SE Asia

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Trip start
March 11, 2024
SE Asia Traveler
London Heathrow
March 11, 2024 in England ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C
Arrived at the airport over FOUR hours early! no chance of missing this flight
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SE Asia Traveler
Abu Dhabi airport
March 12, 2024 in the United Arab Emirates ⋅ 🌙 22 °C
Swanky airport, not very good food options but lots of designer shops. 8 hour layover here
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SE Asia Traveler
Bangkok airport
March 12, 2024 in Thailand ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C
Breezed through security and customs, airport car park man rang my grab (like Uber) driver and directed me to my taxi 🥹
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SE Asia Traveler
Bangkok day 1
March 13, 2024 in Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 33 °C
Slow morning, but once I was up and out the hostel (which is very nice) thought I'd do the most touristy thing first; The Grand Palace. My favourite part of the palace complex was the temple of the emerald Buddha (actually made of Jade). You couldn't take photos inside but there was a small green Buddha a top of a mountain of gold structures and statues surrounded by beautiful decorative murals. The Grand Buddha wears different outfits depending on the season; winter, summer or raining (apparently it's still winter even though it was 33°c today!). The Buddha is washed and changed by the king in a ceremony every season change. Encompassing the temple was the Ramieken gallery made up of 178 handpainted murals (2km long). It depicted prince Ramakien fighting a 10-faced 20-handed giant demon and his monkey army, which was fun to follow along.
Not a whole ton of veggie food at the food markets, lots of mystery meat on sticks and scary looking seafood, so I stuck to places with English descriptions of the food haha.Read more
TravelerGood to see you’ve met local cats already:)
3/15/24Reply
TravelerThere's so many!
3/16/24Reply
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Bangkok day 2
March 14, 2024 in Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 34 °C
Busy busy day, saw gold Buddha, went on a tuk tuk. Visited Jim Thompson's house - an American dude coined 'The Silk King' as he revived Thailand's silk industry in the 50/60's. His house was traditionally Thai with lots of western influences, very beautiful and cool to look round.
In his garden he had a Thai spirit house. When new houses are built, people build a small house to rehome the spirits of the land, as to not make them angry. The house cannot fall within the shadow of the main house and offerings of incense and flowers are given. Pretty cool.
Calypso cabaret show was so fun and camp. They had big musical numbers and lipsyncs to songs by Taylor Swift to Judy Garland. Very fun.Read more
TravelerYou are doing such a lot in one day! I like all the food coverage:) Bit shocked by the monitor lizard - as was the cat I think. Is that a normal thing to see on the streets of Bangkok do you suppose?
3/15/24Reply
TravelerYeah I packed it in, there was just so much to do! They live in the parks here where there's water, there was quite a few signs up warning they may bite 😅
3/16/24Reply
😂😂 [Vikki]
3/17/24Reply
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SE Asia Traveler
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Bangkok day 3
March 15, 2024 in Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 34 °C
Day full of delicious food!
Fun fact I learnt at the museum, one translation for Bangkok is 'the village of wild plums', not that I've seen any plum trees thus far.
In the afternoon I joined a 3 hour bike tour around the Thon Buri district, originally home of the capital in the 16th century, but now a charming residential area. Cycled past gorgeous rows of banana trees and greenery juxtaposed by huge skyscrapers looming behind. Slightly scary navigating narrow river paths or avoiding motor bikes but lots of stops for temples, facts of the area and drinks. Favourite quote from our tour guide, 'more bikey more breezy'.
Gorgeous sunset at the golden mount, very tranquil with humming of Buddhist prayers echoing through speakers and bells ringing in the breeze.
Walked down famous Khao San backpacker road just to see what the fuss is about. Was chaotic and had a slice of everything, probably fun for 18-year old backpackers but I'm too old for that 😅
Think I'm gonna start heading up north tomorrow, looking at getting the train to Ayutthaya.Read more
TravelerMain difference when I was there - no tower blocks or skyscrapers. Food does look good, especially that sushi
3/15/24Reply
Looks amazing [Vikki]
3/17/24Reply
This is such a cinematic pic [Eims]
4/6/24Reply
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SE Asia Traveler
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Bangkok ➡️ Ayutthaya
March 16, 2024 in Thailand ⋅ ☁️ 34 °C
Chilled out travel day today. Feel exhausted from 3 days of craziness in Bangkok, last two days were full on 12 hours of exploring, so feel ready to move on.
Got my first massage as I had a bit of time to kill before my train. Wanted to get my feet massaged but had minor sunburn on them, so got my neck and shoulders done. Relaxing at times, but will have to see how the shoulders feel tomorrow haha, a bit sore at the mo.
Was a 20 min taxi to the big train station, then only a 1 hour ride to Ayutthaya. Had the fluffiest cake I've ever eaten from 7/11 when I got here, like how does a supermarket make cake that good! Hostel man is so nice and super helpful, he's wattsapped three Google maps routes of the city with stops already added, and has got bikes downstairs we can rent. Lots of exploring to be done tomorrow, the ancient area of the city is a UNESCO world heritage site so lots of plenty of temples to wander and history to take in.Read more
TravelerI like your picture of the street and setting sun. Have fun exploring tomorrow:)
3/16/24Reply
Traveler Like India dogs sleeping in the road😂
3/16/24Reply
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Ayutthaya
March 17, 2024 in Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 36 °C
Today was hot hot hot...
....so perfect day for a bike ride!
Ayutthaya was the capital of Thailand in the 15/16th century, and one of the most populated cities in the world at the time. The Burmese army invaded the city, destroying all the temples and palaces leaving only ruins which were never rebuilt.
I cycled round to 6 or so ruins/ temples that our hostel man recommended and they were so beautiful. Most of the Buddha statues there are headless and armless, some say the Burmese decapitated them, others say they were stolen by looters. When I saw all the headless statues lined up, it was quite eerie, there must've been hundreds dotted across all the sites. At some of the ruins, I even used the free umbrellas to shelter from the sun coz it was just so damn hot.
I saw my first elephant today, followed by lots of other elephants, but they were sadly being ridden by tourists :(
In the afternoon I went on a boat tour which took us along the river, and stopped off at two temples and one more ruin. The scenery from the boat was very quaint, with all the locals houses by the river built on stilts.
Off to Sukhothai tomorrow, have had a peak at the weather and think it's even hotter there so pray for me.Read more
Traveler Stunning Pheebs xx
3/17/24Reply
TravelerSuch a lot of interesting things! Specially the catfish - and the gold leaf:)
3/19/24Reply
:( [Vikki]
3/28/24Reply
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Ayutthaya ➡️ Sukhothai
March 18, 2024 in Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 39 °C
Another travel day, not up to a whole lot. I could be doing some of these trips overnight to save money on a nights accommodation and on time, but I'm in no rush and would prefer sleeping in a bed aha, I'm no fun when tired.
Got breakfast at this cute vegetarian buffet down the road from my hostel. I tried asking the lady what she liked the best, but language barrier just meant I ended up pointing at some things and hoping for the best.
Booked my bus through the hostel, with taxi there and a meal included. Bus was very nice, got two seats to myself and even had to use my jumper as a wee blanket coz the air con was blasting (not complaining). Took about 6 hours and my new hostel was only around the corner from the bus station! The hostel has questionable room decoration but can't complain for £4 a night, as a bonus think I may be the only one in this room tonight!
Walked towards town to have a look at the night market, but it was pretty small with not much in the way of veggie food so went to a lil restaurant.
Meant to be very hot again tomorrow so I'm going to attempt to get up some what early to avoid the worse of it, more ruins to explore.Read more
Traveler I like your bedding
3/18/24Reply
TravelerMore amazing food pics. I wonder if those birds are starlings?
3/19/24Reply
TravelerI think they were! Sounded like them
3/19/24Reply
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Sukhothai
March 19, 2024 in Thailand ⋅ 🌩️ 36 °C
Another history based city today, which is Sukhothai! It was the original capital of Thailand, in the 13/14th century, and where the most famous Thai King, King Ramkhamhaeng, ruled and introduced Buddhism and the Thai alphabet, both heavy influences from India. It was taken over by the neighbouring Ayutthaya Kingdom, which left most of its ancient architecture in ruins.
The remains of the royal palace and 26 temples is now encapsulated in Sukhothai history park! The park spans 70km² and is divided into 5 zones. I hired a bike and cycled round two of the zones. The park is kept immaculately, and was so peaceful, with so many less tourists than Ayutthaya.
It was unbelievably hot again but I managed to see most of the good spots before lunch, and there was a lovely breeze going through the park which made sightseeing much more enjoyable!
I escaped to a cafe for lunch and read my book for a couple of hours, before finding more shade and AIRCON at the main museum. I learnt some interesting facts and saw some cool artefacts, but the aircon was the main seller for me.
I wanted to watch the sunset at one of the temples, but the sun had disappeared behind a wall of cloud and smog by 5.30 so I headed back to the hostel. I was craving something greasy so committed sacrilege and order a pizza. I think it was the worse pizza I've had. Serves me right for ordering western food in Thailand. Cheese and spinach was the only veggie option, but I think it was 30% cheese and then 70% mayo for some reason. Quite grim, only managed half before I gave up and bought a big bag of crisps from the hostel instead.
It's thunderstormed all evening and seems the heavens have opened up, so am writing this with the sound of rain hammering down on the roof.
Another travel day tomorrow, off the Chiang Mai, which I've heard great things about from friends who have been before, so I'm very excited!Read more
Traveler Lovely long fingers!
3/19/24Reply
Traveler Did you cry ? 🤣
3/19/24Reply
TravelerI wanted to 😭
3/19/24Reply
Traveler Food looks right up,your street enjoy
3/20/24Reply
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SE Asia Traveler
Sukhothai ➡️ Chiang Mai
March 20, 2024 in Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C
Another travel day today. The rain last night has cooled the temperatures down a bit which is very welcome.
Made a rookie error, didn't have time before my bus this morning to have breakfast or buy snacks, assuming we'd stop somewhere. Nope, we drove for 6 hours straight only stopping to let people on and off the bus. Safe to say by the time we got to Chiang Mai I was STARVING, dropped my stuff off at the hostel and went in immediate search of food. Seems to be lots of vegan and veggie places around which is cool. Had some vegan Vietnamese /Thai food for late lunch and satisfied my greasy food craving with a vegan chicken burger and chips for dinner.
Was too tired to explore, but from the small areas I've walked around, seems really nice with a lot to do! I would love to visit an elephant sanctuary but need to do some research of the ethics of it all. Would like to go somewhere I can admire them from a far, not sure how moral these places are where you can feed, pet and bathe with them. So we shall see.
Thinking of doing a hike tomorrow, a lot of people are warning about the air quality here as it's burning season in the north (where farmers burn old crops to cultivate the soil). But I haven't noticed it being any worse than Bangkok.Read more
TravelerI think you’re right to look into the elephant places.. How awful a six hour journey without food!
3/24/24Reply
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Chiang Mai day 1
March 21, 2024 in Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C
(posting next day)
Finally put my walking shoes to use and went on a hike today! Got a ride up to the start of the trail and was walking by 9.30. The first was called the Monk's trail up to a temple called Wat Pha Lat, originally used by the monks to walk to Chiang Mai. The temple complex was beautiful with a lush green Forrest backdrop.
The second trail was longer and more challenging, with a vertical scramble to start off. There was no gaps in the forest for views but some huge butterflies flitting across the trail. This led up to a temple called Wat Doi Suthep, which supposedly has great views of Chiang Mai at the top, but the visibility was poor due to all the smoke.
Last night I bought another pair of long thin trousers are my others were in the house, I was assured they were very good quality and would fit very well. After two unfortunate incidents of retying my shoes, and squatting down to take a nice photo, my new trousers were beyond repair.
In the afternoon I made some hostel friends and we hired bikes and drove up through the mountains in hopes of a nice sunset. That did not happen, but we got a nice dinner at a local stall and got a great view of Chiang Mai at night.Read more
Traveler I would of hated that 🤣
3/22/24Reply
Traveler Top quality 🙃
3/22/24Reply
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SE Asia Traveler
Chiang Mai day 2
March 22, 2024 in Thailand ⋅ ☁️ 31 °C
We had bikes for 24 hours so two off us hopped on one after breakfast and drove to a national park. It was so peaceful, barely anyone was there so we had a wander and found two waterfalls to have a swim under. Haven't been swimming since I got here, so was lovely and refreshing.
In the afternoon I paid a visit to an artists village called Baan Kan Wat. It was a compound filled with a few cafes and loads of craft stalls selling all different kinds of art from pottery and jewelry, to spoons and skin care. They also had a ton of classes you could take like learning watercolour, making your own pom pom earrings or creating a mosaic. I didn't do any classes but loved looking around, if I wasn't backpacking I would have bought so much stuff!
Just before sunset I went to a temple nearby the artists village, the temple was cool but what I liked most about the place was that there were chickens and all kind of birds running around the place. As it got dark, the area was filled with sound of chickens cooing and the bugs in the trees humming so loudly, which was bizarre as the temple itself was so calming to look around, but the noise was crazy.
Later on I finally found the egg salad sandwich in a 7/11 that everybody raves about! ...was sadly very disappointing, the white bread here is very sweet :(Read more
TravelerLovely to have a swim. You’re right, the sound of the insects at night is incredible:)
3/24/24Reply
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Chiang Mai day 3
March 23, 2024 in Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 33 °C
Slow start to the day today, temperature has crept back up which makes everything a little more tiring.
Was too hot to walk around the city so I went to the arts and culture centre which had sweet sweet aircon, as well as two cool interactive exhibitions on the history of Chiang Mai and how it is currently.
In the afternoon I went to a cookery class which was one of my favourite things I've done so far! They picked us up from our hostels, took round a local market and told us about local produce. Then we had a tour around the organic farm the cookery school is based in, got to try herbs, chillis and vegetables they grow picked straight off the plants.
We then got to choose a three course meal to cook from a set menu and prepped up all the ingredients and spices. Our chef was so lovely and funny, and the helpers would whizz around collecting dirty utensils and bowls as soon as you put them down.
I made tom yum soup which is a spicy sour soup with mushrooms, tofu and coconut milk. A massaman curry, which was a delicious aromatic peanut and potato dish (my favourite). And then of course, the classic pad Thai. All the food was so delicious and I walked out absolutely stuffed!
We got dropped off from cooking at the Saturday night market, had a wander then grabbed a beer and found some live music. At the hostel we played go fish, which I am currently having exceptional beginners luck at, and then went out to play beer pong and pool, which went less well.Read more
TravelerCookery school sounds excellent. Good you are meeting friendly folk to spend time with
3/24/24Reply
Traveler Looks lush 😍😍
3/25/24Reply
£1.20!! 😱 [Vikki]
3/28/24Reply
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SE Asia Traveler
Chiang Mai day 4
March 24, 2024 in Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C
I surprised myself with organisation today. I put a message out into a Hostelworld group chat yesterday (app I've been using to book my accommodation) to see if anyone wanted to get a car to some waterfalls as the tours were expensive.
This morning at 8.45, 9 other girls met me outside my hostel and we got in a taxi to go to the sticky waterfalls! It was over an hour drive, but so worth it. They are called sticky waterfalls as the limestone deposits on the rock make them easy to climb up, even with water cascading down. There were four levels of waterfalls, we had to walk down hundreds of steps to get to the bottom, so we could start climbing the waterfall. The area was surrounded by lush green forest which made the experience even more magical. We climbed it twice because it was just so fun.
Had a lazy afternoon and then met some of the girls for drinks and ventured into the Sunday night market. It was so much bigger than the night before, streets upon streets full of stalls selling all sorts. The temples were lit up and surrounded by food stalls and live music, was fab.Read more
TravelerThe waterfall looks fabulous
3/31/24Reply
TravelerSo much fun!
4/1/24Reply
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Chiang Mai day 5
March 25, 2024 in Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C
Highlight of the day was visiting the Elephant Nature Park! I did some research and pretty much everyone I talked to about it recommended this sanctuary. It was opened in the 1990's by a lady called Lek, and since then she's won lots of awards for her charity work and has opened up other sanctuaries in Cambodia and Laos.
We got driven from their office in Chiang Mai for about 1 hour 20 up into the mountains. I felt like a giddy kid, as we got into denser forest I had my face pressed up against the window hoping to be the first to see an elephant.
The santuary also rescues lots of other animals, including over 700 dogs, 1600 cats, 100 water buffalo, rabbits, cows, goats, pigs, the lot! So as we arrived, we were greated by lots of cute dogs.
We weren't allowed to touch or feed the elephants during the visit, but all but 6 of the 100+ elephants were rescued from some form of work, so they were used to humans.
Our guide Aey was so funny, and knowledgeable, she knew every elephant by name and would tell us quirks about their personalities or funny stories about them. Older elephants or injured ones, were kept separate so workers could keep a closer eye on them. They had 7 blind elephants and many had permanently broken legs or hips from working in logging or circuses which was really sad to see. There are 300 people employed at the sanctuary, lots of the elephant keepers sat in small huts keeping an eye on the elephants and also feeding or keeping them out of trouble aha. Aey said they can tell when an elephant is grumpy, so they'll give them space and keep them away from people, then certain elephants generally don't like people so they get to chill out away from visitors. There were a few baby elephants that we were told to keep our distance from, not because they were dangerous but they want to play but don't know how to play with humans haha. The youngest elephant who was 1 and 1/2 is best friends with the water buffalo which I thought was so sweet. She pointed out certain elephants we could take photos next to, they were pretty uninterested in us as we had no bananas but it was so cool to be so close.
We saw one elephant steal some leaves from the garden, when she got caught by a keeper she threw it on her back. She then spent the next 5 mins trynna shake them off, grab them with her trunk or flap her ears to get it off, was very entertaining. Observing the elephants you could really tell how intelligent they were, so made me really sad to hear about how they were all treated previously to coming here.
We walked through the park for about 90 mins before having late lunch. Just before our bus left, we got to watch the keepers bring back 11 elephants who are kept further away in the day, walk down the river from a bridge. The keepers basically carry bananas or papayas and the elephants follow, they are very food motivated just like me aha.
For dinner I had a really delicious Kao Soi (curry vegetable noodle soup topped with crispy noodles). The first one I tried wasn't amazing so I didn't get the hype around the dish, but after last night's I absolutely do now! In the evening we had a few beers and went to a cool bar with a reggae bar, a nice way to end a lovely day!Read more
Traveler Wow what an incredible experience Pheebs
3/26/24Reply
you got close to the ele's then [Dad]
3/26/24Reply
Traveler Lovely pictures of elephants they are very interesting animals. You certainly are seeing a lot of new rhinos and the food looks very good value .
3/26/24Reply
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Chiang Mai ➡️ Pai
March 26, 2024 in Thailand ⋅ ☁️ 32 °C
Quite sad to be leaving Chiang Mai today, it's such a cool city, I feel like I only scratched the surface, definitely my favourite stop so far. Plus I loved my hostel and met some really nice people. But unfortunately on to the next place, I know I can always come back and don't want to get stuck in places too long.
After breakfast and packing up my bag, I went to a few second hand stores in hope of finding another pair of trousers. I'm not great at clothes shopping at the best of times but with the heat, a lack of concentration and such a huge selection of clothes with tiny sizing, I didn't succeed.
I got picked up in a mini bus from my hostel and had a 3 hour drive to Pai. The roads for the second half of the journey were so windy as we drove up and down through the mountains, some of the corners were so sharp we were doing over 180° turns.
I had purposely skipped lunch as I knew the journey would be winding and I didn't want to feel ill, so by the time I arrived in Pai I was STARVING. By some happy accident I walked in the opposite direction from where the minibus dropped us to where my hostel was, (poor sense of direction even with Google maps) but I came across a tiny Banh Mi (Vietnamese sandwich) stand. And omg was one of the biggest sandwiches I've ever had and was so damn delicious!
I'm not sure what I'm doing in Pai for the next couple days. The place has a bit of bohemian feel to it, and because of it's location I think there's lots of nature things to explore.Read more
TravelerLooks like your having an amazing time and your not going hungry, food looks good😋
3/26/24Reply
TravelerYou’re certainly finding some wonderful looking things to eat!
4/1/24Reply
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SE Asia Traveler
Pai day 1
March 27, 2024 in Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C
First day in Pai! Was pretty lively down the main street yesterday afternoon and evening but it's like a ghost town this morning. It's definitely a place aimed at tourists, so think most people were recovering from the night before.
I found a girl with a spare seat on her scooter on hostelworld and we drove up through the mountains to the Nam Lod caves. It was over 1 & 1/2 hours drive, but we had beautiful views. We met another guy when got there and got a tour around the three caves, led by our guide who was leading the way with a gas lamp. The first caves was so huge, even when shining your phone flashlight, you couldn't see the bats at the top of the cave. There was a lot more stair climbing than expected, but the stalactites and other rock formations were stunning. There were 30 wooden coffins that were discovered in the caves, estimated to be 1000 years old, and even some ancient carving in one dating back 3000 years!
The highlight of the tour was going through the final cave on a small bamboo raft, with only the light from the lamp illuminating the fish in the water, and drift wood washed up along the rock wall. As the cave mouth opened up, the sunlight uncovered hundreds of bats encircling the top of the cave. Was a very very cool experience.
We met up with two guys we had chatted to on a snack pitstop on the way for lunch. It's honestly so easy to make friends while travelling, everyone I've met is so chill, someone you've just met will ask if you wanna grab some food or go on a day trip, it's crazy but so nice.
In the evening we checked out a couple live music bars and got to experience a bit of Pai nightlife.Read more
Travelerwhat a fantastic trip your having, enjoying seeing everything your seeing and doing from the comfort of my armchair, food looks very different, but so clean living, the caves were fabulous, stunning, but with all the bats, glad i couldn't smell what you did.
3/29/24Reply
TravelerHaha the caves didn't actually smell too bad, just slightly musky 😅
3/31/24Reply
TravelerThe caves sound wonderful, great to see the bats
4/1/24Reply
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SE Asia Traveler
Pai day 2
March 28, 2024 in Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C
Today I went on a half day tour today to see some of Pai's famous sights. The stops were a little hit or miss, but still fun to see. The smoke meant the view point was a little obsolete and the waterfall we went to was pretty murky.
We did visit a place called Santichon village which is a village built for tourists replicating the life of Yunnan Chinese people who fled from China to the hill tribes of Thailand. It's not peak tourist season anymore, so most of the food and clothes stalls in the village were closed, but it was cute to look around.
One of my personal favourites was the bamboo bridge. As it's name suggests, it was a 800m bamboo bridge suspended over rice fields, leading to a very small Buddhist temple. As it's dry season, the rice fields weren't green but still lovely scenery, with cows grazing and the backdrop of hazey mountains.
Final stop was sunset at Pai canyon. I was just kind of expecting a cliff overlooking some mountains, but it was a proper canyon which had paths snaking in different directions that you could scrabble over to pick a good spot to sit and admire the sunset.
I realised I hadn't had a night in to myself in over a week, so had dinner then headed back to the hostel to chill (scroll on Instagram).Read more
TravelerThat Buddha, and the steps leading to it! Amazing
4/1/24Reply
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SE Asia Traveler
Pai day 3
March 29, 2024 in Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C
First lazy day today. I was tempted to go tipsy tubing today (tubing down a river past bars), but was lacking energy so had a day to myself.
Had a lie in, got food, watched some TV, had a nap, caught up writing my diary, had a massage. Was a great day recharging.
Lady who runs the hostel cooked up a big dinner for her friends and anyone who wanted to join, so had a fab homemade meal. One of the reasons Thai homes have a policy where you remove your shoes before entering is because they traditionally sit on the floor to eat. Lots of hostels have this rule too just to keep the place tidier/ more hygienic which I like.
Grabbed a couple beers and played some pool in the evening to say goodbye to Pai friends, off to Chiang Rai early tomorrow!Read more
TravelerSounds like having a restful day worked well
4/1/24Reply
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Pai ➡️ Chiang Rai
March 30, 2024 in Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 36 °C
Travelled from Pai to Chaing Rai today, there is no direct route, so first had to get a 3hr minibus from Pai to Chaing Mai, then a 4hr coach to Chiang Rai. When I got to Chiang Mai I realised I had booked my coach for the wrong date (whoops), but luckily I could buy a cheaper and earlier one from the bus station counter!
After dropping my bags off at the hostel in Chiang Rai I immediately went to get food as all I eaten was a 7/11 cheese toastie and crisps. Made the mistake of eating soupy noodles with chopsticks in a white t-shirt... that shirt is now splattered with Khao Soi. Later on I briefly explored the Saturday night market, before getting dinner and having an early night.Read more
Traveler I love those crisps
3/31/24Reply
TravelerSo yummy
4/1/24Reply
TravelerThe roundabout is astonishing!
4/1/24Reply
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SE Asia Traveler
Chiang Rai day 1
March 31, 2024 in Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 38 °C
Chiang Rai is mainly known for its temples, so that's what I did today! There was a full day tour of all the sights, but the half day one in Pai tired me out, let alone a full day in 38° heat! so did this solo.
Was up and out the hostel by 8 to beat the crowds and weather. First stop was Rong Suea Ten Temple, nicknamed the blue temple, as every building and statue was a vibrant shade of blue. It was quite small, but the blue and gold looked gorgeous in the morning sun.
I then ventured over to Wat Rong Khun, the white temple, arguably one of the most famous temple complexes in Thailand. It was pretty specular, the white buildings were accented with pieces of mirror, making them sparkle in the sunlight. It was also one of the quirkier temples with artistic aspects and decorations, not just religious. Inside the main hall, you weren't allowed to take photos, but painted on the back wall amongst a Buddhist mural were small cartoons like pokemans, superheroes or characters from films which was really cool. The temple complex also included a gold exhibition temple, a cave full of sculptures, plus several art galleries and collections. I was so glad I got there early, as I was leaving the main temple was swarmed with people.
Next stop was the Baan Dan museum, or the Black House. It was an area full of 40 black houses varying in shape and size, each displaying sculptures, artwork and artifacts. It was curated by a guy called Thawan Duchanee, over 40 years. Was a little bizarre, but interesting to wander round.
In the evening I visited Wat Huay Pla Kang, which had several temples and a 90 metre statue of Guanyin, the Chinese Goddess of Mercy. Although the sunset wasn't spectacular, the lighting was so nice.
Though it wasn't expensive to get around today, I do wish I could drive a scooter as it would've been a third of the price to drive, compared to getting scooter taxis, which is a little annoying. I just need to make more friends that can drive aha.
The heat from the day absolutely knackered me out, so sat in my hostel watching the footy (Arsenal Vs Chelsea women cup final), which Arsenal won, whoop whoop!Read more
TravelerWow
4/1/24Reply
TravelerI love looking at all your travels good pictures it is the first thing I do is read about your travels food links good lots of love🦉
4/1/24Reply
Traveler❤️
4/1/24Reply
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SE Asia Traveler
Chiang Rai day 2
April 1, 2024 in Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 38 °C
It was 38° again today!! So I avoided outdoor activity as much as I could.
I got up early so I could catch the 9.30 free tourist tram around the city to see the sights before it got too hot. Unbeknownst to me, where the tram started was different to online sources, and I couldn't get on. I did walk to the first stop, which was a temple, but gave up following it after that. Went to a cat cafe instead 🤣 It had aircon, WiFi, cute cats and good coffee, what more could you want!
After spending way too long at the cafe, I visited another temple, the original home to the Emerald Buddha (now kept in Grand Palace Bangkok) and the Hill Tribe museum. I would've liked to have visited a tribe in Northern Thailand but have heard mixed reviews, though tourism brings in money, it can be exploitive and destroys their culture a little. The museum was nice, a little outdated, but interesting. They explained the downfalls of tourism, like children in some tribes no longer wear traditional clothes as they are time consuming to make and get sold to tourists. But then the museum was also offering to book tours to visit tribes, so it was a bit confusing. I did learn a lot of the tribes used to (and some still do) produce a ton of Opium, and there are over 1 & 1/2 million people belonging to over 9 different tribes in Thailand, but the government doesn't recognise them as Thai citizens, even if they were born here (go figure that one).
Anyway, off to Laos tomorrow! I will hopefully be returning to Thailand later in my trip to do the south. I've got a 5am pick up tomorrow morning to get the slow boat to Luang Prabang.Read more
TravelerThat’s over 100f! I envy your visit to a cat cafe:)
4/1/24Reply
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SE Asia Traveler
Chiang Rai ➡️ Huay Xai
April 2, 2024 in Laos ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C
Arrived in Laos today!
I had a 5am pickup from my hostel this morning which wasn't the most fun. Went to 7/11 which amazingly is open 24hrs to grab breakfast and loads of snacks. Was absolutely devastated when I bit into one of my toasties at 4.30am to find in my sleepy haze I had accidentally bought cheese and sausage instead of cheese! Was a tragedy.
The minibus took just under 7 hours to the border where we arrived just before it opened at 7. Breezed through passport control then had to wait around and hop on another bus for a 5 minute ride over the 'friendship bridge'. Which one one side has immaculate Thai flags on one side and tattered Laos flags on the other, as soon as we got into Laos too the roads were a lot bumpier.
We then had to faff about filling in forms for visas, which were $40, so my emergency American dollars already came in great use! We got bundled into trucks, and then driven to the ferry terminal at Huay Xia.
We got a free sandwich on arrival to take on the bait with us, the vegetation option much to my disappointment seemed to just be salad and mayonnaise in a baguette :(Read more
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SE Asia Traveler
Huay Xai ➡️ Pak Beng
April 2, 2024 in Laos ⋅ ☀️ 34 °C
The slow boat was somehow just what I imagined, the seats were a mismatch of ones rescued from buses and was full of a mix of tourists and locals. For the first part of the Mekong river, the border between Laos and Thailand is in the middle of the water, so we had each country either side.
Unfortunately the smoke seems pretty bad in northern Laos, so the views weren't spectacular, but it was still nice watching water buffalo grazing on the river banks and local kids swimming and waving at the boat.
It took about 7 hours to get to Pak Beng, where we were greeted at the top of the pier stairs with locals trying to flog accommodation. Four of us got a room in a homestay, which wasn't the best but only £3 each. Luckily the drive wasn't far to the accommodation as we were sat in the back of a railed pick up surrounded by our and other luggage, going up a very steep hill with no back to the car, was an experience aha.
We found somewhere to grab food and a beer, which had a nice view of the smokey bay. As it got dark we could actually see fires on the hillside and there were bits of ash floating down from the sky which was kinda crazy.
Got another 7 hour day on the boat tomorrow before we arrive in Luang Prabang.Read more
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