Hi friends! At last! The final post of my Thailand Trip 2018 series is here, and it’s a fun one! Definitely check out the vlog for official wedding footage of me teaching Bollywood dances at my friend’s beach wedding. Plus, this post is about the last few nights of my trip. Let’s jump in!
*VIDEO* Teaching Indian Dances Zumba-Style to Almost 100 People | Thailand Vlog
Click here to watch the vlog if the above player doesn’t work
Veranda Resort Hua Hin Thailand
My friends, J+T, selected Veranda Resort in Hua Hin Thailand for their wedding venue. My room was very nice and comfortable, and I loved the cute porch that overlooked the pool area. Plus, the customer service at Veranda is impeccable. I’ll save two examples for the end of this post, so be sure to look for that. And as for the wedding, there are a couple photos of the set-up below.
I broke my intention of eating 100% Thai food on the trip when I got to Veranda. Although the Thai food I had was some of the best ever, pizza was calling my name.
There’s a full room tour in the vlog, so check out the video if you want to see what the room looked like.
Because I wanted to have some fun with the new tripod I’d gotten, plus I wanted to remember being in Thailand, I did a couple photoshoots around the resort. All by myself! I’m planning to edit a video on how I took all these photos without a photographer. It was a fun challenge. And great for solo travelers!
Sure, you look slightly crazy taking pictures of yourself. But I try to remember…
…you’ll probably never see these people again. But you will have some awesome photos to help you remember your amazing life experience.
After doing a few nights by myself, it was nice to be around other people, including some I already knew. I’d met some of the wedding guests in NYC, and it was fun to see them on the other side of the world!
My favorite times of day were sunrise and sunset. The lighting is so pretty, but the temps are also ideal around then. Beautifully warm, but not too hot. The weather was especially nice considering I’d basically escape winter of NYC. Had I stayed, I’d be walking around the city in my sleeping bag coat. Instead, I got to soak up some sun in a bikini.
“I wanna be…part of your worldddddddddd.”
Mehndi Night
Mehndi Night was the big night for me. Upon learning I did Bollywood and Bhangra songs in my Zumba classes, J had asked me to lead J+T’s families in a handful of songs as part of the wedding. No pressure! I agreed while I was in NYC, but upon getting to the wedding venue, I was starting to get nervous. A flurry of last minute questions ran through my mind: “What if I messed up the songs? Was this really a good idea? Am I the right person for this?” I was reassured knowing the bride and groom were really looking forward to my participation in their wedding. They told me they were looking forward to it, and I knew I couldn’t let them down.
And as an extra bonus, I got to wear the most beautiful sari I’ve ever seen! You guys know I love pink!
Btw, here’s my friend, Veena. She and her sister have created a company called pjMe with gorgeous pajamas. She gifted me a set, so I’ll try to share photos in a separate post. When I met her, pjMe was just an idea. And it’s just so cool that she brought her creations to life that I had to share!
Most of the night before the dancing was a bit of a blur.
Even though I’ve taught Zumba for many years, I still sometimes get nervous before teaching. And this was a whole new level of teaching.
The dances I led were a surprise for wedding guests, so I wondered if anyone would join me.
{Photo by Liam Collard Photography}
But they did! Before I knew it, there were almost 100 of us doing Bollywood dances on the beach in Thailand to celebrate J+T’s wedding.
{Photo by Liam Collard Photography}
It. was. magical.
Songs We Did:
- Chaiyya Chaiyya
- Boro Boro
- Beware of the Boys (Mundian to Bach Ke)
- Jai Ho
The best part was seeing how happy J, T, and their families were. They were so sweet and complimentary after the dances, and they seemed to really love how everyone was up and dancing together. And it was seriously such a huge honor to be able to be a part of such a beautiful event.
Side Note: Their talented photography team, Liam Collard Photography, does destination photography from Greece to Thailand. I loved the final photos I saw. But really, the photos speak for themselves. Check out their portfolio!
There are video clips of the food in the vlog. Here are some of the unique desserts at Mehni night. I was so excited to see coconut ice cream and palm seeds as a topping option. My mom used to put that in her Filipino fruit salad, and when I was a kid, I dug them out. They were my faves!
And one of my favorite things about the spreads at Veranda was the assortment of fruits! So many beautiful, juicy, delicious, and unique fruits. I should have gotten the one at the bottom left on the vlog. It tasted like an apple but not? But it was sooooo tasty and refreshing!
Wedding Time!
The wedding took place early in the morning so it wouldn’t be too hot. It was still quite warm but definitely better than it would have been later in the day.
A moment before walking down the aisle.
The wedding was so beautiful. This was only my second Indian wedding, and I love how colorful and based on deep traditions they are.
I seem to have mostly taken photos of the sweets for this part of the trip. Haha.
At night, T+J had their wedding reception. It was set on the beach, and it was so gorgeous. Almost as pretty as the bride! T+J’s families and friends are so cool, and I felt so honored to be part of such a special event. Everyone had gathered from literally all over the world, and it was amazing celebration for T+J.
We ended the night with a little more dancing inside the resort. And we even did more of the Bollywood dances! One of the little girls (who absolutely rocked the front row at Mehndi night btw) wanted to do the dances again. And luckily, the DJ randomly decided to play them. So, we got another group going and ended the night with more dancing and smiles.
The Remainder of My Trip
Did you see the HUGE breakfast buffet at Veranda on the vlog? Custom omelet, plus delicious bread, plus so much beautiful fruit? Yes, please!
On this part of the trip, I definitely got plenty of beach QT. The beach walks were so restorative, and I enjoyed getting in the water. Though I’m a bit afraid of sea creatures, so I had a “special” swimming method. Lol! It’s in the vlog.
An older gentleman definitely busted me while I was taking this photo. He came around the corner and saw me standing there, stopped in his tracks, looked where I was looking, saw my camera & tripod, looked back at me in confusion, and then carried on walking. It was pretty funny but worth it for the laugh and the photo.
Back to NYC
I know I’m not in NYC at the moment, but I am a bit late posting this. But after about 24 hours of travel time, I made it back to the city. We landed early Monday morning, and it was thankfully a holiday for my office so I could rest.
First meal – a NYC bagel! Everything, toasted, with plain cream cheese. Haha.
Amazing Veranda Customer Service
There were two cool experiences at Veranda that I have to share:
First: After one of the wedding events where I’d danced, one of the team members ran into me at breakfast (or something similar) and she was so excited about the dances. She showed me one of the moves from one of the songs, and I was so impressed she remembered it! It was a small, little moment of connection, but very touching.
Second: I accidentally left my laptop at the coffee shop at Veranda and totally forgot about it for a couple hours! When I came rushing back (in a bit of a panic, but trying to act not panicked), one of the team members told me she had it! She’d kept it safe for me behind the counter. Thank goodness for kind team members!
Overall: The team at Veranda runs a tight ship. Everything is super organized, which is really nice. When you’re on vacation, the last thing you need is friction. And I didn’t feel any at Veranda. But what really puts Veranda over the top is the kind, thoughtful, and warm team. Everyone is so nice, and they’ll help you with anything you need. It was so nice to be able to enjoy the trip and J+T’s wedding without worrying about anything else.
Check Out the Rest of My Thailand Trip 2018
Part 1: I Got a Luxury Pool Villa in Thailand?! Evason Hua Hin
Part 2: Rest, Restore, Self Care Solo Travel at Aleenta Hua Hin Pranburi
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And you can check out my other Travel posts here
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