Thailand

Language- Thai

Hello- Sawadee Krap/Ka

Thank you- Khob Khun Ka

Currency- Thai baht

Ko Samet- (April 2015) we came from Cambodia and went to the Island of Ko Samet- it’s small and quiet- we rented a motorbike and explored the island- they drive on the left side of the road in Thailand and this island is perfect to practice cause it’s so quiet- the beaches are beautiful- you have breakfast and dinner on the beach- for sunrise all the sweet island dogs will join you- and there is a lot of fire spinning shows in the evening

Pattaya- (April 2015) I do not recommend Pattaya- it was busy, dirty and lots of men buying woman- it was disheartening- we just had a day here before heading to Bangkok – DO NOT RIDE ELEPHANTS

Bangkok- (April 2015) we happen to be in Bangkok for their new year known as Sangkron- water is an important element in Sangkron- water is poured on Buddha images as a sign of respect- now a days water is sprayed with water guns and buckets of water are splashed on anyone who walks by – there is live music and it’s a water splashing purifying party in the streets – Khaosan Road is the main road for all the action

Chiang Mai- (January 2017) we arrived to Chiang Mai by flight from Laos- we caught a virus in Laos on our last day so lost a day here and rested – when we felt better we rented bikes and explored the town- we had the garra rufa fish eat our feet for the best pedicure ever and went to Wat Lok Moli Temple- there are a lot of incredible temples in Chiang Mai we did not have time to see. We knew not to ride elephants from our last trip in Thailand but heard about a place you could swim in the water and feed them – we used https://chiangmaielephantsanctuary.com/ we booked through our guesthouse- but you can also book through the website- the road is crazy bumpy – like nothing I have experienced and they do not allow pregnant women on this trip cause of the road leading to the sanctuary – I got pretty emotional being in the water with the elephants

Wat Rong Kuhn- Right outside Chiang Mai is Wat Rong Khun or also know as the White Temple- we saw this temple in a photo and really wanted to see it in person – the temple really needed repair so a local artist bought it and rebuilt it – it’s privately owned and just an amazing piece of art- we did this temple, black temple & Karen tribe as a day trip from Chiang Mai- lunch was included

Karen Tribe– we booked a day excursion so they also took us to the Black Temple and to the Karen Tribe or also known as the long neck tribe – I had read reviews after of people saying it was sad and like a human zoo and I noticed that was the case for people who just took photos and walked by them all looking- but Joe and i sat with them and talked and bought stuff- their English was great and we asked about daily life and history – we learned that tiger attacks used to be a big issues so the rings were to protect them- the men and children wore them as well- now they are worn for beauty- she said they do not weaken their necks but it is heavy- the children have a choice whether they want to continue the tradition- I asked the little girl who was painting my face about her schooling and she did she likes school and they have a school in the village for all the kids- they came from Burma to Thailand during the war and rely on tourism for income

Koh Phi Phi Islands- (January 2017) we took a boat from Krabi to the Koh Phi Phi Islands – we booked a room right on the water for 3 nights and learned that it only had salt water showers- ugh that was a little rough- also the music from the clubs carried across the water so it’s a dance party in your room till 2am – the music stops then but the bars are still open- I am not a light sleeper so I was fine but if you are a light sleeper stay away from the bar side of the island – we rented kayaks right at our beach and went to monkey beach- so funny cause the moneys try to steal all your stuff- we flipped our kayak onto our bag to do some snorkeling and came back to tourist trying to save our stuff from the monkeys haha!! Also the water is sooooo clear- it’s insanely gorgeous

Koh Phi Phi is also where the beach is- like the Leonardo DiCaprio movie the beach is – they take you to the beach and then when the sunsets take you to swim with bioluminescence plankton

Krabi – (January 2017) with all the limestone cliff, Krabi is known for their rock climbing- we suggest booking a half day rock climbing excursion and then exploring the beach the other half of the day

Bangkok- (January 2017) last time we were here it was Songkron- the Thai new year- so this time we got a chance to explore- the busiest tourist road is called the Khaosan Road- this where the party is- if you want something quieter cross the road to Ram Buttri – we book our hotels on Ram Buttri- it has all the food and shopping without the loudness of the all the bars – the Grand Palace is Thailand is super busy but beautiful- you need to wear clothing that covers your shoulder and knees- you can not get away with a scarf or sarong on your shoulders- they will make you buy a t-shirt- I actually travel with a t-shirt in my backpack when visiting temples and palaces just in case – so far this one is the only one that doesn’t allow a scarf on the shoulders