Dossing in Thailand

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We haven't managed to write a blog for a while, as we've been in Myanmar (Burma) - where communication is tough to say the least. So, we're a little behind!! Before getting into the wonders of Myanmar, here's our Thailand blog...

The only flight between Delhi and Bangkok was at 3.30am!! So, we took it and arrived in Bangkok on 24th June. From Bangkok we got a bus straight to Pattaya to see my dad, where we had our first 'Western meal' for a very long time.....ham, eggs and chips! We spent 4 days in Pattaya, which was great as we got to see my dad and Som, and eat some lovely Thai food.

After Pattaya, we flew to Krabi town, and from there took a longtail boat to Railay. Railay's part of the mainland, but is surrounded by cliffs and rain forest, meaning you can only get there by boat. The beaches are stunning - powder white sand, with palm trees and limestone kastes all around. The water was really warm, and quite clear - although not clear enough to really go snorkelling off the coast. Looking out to sea, there were dozens of islands, big and small. A beautiful place to be. We spent our days in the sea or chilling out on the beach, and our evening's in 'The Last Bar/Restaurant' - a place dedicated to delicious and cheap food!! Plus they had Wimbledon on every night, so we set up camp! We stayed in a gorgeous hut, in amongst tropical gardens - our walk back from the beach to our resort was always tricky though, as we had to dodge the monkeys, gibbons, bats and huge mosquitos! After 8 lovely days of relaxation, we got a longtail boat back to Krabi Town.

Krabi Town isn't the best looking town, but we liked it - even though we stayed in the basement of a guesthouse - with no natural light, and a shared bathroom (it was 2.80 GBP - so was a good deal). We hired a moped and explored the mainland for a few days - it was fantastic! A total feeling of freedom. We went to the national parks, where we saw 7 tiered waterfalls. There was a food night market on every night, selling tasty cheap food.

Whilst in Krabi Town, we decided to assess our route plan. We were planning on going up into the north of Thailand (Chiang Mai / Chiang Rai) and then onto Laos - but so was every other person we spoke to!! Not an original itinerary. So, after lots of research, we decided that Myanmar (Burma) might be a great place to spend a few weeks. We booked our tickets out of Bangkok, and were really excited about our new travel plans!

After a few days, we headed off on a day coach to the bright lights of Bangkok. We decided to steer clear of the tourist central Khoa San Road, and stayed in the business district near the MBK stadium. Bangkok has really changed over the past few years, and is now a sprawling city with great transport links and a multi-cultural society. The government has cleaned up the city completely - the streets are spotless and pollution is under control. In short, a great city to spend some time in. It has 3 contrasting styles;

1) ultra modern to rival any city in the world
2) shabby 70's architecture
3) traditional Buddhist temples and palaces

We spent a few days sight-seeing around Bangkok, sorting out Myanmar visas and eating ice-creams in plush shopping centres.

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Photos

Wat Pho Reclining Buddha
46 metres long and 15 metres high

Comments

[Margaret Pruden]

Thailand
Sounds wonderful - glad you are still having great fun. Keep the blogs coming Mum and Dad