Truly the land of smiles for me, Thailand is home to my heart.
For some insane reason now lost to time, we skipped Thailand on our first big trip. We were in Bangkok for a hasty 24 hours before catching a long-haul flight in 2013. I always wanted to go back, and four years later, I had my chance! My 2017 Thai holiday was my first solo trip, and what an adventure it was! I rambled around the south for close to two weeks, from karst-studded jungle to karst island pinnacles. I felt like I’d found my place.
After all, what’s not to love? The tourist darling of Southeast Asia has a well-deserved reputation for being a treasure trove of wonders. Few other countries can boast waters as warm, a coastline as captivating, food as fabulous or jungle-clad mountains as magical. My dreams are made of rugged runs and cooling coconuts, and Thailand has my number.
And so, in 2021, after a prolonged interval of not working abroad, I seized an opportunity to work there. My move to Bangkok was wrought, messy, protracted – and absolutely perfect. It was exactly what I needed to do for myself. I spent one school term wrapping up my own studies while contributing to the public education system, and Kent experimented with working really remotely. But of course, we also spent just as much time living the dream: working our way around the islands of the south and the mountainous regions of the north!
Leaving the city of the gods – on the very last day of my very last visa – was excruciating. But my paradise has been found, and I know we’ll make our way back there again someday. Maybe for more of the country’s RAD races…or just to bliss out on the beach, for good!
