We’ve finally made it! The last day of my Thailand trip (not including travel home). To finish off my trip as much as I loved the beaches, I needed to get back up to Bangkok to be able to fly home. So after a delicious breakfast at my hotel on the beach, my hotel shuttled me to the airport to be able to fly back to Bangkok for one final day in Thailand.

I arrived at the Koh Samui airport and realized I might be in the most beautiful airport in the world. The island has set up their airport completely outdoors, with covered areas for seating, but otherwise completely open air. Even the tarmac looks surprisingly pretty with water features along the sides. I enjoyed snapping some photos, swinging on an outdoor swing, and even doing some birding before boarding! 

They had a little trolley of sorts take us out to the tarmac to our plane. Once on board, I was startled because though it was a short flight (less than two hours) they serve a meal on board. It actually worked out well because it was getting close to lunch time. 

Back in Bangkok I grabbed my bags and called a Grab Car to head back into Bangkok. I was once again staying at the same hotel as I had on arriving, the Lamphu Tree House. I’d had a good experience there so was eager to return. 

I had planned to just drop my bags and get going, but thankfully was able to check in early. I therefore left my things and took off again. 

I called a Grab Car to get me over to the Jim Thompson House Museum, something I’d really wanted to do in Bangkok and hadn’t been able to on my first stay. 

 James (Jim) Thompson was an American businessman who founded a silk company and apparently helped revitalized the Thai silk industry. He kept a house in Bangkok where he housed a lot of beautiful artwork and other antiquities. After his disappearance (yep the man simply vanished on a trip to Malaysia and was never heard from again), the house eventually became a museum.

At the house I was able to hop on a guided tour (the only way you can see the house) and enjoyed getting to see the beautiful museum. It was a fun experience and one I was very glad to be able to squeeze in during my time.

I stopped for a milk tea at the museum shop and enjoyed the beauty of the scenery before debating what to do next. 

Once finished at the museum, I thought about catching a bus back to my hotel, but instead decided to walk and enjoy some more sights in Bangkok. As the afternoon was well underway it was unlikely I’d have time to do much else. And besides, the Bangkok heat was once again wearing me out. 

I walked the two and a half miles back to my hotel, stopping from time to time to admire various scenery and absorb more of the Bangkok atmosphere. It is such a huge noisy dirty city, but it does have its charms and I enjoyed simply exploring them on my own. 

At the hotel I had a little pool time before heading out for my last Thai meal. I simply went to the place right near my hotel as it had good reviews and was cheap so I didn’t have to withdraw anymore baht before I left. The place was called The Family and was set up along the canal. I opted to have some Pad Thai to finish off the trip and watched as the sun set along the canal. 

I flew home the next day, once again enduring the 3 hours to Taipei and then another 14 back to LAX and one more flight to my hometown. It was an amazing trip I was so glad to be able to do. I’ll never forget the beautiful natural landscapes, incredible culture, delicious food, and much more than I enjoyed in Thailand. I definitely would love to return some day, but for now I’m content to have at least seen a little bit.

Stay tuned for future blog posts about my most recent adventures in South Africa!