps in front of a giant Buddha at Koh Kret in Nonthaburi Province.
Even McDonald's is more hospitable in Thailand.
A seductive mannequin at the Chatuchak Weekend Market in Bangkok.
A Buddhist statue at Rajprasong Intersection.
Pattaya is a hub for sex tourism.
It's also home to Tiffany's Show, one of the world's premier all-shemale revues.
A traditional Thai dance performance.
A dog under the bell at Doi Suthep Temple in Chaing Mai.
Tuk-tuk auto rickshaws at Chiang Mai Night Market.
Chiang Mai Orchid Farm.
The author getting up-close and personal with tigers at Tiger Kingdom in Mae Rim.
A longtail boat in Thailand's Andaman Sea.
The water in Thailand's Andaman Islands is literally like a swimming pool.
Paradise: Koh Kradan island.
Even the hammocks smile in Thailand, the "Land of Smiles."
Sunset in Koh Mook.
A longtail boat at dusk.
An art installation at Bangkok's CentralWorld mall.
The massive Buddha at Wat Kalayanamitr in Bangkok.
Red curry with roasted duck at Supatra River House in Bangkok.
A ribbon bearing the Thai flag.
Scene from anti-government protests in January 2014.
Scene from anti-government protests in January 2014.
The ferris wheel at Asiatique on Bangkok's waterfront.
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