From Bangkok to Beaches
The best word to describe Bangkok for me is ‘Overwhelming’, the place is huge, there’s people everywhere and there’s so many sights and smells to take in all a once.
It’s a fantastic place to see both New and Old Thailand, each only around the corner from one another. You could be walking down a crowded street full of street vendors (best places to eat in the city by the way) and turn to the next Street and there could be a Buddhist temple that’s hundreds of years old standing in there with its golden, laughing or solemn Buddha statues.
We got a good deal with our hotel which was right in the heart of Bangkok (between us for one night for a room with a big double bed and great view costs us the equivalent of €15 each). We also discovered there’s some great hostels of all calibre, be it budget hostel for backpackers or private rooms in boutique hostels for those who want a bit more luxury on their trip.
We mainly stuck to Street vendors for food as the Pad Thai can cost as little as 30baht which works out to around 75 cent. Not only was it delicious and good for you, it also costs less than your average chocolate bar in Ireland. Another interesting thing about Pad Thai is that it’s different at every vendor. Meaning although the essential ingredients are there, each place has its own spin on it, which is great because it’s like getting a different dish everytime.
We then got the overnight train to Surat Thani, where our shuttle bus and ferry were waiting for us. The whole thing cost us around €45 euro, which is pretty cheap considering it was our accommodation for the evening as the trains staff turn your seat into a bed so you can easily sleep for most of the journey.
Our ferry dropped us to Nathon Pier where we were approached by a taxi driver offering us a deal of 1,000baht between us which worked out about €25 in total. We declined politely and walked about 20 feet where another taxi driver offered to take us for 100 baht each, providing we hang off the back of his pickup truck-turned-taxi cab. As we found ourselves not able to turn down such a good deal we agreed upon his fair and off we were to our hotel.
We soon discovered that Koh Samui’s airport meant that the island had become a package holiday paradise, which is the natural enemy of the shoestring budget backpacker. It’s a great place to buy a tailored cashmere suit, watch a Muay Thai fight or eat in some expensive (by Thailand’s standards) restaurants. It isn’t however good for experiencing Thai culture in its purest form or walk around without the feeling of someone’s about to sell you something.
We did however find an amazing night market in Chaweng (which was where we were staying during our time on the island) and a fantastic reggae beach bar called Lipsmackers, which is fantastic for its music and chilled vibes. If you want to be especially cheap like us you can always get a few bottles of Chang in the 7 eleven and chill out on the beach and look at the stars.
I will finish this part of the story with this; go to your hotel or hostel and ask them about scooter rentals. It’s costs 200baht (€5) to rent one for the day. As long as you take plenty of pictures of the bikes before you ride them and don’t act like your going to recreate some fast and furious crap on it or drive drunk, you’ll have no problem with no extra charges or anything which can cost you between 2 or 3000baht.
It’s honestly the best thing to do and it’s worth every cent because there’s some amazing sights to see on the island including; waterfalls you can swim in, beautiful Buddhist temples to visit and amazing beaches to enjoy.
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Next week will be about our experiences scubadiving off the coast of Koh Tao and partying at our first Black Moon party in Koh Phangan.
Peace & Love
Leon
