Hello readers! I’m back from my trip to Singapore and Thailand. Due to a flight delay, I got back a day later than planned and had to head right back to work immediately. So, my sleep schedule and jet lag has taken a bit longer to work itself out. However, I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to share our experiences!
Leana is also back from her second trip to Japan. Although she’s not blogging anymore, she did share some of her thoughts and photos on our Facebook page here. Check it out!
Singapore Deserves More Time
My daughter and I only had a 24-houir layover in Singapore, and we tried to use our time wisely. Of course, it wasn’t enough time, and we’d love to return to Singapore. The city was so clean and beautiful, with gardens and flowers everywhere. It was so easy to navigate due to English speakers and signage. Andaz Singapore hotel was dreamy. Singapore is definitely on my return list!
Thai Food is Yummy!
I was a bit worried about what food I could eat in Thailand since I have a low spice tolerance. However, I shouldn’t have worried, because I found plenty of delicious food that wasn’t super spicy! And the food was extremely affordable. We could get a complete meal at local restaurants for around $3 each.
Elephants are my New Favorite Animal
Elephants are important to the Thai people, and I fell in love with them during our trip. We got to see elephants frolicking around in the “wild”, and now I’m a fan.
Massage Culture
Massages are huge in Thailand! From open-air massages at street markets to fancier spas, very affordable massages were available everywhere. Even the Priority Pass lounge in the Bangkok airport had free 15-minute head and shoulder massages. I probably need to dedicate an entire post just on massages in Thailand.
Rainy Season is Better Than No Season
I knew going into this trip that it’s rainy season in Thailand, and many people discouraged me from going during the summer. However, it was the only time frame that worked for my daughter. Even though it rained almost every day in Krabi, it was still worth going.
17 Hours in a Plane is Brutal
I feel like a spoiled brat for saying this because we did fly in Singapore Airlines Business Class for the long flight from SFO to Singapore. However, no matter how you slice it, 17 hours in a plane is brutal. I did it before when my family flew to Australia and New Zealand 7 years ago. But the older I get, the more uncomfortable I find it. If Southeast Asia were closer, I’d definitely be visiting more often. But the time and distance is hard.
Cathay Pacific Premium Economy was Fantastic
Flying home from Hong Kong to Seattle, we were in Cathay Pacific Premium Economy for the 12-hour flight. I was dreading it, but I ended up being pleasantly surprised by how comfortable it was. It’s the most comfortable PE I’ve flown in so far.
Here is a short video with more photos from my trip. I’ll be writing a detailed trip report over the next few weeks. I hope everyone is having a great summer so far!
Author: Nancy
Nancy lives near Dallas, Texas, with her husband and three kids. Her favorite vacations include the beach, cruising and everything Disney.
Very nice video! Thanks for sharing.
Seems you had fantastic trip with your daughter, great memories together. She’s grown up now, so good timing for this long-distance trip together.
Thailand is on my wish list, and from the pictures I like Krabi better over Phuket. And yes – flight time could be brutal, even in business (I suffered most of the 19-hour flight in SIN Biz from NYC to Singapore). But considering how fast you can get half way around the globe in modern times – I don’t complain too much 😉 It took few months on the ship to go same distance just a century or two ago (and without modern comforts).
Same as you, visited Singapore on stop-over for 1 day, then returned for a full week – to explore this beautiful city-state. Loved the gardens, orchids and coconut ice cream by the beach. Supertrees are also fascinating.
A bit sad that Leana stopped blogging, wish she reconsiders later. She has a unique voice and I enjoyed her posts a lot. I’ve used to travel=blog myself for few years, and know it’s not that easy as it looks.
Looking forward for future posts.
Happy travels!!
@Aleks Glad to hear you returned to Singapore for a longer stay. It’s still on my list! Phuket has more of a “party island” reputation, which is why I wasn’t interested. My son is going to Thailand later this year, and he and his friend are choosing to stay on Koh Lanta (island about 2 hours away from Krabi via car and ferry).
Lovely. I look forward to hearing about your trip.
A major pity about Leana. I think the two of you complemented each other quite well.
I’m intensely curious about your take on Thai massage. My wife likes a painfully strong massage but I’m more medium; The Thai massage girls may be 100 pounds soaking wet but they can give you quite the workout. In one instance I had ribs so painfully bruised I almost visited a doctor to see if they were broken.
The food in Thailand rocks. Period.
I notice you didn’t really bring up Singapore as a destination so far.
@Christian I miss Leana blogging too! We are still good friends. My take on Thai massages is that they were pretty strong, even when I didn’t want them to be. My therapists were quite strong! I miss the food in Thailand. In fact, tonight we went out for Thai food, but it wasn’t as good.