สวัสดี from Thailand! 

I have spent the past 2.5 weeks exploring the incredible landscapes from north to south! I stayed in four main cities and took several day trips, and I will recap all of my activities and some of their pricing below! 

Starting in Bangkok after a 40-hour flight process, I took the first few days slower while I was still recovering. Already in comparison to Europe, prices were much cheaper and the people were so kind. I took a bus from the airport for 60 Baht ($1.67) to my first hostel, Mad Monkey Bangkok l for $11/night. With a few benefits from booking and paying up front with card on their website, they had a pool outside and activities during the day and night for an additional fee as well as a restaurant bar with traditional food and drinks. As the capital, I honestly expected the city to have more sightseeing/landmarks, and other than some temples (Buddhism is the main religion in Thailand) the biggest attractions were the street markets. There are street vendors everywhere, with the most common street being Khao San Road. During the day there are clothing and food vendors, and they continue to stay open throughout the night as all the clubs open as well. The workers on that street were overwhelming at times as they grabbed you or shoved their signs in your face. There is a lot of advertisement for sex work as well, and weed since it is legalized across the country. I spent my four days there just wandering around the streets and parks, going out a few nights, where I danced in the bars but not much else to do in the city center. I did also enjoy several hour-long massages for 300 Baht each (around $8) and got my nails done for the same price as well.

l was feeling back to normal and was looking for a beachside location, so took a 12-hour bus to Krabi ($23?), then a long-tail boat for $10 to Railey. I stayed there for five nights at Blanco Hideout Railey for only$5.55/night. This hostel was so beautiful, with an ocean view overlooked from the pool and lounge area, similar to the villas seen on Love Island. Railey is much less touristy than the surrounding islands, and although r connected to the mainland, only able to be reached by boat. Surrounded by a lot of nature, there were monkeys around the trees by the hostel and on the fences to the beach. I thought they were adorable (and the babies are bright orange!) but the locals see them as pests since they steal food and there are signs everywhere prohibiting feeding them. There are two main beaches here, Railey Beach and PhraNang Cave Beach. Both were absolutely stunning, with sandy pathways open to other small islands during low tide and side caves and rocks where some people took rock climbing courses. The other larger islands were visible in the distance, and Railey Beach was more touristy with shops and restaurants along the sand. Kayaks were available for rent too although I have yet to try. Near PhraNang Cave beach on the pathway there is also a very steep and slippery hiking/climbing trail that leads to a blue lagoon deep into the jungle. It was extremely dangerous and the worst climb I have ever done by far, and with only ropes to climb with and a lot of mud it was definitely meant for more experienced hikers. The friends I went with from my hostel were unaware of this, but thankfully I made it out eventually. You can also take long-tail trips to the surrounding islands (the more people the less it is each person, max is 8 people for 100 baht/$2.23 each). I only traveled to one other island, Ao Nang, which was a lot more touristy and had a lot of shops on the boardwalk. From there I booked a four-island boat tour where the travel company took us on another long tail (bigger, fit 15-20 people) to several other smaller islands with beautiful views and clear water, snorkeling, barbecue dinner at a national park island, and night swimming with the plankton that glow in the dark when activated/agitated. The trip was about $38 through GetYourGuide and took about 7 hours alltogether.  I spent most of the rest of my time on Railey enjoying the beaches and pool at the hostel and watched a Muy Thai fight on my last night. Although I will definitely be returning to visit more islands in the south, I wanted to spend the rest of the time I had in the north and took a flight for $107 to Chiang Mai in the north. 

I stayed at Stamps Backpackers for $9/night for only three nights there which was lovely, very private and clean space within the shared dorm, and a kind reception with many planned activities. I visited the elegant sanctuary (Elephant Land) for $48 which was a half-day adventure including transportation and lunch, and so insanely worth the time and money. The elephants were obviously extremely well cared for, and had a huge sanctuary in the farming hills, with kind caregivers from a family that had cared for them for several hundred years. We were able to feed the elephants and walk with them to the waterfall where we bathed them. They rolled around in the water and were overall extremely gentle and comfortable with all the people, and so incredible to see and participate in. Later that night I also went to the Cabaret for $11, located in a large night market. It was a bit similar to an American drag show with the ‘ladyboys’ lipsyncing to songs and bringing some of the men from the audience up to the stage to participate. There were a lot of other outdoor shopping markets around as well throughout Chiang Mai, and more street vendors and shops for noticeably cheaper than some of the more touristy spots in the south. I also experienced Grab bikes here for the first time, which is similar to Uber but riding on the back of motorbikes for under $1 per ride. The next day I also took a cooking class at Sammy’s Organic Kitchen (also booked with my hostel for $22) which included five organic and traditional Thai dishes. My class was small with only 3 other guests from my hostel and such a kind and unique experience as Sammy, the owner had his own 35-acre farm and the help of his entire family to help run the school and farm for the third generation. The hostel offered other activities like zip lining and water rafting, but I chose to continue north to Pai for two more nights instead. 

In Pai, I stayed at Revolution Hostel Pai for $7/night including free dinner, and offered a lot of day trips and transportation for additional prices at reception. All the staff were very knowledgeable and helpful here as well, and the first night after exploring the markets on the streets I went to the pub crawl hosted by the hostel. Most of the bars and shops are right in the city center since the town is pretty small, but it is very cute and hippie, surrounded by the mountains and a decent amount of activities and day trips offered. It is currently rainy season there but it was still very peaceful. During my full day, I went on a half-day trip that included transportation to several popular spots in and around the town. During those five hours, we visited the White Buddha, the Chinese Village, the Coffee in Love cafe, the Bamboo Bridge, a viewpoint and waterfall, and finally a canyon for the sunset. The next day I had breakfast before heading back to Chiang Mai for my overnight bus to Bangkok to fly to my next destination. 

I will absolutely be returning to Thailand, I think it is my favorite of the 13 countries I have seen so far! There are many other islands I would love to visit, but for now, onto Indonesia!

xoxo,

Ang around the World 🙂