Thailand has been on my travel bucket list for as long as I can remember! I felt very overwhelmed, and wanted assistance planning this trip, so I enlisted kimkim to help. It was the BEST decision! Tina was super helpful and planned the entire 8-day itinerary for me. She gave me a few options and we finalized it together.
Although I didn’t do research before going, I learned so much while I was there and wanted to share the high points here. These are the areas you should look into visiting when you’re in Thailand:
- Chiang Mai – Thailand’s northernmost city where there’s something for everyone!
- Krabi – the prettiest beaches and most relaxing
- Koh Lanta – a long skinny island in the province of Krabi – great for diving and seeing undeveloped beaches
- Railay Beach (only accessible by boat!)
- Koh Phi Phi – the most popular island
- Phuket – known for its night life! aka party on… hehe
- Karon and Kata Beaches
- Bangkok – the best Thai street food hands down but definitely the busy vibes of a bustling city, since it’s Thailand’s capital
- Ayutthaya – an hour from Bangkok where you’ll find ruins hauntingly beautiful, a UNESCO site once the capital of the Kingdom of Siam
- Koh Yao Noi – easy access to James Bond Island (aka Khao Phing Kan – or Nail Island) made famous by the movie (see below pic)
Be sure to consider timing of when you go – Thailand has an extremely intense summer (March to May) and rainy season (September to October)! I bolded the areas in the list above I really want to go back and visit. As you may know, I love seeing and experiencing places as they are, without the commercialization! November to February is peak season, meaning more tourists, but the temperatures are 18°C (64°F) to 28°C (82°F).
We saw so many temples. Thailand is a predominantly Buddhist country, with most following Theravada Buddhism. Significantly, for me, Buddhism is very open to outsiders, given we fundamentally show respect in their temples and prayer times. Removing shoes is a must and never face the soles of your feet to any Buddha statue. Refrain from taking a bunch of pictures inside the temple. Above is the Temple of the Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Kaew), and this was as close as I could get!
Temples (all around Bangkok):
- Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Kaew) – this Buddha is made from solid green jade, clothed in gold and diamonds, found and recovered in 1434 (but probably older than that)
- Grand Palace – once lived in by kings and known for its exquisite architecture
- Reclining Buddha (Wat Pho) – there are 108 bronze bowls representing the 108 auspicious characters of The Buddha, and dropping coins into each brings wealth and prosperity
- All three are close to each other (within 700 meters)
- Wat Phra Si Sanphet – in Ayutthaya and previously housed the Emerald Buddha
- Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon – also in Ayutthaya
- Wat Arun – my personal favorite because I loved the mosaics; if you wanted you could rent traditional Thai royal costumry and take pictures!
- Wat Saket – (Wat Saket Ratchawora Mahawihan) commonly known as the Golden Mount and an incredible place to see Bangkok at sunset
Fun Things to Do in Bangkok:
- Eat amazing food – the street food is unmatched! Raan Jay Fai is popular among tourists, but I recommend this Michelin Guide if you’re looking to plan something ahead. Otherwise, stick to the streets.
- Laoteng [Yaowarat] – had amazing dim sum and cocktails on a rooftop
- Myth – near Khao San road
- Plan evening on Khao San road – great street food and fun vibes
- Stroll Chinatown at night – basically just walk down Yaowarat road and you can’t miss it!
- Nai-Ek Roll Noodles has the BEST crispy pork I’ve ever had (see pic below)
- Visit a record store – 242records and M-Tanakorn are my favorites. Before you dismiss this as something you could do anywhere – I’ve recently learned Japan and Thailand have unique versions of vinyl albums that have collector’s edition status!
- Buy flowers at Pak Khlong Talat (flower market) – nearby is the Memorial Bridge, which is a popular picture destination! The marigolds (see above) are on sale 24/7 literally.
Damnoen Saduak Floating Market
The original floating market, and about an hour and a half drive from Bangkok, is simply pure fun. Boarding a little canoe (motorized or not), make your way down to the market stalls set up along the river, where you can direct your boat driver to the shop you want! Along the way, you’ll see food and souvenirs plenty. Food items are challenging to bargain on the price but try to with anything else! I like buying spices when we visit other countries to try and replicate the food at home. Trust me, the shopkeepers will stop arguing when you’ve reached their lowest offered price. Feel free to buy some Chiang or Singha beer (or coconut water) to enjoy along the way!
Insider tip – go to Wandee Boat Service for the best starting point. Motorized boats will get you to and from the floating market faster, but they are louder.
Maeklong Railway
This market street was a blast and pure excitement! The train whizzes right by the market shops, within INCHES. It’s exciting to see the shopkeepers take down their goods and prepare for the train passing. Then, once it has passed, the shops open back up like nothing happened! Goods are put back on tables, and the overhangs are propped back up to protect shoppers from the sunny days.
If you go, I recommend arriving 30 minutes earlier than the train does. This allows you time to stake out a front-row spot to watch it pass. The train arrival times are: 8:30 am, 11:10 am, 2:30 pm, and 5:40 pm.
We found a cute little coffee shop to sit at (see pic our tour guide, Ton, took!) right as the train crawled by. Thankfully, it doesn’t go too fast, but there are officials making sure no one is standing near the tracks for safety purposes! I found some unique souvenirs here, which was also a plus.
PHUKET
Finally, we get to Phuket. This was our relaxing beach time to get a pause from the city life. I love balancing busy adventures with slow relaxing time, but I think I would have chosen a more remote island, like somewhere near Krabi. Can’t say I’m into the night life scene anymore the older I get! 😉
We did two remarkable things in Phuket – explore hongs (meaning “room” in Thai) by starlight kayaking and visit an elephant sanctuary. I cannot recommend both enough!
Hong Exploring by Starlight
We saw snakes, monkeys, heart-shaped roofs/ceilings made by trees (see middle right picture above), and the most beautiful cliffs. Our guide was with us the whole way! It was crazy to have to lay completely flat in the kayak to enter some of these hongs. You float under crags and then the next thing you know, the space opens up into a massive room! We always had to exit the same way we entered, but each of these hongs offered beautiful and unique nature scenery to enjoy.
Elephant Jungle Sanctuary
My favorite part of the trip was visiting this sanctuary, offering several locations around Thailand! If you don’t know this already, the elephant is my favorite animal, for many reasons. Their intelligence, social tendencies, and loyalty are a few. We were able to learn about them, feed them, provide a soothing and healing mud mask, and lastly give them a good clean scrub. The elephants here have all been rescued from captivity, whether it be from circuses, logging operations, cruel owners, or tourist riding schemes. For those of you who feel like tourists riding camels or elephants isn’t a big deal, the owners and operators treat the animals to horrible conditions for making money. While these animals used to function practically as a means of transport centuries ago, nowadays it’s a commercialized attempt to make the tourist feel as though they are “experiencing” the culture at the expense of the animal’s genuine wellbeing. Something I’ve recently learned living here in Egypt and come to regret initially supporting.
Many people underestimate how much care and attention the elephant needs. There are veterinarians who measure the elephants daily to ensure they are maintaining the right weight, and do not have any illnesses. Each elephant is given a specific diet, depending on their nutrition needs, which was important to me. Some elephants couldn’t have too many bananas due to their age and metabolism concerns!
The mud mask functions as thermoregulation and protection from the sun’s UV rays. Applying it to areas they can’t reach is appreciated! Visiting this sanctuary was a great way to learn about an animal instrumental to Thailand’s history, and care for them as they enjoy a better life.
THE FOOD
Leaving these photos for you to drool over 😉 I became obsessed with the Singha sodas and the beer. I’m telling you – both are a MUST to try! The sodas come plain, and in a few flavors. Plain is great with a lime/lemon wedge, and the flavors are fun (and healthier with no added sugar!).
Pro tips – you’ll see fried insects (re: crickets, worms, etc.) on the street. Traditionally, they’re caught and fried fresh from the fields. It was told to me in good faith that the street ones are NOT fresh and won’t be as good as what you’ll taste outside the major cities, since they’ve been sitting out for a while. Second, add the sauces that come on the side, usually in a basket sitting on the dining tables at restaurants. I cannot tell you what they are but adding a little of each enhances the food’s flavor infinitely more!
Food staples we loved – panang curry, gaeng massaman gai (massaman chicken curry), pad thai (of course), tom yum (basically lemongrass hot and sour soup with different proteins), som tum (green papaya salad), pad kra pao, cashew chicken, banana roti (banana pancake), thai tea, and mango sticky rice.
Hope this sparks your desire to see and experience Thailand 🙂 I hope you love it as much as we did! xo Lisa
Aspire Higher 
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