Bangkok, Thailand

My first taste of Asia was a great one. While waiting for a friend’s flight to arrive, we spent our time sampling some of Bangkok’s finest airport cuisine. We thought, “if the food is anything like this out in the country, we’re in for a great time.” And while the food was amazing, best we’ve ever had, we caught a nasty cold from the flight from Barcelona and found ourselves sick for our entire 10-day stay. Nonetheless, we dragged ourselves (hopped up on cold & flu medicine, armed with napkins and nasal spray) into the world to see what Bangkok had to offer. And offer it did! We dined like kings on everything from noodles to scorpions, saw some of the most ornate, glistening temples in Asia, and met some pretty colorful characters.

Get $20 off your first trip when you book through Airbnb!

Some details on the Grand Palace, Bangkok, Thailand.

At the Grand Palace, Bangkok, Thailand.

Dusit Palace (and museum), Bangkok, Thailand.

Temple in Bangkok, Thailand.

Reclining Buddha, Bangkok, Thailand.

Bali, Indonesia

Bali is an island in Indonesia, one of over 17,000 islands, actually! It’s best known for its 2 massive volcanos, lush forests, mischievous monkeys, sandy beaches and top notch yoga/meditation retreats. The island is tropical, drop dead gorgeous, populous and very busy. Though not as many motorbikes inhabit the roads as in Vietnam, Bali is still crawling with natives and tourists on bikes, weaving between the many cars, trucks and taxis. I wouldn’t say the island has a city feel to it, but the roads sure do! Major roads are always packed with vehicles while the streets are far calmer. Calmer still are the beaches, waters, villages and their people. Balinese natives have a proud heritage and don’t hesitate to answer questions about it. Their Buddhist ways ensure they never cram their philosophies down your throat, but instead, tell a story about their beliefs and find it fascinating when you believe something entirely different. The island, while becoming more Westernized, still maintains that “untouched” feel. Cows roam the streets, cocks can be seen in their cages as pets (to be used in fighting rings), and shops full of handmade paraphernalia litter the land. If you’re thinking about visiting, do it soon. Westerners are invading fast; Bali may not stay as peaceful and exotic for too long.

Mischievous money at Uluwatu Temple, gnawing on the glasses he stole from a tourist.

Another shot from atop Uluwatu Temple.

Sekumpul Waterfalls – some of these falls were so intense, you couldn’t swim near them. The force was too strong! Can you spot the people in the photo?

Bali is one of the world’s largest suppliers of stone sculptures. They’re all handmade from scratch and each piece is slightly different from the last.

Every morning, the matriarch of each family makes an offering to the gods in their home shrines. They also leave a smaller offering in the street outside their home to keep the evil spirits out. These smaller offerings usually consist of candy, rice, crackers cigarettes and even shots of alcohol! Everything an evil spirit could ever dream of!

Petrol for motorbikes is sold in discarded Absolut vodka bottles and costs 8000 Indonesia Rupiah (about 0.60 USD, at the time of writing)

Bali is teeming with cats and dogs (and cows, chickens, geckos, birds, frogs, you name it!). We were careful around the dogs, who wouldn’t hesitate to try to steal your food by means of scare tactics, namely barking and bullying. But the cats kept to themselves and were pretty gorgeous to photograph.

This Balinese sunset was shot right from the main road by our villa. It’s not rare to see these amazing, hot pink sunsets. It’s something that’s synonymous to Bali in my mind.

Spotted a seemingly abandoned hut along our Campuhan Ridge walk.

One of the quintessential symbols of Bali are these unique, layered temple structures found in almost every Balinese home and place of worship.

Phuket, Thailand

This destination surprised us. We were expecting tropical wonderlands but found ourselves plopped into the middle of party-central Phuket. Staying on Patong beach, Phuket was as if Las Vegas, Jersey Shore and Moscow all had a baby. The place was a certified hotspot for bars, arcade games, restaurants, massage parlors (wink wink) and had a great beach. There’s also a direct flight from Moscow, Russia to Phuket, so the majority of tourists were Russian. Me being Russian, it was funny hearing the tourists try to communicate with the Thai people. They weren’t trying very hard to be honest! They spoke in their natural, Russian tongue, with no body language or helpful pointing, expecting the Thai people to understand them. Needless to say, the Thai were not fond of the Russians.

Escaping Patong beach to see a few gorgeous vistas like this one.

Some of the art we encountered in the Phuket Botanic Garden.

The Big Buddha – a 45 meter tall, marble Buddha, towering atop a mountain. He looks extra enlightened.

And lastly, these pretty ladies we saw at an outdoor market in Phuket before our cooking class.

Our first taste of Asia was just a sampling. There’s still much more to be discovered and we’re already planning our next trip these very same destinations.

Photos in this series were all taken before photography became a more serious hobby of mine. Make sure to read parts 1 and 3 of the series, Rome, Florence, Malta, Barcelona and Taipei, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh, Chiang Mai.

All images shot with a Canon Rebel SL1 and a Canon EF-S 18-55mm IS STM lens (with the occasional Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM for close up shots).