A Postcard from Thailand
The new White Lotus hotel, a large selection of islands, and how to escape to Thailand without leaving your house
This is the first edition of Postcards & Daybreaks. It’s a special travel feature that I’m sharing once a month. I’ll focus on just one destination, share some personal travel stories, describe the daybreaks there, give you the top 3 recommendations I have, and provide other ways to dive into that destination even if you aren’t able to book a flight right away. These will live in their own section on the Substack homepage. Hope you enjoy!
When planning our trip around the world, we knew we had to visit the backpackers’ wonderland, Thailand. The island we chose to spend the most time on was Ko Pha Ngan, thanks to recommendations from a few good friends, and it did not disappoint.
With the third season of White Lotus taking place on the island just to the south of the one we visited, I figured this was the perfect place to kick off this monthly feature - Postcards & Daybreaks. Do you ever see a place in a movie or on TV and immediately have it consume your feed? I think White Lotus does that in the first scene of each season, and it’s incredible.
On our trip to the Thai islands, we stayed in a tiny treehouse with a large covered porch managed by a British expat for two weeks. He introduced himself while offering us cold beers and filled us in on the ecstatic dance community on the island. We immediately had to Google what that was and determined it would probably not be on our list of activities, but I love that the community exists here.
We settled in quickly to a daily routine. Our neighbors rented us a motorbike that we felt comfortable using because we stayed in a sparsely populated section of the island. After months of nonstop running around, it felt good to unpack for a few weeks and let boredom sink in. We spent time in beach chairs, at beach bars on swings instead of barstools, and consuming every combination of noodles and vegetables we could find on the island.
The funny travel moment that sticks out from this little Thai island happened at a little “sports bar” down the street from our cottage. A friendly local man was selling some fruit, and he had lychee berries. I had zero experience with this fruit when the skin is still on - it’s always been mixed up in a drink. He saw me looking confused and grabbed one, split it open, and shoved it to my lips. It all happened so fast that the next thing I knew, it was in my mouth, and he was signaling for me to spit the seed into his hand. We bought a whole basket from him and giggled about the entire encounter. Maybe watch this if you’re confused and want to avoid hand feeding from a stranger.
Whether it’s White Lotus or the appeal of fresh lychee berries, Thailand is a stunning tropical paradise. If I were going to travel to the islands of Thailand today, I’d love to head to the other side of the country and visit the islands in the Andaman Sea. So let me give you a little more info.
I’m an early morning person (even on vacation), and it’s often my favorite time of day. I want to give you a quick glimpse of what mornings looked like in this little section each month.
Mornings in Thailand were magic. It was all about the iced coffee. We’d roll out of bed to birds and a wooden wind chime. Once teeth were brushed and sunscreen was applied, we’d grab the backpack and head to a coffee shop for a quiet morning. Alternating between iced coffees and fresh fruit, we’d spend the first few hours of the day reading, emailing friends and family, and writing a little. Dragonfruit, lychee, papayas, and many more sweet flavors were available daily in a fruit bowl.
There are three things that I would 100% recommend including in your itinerary for any Thai island.
Cold beers/drinks at sunset. We watched the sun set over Salad Beach every night while splitting a giant Singha beer. These light beers are served ice cold in a frosted mug; every seat is a front row seat to a beautiful sunset.
Spend days walking along the soft sand and splashing in the clear waters. There were countless beaches to wander along, and while they all started to run together, we were confident that we wouldn’t make a bad choice any day when we found one to park at.
Ko Pha Ngan had no shortage of patios with pillows and stunning views. Whether you’re looking for a yoga class (or ecstatic dance class) or want to sit in peace and sip on a cold drink, you’ll find a quiet place to do this every few minutes while cruising around the island.
Not all of us can hop up and get on a plane, but that shouldn’t stop you from immersing yourself in Thai culture more. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
Is Thailand ready for the White Lotus effect? The NYTimes interviewed some locals to get their take.
Watch The Beach starring Leonardo DiCaprio and enjoy the scenery of the lush islands. It was based on this book (or on Kindle here).
There are over 1,400 islands in Thailand. This guide can help you choose the best island for your next vacation.
The movie Changeland came out in 2019. I haven’t seen it yet, but just learned that it’s how Macaulay Culkin and Brenda Song got together. It was filmed in Phuket and I’m going to watch it. Here’s the trailer.
When choosing a place to stay, you can choose this property that serves as a backdrop for season 3 of White Lotus to this stunning beachfront place for a teeny tiny fraction of the cost. The price difference is crazy, but that’s the impact a popular show has on a specific place.
Cook up some Thai food from this colorful and flavorful cookbook. Here’s a recipe from the book published online if you want a sample.
James Bond Island is famous thanks to the movie Man with the Golden Gun.
Book yourself a traditional Thai massage (offered all over the world) or try this online Muay Thai instructor with tons of free classes.
The Hangover 2 is primarily set in Bangkok, but you can glimpse some of those stunning Thai beaches in the wedding scenes.
That’s a wrap on this first travel feature. I hope you got inspired to plan a trip, make a new recipe, or watch an old Leo classic. Comment and let me know if you like this format or want different info on these featured destinations. Please share this and help me grow this little space. Or just hit the like button so others can find this easier.
Cheers!
Steph
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Thailand has been so far my fave vacation yet.