Our last day in Thailand included a complete cluster with our in-unit washer at the hotel. We thought it would be a good idea to return home with all clean clothes instead of the massive dirty laundry bag we normally have, especially given we’re coming back from a very humid city, but it resulted in a flooded kitchen and sopping wet clothes. We had to manually wring out all the clothes into the kitchen sink, then dry the clothes in the dryer machine three times before everything was dry enough to pack. Why do washer and dryer units have to have so many complicated settings and then fail? You’d think they would have gotten simpler and more intuitive as time has gone on.

I’m sad to be leaving Thailand, especially all the incredible street food and the array of beautiful colors everywhere, but I think I’m ready to leave. Traveling to cities as crowded and fast-paced as Bangkok is rarely relaxing, even when you are taking breaks for indulgent yet cheap activities such as massage or facials. And with places like Chiangmai, there is so much to do, see, and eat that you feel like you have to see as much as you can in order to make your time traveling there worth it. I’m actually looking forward to relaxing on the couch when we get back to New York, because as Chris says, our vacations are not our relaxing times; that’s what couch time back home is for.