Thailand
same same but different
Currency:
Thai Baht 21-23 baht = $1CA
Phrases to know:
Hello= Sawadee Kha
Thank you= Khup Khun Kha
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Bangkok
Wat Pho
To See The Reclining Buddha that is 46 metres long, covered in gold leaf. The temple was full of beautiful architecture and I could spend hours there.
Visited the Grand Palace
The Grand Palace is obviously a must when in Bangkok. Absolutely stunning!
Thai Massage
You can find massages anywhere from $4-8. Thai Massages are a must!!!
Khao San Road
This road stretched a long block down and was full of stalls for shopping, cheap food, pubs and night life. This street was lively at all times of the day.
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I then took an overnight bus to Chiang Mai.. about 10 hours for 600 baht which I haggled down from 820 baht.
Chiang Mai
Elephant Sanctuary with Trekking
^This was one of the highlights of my trip. We trekked a mountain, made a few pitstops at some waterfalls, visited villages up on the mountain and slept in an outdoor treehouse made out of bamboo that slept 14 people. We watched the sunrise and sunset, ate dinner, played games and had tons of laughs. The next day we trekked back down the mountain and stayed at another outdoor cabin made of bamboo. I also fell that day coming down the mountain... a hard fall on my knee. We then visited the elephants and got to feed and bathe them. After this we did some bamboo rafting which was loads of fun.
Sunday Night Market
Wow. Was this the most amazing nightmarket I had ever seen. This stretched four ways and I couldn't even see the end of where it ended. From the most exquisite Thai crafts to delicious snacks and food, music, temples, dance!
Temples
I got to visit a Sikh Temple, a Hindu temple and a Buddhist Temple. The gentleman at the Sikh temple insisted that I stay for some tea and he scurried off to make me the most delicious .. but very sweet tea. He then insisted I stay and chat with him as he's originally from India and has been in Chiang Mai to help run the temple here. We shared some stories and I was on my way.
Smile Organic Cooking School
We got to the visit the local market and look at some local veggies and ingredients we would be cooking with. The cook Puky was sooo funny and she made the class just that much more entertaining and fun. I got to cook a Coconut Red Curry, Tofu Pad Thai and springrolls!
Chiang Mai Womens Correctional Training Center for Ex-prisoners
Hands down this was one of the best massages I had ever gotten in my life. And $7 for an hour? I'll take them all day long.
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I then took a 3 hour bus journey... which had over 762 twists and turns to Pai. This cost me approximately 160 baht.
Pai
I tell everyone this.. I came for 2 nights I stayed for 5 and would have stayed longer.
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Sun Doi Resort
I stayed at this hostel and it felt like paradise to me. It was about a 8 minute walk from the local village. We had amazing laughs, bonfires, talks, drinks and trips planned. This resort also had pocket holes in the hills where you could see tarantulas live in! How spooky! I also woke up in the early mornings to do yoga and eat freee breakfast!
Cert tattoo
I went and got my travel tattoo. I gave Cert my three images and within a few hours he had sketched exactly what I wanted. I haggled down my tattoo price sooo much.. I was shocked with myself after walking out.
Hot Springs
A made friends with a mate arriving to Bangkok from Vancouver as well on my flight and we hung out in BKK the first night we arrived. Guess what?! I met him in Pai as well and he was sooo kind to drive me to the hot springs with the group cause I was way to scared to drive a scooter myself. This hot spring was sooo much fun.. there was a small stand there where they sold eggs. What you could do was boil the eggs in the hot spring for about 5 minutes and eat them. That is exactly what we did!
Pai Canyon
After the hot springs, a couple of us drove to the other side of town to the Pad Canyon for sunset. Jeez was that ever soooo beautiful.
Pai walking street
Pai was like BC weather. It was absolutely chilly at night and this is where I ended up buying a beautiful blanket shawl for $5!
Art in Chai
My absolute favourite cafe ever. Had the best Chai in Pai and was such a cozy cafe. I ended up journaling here for hours and was told there was going to be open mic that happens every Wednesday.. So I knew I was coming back the next night. When I did return.. I came early to snag a spot for me and a friend. The room suddenly filled with over 30 people, so it was a bit snug. It was one of the best nights I had during my trip. So many laughs, so many acts, so many different people and stories. I would go back to Pai just for this.
White Buddha for sunset
I walked from our resort and did the hike up this mountain to see the White Buddha. It was such a beautiful and relaxing sunset to watch. I felt sooo at ease and happy.
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Koh Samui
I met my best friend and we spent a few days just bathing at the beach in the sun. Beautiful water, quiet place, but not sooo much to do here. Although we did have ourselves some really great green smoothies everyday at the Islanders.
Koh Lanta
This was my favourite place out of all the places I had been to watch sunsets. I came to the beach which was right in front of the hostel I was staying in every night. I got to sit back and just relax with no itinerary. I met a nice German friend who also happened to be a diabetic, so we bought some Chang Beers and shared stories and experiences! This is also where I ended up getting braids done in my hair! I absolutely loved them!
Koh Phi Phi
I was not feeling the Phi Phi islands as it was known as a "party island." But I absolutely loved it! Again I made some amazing friends and had such an amazing time!
Snorkeling
I got to go snorkelling again! This was my third time during the trip and I had such a blast! We went to three different areas and one of them included a monkey beach. One of the monkeys almost attacked me.. so remember leave the monkeys alone! The water was soooo clear and I could see the fishies without even having to be in the water.
Beach Activities
The beach was full of crazy parties every single night. They included getting face painted, glow in the dark attire, doing limbo or jump rope and so many different types of activities. It also included getting a bucket of booze for $8!
Viewpoint
This was a beautiful short hike up a viewpoint to see the sunset at night. I realized then I loved sunsets over sunrises and could do this every night.
Krabi
I started to feel a bit homesick here. This was reaching near the end of my trip and Covid-19 news had just begun to go around. I knew I had to make the most of it and needed to stop the pity party for myself. I stayed at the Slumber Party and did a pub crawl. I made amazing friends like always and had such a good time!
Phuket
Kata Beach
I arrived and stayed here for my first night. I walked the local streets near by and slowly realized why people I visited along the way told me to avoid Phuket. It was a city for older folks and some different activities.
Karon Beach
I was sooooo happy to finally meet my cousin and my brother in law here. I felt a breath of relief during the confusing time of Covid-19. I got to see a familiar face after so long and was sooo excited to see them.
Bangla Walking Street
This is the famous road full of neon lights, crazy eats and tons of entertainment. You could find deep fried insects and bugs here of all kinds... including tarantulas and scorpions!