thailand Archives • The Bliss Movement

Ireland, Italy, Scotland, Thailand, Travel, Trinidad and Tobago

The Things I’ve Done For Luck.

If you've traveled anywhere, I can guarantee you have been told that by touching something, swimming in a certain body of water, or doing some odd activity will bring you luck and good fortune. I was thinking about a few things I did on a recent trip to the Caribbean that was supposed to be healing for the body and it reminded me of all the things I have done since beginning my travels in 2010, some silly, some scary, and some just plain gross. So I thought I would compile a list of the moments that stand out for me in terms of doing something because it was consi[...]

Asia, Thailand

Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, Chiang Mai: Temple on the Hill.

If there is one temple everyone tells you to go to in Chiang Mai it is the one located on Doi Suthep, the mountain just on the edge of the city. After a winding, uphill ride to the base of the temple, you're still not quite there yet. Pass the many stalls offering you an assortment of trinkets to purchase and make your way to the 309 stairs (or take the tram for a small fee). This temple attracts foreign tourists, local Thais, as well as monks and other Thai nationals from other cities. One of the pieces that you will see once you enter the pagoda is a statue of[...]

Asia, Thailand

How To Spend 24 Hours in Chiang Mai

So you’ve found yourself in Chiang Mai, a large city in Northern Thailand. Maybe you were told by friends how great it is or maybe it’s just a random stopover before moving on. Whatever your reason for being here, you might be wondering how best to spend your day. If you’re looking for cheap accommodation filled with young, lively folks like yourself, Little Bird Guesthouse and MD House might be two possibilities. Both located within walking distance from each other in the Old City, these two hostels are right where the action is happening but tucked away[...]

Italy, Thailand, Travel

Celebrating Birthdays Abroad

Birthdays. For a lot of people this is the most special day of the year, filled with elaborate plans and huge celebration. Personally, I get a bit overwhelmed by it all. All of the planning, RSVP’s, trying to decide what to do, being expected to do something. It all gets a little tedious. Don’t get me wrong, I love to celebrate the day I was born, but elaborate parties are not my thing. Perhaps that’s one reason why I like celebrating my birthdays abroad. First of all, it is kind of fun to say that your nineteenth birthday was in Florence, Italy and your tw[...]

Ireland, Solo Travel, Travel

On Falling In Love With The World

Three summers ago I fell in love. Not with a man, as expected at my age. That hasn’t quite happened yet. Instead, I fell in love with the world. I dreamed of spending my life living in new countries, exploring the continents, learning new languages, embracing new cultures and meeting new people. Two summers ago, my heart was taken again, by Thailand. Still a part of the world, but a bit more specific. A lot of the young travelers who arrive in Thailand are there for the parties, the cheap prices and the beaches. Throngs of young people migrate to particular a[...]

Thailand

Taste From Heaven: A Vegetarian Restaurant in Chiang Mai.

One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating. -Luciano Pavarotti Taste From Heaven is a restaurant located in Chiang Mai, Thailand. There are three reasons why it is my favorite restaurant in that city. First of all, and an important reason for people wishing to eat there, is that the food is amazing. Every bite is packed with flavor. I have yet to try a dish from there that I didn’t enjoy. The second reason why I love this place is because it is 100% vegetarian. My[...]

Personal Development, Self-Care, Thailand, Travel

5 Life Lessons We Can Learn From Elephants

I think that people are subtly trying to let me know that they’ve had enough of my elephant talk. A few weeks ago my cousin, not so subtly, told me that he was getting tired of seeing so much elephant stuff coming from my Facebook. Just a few days ago I was trying to get my brother to watch the saddest but very educational video about elephant training in circuses, to which he refused and asked why. Well, to raise his awareness, of course. “Look who I live with. I think I have enough elephant awareness,” was his reply. Nevertheless, I don’t think there’s[...]

Asia, Mood and Mindset, Self-Care, Thailand, Travel

Life Lessons from a Monk.

I went to a psychic for the first time when I was sixteen. At the end of the session she gave me her Mary Kay Cosmetics card and I couldn’t believe I had fallen for such a stupid idea. However, that didn’t stop me from going to another and another and to this day I still like going to talk to psychics. There is a lot of controversy surrounding the idea of psychics. Are they real? Are they frauds? I believe some of them know what they’re talking about and I believe others are total scams. My dad thinks it's all a load of B.S and a waste of money. I think it's[...]

Asia, Thailand, Travel

The Fire Performers of Thailand

When I am in Thailand, one of my favorite things to do is to sit back on a soft cushion on the beach with a cold Chang in my hand and watch the fire performers. Fire performers show off their talents all over the islands of Thailand, performing for the tourists in front of beach bars as the sun goes down. According to a Chiang Mai tattoo artist and fire performer, it takes a very long time to excel at the art of fire performing. Two summers ago I had the opportunity to attempt to learn a few of the movements involved in working with the fire balls, minus the fire[...]

Thailand, Travel

Learning How To Pray From A Monk

Before I went to Thailand I knew very little about monks. In fact, they were like make believe characters to me. I had never seen one and I was naïve enough to think that maybe there just weren’t that many monks these days, that they were something of the past. I was very wrong. As I spent time in Chiang Mai it became a common occurrence for monks to pass me by on the streets as I looked for breakfast. After spending twenty years never seeing a monk, they were suddenly everywhere in their beautiful saffron robes. Women are not allowed to have any physical con[...]

Thailand, Tips, Planning and Packing, Travel

6 Questions To Ask Before Getting A Tattoo Abroad

I love tattoos. I love the stories behind them and the light in someones eye when they talk about what their tattoo means or where they got it. Can you guess what kinds of tattoos fascinate me most? You got it, travel tattoos. Whether the person got the tattoo on their travels or the tattoo is a symbol of their love of travel, they are by far the most interesting and the closest to my heart. I also love script tattoos since I connect with words more than images. It seems that every time I leave the country, the itch for a tattoo comes back and boy is that itch st[...]

Thailand, Travel

Getting Open Water Dive Certified On Koh Tao, Thailand

My favorite Disney princess was Ariel from The Little Mermaid. I was obsessed with the movie, singing along to the songs as Ariel swam gracefully through the ocean. Despite all the ginger jokes throughout middle school, I desperately wished to have red hair just because Ariel did. She was also friends with fish and seagulls and could breathe underwater. There was nothing cooler. Anytime I went swimming as a kid, I would pretend I was Ariel, or just a mermaid in general. One of the main reasons that I wanted to return to Thailand was to try out scuba diving, somet[...]