I have a serious love affair with traveling. I boarded a plane headed to Kenya, Africa a few months after graduating college and never looked back. I took a job as an auditor at a black-owned Accounting firm in Washington, D.C. and had no clue that this job would ignite a traveling bug in me that I never knew existed. If you would have asked me if I was interested in traveling the world prior to graduating college, I’m sure I would have replied with a simple “Nah…not really”. But after taking my first job and connecting with several other auditors/avid travelers and hearing their travel stories, I was ready to hit the road…and I did just that.

While working on my first job I had the opportunity to travel all over the United States, as well as several countries throughout the world. My traveling slowed down quite a bit after I left my first job (mainly due to the lack of all expenses paid travel…LOL), but I still made it a habit to pack up and head out on an excursion at least once or twice a year. I kept it pretty simple and frequented some of my favorite places – New York City, California (I can never get enough of you), Miami, Jamaica (oh yeah…you too) and Mexico.

I wanted to really step out of my comfort zone and be a little more adventurous with my travel plans this year. After reading and viewing tons of blogs and photos of so many young, black travelers’ experiences in Asia, me and my Boyfriend a.k.a Travel Partner decided to pack up and head to Thailand. The original plan was to visit our best friend, who is currently residing in Bangalore, India; but we decided as a group to meet up in Thailand instead and embark on an adventure of a lifetime!

We settled into our hotel, Marriott Executive Apartments, in the heart of Bangkok, Thailand and hardly wanted to leave! The hotel was comfy, cozy and nice. We couldn’t get enough of their covered rooftop pool, which had an amazing view of the Bangkok skyline, and their yummy breakfast buffet loaded with fresh fruits, fresh juices and traditional Thai cuisine.

We ventured out into the streets of Bangkok and enjoyed every minute of it – boat rides through the canals, Asiatique, street markets, street food, and shopping, just to name a few things…

We took a tour of the Grand Palace, undoubtedly the city’s most famous landmark. It’s beautiful grounds was the home of the Thai King, the Royal court and the administrative seat of government. The Grand Palace is, hands down, one of the most beautiful sights I’ve ever seen! We also had a chance to pray with the monks which was a very interesting experience. Our tour guide was so excited to share her culture and history with us.

I have so much more of Thailand to share with you! Stay tuned for part 2 and 3 of my Thailand adventure! 🙂