this is the worst place for mosquitos. like literally the worst. the were signs in the hotel warning guests to not leave their children alone because of the mosquitos. i walked away from this entire trip with 66 mosquito bites. SIXTY SIX. i don't even think that's normal for a human to experience.
this is really terrible because this place is gorgeous, a great place for climbing and has the cheapest coconuts!! and that's the taker. coconut water. two times a day. every day.
@molly_velasco // being a hot mess in thailand. tried using toothpaste to soothe the itch..
which worked for a good 5 minutes
@brittnissx3 // morning sunrise
@brittnissx3 // breakfast area
@brittnissx3 // public pool
waiting to get picked up by Real Rocks Climbing and bug spraying
@brittnissx3 // boat ride to our climbing area in railey beach
@bearahlee // gearing up to do the route
@bearahlee // belayer at real rocks climbing
@bearahlee // caves at railey beach
@bearahlee // railey beach
@bearahlee // back in ao nang
@bearahlee // 30 baht ($1 USD) coconut!!!
@bearahlee // straight cuts it open for you so glorious!
I was told that this was a dirty city and to the extent that any major city may be "dirty" is what I found. Like any major city, Bangkok is bustling with people and cars and sky scrappers and metros and taxis and traffic. The traffic here at rush hour is probably the worse than Los Angeles, and that's something to say for a city that has a major traffic. When getting out of Bangkok to get to the airport, it took me about 30 minutes to travel less than a mile, and when we finally got out of the city, it was normal traffic from there.
A lot of the locals take the metro/Skytrain and probably the quickest/most efficient way to get around town aside from walking. The two places we ended up visiting were within both of these scopes aside from the floating market which was an hour outside of the city and did require transportation. Luckily, we escaped the city during a non-peak time.
Getting to the floating market
We had asked the hotel for a car and although it was nice to be in a luxury vehicle and in a comfortable space, we probably overpaid for this service. I do not recall the exact cost and the number coming to mind feels like $60 per person and a taxi would have been cheaper. Given that we didn't have cell service or a way to call a taxi - we stuck with the car service since he guaranteed he would wait for us while we explored the floating market.
@brittnissx3
The Floating Market
Just to ride the boat is about $20 USD per person. Pricey in my opinion compared to everything else that I had paid for up until this point and it was one of those things where the market was closing in an hour once we arrived so wasting time trying to bargain wasn't a plausible option. Thus, we paid our fee and away we went.
Food, art, souvenirs and entertainment lined the stalls. Our "driver"/whatever is equivalent to boat driver, took us to his folks that he was friends with.
@bearahlee
@bearahlee
Since I was making a goal to eat mango sticky rice every day in Thailand, the first thing I bought on our floating market adventure was mango sticky rice and I think someone else bought the coconut ice served in a coconut as shown in the image below.
@bearahlee
The one thing I had to get while on this trip was literal boat noodle and it was one of the best noodles I've ever eaten.
@bearahlee
Terminal 21 Bangkok
We also visited one of the largest malls I've ever seen, which isn't much to say since this is my first international trip. I think it was 5 floors tall and just absolutely massive. My favorite part was the food court because of the all the options that were available and each of us could get what we liked. The only downside is that you have to convert your money to their card system so that way it's an easier transaction at the stalls. If you don't end up spending everything on you card, you can get the cash back.
@brittnissx3
@bearahlee
Where I stayed //Novotel Bangkok Ploenchit Sukhumvit Hotel
I learned very quickly that you can't get away with excessive people in your hotel room the way you can usually get away with it in the States. They actually check your passports and cross reference the amount of people to the stay. I mean the do that to some extent in the States but American hotels do not ask for the passport/identification of every single person in your room. So when we originally booked a room for 4 (2 adults + 2 kids), we didn't realize that they would actually set an age limit on the "child" and thus cross reference against our passports. All that to say, make sure you're booking the correct room with the literal number of people in your party.
Nightlife // Sky on 20 Rooftop Bar
We didn't get to visit any of the "speakeasies" in the city and we got to experience the rooftop bar at our hotel. Drinks were alright and nothing too memorable here except for the view. I'd check it out if you're staying here and not something I'd make a "must do".
@brittnissx3
@brittnissx3 // these wedges were so good
@brittnissx3 // traffic in bangkok
@molly_velasco
If you have friends and locals to take you places, do it. They will provide the best experience for you. We ended up visiting Jae Koy Somtum and another rooftop bar (a name that is escaping me). It was great to get a local experience.
P L A C E S //
Terminal 21 Bangkok https://www.terminal21.co.th/
Damnoen Saduak Floating Market
Jae Koy Somtum https://bit.ly/2v2R96u
Novotel Bangkok Ploenchit Sukhumvit Hotel https://bit.ly/2UWDDQy
Use my link to book your next hotel at booking.com // https://bit.ly/2Xbg4Rk
C A M E R A G E A R //
GORILLA POD https://amzn.to/2Eve78K
GO-PRO HERO 4 http://amzn.to/1TK35R2
GO-PRO FLOATING MOUNT https://amzn.to/2ENGO0Z
SONY RX III http://amzn.to/1QGacEI
T R A V E L E S S E N T I A L S //
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Fjallraven 20L Bag https://amzn.to/2ICTXfo
Travel Pillow https://amzn.to/2qfmvFe
Tiger Balm https://amzn.to/2vkqvsY
Sun Bum Sunscreen https://amzn.to/2GZqvDX
M U S I C //
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Song: Ikson - Home (Vlog No Copyright Music)
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Booking your campsite near Great Basin is very simple. Visit https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/234207 and choose your site at Ward Mountain. You pay online so additional fees aren't needed.
When you arrive, your name will already be marked on the site so you won't be able to miss the one you're designated to. These sites have:
potable water 🚰
fire pit
vault toilets
It's a good rule of thumb to bring your own water, and there was potable water at the campsite. I've been using reusable gallons (https://amzn.to/2t3jBEC) to hold water versus buying individual gallons (i.e., arrowhead gallons, etc.). These containers usually come with spigots so you can use it to dispense water for drinking as well as creating a makeshift hand washing station. Please please please use biodegradable soap (https://amzn.to/2GizsXt). It's good for you and good for the environment.
This location is really convenient since McDonald's, a grocery store and gas stations are nearby so you don't need to worry if you forget anything at home.
The downside is that this location has a lot of bees so bring your bugs pray (https://amzn.to/2WAhKVb) and bug repellent materials.
Great Basin is actually an hour drive from this location and easily a day trip. I don't think multi-day visits are necessary if you pack properly. I was under prepared because I had anticipated it to be hot all day and then the rain/clouds came in and the temperature dropped.
PC: @Robb294
PC: @Robb294
PC: @Robb294
PC: @Robb294
PC: @Robb294
The Ward Ovens are also within 20 minute driving distance. They are a beautiful site to see with a meteor shower.
PC: @Robb294
PC: @Robb294
PC: @Robb294
PC: @Robb294
PC: @Robb294
C A M P G E A R //
PATAGONIA 22L PACK https://amzn.to/2xhd5vz
RJALLRAVEN KANKEN BACKPACK https://amzn.to/2xk1NXp
JACKET https://amzn.to/2t3PPzv
BAMBOO TOOTHBRUSH https://amzn.to/2BLjNvV
TRAVEL PILLOW https://amzn.to/2qfmvFe
SUN BUM SUNCREEN https://amzn.to/2GZqvDX
LODGE CAST IRON http://amzn.to/2ic4PWe
CAMP CHEF SUMMIT https://amzn.to/2NJlvGb - similar
HYDROFLASK https://amzn.to/2WCDsYw
C A M E R A G E A R //
GORILLA POD https://amzn.to/2Eve78K
GO-PRO HERO 4 http://amzn.to/1TK35R2
GO-PRO FLOATING MOUNT https://amzn.to/2ENGO0Z
GO-PRO KARMA GRIP https://amzn.to/2MxEQFS
SONY RX III http://amzn.to/1QGacEI
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Wow it's been awhile! So much has happened between now and the last post; and there's so many travel tips I'd like to share!
And one of those tips is along the lines of camping. Yes - I'll admit... I grew up camping in a motorized vehicle and did my first legit, in a tent, sleeping on the ground camping about two years ago. From that, here are the items I feel are necessary.
So this is the story of how I spent 36 hours in Chicago. Definitely one of the most stressful and exciting time of my life. It started with an overnight/red eye flight departing around 11 pm and landed 5-6AM with 5 hours of sleep. Mind you, I spent the earlier part of the day stuffing myself at a Brazilian steakhouse so I'm over stuffed with meat and made it to the airport with less than 20 min til boarding. Yes, I live my life on the edge (I hope you recognize my sarcasm there ;))
Now I don't want you to think, this is a pity party. With the circumstances, this is how it rolled. My time was miserable cause of the minimal sleep. I started my period, throwing my equilibrium off. And the mixture of lack of sleep and over stuffness ruined my appetite for the half the weekend. Meat sounded disgusting, so although I was looking forward to our Korean chicken wings, I probably only ate two.
Although I hail from Los Angeles, Chicago seemed so much bigger and grander than any city I've been too. (Also my first venture eastward, so this is also where my naivety may come in.) The skyscrapers were massive and I felt like a tiny human in this concrete jungle. The only time I felt at ease was when I was by the lake where things felt open. I'm sure Chicago has tons to offer, however, thus far, it is my least favorite place I've been to. -insert scornful remarks here- yeah I get it. I must have missed something and looking back on it is like holy geezus how did we accomplish all those things in such a short time? NO SLEEP AND CONSTANT VIGILANCE! I almost missed my flight back to home because of our poor planning and thank goodness Frontier is notoriously late that I didn't have to stay overnight in Chicago. Two of the major things I've learned from this trip is:
1) No more red eye flights - and if I do take a red eye, I will force myself to sleep or spend and extra day there
After getting off the plane, we immediately got our rental and took it over to North Beach (which was amazingly beautiful at sunrise), but me with less than 7 hours of sleep is a nightmare to my travel companions.
2) Staying in the city and take a damn Uber/Lyft - several reasons why I'd recommend this
I ended up staying closer towards the airport, which of course was ideal since it was cheaper, HOWEVER, trying to find parking in the city took up majority of the time and we could have accomplished even more things if we didn't spend so much time looking for parking
In addition to looking for parking, the drivers will drive you up to the location you're looking for so you won't go wandering around shady places to find your destination
Secondly, I would have spent the same amount taking Uber/Lyft as renting a car and parking, cause their parking prices are EXPENSIVE. I literally spent $30 to see the Bean. ya, i know. It killed my wallet.
Avoid parking tickets. I haven't gotten a ticket in my travels yet. Having that as one less stress would definitely make my traveling more enjoyable.
Frequently, places would "validate" parking. However, they're SUPER specific about which places take the validation. So unless you're knowledgeable about where each parking structure is designated, expect to pay the highest price.
The parking meters typically only allow 2 hours, meaning you have to constantly keep track of the time you put on your meters and take that extra time to stop what you're currently doing to pay the meters and resume what you're up to.
I think I've made a solid case for taking Uber/Lyft. Nonetheless, here's the list of places I've visited.
Highlights: North Beach at Sunrise, Bobby's Bike Tour and the Office - highly recommend doing these
If you found any of these tips helpful, please subscribe to my blog to Youtube Channel for more travel tips. xx
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CAMERAS //
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IPHONE 6S
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