How we covered Thailand, Cambodia & Vietnam in one go!! (Part 1)
South East Asia is considered one of the top trending destinations for a variety of reasons. The foremost is the iconic beaches, serene landscapes and the people! These places cater to the luxury traveler as well as the budget backpacker equally. So if your next destination is any one of these, this blog would let you experience South East Asia’s most rewarding and unique countries in a better way!
Our trip duration was for 16 days!! Considering the variety these places offer and a huge itinerary, we are splitting the blog into three parts. In this part we will cover our first destination — Thailand:
The first thought when you hear the word Thailand is the party scene happening here. The country is most sought after for the wild night life. But trust me, there’s a whole new side of Thailand which is equally amazing. Thailand is well known for its culture and the food. The beaches here are stunning and sets in the right mood for the perfect holiday.
Things to do in Thailand:
Beach and island hopping: Thailand is a vast country and it takes a lot of time to actually explore the entire country. But the main highlights would be to explore the beautiful islands which have a laid back vibe and host some excellent water activities like scuba diving etc. The main islands would be Koh Phi Phi which is the most touristy. The turquoise blue waters are one of a kind and its so inviting! At any point of time, be it on-season or off-season, you would find thousands of people at the beach. There are other options available like Koh Samui, Koh Pha Ngan or Koh Tao which have similar beaches, yet lesser tourists. These three islands need to be reached from Surat Thani by speed boat and are a bit more expensive than Phi Phi. You can take tours to Phi Phi from Phuket or Krabi via speedboat.
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Explore the Royal Palace and temples in Bangkok: The Royal Palace is situated in the heart of Bangkok and no trip to Thailand is complete without a visit to this place. Numerous people visit the place everyday to view the architecture and the sheer grandness of the palace. Also when in Bangkok try to visit the Wat Arun which is another beautiful temple situated on the Chao Phraya river. It is a short ferry across the river and is a must visit. There are so much instagrammable spots inside this temple. It would take almost half a day to visit these spots.
Shopping and some street food in Bangkok: Khao San area is a good place to shop and get some cheap stays as well. There are lot of backpacker hostels in the area and street food choices are aplenty. Vegetarians/vegans have a problem in Thailand getting local people to understand that they need food without meat in it. Even small hotels have majority non-veg food and very few vegetarian options. But if you hunt for a while you can actually find good vegan hotels. Central world is a famous shopping plaza in Bangkok, but mostly you would find all the things are available in India as well ranging from cosmetics, electronics to dresses.
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Visiting the red-light districts: Opposed or not, Thailand night life has gained widespread attraction and hatred. Giving due respect to the people and the job they do, we went on a stroll through the famous Soi Cowboy, one of the most visited places in Bangkok. The entire place is filled with swanky go-go bars and girls inviting you inside. They are respectful and don’t bother you if you politely decline their services. Be careful as there are so many people who need your money and can trick you into something unwanted.
Visiting Pattaya: Most of the people who do a tight budget Thailand tour visit Bangkok and Pattaya primarily. Pattaya has a lot of high end resorts and hotels. The place is very touristy and many people come here for the night life. An amazing temple, Sanctuary of Truth is very famous here. Apart from this, the Walking street and the beaches are highlights of this place. We skipped Pattaya and headed to Krabi after covering Bangkok.
Visiting Krabi: The place is far away from Bangkok and takes an entire night journey by road. If you have less time, take a flight to Krabi from Bangkok. The fares are not so costly and it saves so much time. In Krabi, there are 2 famous beaches: Railay Beach & Ao Nang Beach. Railay is the most sought-after beach and is accessible only by boat (speed boats/long tail boats). The place is often less crowded and you can enjoy sitting in the white sand beach watching the sun set between the magnificent limestone karst. When you arrive at Railay you will not find any roads or cars because of its cut off location, just a few long tail boats and a couple of bars to spend your evenings in. Stay options are very limited, this place is just cutoff from the major happening locations. Ao Nang, on the contrary to Railay, is the heart and soul of Krabi town that hosts majority of the local cafes, which offers some good nightlife and lively atmosphere. It also has many local tour operators to book day tours and a more preferred place for a night stay. We stayed at Ao Nang for 2 nights and took a day tour to Phi Phi.
Visiting Phuket: We took a flight from Krabi to Phuket and stayed there for 2 nights. Phuket is again one of the major tourist spot in Thailand. The island is a historical old Town with beautiful landscapes and cultural attractions. The most iconic spot is undoubtedly the Bangla road night life with biggest collection of night clubs, bars and restaurants. The ping pong adult shows are famous but be careful about your money. Big Buddha statue is one of the most famous spot that offers enhanced view of the town. You also get the same view from Karen view point. Another interesting spot is Patong Beach, known for the lively shores. The Tiger kingdom is another famous spot to have some selfies clicked with tamed tigers of all sizes. Though the place is controversial about keeping wild tigers in a restrictive environment and drugging them most of the time, we gave it a visit. Phuket can also be the starting point for island hopping to reach Pha Nang Bay, James Bond island and Phi Phi. Since we covered Phi Phi from Krabi, we covered other main spots in Phuket as told above. Phuket has a lot of restaurants having good Indian food too, if you have become bored eating Thai food.
Hope we covered enough places to visit in Thailand for 5 days. If you have more time in Thailand, try visiting Chiang Mai in the northern part of Thailand which has some amazing temples and a mountainous landscape. It is worth if you are on an extended trip to Thailand alone for around half a week more. Now let’s throw some details about our trip, stay and visa process:
Place of stay in Krabi: Phra Nang Inn by Vacation Village
Place of stay in Phuket: 7Q Patong Beach Hotel
Place of stay in Bangkok: Rambuttri Village Inn and Plaza
Phi Phi — day tour without stay
Visa type is on arrival, pretty simple but be prepared for a long queue at immigration. Keep every document ready in hand covering details like definite places of stay, return flight etc.
Wanna know more about Cambodia & Vietnam in our upcoming blog. Keep watching this space!!
