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February 9, 2015

Prison inside the Prague Castle

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PROS, CONS, & TIPS👇🏼 The Grand Palace truly

PROS, CONS, & TIPS👇🏼

The Grand Palace truly is Thailand’s answer to “How much gold can you fit in one place?” and makes Buckingham Palace look like a quaint little cottage. It served as the official residence of the Kings of Siam for over 150 years and is home to the Temple of the Emerald Buddha (War Phra Kaew) and let’s just say it’s called The GRAND Palace for a reason 👑

👍🏼 PROS
- It’s only 500 THB (~$15) to visit and that gives you access to the Temple of the Emerald Buddha and the Central Court
- All temples in Thailand are blinged out, but this one takes opulence to a whole other level. There is not 1 single square inch of this complex that isn’t adorned. The architecture is so intricate, the decoration is so ornate. It’s seriously a feast for the eyes.

👎🏼 CONS
- The palace has a super strict dress code so even though it is literally A MILLION DEGREES, you have to have your shoulders and knees covered, or else you will have the same fate as me and have to buy a (super tacky) t-shirt / sarong at the gift shop to wear over your clothes and sweat your 🍑 off even more.
- Unless you go super early, it’s super crowded. And there are photoshoots going on EVERYWHERE. Genuinely, everywhere. The places is crawling with both tourists and locals (some dressed up in full traditional costumes) getting their photos taken, sometimes with hired photographers 🙄

🤷🏻‍♀️ SO IS IT WORTH VISITING?
Absolutely! Despite the crowds, heat, and the fact that the Emerald Buddha is actually NOT emerald (it’s jade) and way smaller than I was expecting, I still think it’s a must-see while in Bangkok, especially if it’s your first time in Thailand! It’s like visiting the heart of Thai history, culture, and religion all in one place.

❗️TIPS FOR VISITING
- You have to take your shoes off to enter the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, so wear something easy to remove
- Come with your shoulders and knees covered as mentioned above!!!!!!
- Unless you enjoy being swindled, stick to official guides or audio tours (you can also wander around on your own)
- Arrive early to avoid the crowds (and the heat 🥵)

Open daily from 8:30AM – 3:30PM

Looking for a holiday destination wtih amazing bea

Looking for a holiday destination wtih amazing beaches, historic sites, delicious food, and great nightlife? I GOT YOU.

Enter Palermo, Sicily: where the arancini are round, the cannoli are endless, and every corner has a story to tell 🌞🍕 Sicily boasts a rich blend of cultures and history unlike anywhere else in Italy and that is very evident in Palermo.

The beaches are stunning. The entire city center is a UNESCO World Heritage site so it has TONS of historical landmarks. Plus there’s lots of markets to explore, the nightlife is super lively, and it’s cheapppp! But my absolute favorite part about Palermo was the FOOD (shocker) – Sicilian food is absolutely fkn delicious and different than the stereotypical Italian food 🤤

Here are a few of my Palermo recs!

🍻 A night out at La Vucciria Market
🍝 A food tour with @streatytours
🏝️ A beach day at Mondello Beach
🚴 A bike tour to The Capuchin Catacombs with @socialbikepalermo
⛪️ A visit to the Palermo Cathedral
🍴 A typical Sicilian dinner at Osteria Lo Bianco

There are elephants truly everywhere you turn in T

There are elephants truly everywhere you turn in Thailand 👀 🐘👖

Head to any temple or tourist destination and you’ll count approximately 725196 pairs of these elephant pants. Sometimes whole families wearing matching ones!

They are sold at literally EVERY SINGLE market in Thailand and are super popular with tourists. They’ve become known as a symbol of Thailand (even though 70% of them are actually made in China 🤫)

Somehow I managed to spend 2.5 weeks in Thailand without buying a single pair even though they. are. EVERYWHERE. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Did you buy elephant pants in Thailand?

WHAT NOT TO MISS IN PHUKET, THAILAND 👇🏼 Let

WHAT NOT TO MISS IN PHUKET, THAILAND 👇🏼

Let me start out by saying: I had no intention of going to Phuket.

Out of all the destinations in Thailand, I had heard the most amount of mixed reviews about Phuket so we didn’t include it in our itinerary and had no plans to go there. But as luck would have it, because of some bad weather we had to re-route our trip and found ourselves in Phuket for 6 DAYS.

And now I’m here to formally admit: I was wrong about Phuket. It was fabulous and REALLYYYY exceeded my expectations!!

There was such an amazing food scene, tons of good markets, lots of day trip/excursion options, cool bars, beautiful beaches, and overall just so much to keep us entertained for almost a week.

My top 5 recommendations of things to do in Phuket are:

1. Wandering through the bustling Lard Yai Sunday Market in Phuket’s Old Town. You’ll be met with tons of food and good stalls and a kaleidoscope of colors and aromas. Open from 4-10pm on Sundays.

2. Going sea kayaking in Phang Nga Bay with @johngrayseacanoe . Cannot recommend this enough! On this tour you’ll spend a whole day going through caves & lagoons around Hong Island with a fabulous guide

3. Visiting the incredible @soidogfoundation to tour the facilities and socialise with puppies (!!!!!!!!) or you can even sign up as a volunteer for 2 days!

4. Getting Chinese noodles at Toy-Tor-Toe in Old Town. I cannot stress how good and HOW CHEAP the food was here. It’s always busy but so worth the wait.

5. Spending a day at Freedom Beach. This secluded beach is truly PARADISE! The walk down was a little...challenging....but you can also get there by taking a 20-minute long boat from Patong

What was my favorite part about Thailand you ask??

What was my favorite part about Thailand you ask???

Am I allowed to say.….EVERYTHING?!

I’ve been back for a few weeks now and I’m still trying to process my 2.5 weeks spent in what I can only describe as ABSOLUTE PARADISE (and still trying to sort through my 3,000+ photos and videos from the trip hehehehe 🙃)

I really just can’t get over this place. It was perfection from start to finish. It’s hard to sum up a trip like this in 1 video, but if I HAD to pick my highlights, they would be:

- the overnight stay in Khao Sok National Park with @smileylakehouse
- interacting with elephants at @khaosokelephantsanctuary
- a food tour in Bangkok’s Chinatown with @achefstour
- visiting the amazing @soidogfoundation dog rescue
- celebrating Thai new year (Songkran) with a giant water gun fight in Phuket Old Town
- going snorkeling in Phi Phi
- going sea kayaking around Hong Island with @johngrayseacanoe
- getting up close and personal with a sea turtle near the Similan Islands
- the countless night markets and food markets in Krabi, Bangkok, and Phuket
- THE FOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- visiting some amazing, elaborate temples in Bangkok
- and of course, all of the amazingly friendly locals we met!

I can’t wait to post more about my Thailand trip – it was truly a dream come true and I have SO many recommendations of restaurants, markets, activities, and excursions to share!

Thailand you are truly ICONIC 🇹🇭

A lil appreciation post for the gorgeous, hardwork

A lil appreciation post for the gorgeous, hardworking, kind, funny, and quite simply badass women I met in Vietnam 🇻🇳 ❤️

This was HANDS DOWN the highlight of my weekend in

This was HANDS DOWN the highlight of my weekend in Gothenburg, Sweden!!

🙌🏼 THE LINDHOLMEN STREET FOOD MARKET 🙌🏼

Only a short (and scenic) ferry ride from Gothenburg centre gets you to @lindholmenstreetfoodmarket , which honestly may be the cutest indoor market I’ve ever been to! It’s located in an old shipyard and is open every Saturday from 12-5pm. There’s tons of food options to choose, bars serving local beers, and even a few booths selling artisan goods! There’s a nice outdoor seating area in the sun and plenty of seating inside across 2 floors.

Food tickets cost ∼€10/ticket and each dish is 1 ticket. There’s also several bars within the market selling wine, beer, and spirits and those you can pay for drinks with cash or card.

The prices? Not to shabby! The live music? Amazing! The food? DELISH. The vibes? IMMACULATEEEEE 🤌🏼
I was so obsessed with all the decor! 🌈

This market was fab and absolutely has to be on any Gothenburg, Sweden itinerary!!! 🇸🇪

🇻🇳 8 dishes you simply MUST try in Vietnam 🇻🇳

Here are some of the best dishes I had in Vietnam + my recommendation of where to try them!!

1. Bún chả - pork meatballs served with rice vermicelli noodles, coriander, bean sprouts, sliced carrot, and crushed garlic. This was my #1 absolute FAVE dish out of everything I ate in Vietnam (bold statement, I know)
📍The BEST place for Bún chả is Bún Chả Đắc Kim in Hanoi, which happens to be in the Michelin Guide.

2. Kem Bo - Vietnamese avocado ice cream. Need I say more?! I cannot express how much I loved this stuff; I had it almost every night for dessert…
📍you can find it in most food markets!

3. Bò kho - basically a Vietnamese version of beef stew. Seriously so aromatic and tasty.
📍Pho Quynh in Ho Chi Minh City

4. Bun ca - I normally would not even think to go for fish noodles but WOW this fish noodle soup with rice vermicelli noodles topped with deep fried fish, dill, and spring onion absolutely slapped.
📍Bun ca Cay Si in Hanoi

5. Bún bò Huế - Pho’s spicier cousin. A spicy noodle soup made with beef AND pork, 2 kinds of chilis, lemongrass, shallots, garlic, and fish sauce.
📍The best place to have Bún bò Huế is where it originated – Huế!

6. Nộm bò khô - Green papaya salad with dried beef, herbs, and peanuts
📍Long Vi Dung in Hanoi

7. Cao lầu - a regional dish from Hoi An, and the city’s most famous dish! Smokey chewy noodles, char siu-style pork, herbs, savory broth, topped with crispy crackers and lettuce.
📍The best Cao lầu I had was at Tiệm Ăn Sáng Cô Nhị in Hoi An!

8. Pho - a CLASSIC!!! Who can forget good ol pho. It was my introduction to Vietnamese food and the reason I fell in love with it. And the pho just hits DIFFERENT in Vietnam. Always a 10/10.
📍 I had pho approx. 72 times during my trip to Vietnam so it’s hard to say where the best one was sozzzz
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.
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Which one is your favorite??

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