Kelly Purkey

Thailand: Ko Samet

When I'm looking through my Thailand photos I wish I would have taken more.  The 700+ just aren't enough.  But really, there were so many cool things that I saw, but never snapped a photo.  Ah well, next time.

Next up is the island of Ko Samet.  It's about three hours from Bangkok and we headed there for three nights.  Erin's friend Mike, who is backpacking around the globe for a year, joined us for this little adventure.

While I love being on any boat, we had an extremely windy and bumpy ride to the island.  Hence my cool new hair-do.  But we treated ourselves right once we arrived...

The first night I had fresh crab with garlic and it was oh so good.

Ko Samet is a small island and we stayed at a resort called Tub Tim in a cute little bungalow.  This is one of the things I wish I would have taken more photos of.  It was a peaceful place that I would love to go back to.

There was a raft you could swim out to in front of our beach... I wish I would have had a waterproof camera with me because laying on the raft and looking back at the island was the most amazing view.  Especially as the sun was setting. 

During the day we lounged on the sand and did a little swimming. We sampled some of the food from the men walking up and down the beach.  I bought a banana pancake (almost like a crepe) and it was one of the best things I ate in Thailand.  So warm and delicious.

At night we enjoyed dinners on the beach and fire shows.  The three of us had some good - and hilarious - conversation to match the good food.  It was all definitely relaxing.

Next up, the city of Chiang Mai... as seen on Monday night's episode of The Bachelorette.  And spoiler alert - unlike Ashley's, no Thai Boxing was involved on my trip ;)

Dinner with Liz

My fantastic business maven and world traveling friend Liz was in town and we got to catch up over dinner last night. I must give Liz a lot of credit for the reason I became such a foodie.  When I moved to Chicago she inspired me to try great restaurants and we shared a lot of fantastic meals together.  I believe our first was the delicious burger with truffle fries at Rockit.

So it seemed fitting that I got to take her to one of my favorite places, The Breslin inside the Ace Hotel (home of the $5 photobooth), for one of my favorite NYC eats, the lamb burger...

I love introducing people to the lamb burger.  It's just an amazing meal.  Every friend that I've taken to have one has in turn taken another friend... we're all spreading the lamb burger love.

After dinner we walked down to Eataly, which I was so excited to show Liz because she has a true love for Italy.  As we wandered around, Liz said "this is my idea of a candy store!"  Indeed it is. 

When we stopped to admire the whole truffles in the case, the man let us breathe in the heavenly aroma...

They may be $275 per pound, but apparently smells are free!

I loved being able to share another meal with Liz.  I can't wait for our next burger and truffle adventure... I know we've got plenty more in our future.

Thailand: Bangkok

After only being home for three days in the past four weeks, it's an understatement to say that I'm really happy to lying on my couch right now watching Millionaire Matchmaker.  It's good to be home. 

But I did have the opportunity to fly halfway around the world and it was amazing...

My best friend Erin and her boyfriend are currently living in Bangkok, where I started my trip.  The city was not what I expected. Very metropolitan.  High rises and skyscrapers.  Starbucks and KFC and 7-11 everywhere you look.  I had two full days in Bangkok to do some exploring...
 
We took a water taxi to the Wat Pho temple and finally, there was the Thailand I expected.

The Reclining Buddha at Wat Pho is really stunning.  This was definitely my favorite temple that we visited.

The next day included a trip to the weekend market where it seemed like there were miles of stalls selling everything and anything you could think of. I didn't take many photos there, but did purchase some beautiful handmade paper.

 

Dinner was near Khao San Road... which is a street that reminds me of Times Square.  It was also the place where I saw a food cart full of insects - grasshoppers, roaches, and other creepy crawlies for consumption. 

And speaking of food (well, food that I will actually eat)...
The food in Thailand was incredible.  A whole meal cost about $4 and everything was so fresh.

In terms of street food, New York has nothing on Thailand.  I wish I would have taken more photos.  There is someone cooking up something every few feet.  Whether it's restaurants with open store fronts, food carts, or just someone on a bicycle with a built in grill - you can literally eat your way through the country.
I also indulged in $1 fresh fruit smoothies that you can find everywhere. I had a pineapple smoothie one day that I'm still dreaming about.  Since I've been home I've been craving fruit... if only it were as cheap here!

One of my other favorite things about Thailand were the Tuk Tuks... these little taxis that speed around the city.  A ride is cheap - our first one was about a half hour long and I think it only cost $4.  If only Tuk Tuks could take over NYC.

And that's a little look at my days in Bangkok.  More to come.

(Card class giveaway winners posted below, thanks for entering!)

Summer Card Camp Giveaway

ETA WINNERS:


I have another fun giveaway to share today!  I'm so honored to be part of my dear friends Jennifer McGuire and Kristina Werner's upcoming class, Summer Card Camp...


Get ready for a summer full of colorful cardmaking fun with Summer Card Camp 2011. Jennifer McGuire and Kristina Werner have teamed up to bring you a 4-week workshop loaded with fresh color combos, cutting edge techniques, and versatile sketches that will leave you feeling inspired to create! Summer Card Camp is your all-access pass to 48 new card ideas, daily PDFs, twice weekly videos, guest designers (including me!), huge prizes and access to a private blog where you can share your own creations. For more information and to register, visit http://onlinecardclasses.com/summercardcamp2011/classinfo.html.

I've got THREE spots to give away for this amazing class!  Knowing the creative geniuses that the two of these ladies are, I am sure this is going to be a class you won't want to miss.

Leave a comment here and I'll draw the winners on Friday.  Good luck!

Amy Tangerine Blog Hop

My heart is literally bursting with joy over this...

It's a peek at my twin Amy Tan's new line collaborating with the designers at American Crafts... what an amazing combination!!!  Amy Tangerine will be released at CHA next month and after the peeks I'm sure you are just as excited to get your hands on these fun products as I am.  I know it's going to be amazing.

Be sure to stop by the American Crafts blog and leave a comment to win the entire line.  And the next stop on the blog hop is the wonderful Stacy Julian - so hop on over!