Koh Phi Phi – NorthAmericanDarrell

15 Countries visited in 2025📍🌎😎

12/31/2025

by Darrell All you can fly Asia Austria Bangkok Barcelona Countries Europe Freedom 50 Frontier - AYCF!Greece HCMC / Saigon Italy Koh Phi Phi London Madrid Mexico North American Personal History Philippines Rocky Point Rome Singapore Slow travel Spain Thailand Travel bucket list Travels Stories United Kingdom United States Vietnam Volaris - AYCF!Wizz - AYCF!

2025: My first full year taking a run at retirement!

2025 turned out to be my most traveled year ever—and somehow, I feel that I’m just getting started.

January – Vietnam
(HCMC, Nha Trang, Da Nang, Hoi An, Hue, Phu Quoc)

February – Cambodia & Thailand
(Siem Reap, Phnom Penh, Bangkok, Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, Koh Tao)

March – UK & Europe
(London, Greece, Iceland, Poland, Germany, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Italy)

April – October–US & Mexico

(Mesa and Rocky Point—two incredible home bases)

November & December – SE Asia
(Hanoi, Kuala Lumpur, Bali)

Every trip felt different. Every move resets my brain. And somehow, it all worked out absolutely perfect!

2026: Already Booked (Of Course It Is!)

January to mid-April
Mexico, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Philippines

May to October (Homebases in Mesa/Mexico)

Volaris + Frontier all-you-can-fly chaos—route TBD, cheap is guaranteed

Nov and Dec– Europe by Rail-pass

Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark, Netherlands, Southern Spain/Portugal…
Eastern Europe is still being self-negotiated with my grade-three attention span.

Asia – getting fat eating with two sticks!🍜

03/22/2025

by Darrell Bangkok Bohol Cebu City Koh Phi Phi Philippines Phucket Singapore Siquijor/Dumaguete islands Thailand

I have loved Thai food since visiting Thailand back in 2022 but forgot how much until returning in 2025!

I have since visited many Asian countries and fallen in love with their food. Vietnam Pho/Bahn mi/noodles, Cambodian Amok/Hhmer curry/noodles, all held the title until I was reintroduced to Thai again.

The Thai pad and variations of soup won my heart and my belly over once again. Here are some choices from a food court in Bangkok. You could eat three times a day for 365 days and not try them all in this food court. It was almost impossible to choose:

Here were some of my absolute favorites from around Samui—and yes, choosing was a daily struggle:

Mango salad (top left) — fresh, spicy, sweet, and dangerous if you underestimate the chili

Tom Yum coconut spicy soup (middle left) — rich, tangy, and soul-cleansing in the best way

Chicken Pad Thai (top right) — the classic that never misses

Tom Yum chicken (extra spicy) (bottom left) — I survived, barely

Ice-cold Chang beer (bottom right) — it was so hot they literally put ice in it… and I fully support that decision

Thai food doesn’t just win—it laps the competition. My heart, my stomach, and my sweat glands all agree.

Koh Phi Phi, Thailand! 🌴🥥

12/30/2024

by Darrell Koh Phi Phi

I consider my six-week trip to Thailand in 2022 to be free!

It was my fifth anniversary working for PayPal, and I was eligible for my four-week sabbatical. I tacked on two weeks of vacation and also rented my AZ condo on Airbnb the entire time. How sweet a deal was that setup!

In January 2021, Thailand was reopening for tourists after COVID-19. There were so many strict rules, but as always 90% of the stuff we worry about never happens.

Bring a negative COVID test within 48 hours of departure.

Buy travel insurance that covers COVID.

Take a COVID test once arriving at the hotel in Bangkok.

Locked down in a hotel until the test came back negative in 48 hours.

I would be fed three amazing meals a day delivered to my door.

Allowed to wander around the hotel grounds during lockdown.

Pretty amazing time-out to take care of the 14-hour time difference and jet lag!

Once I received a clear email from the Thai government, I was off to tour Bangkok for two days before leaving. I would be back on my way home to finish touring the city.

I left for my island, hoping for adventures in the following days: Koh Samui, Koh, Phangan, Koh Tao, Phuket, and the topic of this post, my absolute favorite island in Thailand, Koh Phi Phi Island!

Unsure whether or not to jump! Damn right, that was a long way up for a big boy!

Watch for the body, UGH my shoulder, that’s a long way up for a big boy, LOL!

This was an amazing boat ride I took to tour the islands around Koh Phi Phi. We snorkeled and visited several bays in the area, including the famous Maya Bay where the movie “The Beach” was filmed. Although it was closed for swimming due to preservation, it was beautiful!