So, winter hit, and like every year, I had one mission: GET OUT. Seriously, Denmark in January? No, thanks 😂
I decided back in autumn that I needed a proper escape to somewhere warm, tropical, and far enough away that I could pretend winter didn’t exist. And since getting to Asia already takes a solid eternity, I figured I might as well make it a two-week adventure.
Now, picking a destination was not easy. Thailand is massive, and I was torn. Should I stay in Bangkok? Head north to the mountains? Go full beach bum on some island? I mean, I love nature and mountains, so Northern Thailand was calling my name – but I was also slightly terrified that the whole trip would turn into an intense hiking expedition. On the other hand, two full weeks on a beach would probably drive me insane 🤯Decisions, decisions 😵💫
After some deep soul-searching (read: hours of scrolling through travel vlogs in YouTube and aggressively questioning my life choices), I finally settled on this plan:
1. Fly from Copenhagen to Bangkok – Quick overnight stay.
2. Fly to Chiang Mai – Explore Northern Thailand for a few days.
3. Fly to Cambodia – Wait, what?! Because why not add another country to the mix? Another bucket list item checked – let’s gooo! ✈️
4. Fly back to Bangkok – Wrap things up with some shopping and street food feasting.
Yes, this plan included multiple flights (!!), but each one was only an hour long – which, in travel time, is basically like hopping on a bus. Plus, Thai Air Asia prices are so low they make Norwegian Airlines look like luxury travel 🤣 So, I booked all my flights and started figuring out luggage logistics.
And also this plan included an instant Insta360 purchase 😱 – Thanks to my colleague M for instantly AND constantly poking me into this madness 🤣 Bye bye, savings 💸😂
Since I refused to drag a giant suitcase across multiple countries, I came up with a genius plan: I’d leave my big suitcase at my Bangkok hotel and travel light with just a backpack to Chiang Mai and Cambodia. Many hotels in Bangkok offer luggage storage, so shoutout to them for making my life easier 😄
Anddddd So Does The Great Journey Begin
On January 4th, I left Copenhagen and embarked on the 16-hour journey to Bangkok, flying with Emirates. This included a quick layover in Dubai, which I didn’t mind because (A) I could grab some food, and (B) Emirates actually knows how to treat passengers like humans 😌
And yes, I know – my humor is so insane that even Madurai Muthu would start questioning his own comedy skills 😂
I landed in Bangkok on January 5th, in the afternoon, and felt like I had been hit by a truck (a very luxurious Emirates-branded truck, but still). The exhaustion was real. I grabbed a Grab (pun intended) and headed straight to my hotel, Valia Hotel Bangkok, a fancy 5-star spot in Sukhumvit.
The moment I stepped into my room, I desperately needed three things:
1. A shower – because 16 hours of travel does things to a person.
2. Food – Emirates food is good, but I am always hungry. 😂
3. A massage – because I deserved it, obviously 😅
For all this, you need cash. And luckily, Bangkok is full of ATMs, so no problem 🤣
Never have I ever eaten this much food in a single evening 😂😅
Pad Kra Prao, Pad Thai, Mango Sticky Rice, along with a fresh, yummy berry cocktail. Tada!
Btw, the food was sooooo insanely good!
Now, Thailand is basically massage heaven, and Bangkok is no exception – there’s a massage place on every corner, like Starbucks, but with more essential oils and less caffeine.
And back to my hotel, and Restaurant Florae for some more food – or cake and thai tea 🙃
After my much-needed pampering, I went back to the hotel, ready to pass out and sleep for 12 hours straight.
But of course, my brain had other plans 🥲🙄
Instead of sleeping, my head was buzzing with excitement and running on adrenaline overload. You know that mix of ADHD energy, jet lag, and “OMG I’M IN A NEW COUNTRY” insomnia? Yeah, that. Despite being physically dead, I was mentally wide awake, which meant zero sleep for two nights straight. Fantastic. By night three, my body finally gave up fighting, and I crashed.
And that’s just the start! Stay tuned for part two, where I take on Chiang Mai, attempt to survive the mountains, and possibly make questionable life choices. Until then, goodbye from your jet-lagged, overly ambitious traveler 😅🙋🏻♀️