My GF wanted to spend her 30th birthday in Thailand as it holds a special place in her heart. The flights out of the U.S. were in Houston and we made the decision to drive from Austin to catch a 16 hour flight. This flight would prepare me for anything to come in the future so I’m glad I started off with this one. After 14 hours, a stop in Taipei, a 2 hour flight to Bangkok, we finally made it. Staying at the Riva Surya, we were on the river and close to the night life. Cash. Check. Hotel. Check. 2 days in Bangkok should be plenty.

Our first day we arranged a tour of the grand palace, seeking out street food and getting around Bangkok. Well, part of it at least. We walked for a bit then hailed a Tuk-Tuk (Auto rickshaw) towards the grand palace. Such a beautiful place, the grand palace is packed with tourists. “Watch out for people with umbrellas” our guide stated. Inside they have a model of Angkor Wat (temple in Cambodia). It takes a couple of hours to get through the grand palace, but we make it just in time for some deconstructed spring rolls followed by bamboo and shrimp dumplings. Yum. We take a river boat back to the hotel. It was definitely the fastest way back!