thailand

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Travel Guide and Tips: Bangkok

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Bangkok is the bustling capital city of Thailand. Filled with temples, floating markets and the popular Khao San Road, it's a crazy city to be in. 

Things to do

Khao San Road

This is the backpacker haven of the city. Head here if you're looking for something gear towards tourists. You can find bars, restaurants, hostels and local stands selling pad thai and insect here. There are tons of souvenir shops selling clothes and trinkets. 

Floating Markets

The area around Bangkok has tons of floating markets. Some will be bigger or more authentic than other. Amphawa Floating Market is a popular one to visit. To get there, you'll need to take the BTS to Victory Memorial. Catch the mini-bus there to get to the market. It costs 160 baht and takes around two hours to get there. From here, you can join a boat tour to see the market. 

The Grand Palace

This if for all you temple junkies. As the previous home to the Kings of Siam, the Grand Palace is now a popular attraction in Bangkok. Spend the day walking around the numerous different sections. 

Entrance fee is 500 baht. Remember to dress respectively (shoulders and knees covered)! 

Sky Bar

For all you wanting to live it high, literally. Made popular by The Hangover, Sky Bar is one of the highest rooftop bars in the world. The drink prices are pretty steep though. You don't need to buy a drink to access it. You can just head up to see the view. 

Siam Square

This is the perfect place for shopaholics. Siam Square has different malls within it. We mostly stuck to MBK Centre, since it has both tourist stalls and shops that locals use. Explore the different floors to find an abundance of clothes, electronics and souvenirs. If you head outside, you can find neat food trucks as well! 

Where to Eat

Soi Rambuttri

This street is parallel to Khao San Road and is filled with street vendors. Head here for slightly cheaper prices. We were just happy to find a place that sells Khao Soi! 

Where to Stay

At Home Guesthouse

Located near Khao San Road, At Home Guesthouse has reasonable prices. For 600 baht, you can get a private double room with A/C, fan and ensuite washroom. It's clean and they offer towels with the room. 

Happy Travelling! 

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Snorkelling in Koh Tao

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We originally were planning to scuba dive. But after Nepal, our body was so beaten up we didn't think it was worth it since it takes 4 days to get certified. 

So, snorkelling seemed like a better fit for us. There are tons of tourist agencies offering scuba diving. They're all more or less the same. It's a full day trip for 750 baht which includes transportation, snorkelling gear, lunch, fresh fruits and drinks (water, coffee tea). The tour takes you around the island to Shark Bay, Aow Leuk, Hin Wong Bay and Mango Bay. They also take you to Nangyuan Island, but you'll need to pay a 100 baht entrance fee. 

That seems like a pretty good deal right?

Our Experiences 

Let me preface this by saying that you get what you pay for. It's alright, since it's only 750 baht + 100 baht entrance fee. 

You only get about 30 minutes at each stop, which isn't too much time to actually see much, since you'll need to swim to the area and back. Since we were running behind, we missed out on Aoe Leuk and went straight to Hin Wong Bay. 

Shark Bay

This is supposedly the best spot to see sharks. Not the big scary ones, but the smaller ones. Unfortunately, we didn't see any nor many other fish. The water was choppier than expected, so it was hard to swim out and back in time. 

Hin Wong Bay and Mango Bay

These ones were a bit better. If you swim out closer to the rocks, you'll see more coral in that area. Granted, most of the coral is dead, so you won't see much. But there are still some fish searching around for food. 

When you swim back to the boat, you'll noticed a lot more fish. I realized that the guides will feed the fish so you'll see them. We ended up having lunch at Hin Wong Bay. It's just a container of rice, a fried egg and basil beef which isn't bad. 

Nangyuan Island

Nangyuan Island is popular small island off the coast of Koh Tao. It's makes an excellent day trip with its stunning views. Since it was part of our snorkelling tour, we didn't bother with trying to visit it. 

If you paid the 100 baht entrance fee, the tour will drop you off here for about 2 hours. Since we skipped one of the bays, we ended up spending 2.5 hours here, which is more than enough time. 

The beach here is quite unique, since you have water on both sides. It's a good place to lounge on the beach and catch some sun. However, I found the sand a little too coarse because of the coral, so I wouldn't recommend visiting if you were just swimming. 

I enjoyed snorkelling here to the most. We found a spot by the rocks closer on the opposite side of the dock that has a lot of fish. Since the water is shallow, you can actually see a lot more that goes on. 

Things to keep in mind

Make sure you get a good set of snorkelling gear. Mine was leaking, so I had to switch it up after the first stop. 

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Transit Guide: Bangkok to Koh Tao

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After battling the cold temperatures in Nepal, we decided to head to Koh Tao for the last leg of our trip. The small island is known for it's diving and snorkelling! 

This transit guide also gets you to Nang Yuan, Koh Sammui or Koh Phangan. 

How to get there

From Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK), we ended up staying a night in Khao San Road, since we knew buses would leave from there. 

    When we went to a travel agency to book the ticket, we learned that they had two prices: 720 or 1100 baht. The 720 baht option leaves at 6:00 pm and you don't get there until the next day. The 1100 baht option leaves at 6:00 am and you get there for 3:00 pm that day. Realizing we wanted the convenience of getting there faster, we opted for the more expensive option. 

    We learned that it's expensive because only one company leaves in the morning: Lomprayah. You need to head to their offices on Soi Rambutti at 5:30 a.m. to check in. You'll get three stickers here: one for your luggage and two for yourself (number and destination). 

    At 6:00 a.m., you'll board the double decker bus and make your way to the pier. It's a non-stop journey, so make sure you pack snacks for the ride. You'll also get some water and a cookie half-way through the ride. 

    At around 1:30 p.m, you'll reach the dock to board the boat. Keep in mind, this is a large speedboat that gets very bumpy. Motion sickness pills are highly recommended. 

    There are four stops for the boat: Nang Yuan, Koh Tao, Koh Phangan and Koh Sammui. 

    How to get back to Bangkok?

    It's essentially the same way back. You'll need to book a ticket in advance. We booked ours at our guesthouse where we got a deal on the taxi back to the dock. 

    Just note that getting home is a lot more hassle than getting there. Once you reach the dock on the main land, you'll have to wait for your bus. The bus will take you back to Soi Rambutti. There will be one stop along the way for a food break. Unlike the way there, there will be no snacks provided this time. 

    Happy Travelling! 

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    Transit Guide: Koh Chang to Bangkok

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    Bangkok is the capital city of Thailand, and the most popular hub for transit. 

    How to get there

    We ended up booking a ticket from a travel agency for 500 baht, including pick-up and the ferry ticket. It takes around 8-9 hours to get to Bangkok. 

    We were picked up by a mini-van and taken to the dock to board the ferry. The ferry took around 45 minutes to reach the coast. Once we got off, we took the free shuttle to the main land where we waited for our bus. 

    You'll be given an option of taking a mini-bus or a big bus. The mini-bus is more uncomfortable, but you'll get to Bangkok faster than the big bus. Since it arrived earlier, we opted for the mini-bus. Just note that they wait until the bus fills up before it leaves, so we left a little late. 

    About half-way through, we had a short food and washroom break. We got dropped off by Khao San Road. 

    Happy Travelling! 

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    Travel Guide and Tips: Pai

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    As a small town in the countryside, there's tons of adventurous activities to do in Pai. 

    Things to do

    1) Pai Canyon

    Located 8km south of Pai, the canyon is accessible by scooter, biking or by hiring a taxi for the day. The canyon offers picturesque views of the mountains. Be careful, as it has steep 50 metre drops on either side. The best time to visit is at sunset! 

    2) The Land Split

    The Land Split is a unique spot, not because of the attraction itself, but for the hospitality you'll receive from the owners. The moment you walk in, they shower you with fruit, snacks and drinks all for free. You can just leave a donation in the box for them! 

     The tourist attraction was created in 2008 and 2011, when the land split 11 metres deep, making it unsustainable for farming. 

    3) Waterfalls

    There are two main waterfalls in Pai.

    Pam Bok Waterfall: You can ride a bike, rent a scooter or hire a taxi to get there. Many go to swim the falls. Just note that it does dry up if there hasn't been too much rain. Also, the Land Split is along the way to this waterfall.

    Mae Yen Waterfall: Take a 4-5 hour hike (round-trip) to this waterfall. The hike should take you up the river to the falls. 

    4) Natural Hot Springs

    Located south of Pai, the hot springs are great on a cool morning or evening. There is a 200 baht entrance fee. 

    5) Wat Pra Tat Mae Yen (Temple on the hill)

    East of Pai is the Temple on the Hill. Climb up the 300 or so steps to the top to see the big white Buddha. You can get a great view of Pai from the top! 

    6) Other Activities

    There are other activities like fishing at Pai Pirahna Fishing Park, visiting the Memorial Bridge or taking cooking lessons. 

    Where to eat

    Night Market

    Every night, there's a night market along the main street in Pai. It's really hard to miss. There's a ton of carts that offer different foods, snacks and drinks. Try the cart with the tea in a bamboo cup!

    Where to stay

    Happy House Pai

    We stayed at Happy House in a private room which was fine. Just know that roosters will caw in the morning. The washroom is not great. It's better to use the one that's upstairs. The common has couches and a pool table.