big sur big love

The California Coastline boasts some beautiful views and Big Sur definitely has some of the best. Big Sur is such a magical place, I could return over and over. It's waters range from a beautiful aqua blue (you'd think you're somewhere tropical) all the way to the deepest, darkest sapphire blue. There's an enormous range of creatures to see from pods of whales and dolphins frolicking out of the waters, butterflies and birds freely flying, otters holding hands in the kelp and elephant seals barking in the distance. There's also the majestic redwood forests and relaxing sounds of waterfalls. Breathtaking sunsets. And you can't forget the sight of a billion stars at night.

We took a trip down the coast mainly because I wanted to experience Treebones, a resort where you can glamp, camp, or stay in a human nest all while overlooking the vast Pacific Ocean. Since I didn't get to camp this past summer, I took the opportunity to stay in one of their Sibley tents, already set up with a front row view of the Big Blue. It was amazing to say the least... my favorite parts being the incredible sunset, stargazing at nighttime, and waking up to that view. It's a place I would definitely return to and hope it's not long before I do.

running all over thailand

I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to go to Thailand especially since it's been a destination on my list of places to visit for a while now. On our trip we went to Chiang Mai, Koh Mak, and Bangkok. Overall, I had a good time, and have many awesome moments and memories from the trip, but I have to be honest that I left feeling a little disappointed. I struggled a lot with Thailand mainly for one reason, and that being I didn't feel like, as a visitor, I was able to quite grasp the real culture of Thailand very easily. And I know you're going to think I'm crazy for saying that from all the wonderful photos I got, but let me explain further.

I think there are two types of travelers. Those that go to a place and want to experience it's culture in probably the truest way you can. Doing the things locals would do. Whether it's eating like a local, visiting more low-key destinations, taking their local transport, etc. Then, there are those that just visit the popular tourist attractions and don't necessarily get the chance to see deeper into the every day lives of the people living there (maybe due to time restraint, preference, or just not knowing). I'm not saying one is better than the other, but for me, I prefer to really try and experience what it would be like living in that place, having experiences that the locals would (of course I still do some of the touristy things, c'mon you can't come to SF and not see the Golden Gate Bridge or visit Alcatraz!). I know I might not be making sense to some of you, so here is a post that I coincidentally recently read on the same subject that might explain it a bit better.

I'm not exactly sure why I left feeling like I couldn't dig deeper than the surface level when I was in Thailand. It could have been that I needed to spend more time there (we were there eight days), my expectations could have been set really high to begin with, the scammers were everywhere which could have been distracting, or maybe it was the language barrier (although I've been to other non-english speaking countries before and I didn't have this experience), I'm not really sure. It felt as if a lot of things that were culturally significant to the Thai people were now exploited and used to make money off of tourists. Maybe it's me just being naive to the fact that every country in the world does this, but to this extent? Traveling to Japan and Korea more recently, I didn't feel this at all. I felt the culture everywhere and really felt I could be a part of it and not feel like I was being shown things just for the sake of making money. Don't get me wrong either, I know it's a developing country and people will do what they can to make money and live, but I also think there's a way to go about doing that and at the same time preserving and sharing your culture for others to enjoy.

I would still recommend visiting Thailand if you haven't before, but if your travel style is like mine, do more research and try to venture out into some areas that are on the outskirts or areas with few tourists-- even if it will take you more time to do so, it will likely be worth it. We had the wonderful opportunity to go about 30 minutes outside of Bangkok for a day and a half with some local folks we knew (where there were no tourists) and had an awesome time!

Has anyone had a similar experience in Thailand or another country? Or maybe you've had the total opposite experience? I'd love to hear other thoughts on this so please share!

Dried fish on the street in Bangkok's Chinatown

Raw marinated shrimp... anyone know if you eat this raw?

Curries at a night market in Rangsit (30 minutes outside bkk)

Hand-carved soap flowers in Chiang Mai

Banana rotee with nutella

Silver-smithing

Making umbrellas

Hand-painting umbrellas and fans - so talented!

I'm now including sticky rice on top of all my homemade sundaes. This one is mango ice cream with pandan sticky rice. YUM

Crab that's been fermenting for over a month. Usually eaten in Som Tam (papaya salad)

Market in Chiang Mai

Miang kham - a serious flavor explosion in your mouth. SO good.

Best, cheapest meal we had in Chiang Mai. #1 for their khao soi

A street vendor that pulled up while we waited for the Ferry to Koh Mak. Serving up freshly made papaya salad.

Uncrowded beaches on Koh Mak, supposedly one of the last "untouched" islands

A bar at the end of the pier on Koh Mak

Exploring the little island via scooter

More exploring

Filling up on gas

The best view on the whole island

Sunset on Koh Mak

seoul adventures

I'm back! After a two-week long vacation I'm finally back and blogging again. In those two weeks I traveled to Seoul, South Korea and Thailand and had an absolute blast! Thailand is definitely a unique and fun place, but I have to say, Seoul totally stole the show. I had no idea how much I would like Seoul, no actually, love Seoul. I really loved it. From the historic culture, to the different districts/neighborhoods/dongs, to the amazing food, it was all great. Each neighborhood had a unique feel, totally different from the next. Some were modern and trendy, others historic and traditional, and some just plain lively full of shopping or nightlife. I have to add, Korea probably has the most coffee shops I've ever seen, too many to try in one visit, or two, or three. Heck, you could spend a few years checking out the coffee scene it's that saturated. The thing about it though is that each cafe has a different vibe, which in my opinion makes it that much harder to choose where to have your cup of joe-- either that or be wired the whole entire day/night.

The closest city I've been to that I can compare Seoul with would be Japan (and even then they are vastly different cities), which I absolutely loved as well. Seoul is a place I would definitely return to, and highly recommend anyone visiting, but for now hopefully you can enjoy it through some of my photos (and I can reminisce). Stay tuned for my take on Thailand!

Guards before entering the Grand Palace

Gyeongbokgung Palace in the background

Seafood soybean paste soup

Bukchon Hanok village

Roaming the streets of the hanok village

Super good banchan at every restaurant and so much variety

Many trucks selling stuff from food to clothes, to everyday necessities/goods

Hoddeok, a common street food treat

Flowers on the street in Insadong

More street food snacks

Warm, crispy, chewy grilled squid and octopus

Myeongdong shopping at night

Good eats everywhere, this one is an inventive fish katsu roll

Oreo bingsoo-- the smoothest, softest ice shavings I've ever had (even compared to Hawaii!) 

Plastic surgery advertisements in the subway station, on the metro. This one in Sinsa Station, Gangnam.

Hanging out in Hongdae

Anchovy based soup noodle for breakfast, why not?

Heading to the fish market

Constant hustle and bustle at the fish market

All sorts of seafood

Cheonggyecheon at night

More hoddeok, my favorite

Cool coffee shop

Awesome decor

Coffee is pricey in Korea (compared to the US at least), average price is $5 for an Americano-- an Americano!