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Travel Journal Across Thailand
  • Suraj Ka Safarnama
  • Suraj Ka Safarnama

Travel Journal Across Thailand

My Thailand journey, packed with experiences, detours, and practical tips which can be a handy reference while planning your own adventure. Læs mere
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  • Suraj Ka SafarnamaTravel Journal Across ThailandSuraj Ka Safarnama

    A Pirate's Feast

    2. januar 2025, Thailand ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

    Our first stop on Phi Phi Island was Pirates House Restaurant, conveniently located near the harbor. With stunning ocean and cliff views, it was the perfect spot to relax and grab lunch. After refueling, we changed into our swimwear and set off to find a nearby beach for a refreshing swim, leaving our bags (except for the one with cash and passports) behind at the restaurant.Læs mere

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  • Suraj Ka SafarnamaTravel Journal Across ThailandSuraj Ka Safarnama

    Next day’s game plan

    2. januar 2025, Thailand ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

    On our way to the beach, we noticed countless shops offering island tours, boat rides, and ferry tickets to Phuket and Krabi—these tour agencies were practically on every corner. Since we hadn’t planned our next day yet, we decided to book a tour in advance. After checking out a few places, we opted for a half-day longtail boat tour (9 AM - 1 PM) for ฿400 per person, while some shops were charging ฿500-600 for the same package.

    The tour included a stop at Maya Bay for 45 minutes, but visitors wanting to step onto the beach had to pay an additional ฿400 fee, which this shop said had to be paid directly at the bay, while some other agencies included it in the booking price. Based on my experience, I’d recommend paying any additional fees upfront at the counter to avoid the hassle of carrying cash during the tour.    Læs mere

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  • Suraj Ka SafarnamaTravel Journal Across ThailandSuraj Ka Safarnama

    Getting around Koh Phi Phi

    2. januar 2025, Thailand ⋅ 🌙 29 °C

    Koh Phi Phi is a small island with no vehicles, making it easy to explore entirely on foot. The roads here are unlike anything I’ve seen before—narrow, winding, and almost identical to one another. For newcomers, navigating can feel like a maze, as every street looks the same. Thankfully, Google Maps helps, but a useful tip is to take photos of shops or landmarks you want to revisit. With so many tour shops having nearly identical names, it’s easy to get confused!Læs mere

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    The mesmerizing fire show at Freedom Bar

    2. januar 2025, Thailand ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C

    After dinner, Sam was feeling sleepy, but I wasn’t. So, while she rested at the hostel, I went out for a little exploration. That’s when I stumbled upon Freedom Bar, where an incredible fire show was taking place.

    Things we didn’t do but would recommend: The Ibiza Pool Party, which happens every Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday.    Læs mere

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  • Suraj Ka SafarnamaTravel Journal Across ThailandSuraj Ka Safarnama

    From Monkey Beach to Pileh Lagoon

    3. januar 2025, Thailand ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C

    Our group tour started with a ride across Phi Phi’s emerald waters, surrounded by towering limestone cliffs. First stop was Monkey Beach, where we hopped off for a few quick photos, didn't find any monkeys though. Next, we slowed down near Viking Cave, admiring its ancient walls from the boat before moving on.

    At Pileh Lagoon, we finally jumped in! The water was a surreal shade of turquoise, and with life jackets on (since we can’t swim), we floated peacefully, soaking in the beauty of the towering cliffs around us.

    Next stop: Maya Bay.    Læs mere

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    Silence before the Storm

    3. januar 2025, Thailand ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    We reached Maya Bay, where our boat docked alongside many others. The captain started collecting the ฿400 National Park fee from those who wanted to step onto the beach. Not everyone on our boat paid, some stayed behind, and honestly, even I wasn’t sure what was inside. But Sam seemed to know. She had carried a bag with clothes, intending to change. I took her bag, pulled out my wallet, and handed ฿800 to the captain. He watched me closely as I did. Then, he reminded all that we had an hour before the boat would leave.

    Inside, Maya Bay was… just a photo spot. A long queue of tourists coming and going. The beach was undeniably beautiful, framed by towering cliffs and turquoise waters, but the experience felt curated. There was a small park area with washrooms, where people were changing into outfits for the perfect shot.

    Sam took the bag and headed to change, but when she returned, she hadn’t. Something was off. She was silent, frustrated, and on the verge of tears. After some coaxing, she admitted she had forgotten her dress in the other bag. That was it, her mood flipped, and she quietly cried, upset at herself.

    I tried to console her. “Photos aren’t everything. It’s the experience that matters.” But for her, it felt like a wasted moment, a wasted ฿800. To be fair, I wouldn’t have gone in either if I had known we couldn’t swim in the crystal-clear water. But I reminded her that forgetting a dress wasn’t a real problem. We were in a foreign country and people lose passports, money, or even their phones. If something like that had happened, then sure, that would be worth stressing over. But crying over missing a photo in the perfect dress at Maya Bay? It didn’t make sense to me.

    But a girl is just a girl.

    I playfully forced a few photos of us in whatever we were wearing, trying to lighten the mood. Then, with the moment behind us, we headed back to the boat, ready for the next stop, unaware of what was about to unfold.    Læs mere

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    Careless when happy

    3. januar 2025, Thailand ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    Our next and final stop was for snorkeling. The boat circled around before docking alongside other boats. It was located just in front of Maya Bay Beach, between the two cliffs visible from the shore. From the snorkeling point, we could still see the very beach we had visited earlier.

    Excited, we got ready for snorkeling, carefully putting our phones into the bag and leaving it on the boat. The moment we entered the water, an entirely different world unfolded before us. The ocean was mesmerizing—vibrant corals, schools of fish darting in every direction, creating a scene straight out of a nature documentary. It was our first snorkeling experience, and though Sam struggled initially, the captain, being friendly and helpful, handed her a floatation tube to assist her.

    While in the water, I checked upon our boat and noticed a new local guy had appeared on our boat, who wasn’t there before. He might have been a friend of the captain from one of the neighboring boats. He stood there, observing us with a cheerful expression. Caught up in the moment, I brushed it off without much thought.

    When our time was up, we climbed back onto the boat, thrilled and filled with excitement from the experience. The boat then set off toward the shore, marking the end of our half-day tour. On our way back, they served us fresh pineapples.

    As we reached the shore, it was time to disembark. Sam was ahead of me, carrying our bag over her shoulder. Just as I was about to step off, a nagging thought crossed my mind that I should check the bag to make sure everything was still inside. I voiced my concern, but Sam dismissed it instantly, saying everything would be there and that I was worrying too much.

    Trusting her words, I let it go, and we got off the boat.    Læs mere

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    A Traveler’s Nightmare

    3. januar 2025, Thailand ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

    Terrified by the theft, I stood there in shock. Our entire cash and all my cards were gone. I knew exactly when and how it had happened—during snorkeling. But now, I didn’t know what to do. My mind went blank, and Sam was silent, processing the situation. Frustration and anger boiled inside me. How were we supposed to reach Krabi? How would we even get back home? How would we continue the trip without money? Everything felt uncertain.

    We rushed to the tour office and confronted them, shouting that their guy had stolen my wallet. They remained unfazed, as if this was nothing new to them. I demanded to go back to the boat and speak to the crew, but they claimed the boat had already left for another trip. They called the captain and spoke in Thai, which I couldn’t understand. Eventually, they showed me a picture the captain had sent, claiming he had searched the boat but found no wallet.

    Then, they started suggesting that we might have dropped it at Maya Bay. For a brief moment, I considered the possibility if Sam might have dropped it when she went to change in the washroom? Maybe it was my mistake, too, for not checking the wallet after that. But something didn’t add up like why was only the wallet missing and nothing else?

    I remembered how the captain had seen my wallet when I handed over the National Park fee. Maybe that was when the plan was set in motion. And then there was the new guy on our boat during snorkeling.

    Still, the truth was clear to me. I hadn’t dropped it. It was taken from the bag. Even if we had checked right after snorkeling, it wouldn’t have mattered, since the wallet was already gone, possibly with the other guy from the neighboring boat.

    At this point, I knew my wallet was gone and I'm not getting it back, but we still had to figure out what to do next. We had no money for food, accommodation or anything. How were we going to survive? With no other option, we rushed to the police station.

    There’s a "Tourist Police" station in Phi Phi, meant to help travelers, but to my shock, even the police there didn’t understand English. We had to rely on Google Translate to communicate (Thai<>English). I made them talk to the tour agency over call but even with that, they weren’t much help. And honestly, what could they even do now?    Læs mere

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    Lost everything, found kindness

    3. januar 2025, Thailand ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

    Worried and unsure of what to do next, we stood outside the police station, feeling helpless. That’s when we spotted an Indian couple walking by. Indians are somehow easy to recognize, and Sam immediately urged me to go talk to them.

    We approached them and explained our situation. I told them I had the option to pay via UPI in INR and asked if they could give us cash in exchange. They listened sincerely, and without a second thought, they offered us all the Euros they had. They mentioned they could withdraw more from their credit card and that incidents like this could happen to anyone. Since they were the ones we happened to meet, they genuinely wanted to help so our trip wouldn’t be ruined.

    We checked the Euro to INR exchange rate, transferred the equivalent amount through UPI, and they handed us the cash.

    I’ve always believed in the existence of God, and in moments like these, He sends His angels to help. This time, their names were Pawan and Anumeha.    Læs mere

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    A costly lesson

    3. januar 2025, Thailand ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

    The ferries in Thailand followed a schedule, and we had originally planned to catch the 3 PM ferry—if not for the incident. Since we had already missed it, our only remaining option for the day was the 5 PM speedboat.

    With enough time on our hands, we needed to complete a few important tasks first. Our first stop was the currency exchange shop, where we converted the Euros, amounting to around 200, into Thai Baht. After that, we returned to the police station and filed an FIR for the wallet theft. I knew it wouldn’t really help, but I still wanted to document the incident.

    Next, we picked up our luggage from the same tour shop and left. The speedboat ticket was almost double the price of the ferry, but at this point, expenses didn’t even faze me anymore—we had already been through so much.    Læs mere

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    From chaos to calm

    3. januar 2025, Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    By now, my anger had subsided, but Sam was still silent. I knew I had to lift her spirits. We reassured ourselves that, as terrible as the situation was, it could have been worse. It was just a loss of money, what if they had taken our phones or passports? That thought alone helped us move on. The trip was back on track. We were finally heading to Krabi, just as we had planned.Læs mere

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    Railay beach or not?

    3. januar 2025, Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    During our speedboat journey to Ao Nang, Krabi, we planned our itinerary for the next day. A quick Google search revealed two popular spots:

    1. Emerald Pool
    2. Railay Beach

    We decided to skip the Emerald Pool since it was quite far and required a long ride. Plus, reviews were unclear about whether visitors were actually allowed to enter the pool.

    We also ruled out Railay Beach since it could only be reached by ferry, meaning we couldn’t go there by bike. And at the end of the day, it was just another beach, right? Since we only had one day in Krabi, we preferred to take it easy rather than rush through too many places. Besides, we already caught a glimpse of Railay Beach when our speedboat made a stop there before reaching Ao Nang.    Læs mere

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    A Coffee, A Cab, & A Fresh Start

    3. januar 2025, Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    After reaching Krabi, we started looking for a scooter rental. Google Maps showed a shop just a few meters away, so we walked there, but they didn’t have any available scooters. Next to it was a small coffee shop selling iced coffee for just ฿25. That’s when I realized that Krabi was comparatively cheaper than other places.

    While enjoying our coffee, we called a few other rental shops. Most of them were clustered around Ao Nang Beach, and scooters were available there. So, we booked a Bolt cab to get to the location.

    This time, the cab took unusually long to confirm the ride—longer than ever before. But instead of getting frustrated, we used that time to laugh, chill, and talk about everything that had happened just a few hours ago. Despite it all, here we were, as if nothing had ever happened.    Læs mere

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    Renting & saving cash

    3. januar 2025, Thailand ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    At Mr. Sak’s bike rental shop, we decided to deposit a passport as security instead of cash, since we only had around 7,000 Baht left and paying in cash would leave us with even less to spend. Using a passport as a deposit also felt like a safer option.

    We chose to leave Sam’s passport since mine would be needed for the hotel check-in. After sorting that out, we left our luggage at the shop and headed to explore the Ao Nang Night Market before returning to pick up and heading to our hotel.    Læs mere

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    Detours & Discoveries

    4. januar 2025, Thailand ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

    The best thing about having a bike is the freedom to explore. On our way to Ao Nang Beach, I noticed a wide left turn leading toward a cliff at the end of the road. Curious, I decided to check it out first. It turned out to be the quieter end of the beach, home to The Last Fisherman’s Bar: probably the only bar right on the shore. It felt like the perfect spot, so we decided to have breakfast there. While waiting for our food, I couldn’t resist soaking myself in the ocean, making the most of this unexpected discovery.Læs mere

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