Traveling to the “land of smiles” recently, Sarah Sanders and Coltyn Young discovered a land of ancient temples, Thai cuisine, white sand beaches and some of the friendliest people on earth.

Not alone in navigating the exotic and welcoming culture of Thailand, the 2020 Kingfisher High School graduates were accompanied by their former KHS teacher and veteran traveler Dr. A.J. Johnson, as well as local Thai tour guides.

Beginning their twoweek adventure in Bangkok, Sanders said they first explored a modern nine-story mall, where they dined on traditional Thai food and fresh fruit smoothies.

On the following day, a boat ride across the swift Chao Phraya River led the travelers to the Grand Palace, which has been a symbol of Thai royalty since the 1700s.

“The Grand Palace was absolutely gorgeous with extremely intricate porcelain and gold designs on all the buildings,” Sanders said.

“Many of the walls around the area contained detailed paintings that depicted important moments in the life of the Buddha.”

With Buddhism a way of life for most of the population and over 40,000 Buddhists temples in Thailand, the group took the opportunity to visit many temples not only in Bangkok, but also in the northern region of Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai.

“Thai architecture is unlike anything one might experience in the U.S. and is stunning in detail,” Sanders said.

Also home to some of the most popular cuisine in the world, Sanders said they enjoyed trying all kinds of exotic fruits and different food during the trip.

Stopping at local markets, Sanders said one of their tour guides purchased a variety of foods for them to experience.

“I got to try dried silk worms (which smelled and tasted just like nuts), fresh Thai pineapple, lychee fruits, their version of pork rinds, finger bananas as well as rambutan and mangosteen,” she said.

One thing they didn’t try, Young said, was durian fruit.

Although very popular with the locals, the fruit is banned on public transportation apparently due to its noxious smell, he said.

Quoting a tour guide, Young said they were told, “It smells like hell, but tastes like heaven.”

At the markets, Sanders said the local people sell all types of handcrafted wares, paintings, candles, clothes, leather bags, handwoven baskets and many other things including ice cream, whole coconuts and fresh fruit smoothies.

Thailand also has fresh fruit for sale everywhere you look, Sanders said.

“I got to try new fruits every day,” she added. “The dragon fruit smoothie was fantastic.”

Another aspect of Thai culture they experienced, Young said, was how friendly and accommodating the people are.

Most everyone are Buddhists and want to maintain “good karma,” Sanders said, and they will go out of their way to be nice to you or help you.

Behind masks still in place due to the pandemic, Sanders and Young may not have been able to observe the smiles the country is known for, but they certainly saw and felt the hospitality and generosity of the people of Thailand.

With tourism being a major contributor to their economy, Sanders said it was very apparent, especially in the markets, how devastating the COVID restrictions have been to the people of Thailand.

One tour guide told them that she hadn’t worked for the last two years and volunteered at monasteries helping the monks in exchange for food in order to survive, Young said.

With most restrictions now lifted, tourism is beginning to return and the mask mandate was removed at the end of their visit as well, Sanders added.

In preparation for their trip, Johnson provided them with a card listing common expressions and they made sure to download a language translation app on their phones, but Young said most people spoke basic English.

Other aspects of Thai culture they experienced were the traditional “wai” greeting, which consists of a slight bow with palms pressed together in a prayerlike fashion, removing their shoes when entering houses or temples and covering their knees and shoulders before entry into a temple.

After spending several days in the country’s capital of Bangkok, the group traveled north to Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, where they visited Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden, the White Temple which boasted expressive designs and ornate carvings, an over-100-feet tall statue with an elevator and windows, two tea plantations and a massive temple reminiscent of Disney-type designs, Sanders said.

In the northern region, Chinese culture and influence were more apparent, Sanders said.

“It was really interesting traveling from a southern area to the northern area, because you could definitely see a difference in the architecture and belief system, where the Chinese influence tends to be about fortune telling, lucky and unlucky things and different artistic styles,” she added.

While in the northern region, the group traveled to the golden triangle where Thailand, Laos and Myan mar meet at the Mekong River.

On the last few days of their visit, a trip to the coastal city of Pattaya was last on the list.

Relaxing at the beach, enjoying fruit smoothies and tropical coconut drinks, soaking in the sun on a tropical island and time spent shopping in a few malls wrapped up their time in Thailand.

“One of my favorite things was the beach,” Young commented. “The white sands and clear water were so relaxing and peaceful…and the food was great.”

Narrowing down her favorites wasn’t as easy for Sanders.

“That’s tough,” she said. “The view from the ‘Disneyland-temple’ was one of my favorites and exploring that place was really cool.

“I also liked the beach with the hermit crabs and collecting shells, the fresh coconut water, the fresh fruit smoothies...I really miss the smoothies and the food…”

The people of Thailand were extremely kind and always willing to help, Sanders added.

“Their country is very beautiful, a safe place to visit and full of good people to befriend,” she said.

“I can see why it’s a favorite place for Dr. Johnson to visit…I can’t wait to go back.”