Thailand

Breathtaking. Peaceful. Adventurous. If I had to sum up #Thailand in just 3 words those are the words I'd use. The views were Breathtaking, the country was Peaceful and I never felt so Adventurous. From the moment my sister, Nene, and I arrived, everything was pure bliss. I will always remember this trip by the dollar amount $750. Funny story: I was strolling on Instagram, casually stalking travel hashtags (#traveler, #blackgirlstraveltoo, #blackfacesindopeplaces and #blackgirlmagic) and stumbled across @kissysworld's page advertising a trip to Thailand. I obviously never met her nor did I recognize her brand but I immediately sent the details to my girls and sisters. Of course, no one really cared to go as traveling to unfamiliar territory with strangers does seem a bit crazy now that I think about it. Actually, super crazy but I knew Nene was down so worst case scenario, we would have figured it out. But back to $750, this covered the hotel accommodations, some meals, excursions and small gifts. I remember overhearing Nene on the phone stating that $750 for Thailand was too EXPENSIVE and that we were being robbed. Her friends convinced her to do more research. After the trip she'd tell you it was the best $750 we spent and had one of the BEST vacations EVER!!!!!!!

This 5-day trip was AMAZING! We did it all. Granted there were some age gaps within the group but the trip was DOPE!!!! Before I start, I have to state Nene and I were roommates (duh), but one would have to understand we argue all the time. She talks entirely way too much and tends to live freely where I obsess over calendars and logistics. Based on that statement alone, imagine how many times we wanted to throw each other out of the window! Being that we were on the other side of the world, we had no choice but to be on our best behavior.

Day 1- Welcome briefing and night outing. After traveling for 10 days (there I go being dramatic), the welcome briefing was on the first night. There we all sat and met the other ladies and discussed the week's itinerary. I was highly anticipating this moment as I was secretly a bit nervous that I really convinced my sister to travel all this way to explore #Thailand with strangers. Of course, Nene was in "lalaland" and her biggest concern was what was for dinner and who we would meet. After the briefing, you could definitely forget about that scheduled night outing, your girl was tyied!!!!! We broke away from the group to take photos to send to #TeamKennedy to prove that we were still alive and well. An hour later, we were in bed.

Day 2- This day was so exhausting! I'm a huge fan of #TeamFitbit but the amount of walking and sightseeing we did was exhausting as fuck. I appreciated the culture and all of what the beautiful country had to offer but nah, nope, take me back to the hotel. Ha! The natives were perfectly gracious. We visited the Temples, Old Phuket and many monuments, This was my second time traveling to Asia and I regret to say the same thing again, I wish I did more research about the culture and it's norms.

Day 3- Elephant Jungle Sanctuary Phuket. This was the best experience ever. We bathed, fed and walked the elephants. It was this moment in life, I found out that I was scared of elephants. I'd never thought about them outside of this experiecne since I never not once thought I would be bathing one. *Fun fact---elephants are the worlds largest animal and could weigh up to 7,500kg.* Trust me, they are super scary up close and personal.

Day 4- Island Tour (4 different islands) and Snorkeling- This was my favorite day. Snorkeling was quite the experience. I am pretty sure I got bit 20 times but to see the beautiful various fish and reefs was worth it and was truly an amazing experience. I must admit I did get teary eyed exploring mother nature and living so freely. In addition to snorkeling, I can finally say I experienced #islandhopping in #Asia. Unfortunately, I only remember the names of two islands, James Bond Island and the Phi Phi Islands.

Day 5- Day of Adventure. The last day I like to describe as me being a sophisticated badass. Again, another first time experience, #ATV. It's clear that I am not able to "ride dirty". Nope, my bike kept getting stuck and I now understand that dangerous turfs do not turn me on. The idea of riding through the jungle sounds sexy as fuck but I think I'll pass going forward. #RollsEyes. After driving through the jungle, Nene and I went to the beach for another first time experience in the books - Jet skiing. Now that is something that I could do many times over!

The entire trip was dope. The only thing I would suggest is to RESEARCH the culture and its norms. I'm sure I would have appreciated it more if I understood the importance of all that we explored. Thanks Kissy, see you in Africa for round 2!