The Smiths Visit Asia!Client
Adventure: The Smiths Visit Asia!
Nate and Nikki Smith (yes, Nate is Dustin’s
brother) love to travel. In March of
2018 they embarked on an adventure to Thailand and China. It was an area that they had always wanted to
visit. While planning their trip, their
goal was complete departure from Western Culture, and to push their cultural
and social boundaries. They said “We
kind of let fate guide us.” Taking full
advantage of a last-minute (and rare) gap in their hectic work schedules, they
decided to take a spur-of-the-moment international trip. Initially, they had considered going to Rome and Greece, but then they
came across a tremendous deal for an Asian adventure, and jumped at the
opportunity.
While on their trip, they made many memories
that will undoubtedly last a lifetime.
One of the best moments for them was swimming with elephants in the
River Kwai in Thailand. While exploring
landmarks in China, locals randomly approached them and asked to take selfies.
They were extremely excited to see big Americans with beards, and curly haired
brunettes.
Despite being so large and urban, they
found Beijing to be a very safe and clean city.
During rush hour, when subway platforms become overcrowded, there are
employees called “pushers” whose job it is to safely push and pull you to and
from the train cars. In Thailand, there
are floating markets where people buy and sell their goods from small wooden
boats within a maze of canals. Haggling
is common practice among the traders in these markets, however it does help if
you speak the language.
Before traveling to Thailand, Nate and Nikki
were not familiar with Buddhism. They
found it intriguing to be immersed in a country where Buddhism is the primary
religion. They said “It was a
fascinating departure from our Western Culture and made us really think about
our values and analyze our American lifestyle.”
After this experience, Nate and Nikki believe
that if given the opportunity, everyone should take a leap and go see a country
they haven’t been to before. It will open your eyes to a completely different
world. They advise anyone interested in
travelling to seek out deals and just go for it! Don’t think too much about it, if you have
the time and resources, just click the button and go. They feel that it is important to push your boundaries and
explore somewhere completely out of your comfort zone. It will open your eyes
to many different and wonderful cultures.
They would recommend going with a land
tour company when traveling to a country where you do not speak the primary
language. This was their first time
traveling with a tour group and they loved it.
The people on the tour were great, everyone was there for the same
purpose and, as much fun as it was to experience a new country, it was great to
meet and connect with other Americans from across the US.
Overall,
Nate and Nikki had a fantastic adventure into China and Thailand, and, in spite
of being outside of their comfort zone, they felt like they were not let down,
and the entire experience was completely amazing.
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