Thailand - The Land of Smile: Part 1
Sunday, January 15, 2017
I mentioned in a previous post that we planned a 3 months backpacking trip around SE Asia.
Our trip started in April and the first stop, the lovely Thailand.
We took a direct flight from Copenhagen to Bangkok via Norwegian airlines.
Our trip started in April and the first stop, the lovely Thailand.
We took a direct flight from Copenhagen to Bangkok via Norwegian airlines.
In
Bangkok we had to pay 1000 baht each to get a 15 days visa (again this is just
for Romanian tourists, other European tourists get a 30 days free visa).
Although
Phuket seems to be the main destination for most tourists, we heard so many bad
things about it that we decided to skip it. Instead we flew from Bangkok to
Krabi and we were very happy with our choice, but if you do like to party then
you’d better stick with Phuket.Krabi is a cute town, with nothing much to do except the night market, however it shows you the real Thailand, the one that is yet to be so commercialized.
We
stayed in Krabi strictly to do all the day trips that we wanted (Thailand is
all about day trips to all sort of islands by the way), so our schedule was
basically trips by day, night market by night. By the pier there were a lot of
places to eat street food and all the tables were full every night.
Krabi night market
Eating with the local in Krabi night market
Fried bugs, worms and crickets...omnomnom
Thai sweets
Day trips
Railay Beach
Some
choose to stay a whole week here, for us one day was enough; after all it is
one beach, never the less a beautiful one. There is also a viewpoint that has a
fantastic view of two stretches of water separated by a beautiful and exotic
palm tree jungle. You might need proper shoes to get to the top, although we
did the climb in...yup you've guessed it...flip flops! Do not recommend it
though!
Also,
beware of the monkeys!
I will
probably mention this a lot in the future, but after being attacked by one and
had a scary encounter with a group of them while we were alone in the jungle
(we will get to that story at one point) one gets to not like the evil, yet
cute creatures.
To
get to Railay we took a public boat early in the morning from the Krabi pier
for 300 baht return ticket per person.
Railay East (where the boat left us)
Phra Nang Beach
Railay West
Railay viewpoint
Don't be fooled by their cuteness
Yet at every corner they sell you bananas to feed them
James Bond Island
Here
comes one of the most over rated attractions in Thailand!
We
booked a tour to get to James Bond Island and in between we were supposed to
visit a fishing village and go kayaking around a mangrove forest.
The
entire tour felt rushed, the majority of time was spent in the boat, besides that it was extremely crowded...and James Bond
Island is a pretty rock, nothing more.
The
tour was 1100 baht/person and to be honest I would not do it again.
James Bond Island (007 was no where to be found)
Kayaking through mangrove forests
Poda Island
Initially
we were supposed to go in another tour including Poda, Tub and Chicken Island.
However, after doing a little bit more research and having the whole rushed
tour experience, we decided that instead of rushing from one island to another
along with 100 tourists, to go and visit just one. Poda had the best reviews.
We
went to Ao Nang by public bus (50 baht each) and at the pier we asked if there
were any private boats that can take us there. Problem was that they needed at
least 6 people on the boat to make the trip. So we waited for about half an
hour until 2 other couples showed up undecided where to go. I never knew I had
salesman material in me, because they agreed to join us to Poda. Here is where
we made friends with the nicest couple from Singapore.
The
boat left us on what seamed to be a deserted island...and boy did we love it!
We
split from the other couples for a while to have even more privacy and it
felt that we had the whole island to ourselves.
Time
flew by so we went to get something to drink, eventually reaching the place
where all the tours leave you. Here is where we realized we made the right
choice not going with a tour. Hundreds of people on the same stretch of sand,
all staying in the same place the boat left them, unaware that just a short
walk in a different direction the beach is literally empty!
The
trip to heaven was just 500 baht return/each.
Tip:
Go to Poda Island early in the morning when it's high tide. In the afternoon
the tide is too low, therefore the island is not that enjoyable.
Similan Islands
Oh
Similan Similan! To Similan Islands you can only go by tour...but I recommend
these islands with all my heart!
I
have never seen a water so turquoise...it was purely amazing!
We
booked the tour with Fantastic Similan Travel and they were
great. They provided food, snacks and drinks for the whole duration of the trip
and the tour guides were all nice and helpful.
This
tour was the most expensive thing in Thailand, 7000 baht for both, but it was
definitely worth it!
One
of the best snorkel experiences ever!
Phi Phi Islands
From
Krabi we took the morning ferry to Koh Phi Phi (300 baht one way/person) and we
made this more than a day trip, we stayed for about 4 nights.
From
here we took a day trip to Maya Bay, hiked to the viewpoint, searched for
secluded beaches, pretended to stay at an expensive resort that had an amazing
beach where we snorkelled with a lot of pretty fishes…that kind of stuff.
Maya
Bay can be very crowded as a lot will say, but try to avoid staying where the
boat leaves you...wander a bit.
We
were lucky enough that our boat got there pretty late, so at one point when
almost all the boats left we got to enjoy a more peaceful Maya Bay...it is
surely THE BEACH! (All Saints song in my head now).
1100
baht Maya bay tour for both of us + an extra 400 baht the entrance fee to
Maya Bay (200 each)
The
Long Beach deserves an honourable mention on where to go in Phi Phi, Loh Moo
Dee beach not so much as the water was full of jellyfishes.
Maya Bay
Maya Bay a little to the right
Koh Phi Phi Viewpoint
To get to be viewpoint there is a 30 baht fee/person.
Snorkeling in the Long beach area
From
the beautiful Koh Phi Phi we took the ferry back to Krabi, from Krabi to
Bangkok and from there...
Tips and tricks:
- Bangkok has 2 airports, Suvarnabhumi Airport, also known as Bangkok International Airport, and Don Mueang International Airport mainly known for domestic flights. Free transport is provided between them if you show proof of your ticket to a next flight.
- If you get to the international airport, but have a next flight from the domestic one avoid eating at Suvarnabhumi airport, as at the domestic airport there are more options and the food is a lot cheaper.
- Try street food! Throughout our entire trip we ate only street food or local cuisine, but choose wisely! If you see an empty place or restaurant, it might be empty for a reason. We had a rule: if there were a lot of people, especially locals, eating in one place, there we were too.
- Street food related: Pad Thai is a must! We had it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Tasty and cheap! We would eat a portion for about 50 baht. You do the math :)
- Another must: Mango sticky rice
- Thailand is the land of fruits and fresh smoothies: try them all!
- Haggling is a custom in Thailand, so go wild: negotiate before buying something.
- Avoid buying stuff from the touristy places, you can find everything for less than half a price at the local markets.
Well...I wanted to keep it short but I got close to writing a
novel, and I would have more to say!
One more thing, when in Thailand, keep in
mind to...smile!
Vietnam will follow, until then...
xoxo,
O
2 comments
very nice :D
ReplyDeleteWOW!Beautiful pictures!
ReplyDelete