Thailand & Malaysia Travel Adventures

Wow, I can’t believe my husband and I were so blessed to go on such an amazing trip this past summer and never want to take it for granted. Last July we ventured to Southeast Asia for a few weeks and visited Turkey (Istanbul), Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur & coast) and spent the majority of time in Thailand (Bangkok & Phuket Island)… Traveling is a big priority and enjoyment for us as a couple and it is a goal of ours to get out of the Country once a year to see a tidbit of what this magical world has to offer.

Photography is definitely a passion and a wonderful career, however on vacation I try to get away from my camera as much as I can so that I can be completely present with my husband. This is a mix of Canon Mark iii, go pro, and cell phone photos. I really wish I could upload cell phone video because those were some of our favorite memories! Although these images show some of the beauty we saw, they really don’t do Southeast Asia justice and everyone should add it to their list of places to visit. Enjoy!

It takes a little bit of time to get to Asia, so thank goodness that my hubby gets us into lots of Airline Clubs. This was one of my favorites in Istanbul, Turkey. Justin started playing this golf simulator and drew quite the crowd. :) 

ISTANBUL, TURKEY

This was Justin most of the day due to jet lag, totally worth it and made for some funny photos.
My feet, I know disgusting but true to life. 

One of the coolest things we saw in Istanbul was the Basilica Cistern. It was built in the 6th Century and amazed me that such beautiful architecture was built to just store water! 

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA

One of our bucket list items was to stay in huts over the water, Justin found this awesome spot, called Golden Palm on the Malaysia coast that was perfect for a week stay. They had bikes, pool, great beach, go-carts, and much more!!Every vacation is another Honeymoon, according to Justin. Its quite amazing what art someone can create with a towel. Mangosteen, oh how I miss you! Yum, Yum. We are pretty competitive in nature so the go-carting was a selling point for us. :) The bottom left photo is proof that I was in the lead most of the time.

BANGKOK, THAILAND

This was such a great spot to see the whole city, also where they filmed part of Hangover.The Grand Palace in Bangkok on a gloomy day.

Note, we were constantly purchasing a scarf, shirt with sleeves, pants, etc to get into different places. So, if you are thinking about going, check dressing attire before you leave the hotel for the day!This photo screams tourist!! :)
One of my favorite photos from the trip by far. These girls did not want to pose with this guy. They were crying but their dad yelled one word and they stopped, whipped their eyes and struck their pose. Famous Buddha laying down statue with the feet made from Mother of Pearl. This was one of the craziest things I have ever seen. This is Maeklong Railway Market and a train would pass through multiple times a day. It was amazing to watch the shop owners pull their awnings and shop fronts back from the rails, within SECONDS of it passing. Many trays of food are left out along the ground to pass underneath the approximately 5 inch gap of the passing train. I stood in shock as I watched the whole thing unfold and within seconds the market is back to normal. One of the best days of my life, went through a floating market, played with tigers, and rode an elephant!Justin thinking he is funny lifting his tail, until the tiger woke up and stuck his tongue out at him!The first Tiger I got to see and hold was not even chained up! I thought to my self, and this is where I die. Defiantly was rubbing that baby tigers belly and he was LOVING it!Our view as we road an Elephant. No bad. Back in Bangkok, we did a some shopping for Christmas and had to buy a new suitcase for it all… it was a good day!! The photo on the right are the wonderful ladies who gave us our cheapest and greatest message. The total cost was… drum roll… $7 for an hour and a half!!! Justin and I would play games on who could find the cheapest place to get a massage each day. We had great luck with awesome places and masseuses!

PHUKET ISLAND, THAILAND

CRAZIEST STORY EVER… I photographed EJ and Joe’s wedding about 3 weeks before we happen to both be staying at the same resort on Phuket Island. Read more about it here and see their sweet photos! :) My favorite meal, the green curry. Made my eyes water and lips burn but I LOVED IT.