After the Phuket Sandbox, Dave begins the long journey back to the United States. This video follows the route from Koh Samui by Raja Ferry to Donsak Pier, on to Phuket, then flights through Singapore to Los Angeles and Phoenix, plus a memorable papaya salad along the way.
Leaving Koh Samui by Ferry
The first leg retraces a familiar route: the Raja Ferry from Koh Samui to Donsak Pier on the mainland, where a driver meets Dave for the transfer to his hotel. For viewers planning overland travel between Samui and Phuket, the video shows how the ferry and road combination works in practice.
The Long Way Home
From Phuket, the journey continues by air through Singapore, then on to Los Angeles and finally Phoenix, Arizona. Intercontinental travel in 2021 came with extra complexity, and the video documents the full chain of flights. It closes out the family's Phuket Sandbox chapter, after which they had headed to Koh Samui.
The Best Papaya Salad and Shrimp
Travel days need good food, and Dave calls out eating the best papaya salad and shrimp ever during this trip. Som tam, the green papaya salad of Thailand, is a dish the channel returns to constantly, and finding an exceptional version mid journey is the kind of small reward that makes long travel days worthwhile.
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