China was an experience, but Thailand is love, for both of us.

Our mouths salivate for sweet Penang curries and coconut milk Tom Kha soups that we slurp down in tourist restaurants.

The markets brim with food, art, colourful clothing, and hanging trinkets, enticing young wanderers.

During my first trips down South, I'd overlooked the mix of local cultures. Buddhism and Islam meet with a mix of hijabs and smiles. Near the Malaysian border, conflict occurs, but people seem to mix alright here. Only a few foreigners dot the landscape. The rest hang out nearby at scenic Ao Nang beach.

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I wasn't enough of a tourist in the market to get photos, but here are some of one of the mosques in Ao Nang beach (after Malaysia I've become quite fond of mosque architecture, so beautiful!) and the beach itself.