Thailand 2026: Travelogue (Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Koh Samui and much more)
- Gregor Cerar
- Jul 4
- 2 min read
Our two-week Thai adventure has come to an end. From the chaotic yet magnificent streets of Bangkok, where we navigated between ancient temples and the modern ICONSIAM, through the peaceful north in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, where we fed elephants and admired incredible architecture, all the way to the tropical south on Koh Samui, where we shared a beach with pigs and finally found that true island peace.
When you return to the same part of the world after 17 years, comparisons are inevitable. The legendary Thai saying 'Same same, but different' has never rung more true. The infrastructure has advanced, the cities have grown, prices in certain areas have strongly approached Western ones, but the core remains. Nevertheless, one unavoidable truth is noticeable: it seems that the 'Land of Smiles' is smiling a bit less today. Perhaps this is the toll of a fast-paced, globalized world, oversized tourism, and the general weight of modern times, which hasn't bypassed Asia either. The world is smiling less, and Thailand is clearly no exception. But those smiles we did find – from the street food vendors, the staff at our local 7-Eleven, or the smiling disco barber – were therefore all the more genuine and precious.
Traveling has its specifics; there were moments when there were simply too many temples and golden Buddhas for one day, when the heat and humidity became unbearable, when the salt tightened our skin and the sand crept into every corner of our sneakers. And at that moment, of course, everything is annoying. But when we draw the line, the greatest value of such a trip lies precisely in this discomfort. Seeing and experiencing the world outside our European orderliness and the comfort of our own room is not something to be taken for granted, but a rare privilege.
The world is actually like a giant open-air laboratory - different elements and cultures mix in it; sometimes these reactions are exhausting and cause sweat and bad moods, but the result is broadening horizons and learning adaptability that you cannot simulate at home.
The memory of that annoying sand and exhaustion will fade, but the invaluable broadness and understanding of the world, which you cannot read in any textbook, will remain.
Khop khun krap, Thailand. (Thank you, Thailand.)
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