Thailand Adventures - What I loved and what I didn't

Keili McEvilly

Mahidol University, Thailand

Thailand Adventures - What I loved and what I didn't

The pictures bellow are from Koh Chang island. This place is quiet, cheap, and beautiful! The first is a giant golden buddha temple ( you have to wear sarongs if you have a revealing top and/ or shorts) that over looked a fishing harbor and a long, sandy white beach. The second is at a beach on the pier side (aka: where you get off your ferry) at low tide with some tide pools during my first sunset on the island. I stayed at this hotel last minute (we bought it that day) called win or winning hotel right on that beach... and it was only like $10 a night! The third is an old fishing ship at low tide further down the beach that same night. There are so many fun beaches on this island! Rent mopeds and try to get to the 4 seasons hammocks for me, because I tried long and hard.

 The picture below was taken at my favorite island of the chain off Krabi. Koh Samui Island. This place was amazing. Mostly because I love to dive and stayed at Big Blue Diving hotel where everyday that I dove (everyday) was a free night stay at the hotel! This beach had the BEST sunsets I have ever seen in my life and the best iced tea I have ever tasted. From this beach you can get a personal boat with a few of your new diving buddies and head over to a smaller island, the second picture bellow. It gets crowded after 9 am so go early or expect a crowd and burn your feet. I forgot shoes and got hella blisters.

These are my crazy friends. It was a super weird dynamic here, maybe you will experience this as well, I never felt so close to so many interesting individuals so quickly. We bonded SO incredibly fast. I mean we all just had no friends and no service to people back home so much that we only had each other to depend on and lean on for support. One of my friends fell in love on the trip, more than one of my friends had a heart break, many were traveling for similar reasons as I and some had anterior motives like discovering themselves, mentally restarting, or using it to escape a bad situation back home. Bottom line, these humans are the best and I hang out with them a lot still or FaceTime weekly at least and the all time best adventures of the trip were solely due to their craziness.

This is those great people again at Songkron: THE WORLDS GREATEST HOLIDAY 

You have to go.

 This was my favorite adventure, Song kao Rai National Park ( I think that is the right name). I camped for one night 💞💞 with my boyfriend and everyone was very upset I did not invite them/ stay longer because it is beautiful and there are at least 6 waterfalls (did them all in one day), a beautiful elf temple forest garden, and hot springs. It is super cold and a dangerous drive. Only ride a moped if you are comfortable and experienced, we saw two accidents while we were driving. It is super cold so layer up and tents are more expensive than at other national parks so bring blankets and your own sleeping bag. And bring food, there is very little up here.

 Hope you enjoyed!

PS: here is my youtube I share more of my adventures around Thailand and beyond! 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdPwGGju5MbvVUvUf-ITCjQ?view_as=subscriber

- Keili McEvilly

Moving to Thailand

Keili McEvilly

Moving to Thailand.

When I first began looking at housing in Thailand for my study abroad, I did NOT know where to begin. So I will try to help you out. The two main housing units (for both local and international students) were Bundit Home, Crystal palace,  and The September (which I stayed at). The most expensive was the September, and the least expensive was Bundit home. The picture below is one of the closest friends I made while at MUIC, Aanchal who was born and raised in Thailand. She taught me to shop the street markets like a local, eat fun places like Anyas (which I highly recommend), and she helped me get through Chemistry. Now we txt all the time and plan on traveling together again soon. The best part about living here was how integrated I became with other students from Thailand and around the globe!

Getting around: You do not need a car, or a moped. If you want, you can get a bike because they are very close to campus, also theft is VERY low so a lock is, for the most part, unnecessary. What I did most everyday was take a "bike boy" aka the back part of a local guys moped. I also took taxis (they are like 50 cents more expensive, but way safer. If you do take a taxi, try to carpool and make sure the guy puts the meter on. That goes for every part of Thailand, if they say no ask for a price and try to bargain down or quickly ask them to stop. Ask a local hotel or worker for usual rates.

PS: Here is my youtube channel, I go over a bunch more tips and tricks I discovered from way to many dumb mistakes lol.


Good luck!
- Keili McEvilly

Studying abroad in Thailand

Hi everyone!

My name is Mariken. I’m doing my semester abroad in Thailand, at Mahidol University.

I thought I was brave when I moved from Norway to Hawaii all by myself, but Thailand has challenged and inspired me on a completely new level.

Little did I know about the Thai language, culture and religion when I moved here, and it was honestly a big cultural shock. My university is located in the suburb of Bangkok, so the locals here barely speak any English, which was really challenging at first. Because I don’t live with all the other international students (most of them live in a huge student accommodation called Bundit), I really get to experience the authentic Thailand. I had the option to move in at Bundit, but chose to stay in my Thai accommodation to embrace the local culture. And trust me, that feeling of finally being able to interact with the locals, having my neighbors smiling at me every morning when I walk to school – it’s incomparable. At first I thought it would be impossible to feel at home here, but now I actually feel like a part of their society. And it’s the best feeling! 

My campus on the other hand, is as international as it can be. MUIC is the college in Thailand with the highest percentage of international students. A lot of our professors are international too. I've literally made friends from all over the world here, which is really cool. The school system is similar to the one in the U.S. Only difference is that we have to wear school uniforms. 

The classes I’m taking here are pretty intense, so most of my weekdays go to lectures, studying at the library, and trying out new food with my friends. Food is a HUGE thing here! Restaurants, street food, and food markets are everywhere. Half of the time I don’t know what I’m eating because of the language barrier, but I have learned to accept that. If locals can eat it, I can probably eat it too 😉

During the weekends we usually travel somewhere. So far I have visited Phetchaburi and Ayutthaya in central Thailand, Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai in the north, and Kanchanaburi in the west. I also got to travel to Cambodia and Siem Reap one weekend to see Angkor Wat (largest religious monument in the world!). Traveling around here is very cheap. A 3 hour bus ride from Bangkok to the west would cost you $3, and the 11 hour bus ride to the north around $15.

Here are some pictures from my adventure so far:

Visited an elementary school during orientation, and met these cute little ladies.

A young novice monk (samanera) in Wat Pho, Bangkok.

Elephant sanctuary in Chiang Mai.

The White Temple in Chiang Rai.

Sunset in Bangkok.

Angkor Wat in Cambodia.