While exploring an unfamiliar place in the company of your own brave self is a life-changing adventure everyone should experience at least once, traveling with friends is always a no-fail formula for fun. Somehow friendship takes on a whole new shape when you bring it to a foreign land; in transit there are quirks and pieces of personality that somehow reveal themselves, and you can either tear one another’s hair out, or manage to form a stronger bond (thankfully, for the half of the Candy team that ventured to Thailand last week, it was the latter that prevailed).

In Bangkok we had our fill of Thai cuisine and cheap shopping, soaked up the culture, squeezed ourselves into the crowds in temples and weekend markets, laughed at the endearingly kitschy lost-in-translation signs, ogled the cute European artsy tourists, and walked and walked until our feet hurt. At the end of the trip, we had lighter wallets, cool new purchases, tan lines on our feet, flushed cheeks, aching body parts, tons of photos, stories to tell, and tired but full hearts. The best thing about coming home from another country—no matter how brief your visit was—is knowing that you have made a small step towards that impossible goal of seeing the entire world, and that because of it, you are a slightly different person: a little bit smarter, a little bit happier, and hopefully a whole lot better.

xx,
Marla

P.S. See you at the Candy Fair on Saturday, yes?