Brian Lewis has heard criticisms of Thailand: too mainstream; too easy; too crowded to have an authentic, off-the-beaten-path experience. Last July, he returned to Thailand for the third time and spent two weeks traveling in Bangkok and Northern Thailand. Somewhere between a bareback elephant ride through the steaming Golden Triangle jungle and a $1 plate of sinfully rich stewed pork leg at a Chiang Mai night market, he realized these pretentious critics couldn't be more wrong. Thailand is still freaking awesome.