Wrapping It Up

Our posts have slowed down once again... summer is a crazy time for us. I really want to wrap up our around-the-world trip and move onto more recent travels!

From Melbourne, we flew back to Thailand to photograph a wedding before heading home. It was such a beautiful ending to our adventures. The wedding took place on Koh Samui island and we spent our last week basking in the sun on Koh Phangan (our favorite island). We had a day in Bangkok to say our goodbyes, take in the sights and smells, memorize the sounds of the street markets, take our last tuk-tuk ride, and eat our last delicious Thai meal before heading to the airport. There were a lot of "lasts".

On our last night, we had dinner and drinks high above the city at Red Sky. After you've been traveling for a while, it becomes harder to appreciate a foreign place for all that it is, and I tried with all my might to see Bangkok with new eyes and realize how very lucky I was to be there. I knew in a matter of days I'd be missing this place. We felt so blessed and so fulfilled. We reminded each other of all the amazing things we had seen and done as we sipped cold mojitos on a 55th floor terrace. Six months was enough to change us in a way that could never be undone. In a good way, of course. And because we knew for a long time that this was the ending, we were ready to be home, see our family, move into our first home together, and start our married life. It was a bittersweet ending and an exciting beginning. I can't think of a better way to start a marriage off right. 

Here is a handful of photos from our last stop in Thailand before heading home. Next, we want to share some statistics from our around-the-world trip. And after that, CUBA!

- Julia

We spent our last week lounging in Koh Phangan, the most laid back island we've ever visited.

On the boat back to the mainland... getting closer to the airport and home. Just looking at this photo makes me feel hot, sticky, and salty.

One last day in Bangkok. Taking in the sights and smells...

Seeing if there's anything else I can buy to stuff my suitcase to the max.

We dined with this view on our last night abroad. See ya next time, Bangkok.

Bangkok, Thailand II

This is our last set of photos from Bangkok. We spent quite a bit of time walking around the Khoa San road area but when we wanted a break we caught an express river boat (yet another way of getting around the city) to the shopping district of Bangkok. This was a completely different area than the rest of Bangkok. There are plenty of fancy multi-level malls, a sky-train, nice restaurants, and modern architectural buildings... and ridiculous traffic.

We did some browsing at some of the fancy malls, got some frozen yogurt and checked out some of their elaborate Christmas decorations. From there we headed to Chatuchak Park, which is a beautiful park with golf-course like grass. We were there right when the sun was setting and the light was beautiful. It was a nice way to spend the evening. 

Bangkok is a beautiful city. There is so much to see and do. The people are incredibly nice, the food is amazing... can't wait to go back.

-Yuriy

Next up: Chiang Mai, Thailand

Some of the houses along the river, captured from an express boat.

This is what traffic looks like very day in certain areas.

Never been to a mall with more stories than the ones in Bangkok.