Lani Cox

Thailand is more than a tourist destination, a retirement outpost and hackneyed travel blog; it’s where my mother was born, my parents met and where my father died. It’s a place that has changed my life at 6, 16 and 33 years of age. So I moved here in 2009, in search of some unknown quality that I have felt missing, and to have – a good ol’ fashioned colonial adventure… Yee-haw!

What was your first travel experience?

Does traveling in the womb count? My mother boarded a plane while she was nine months pregnant with me so I'd be born in America. I was born 1 week later in Hawaii.

If that doesn't count (and it should), I'd say road trips around the Midwest. My father loaded up our Ford Fairmont with a cooler full of sandwiches, wife and kids, and we were off, on some new adventure, checking out nearby towns.

Describe a travel experience that changed your life.

Thailand at 6 and 16. But let's talk about 16 because I was old enough to understand and question my very different surroundings. I saw and recognized for the first time, how other people lived, how lucky I was to be an American. It wasn't culture shock, so much as poverty shock. Sixteen as it turns out was a good age to travel. I returned home grateful for hot showers, for 2 arms and 2 legs and I couldn't wait to go back.

They say that a picture is worth a thousand words; do you take photos when you travel? Where have you taken the best photos?

I currently live in Thailand and added a Wordless Wednesday post in order to remind me to take more pictures and because I have taken a lot of pictures when I travel. I like the every day stuff, but my best pictures were in Cuenca, Ecuador. The summer solstice festival at Ingapirca jumps to mind - I love this lucky shot I got of a woman dancing, her orange skirt spinning...

What country's stamp do you most want to add to your passport?

Love this question... England. Sounds so boring, but it would be magic to me!

What was your best meal while traveling?

Worst meal was in Laos, at our bus stop pit stop in some little roadside shanty town. I swear the cook crushed the egg in her hand and threw the whole thing in to the wok. I was picking out egg shells with each steamy bite.

Best meal in Austria. I felt like I was tasting Carbonara sauce for the first time. The breads and cheeses were so rich and high quality. I was in heaven!

Tagged as: Thailand

LaniCox
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