Monday, May 22, 2023

Thailand 2023

Our flight time was delayed by an hour, we had a burger (350 rs.) at the Chennai airport while waiting for the flight.

Anyways we reached Bangkok at the expected time. 

Departure from Chennai at 23:25 
Friday (
Feb 24) and arrival in Bangkok at 04:25 Saturday (Feb 25). 

me (Mathi) & Nisreen

On arrival visa (for two) = 4400 baht (10,357 Rs.)  


Travel tip: The e visa which is applied online (E-VOA) costs 2500 baht per person and the normal visa on arrival applied at the airport costs 2000 baht. There is a fast/express line with an additional fee of 200 baht in case of a longue queue at the immigration counter.


Feb 25


We made use of the free wifi at the Bangkok airport to book a "Grab taxi" (280 bahtto "BB house" in Khaosan road. The hotel (580 baht for a night) is located in Phra Athit road which is very close to the Khaosan road and Rambuttri alley. It has all the basic amenities.


Travel tip: it is not possible to sleep through the loud music in Khaosan road or Rambutrri alley at nights, so Phra Athit road or Phra Sumen road can be the smart choice.


We entered the nearest 7-eleven store and bought a True move H Sim card (699 baht), it has 15 days validity with unlimited internet and an international calling credit of 100 baht. The usage directions to activate the sim are mentioned on the package. 


(The Phra Sumen Fort)


The Phra sumen fort was just 5 mins away by walk and its a good place to relax (if you're not into photography). We had Breakfast (105 baht) with tea (20 baht) at one of the many coffee shops in the very lively Banglamphu neighbourhood. 

decided we should spend more time along the banks of the Chao phraya river so that we can enjoy the old traditional side of Bangkok. 


(the royal cat of Wat Chana Songkram)

Wat Chana Songkram is a 10 mins walk from Phra Sumen. It is one among the many (over 400) Buddhist temples of Bangkok, it was close by and deserved a visit.



We had decided to skip the over touristy places like the Grand palace, Wat Pho etc in this trip. 

We also had a Thai milk tea in one of the street shops, the usual kick you expect from an average tea can be missing because it was not hot enough and they use grounded tamarind seeds, orange rind and condensed milk which gives it the unique Thai flavour. 



Travel tip (not really)
: There are around 40,000 temples in 
Thailand. 

In the afternoon we walked to the Phra Arthit ferry terminal to catch a ferry to Icon Siam (32 baht)


Travel tip: Orange line tickets are cheaper and the Orange flagged boats are also frequent (every 10-20 mins), the local Thai people use this ferry service regularly, so there is no reason to choose the other blue flagged (blue line) tourist boats. 


We reached the Icon Siam which is probably the most luxurious mall of Bangkok. We had lunch at the food court in the ground floor, the Crab meat (100 baht) and the Egg noodles (80 baht) was satisfying.




(view from the Starbucks coffee shop at the 7th floor of Icon Siam)

From Icon Siam we moved to the Wang Lang market by ferry (32 baht) where we had the Sugarcane juice (30 baht) and the Passion fruit juice (35 baht). This market was a nice place to interact with the local people but we got tired walking through the numerous stalls. 


Around 6pm in the evening we left from Wang Lang to Phra Athit by ferry (32 baht) to have some rest in our hotel room. Later we got a foot massage at Rambuttri alley on the way to checking out the parties at the Khaosan road.


Travel tip - an average foot massage costs 120 baht, the foot and shoulder massage will cost 150 baht.


Khaosan road was crazy as expected, the road was not very long but maneuvering through the Khaosan parties can be exhausting, (here the number of foreign tourists surpasses the local crowd)I tried tasting the Jelly fish stick (20 baht) and the Mushroom stick (20 baht) in an attempt to mingle with the craziest backpackers crowd, the relaxation we experienced in the foot massage was starting to wear off. We reached the end of the Khaosan road and tried to find an alternate route to our hotel room but there was no energy to explore new routes due to sleep deprivation and we walked back through the same crazy crowd of Khaosan road because it was the shortest route back.  


We ordered a Pad Thai prawn (40 baht) at the Rambuttri alley and even though we were absolutely tired it was not easy to call it a night, we had a hot tea (45 baht) on our way to the hotel just to spend more time in the vibrant nightlife of what they call the backpacker's paradise or the backpacker's mecca.. 

Travel tip
The food at Icon Siam ground floor is better than the street food of Khaosan.

Never forget to buy a water bottle (10 baht) before going to the hotel at night.


Feb 26 


Departed from Bangkok at 11 am to arrive in Krabi at 12:30 pm by flight.


We had Pancake for breakfast at the Bangkok airport (79 baht) with Tea (65 baht). On reaching Krabi, our plan was to immediately book a taxi to Ao nang beach but the Grab taxi service was not available at the airport due to a political issue between Local transport agencies and the Grab taxi company. 


A lady from a local transport company saw us and asked where we wanted to go, we said Railay beach and we asked for two tickets to the Ao nang beach. I thought reaching Railay is easier from the "Ao nang long tail boat service club" but anyways she marked us as "Railey" and showed our way to a minibus.


Krabi is characterised by limestone cliffs and a very peaceful environment, the bus was going to Ao Nang beach but we were dropped at the Ao Nam Mao pier (30 mins from Krabi airport & 10 mins from Ao Nang beach) from where we can get longtail boats (200 baht for two) to Railay. 


Travel tip: don't sit on the rear end of the longtail boats, the sound of the diesel engine can leave a lasting impact in our ears. 



(East Railay floating pier)



The boat dropped us at the East Railay beach and we reached the "Diamond cave Resort" (3420 baht for 2 nights) by walk. There was an Englishman who plays ukulele staying in the same resort and he was nice, he likes to speak his heart out. 


We had Prawn Tempura and seafood red curry rice (300 baht) in a nearby restaurant, This part of Krabi is secluded from the mainland, there is no direct road route. 



The wind was strong, the people walking along the promenade were having a hard time.



(a monitor lizard crossing the beach in West Railay)

We were just strolling that evening not looking for anything in particular and we walked to the south end the beach to an area pinned on G maps as the East Railay bay. We tried to click some pics and it was difficult to get the pictures in sharp focus because of the wind and the low light (besides I only had an18-55 mm kit lens)




The resort was located on a Tsunami evacuation zone, it was very close to a limestone mountain and the view from the outdoor sitting area was very pleasant but the steep walking it takes to reach the room every time we came back from the beach or a restaurant was time consuming.


For dinner we had Rice with Massaman curryBlue crab and clams (350 baht) at some place half way through the walking street

(fun at the walking street)


The West Railay beach was really very mellow at night as the tall limestone cliff nearby was illuminated by the moonlight. We tried to identify the sounds around us with our eyes closed and it was difficult to even distinguish more than five different sounds, the beach was mesmerisingly calm.

 

Travel tip: Blue crab turns red when cooked, don't doubt the restaurant staffs. 


Feb 27 


We started the day with Croissant, guava juice and bread toast with scrambled egg (220 baht).

From the East Railay bay starts a beautiful path under the interesting cliffs to the
Phra Nang beach and the princess cave. There was also a trail that leads to a viewpoint and a lagoon but we were not in the mood for it. 






On reaching the Phra Nang beach we felt fantastic, It was our first real experience of the spectacular beaches of Thailand. 






After an unprepared dip in the sea, we walked back to our resort under the shade of an umbrella brought all the way from Chennai. We also bumped into the Englishman and his other English friend who wanted to know about Calcutta. 


They were in Thailand to eat Tofu and they had very good regards for the veg khao soi they had in Chiang Mai (northern part of Thailand), they were targeting on India's Paneer dishes as their next adventure (there are cheap flights to Calcutta from Thailand).


In the afternoon we grabbed a Watermelon juice (50 baht) while on our way to the Tonsai beach, juices in Thailand are mostly served in disposable takeaway cups or small pet bottles. It gets complicated when you ask them to make a juice without ice. 


Travel tip: The ice used for the beverages in Thailand are quality checked.


During the low tide it is possible to walk from Railey west to the Tonsai beach but otherwise we have to hike through a forest to reach the other side of a rock cliff that separates the two beaches.





(Rock climbing in Tonsai beach)

(the joy of dipping the feet in the sea after a short hike)

TONSAI BEACH

For the second time, we were unprepared for a swim and the sea was very inviting. Anyways the sun was not giving us an option and we jumped into the waves. 

(enjoying the sea)

Travel tip: It is safer to visit the Tonsai beach in the afternoon because after sunset it could be difficult to return back. 


The plan was to have lunch at Tonsai but we dint see enough options there and so we returned to the walking street; we ordered the Panang curry, some rice and some sticky rice as well with a fried egg (260 baht). The Panang curry was delicious but it came in a plate instead of a bowl and the quantity was not enough. 


In the evening (after buying a Mango juice (50 baht)) we walked straight away to catch the sunset at the spectacular west Railay beach. It was an amazing evening graced with a golden yellow light. 





(with the mango juice)


For a change we skipped the walking street and moved to the northern side of the East Railay beach for dinner. The last bar was located near a perfect mangrove bush, we even walked further north till the Tew lay bar where they wanted us to have a seat but we left the place saying we will come in the morning for breakfast instead


There was a pet Macaw walking on the bar counter which was very intriguing but "the last bar" seemed to be a more happening place, the nearby bar area had a open mic night and they also conduct Muay Thai fights. We ordered a Tom yum goong veg soup with rice and a Shrimp omelette (240 baht). The soup had a very refreshing lemongrass flavour.


Travel tip: Tom Yum Goong is a soup but it can also be ordered with rice like a curry.


We went to the West Railay beach again and felt that astonishment again. it was so beautiful, just like the previous night. We also entered a few shops looking for some essentials on our way back to the Diamond cave resort.


Feb 28


This is our last morning in Railay and so we were determined to start early and spend more time in the Phra Nang beach. We reached before the crowds and there was a great place to swim near the cave shrine

(Phra nang cave aka Princess cave)



When the sun was a little higher up, we walked along the beach till the Grotto restaurant and walked across the sea to the nearby island which has a very small beach (Ko Rang beach) with clear shimmering water.



The long boats to Ao nang are parked in the West Railay beach, 

We had the Papaya salad (som tum) and an Acai berry bowl for brunch. We also got an orange mint shake and a mixed shake (passion fruit, mango and pineapple) (350 baht)

A boat (200 baht for two) dropped us at the Ao Nang beach (in knee deep water) within half an hour. We walked to the nearest bike rental shop and hired a "Honda Click" scooter for two days (600 baht). Our stay was at the Nemo 2 resort (800 baht for a night) near the Noppharat Thara beach.


Travel tipIt might be difficult to sleep when you stay at Ao Nang beach because the music from the clubs and other parties don't stop till 3 am especially in the beach front resorts and hostels. It is sensible to stay around Noppharat Thara beach which is just ten minutes away and the prices are also comparatively cheaper.



We explored the Lotus supermarket in Ao Nang for various things and came out with a pack of Sweet potato chips (40 baht), Ao Nang is not a secluded place like Railay but it was very exciting to have entered a new zone. 

I was surfing through the tv channels, trying to understand the Thai sensibilities and in the late afternoon we were heading towards the KhaoThong hill restaurant in the scooter. There was some petrol already in the vehicle but we filled some more (50 baht). There was a little bit of rain during the one hour drive to Khaothong which made us stop for a while near the cliff of love bench.



(Cliff of love bench)

On reaching Khaothong, there was a nice parking area after which a shuttle bus took us to the restaurant up the hill where we were silenced by the jaw dropping panoramic view of the Phang Nga bay during sunset




We had Salmon with garlic rice and fried clams (600baht).


It drizzled again while driving down to Ao Nang and luckily we reached the hotel room before the rain got heavier. The rain had a slight impact on the night life of Ao Nang but most of the places were open. 


(An Art gallery in the Ao-nang beach walk night market.)


We did not buy anything at both the Ao Nang Landmark night market and the Ao-nang beach walk market but it was nice to walk through the stalls which were back in business after a good rain. We checked out a few parties happening at the Centerpoint complex (smile bar, upbeat bar and the blue dragon cabaret) and also the parties in the RCA entertainment area which was just 5 mins away. 

There were other places too like the "tribe beach bar" and "boogie bar" but a single night was not enough to indulge and discover the night life of Ao Nang beach. We had a Mango chocolate Roti (40 baht) for dinner and I also bought a water bottle (14 baht) at the 7/11 store (just opposite to our hotel) before going to bed.

Mar 01


The morning sun was a little harsh on us while we had our Vegan breakfast with English tea (in a pot) (418 baht)sitting in the corner table of cafe 8.98 in Ao Nang. Then we set off to the Krabi town (45 mins away) where we checked into the Baan samrarn hotel (826 baht for one night). 





(the view from the room)

Immediately we started exploring the town, we went to the road which was along the krabi river and stopped for a few photos near the Crabs sculpture and the eagle sculpture before we decided to have a mixed shake (Passion fruit +pineapple) (50 baht).







Krabi town was interesting, it looked like a nice place to live but we filled more Petrol (50 baht) and decided to go back to Ao Nang beach for the sunset because we dint get to spend a proper evening in Ao Nang beach the previous day (we were at the Khaothong hill instead).



On the way to Ao nang we managed to find the Ruen Mai Restaurant at 2:45pm, well before they close the kitchen in the afternoon at 3pm. 





We ordered the Kaeng Tai pla (fried egg plant curry) and Pla Sai Tod Kamin (Sand fish deep fried in turmeric) with rice (540 baht). We dint know "Tai pla" means fermented fish entrails, we thought it was just a very spicy eggplant curry



(we packed the left over sand fish)

We were in no hurry, so we stopped again at the Mountain view Restaurant which was surrounded by beautiful cliffs, a lot of greenery and a mini waterfall. We had an Ice honey lemon tea and a cappuccino (190 baht) just to spend some time there, we also took some close-ups of the parrots in there before leaving to Ao Nang beach. 





Both Ruen Mai and the Mountain view restaurant are very good places for great food in a peaceful atmosphere. We took a left turn somewhere in the highway which lead us on an alternate route to Ao nang through the beautiful palm and rubber plantations. 




We left our scooter in the vast parking space at the south east end of Ao nang beach near "the Last Fisherman bar" and took the monkey trail route (20 mins) to reach the Pai Plong beach






This beach is a private property of the Centara Grand beach resort but public access is allowed. We walked back to the Last FIsherman bar which was busy but also very relaxing due to the location. It was under the trees, right on the beach. We had a Lemon soda and choco lava cake (160 baht) while enjoying the sun go down. 




We returned the two wheeler at the rental shop and booked a Grab taxi from Ao nang to Krabi town (245 baht). We explored the krabi town night market which was no different from the Ao nang night markets. We had a relaxing time in the Pak Nam pier on the Krabi river along with many local people who were sitting there, eating the food from the night market stalls. While walking back, we ordered a Morning glory rice (60 baht) to takeaway to the hotel. So far so good!


Mar 02


We were waiting for the transport service (2400 Baht for two) that we had booked to Koh Lipe in the early morning. 

We were picked up at our hotel in Krabi town by 6 am, we got a Lemon tea, chicken sandwich and chips (120 baht) when the van stopped for a break at a coffee shop around 10 am and they dropped us at the Pak Bara Pier in Satun province. 




There was a 7-11 store near the pier, we bought a coconut cream cake and gummy bears (120 baht). Then we were sent to a speed boat that dropped us at the island by around 1:30 pm. We had to pay a "Tarutao national park" entry fee (400 baht for two) on entering the island and we reached the "Sang chan hostel" by walk (1898 baht for 2 nights).




Travel tip: Don't remove the shoes on reaching Koh Lipe because we wont be jumping from the speed boat right into the knee deep water on the beach like in some places, instead there's a floating pier for the tourists to walk on to the island (the same as in East Railay).


Warning: The floating piers are made of plastic which can get terribly hot in the afternoons. Don't try to walk on with barefoot.


The hostel room reminded me of the hotel room in Khaosan road, everything neatly arranged in a small space. The lounge area was indeed great with water and coffee available all the time.   

Koh Lipe also has an official walking street and many other roads intersecting at interesting junctions.


Travel tip: Average cost of things in Koh Lipe.

Sugus jumbo chewy candy (42 baht) 

Eucalyptus pain balm costs 65 baht.

Bike taxis are available at a standard charge of 100 baht from anywhere to anywhere on the island.

Half an hour neck and shoulder massage (in Leelawadee) costs 260 baht.

Beach slippers + Tee shirt will cost 330 baht


We had a Seafood rice with yellow curry and a black pepper chicken rice (250 baht) for lunch somewhere in the walking street, The evening was spent on the Sunset beach (Hat Pramong), a gorgeous beach with a spectacular sunset. We walked into the sea water on the northern end of the beach where there was nobody else, just us and the fishes. It was quality time in the beach but some of the rocks are sharp and one has to be careful. 






(kind of in the middle of a spiritual awakening)



Then we joined a group of tourists admiring the sun at the south end of the beach.





(A garbage disposal boat parked at sunset beach, could very well be the reason for the mosquitoes)


Travel tip : the "sunset beach" gets invaded by mosquitoes after sunset, So move out soon. 


At night we walked to the eastern end of the walking street to have sweet n sour seafood soup, stir fried veg noodles, Steam rice and plain omelette (300 baht) in Tonkow bar. We walked again to the other end of the walking street, to the Pattaya beach (not to be confused with Pattaya city) where a fire show was performed.



Mar 03


In the morning we visited the
Daya beach and spent sometime on the beach lounge chairs, we also visited the Han Talay monastery on the way back to the hostel. 


(the way to daya beach)





(its a brahma statue but mostly worshipped outside the hindu context. It represents the ancestors ( guardian spirits) of the natives of Koh Lipe in the Thai folk religious context).

Travel tip: Its nice to donate some money to the monastery while visiting.


(manual barrel pumps at the petrol station)

We brunched at the Elephant bar on the walking street, we had summer rolls with Khao soi noodles and a passion fruit mint juice (460 baht)


We were readily waiting at the Snorkeling trips office in the afternoon for the trip (1000 baht for twowe had already booked on the previous day. The captain of the boat came with a watermelon and we were ready to go. 


(leaving the island for a little while)

(the beautiful Koh Lipe island with the Koh Adang mountain in the background) 

We were the only ones who had booked for a sunset trip (2:30 pm to 6:30 pm), so the boat was all ours. We were taken to the Jabang dive site, Koh Yang, Koh Hin Ngam and Koh Adang. 


At JabangI was not comfortable with the Snorkeling mask yet and the place had too many tourist boats but we were thrilled to see the colourful corals, seeing through the snorkel mask was like watching an underwater video on wide screen projection.


Snorkeling at Koh Yang was also a lovely experience, there were a variety of fishes and sea creatures. There's a whole other world in the sea, these fishes and other creatures of the ocean had distinctive characters and it seemed like they were interconnected as a co-existing community, their social life was very visible. It was spectacular whenever a school of fish passed by and Nisreen accidentally stepped on a Sea urchin, the sting left several spines on her feet. The boatman assured it is not dangerous through the google translator. 

The third stop was at Koh Hin Ngam, this island is naturally filled with beautiful smooth black stones.




The fourth stop was Koh Adang where we had a lot of time to simply relax on the beach.

(beach cat in Koh Adang)

(Koh Adang tropical jungle)





We were called back to the boat and the boatman served us the watermelon.  


The boat guy dropped us at the North point beach in Koh Lipe. 


Travel tip: Don't forget to tip the boatman, a small amount will do. 



The sunset was beautiful, there were tourists from all countries and "Madam Yoo hoo" was selling Samosas (she runs a Thai restaurant in the walking street). 


"yoohoo samosas"

We walked back to our hostel sharing our thoughts about the snorkeling experience and we were also getting to understand how the island operates. 


We bought 2 lemons (20 baht) at a nearby store as an antibiotic for the urchin sting.

We took some money from the Krungsri ATM using a forex card with a transaction charge (120 baht)


Travel tip: Keep half of the money in cash and the other half deposited in some credit card or forex card whichever is comfortable. Don't take money from the ATM too many times. 


We had Seafood Pad Thai and fish soup noodles for dinner at the Nee papaya restaurant (170 baht)




The "Rainforest bar", "Time to chill bar" and the "Corner bar" on the walking street were active until late nightThe other happening places were the "Maya bar", "Home bar" and the "OMG sports bar" which are not on the walking streetThe "Monkey bar" and the "Art beach club" on the Pattaya beach try to create the Koh Phangan vibe with electronic music and fire shows, but it is not the reason why tourists come to Koh Lipe. The sunrise beach has the "Zodiac bar" and the "Sea La vie bar."


Mar 04


We checked out from the "Sang Chan hostel" and hired a Bike taxi to the "Lipe beach resort" located on the sunrise beach (Hat Chao Ley). We checked in at the resort (3520  baht for two nights), the wind was heavy but the beach had a nice tropical feel. The resort also has a very good spa at the top floor overlooking the sea, offering very good massages. The rooms were hut styled wooden cottages, very airy and refreshing.




Thai oil massage (1 Hour) in the Lipe beach resort costs 500 baht 

A few mins walk on the beach took us to vegetarian restaurant called Benny's on the beach. 

We had a granola bowl with seasonal fruits and coconut milk + a mango salad with tofu and lime soy vinaigrette + a ginger lemonade (400 baht).





After returning to the resort, I was lazily checking the photos in my camera while lying down in the balcony area. We were having a nice time and it was even more relaxing than the diamond cave resort we stayed at in East Railay beach.








For the lunch we decided to go to the west part of the island. We had an umbrella that could protect us from the the afternoon sun, so we started walking, hoping for a Bike taxi to come by but we kept walking all the way to the Forever restaurant.



(navigation analyst)








There wasn't a single spot on the island that hasn't been touched by our feet. We' seen the whole island now but was it worth it to walk this far for a restaurant?


It was a small homestyle restaurant managed by a simple family, we were the only customers but some more people came later on. We had the Pumpkin with coconut milk curry, Tea leaf salad and potato curry with rice in forever restaurant (400 baht). We were hungry because of the long walk and the smell/taste of the pumpkin curry was truly satisfying. 

(and I dint know it was possible to make salad with tea leaves)

(One bowl of pumpkin curry was not enough for the rice so we ordered a potato curry too)

 A sweet sense of nostalgia took over me when I tasted the potato curry of the Forever restaurant, it was meant to be heartfully enjoyed. Good food !





While returning to the resort, we walked down through the Bay view sunset resorts to the south end of the sunset beach near the Happy Mojito restaurant.




(happy mojito, sunset beach)

After relaxing there for sometime, we saw a Bike taxi dropping off some tourists, luckily we managed to hop into the bike taxi for a joyful ride to the Lipe beach resort (100 baht).



In the evening we visited the North point beach (where the boatman dropped us the previous evening) again because it was the best beach on the island to watch the sunset without a doubt.  


I left the DSLR in the resort and shot some pics in iPhone

Photography tip : DSLR cameras are not very good in low light conditions unless you are equipped with a tripod, wide aperture lens, full frame sensor, better autofocus accuracy etc. An iPhone comes handy while photographing at low light but never use "zoom" while clicking photos in "iPhone".




Before the dinner we explored the Souvenir shop and bought a T-shirt (299 baht), a fridge magnet (59 baht) and a notebook (95 baht). 


We decided to skip the walking street ever since we moved to our resort stay in the Sunrise beach. Besides there were other paths to explore like the road to the Maya bar which was on a slope.


Maya bar looked interesting from the outside but it was too secluded and didn't have many guests while we checked. So we decided to walk down to the Baracuda restaurant for dinner where we tried some Calamari Tempura with rice and Kang Tam soup (460 baht).


We reached back to the resort, passing by the "Hideaway coffee house", then passing through the "Satun dive resort" premises to the sunrise beach and then walking on the beach past the "sea la vie bar." 


(The Hideaway coffee house at night)

On reaching the Sunrise beach we saw some people looking at the waves, we were intrigued and we noticed  bioluminescent planktons getting washed up ashore on the beach. It was not like the entire shoreline was glowing but we saw planktons twinkling on the shore in bright blue colour.
 



They are smaller than a sand grain and will glow only when disturbed by the waves or when you pour water over them. We might have spent almost an hour there on the beach with the planktons before reaching our resort.


Mar 05 


We had the complimentary breakfast in the Lipe beach resort at "Elephant beach bar". 



Then we were heading towards the place marked in the G maps as "best view point of Lipe".



(rooster crossing the road)


We planned to walk by the beach but the shortest route was through road and by trespassing through the premises of the "Ten moons resorts" we entered the Maricilla beach very close to the "On the rocks restaurant" owned by the serendipity resorts. It was a wonderful beach, just what we expect from an island in the Andaman sea. 




We decided to have lunch at the same Elephant beach bar where we had our breakfast. We ordered Stir fried silk squash with eggs, Thai veg green curry with rice and a tender coconut (410 baht).





In the evening we went back to the North point beach for obvious reasons. It was simply beautiful and we were having an emotional moment because it was the last sunset that we could witness on the most romantic Koh Lipe island.






The T shirt I bought at the souvenir shop was not for my size, so I exchanged it to the next size and also bought another fridge magnet (59 baht). 


The last night in Koh Lipe has to be well spent but it should also not include a long walk to somewhere in the dark, so we visited the OMG sports bar (10 to 15 mins walk from the resort). Our table had a Mookata grill pan, used for self cooking the pork slices or other types of sashimi on a charcoal stove. The other Mookata tables were put to good use, quickly turned into mini kitchens by the guests. Anyways we ordered a stir fried chicken with rice, a chicken sandwich and a Pina colada (750 baht).




There was also live music, 
I usually prefer house/techno music at the Cafe/restaurants especially when it is mellow and melodic but "Live music" (of any genre) is even better, it elevates the mood with ease. The singer/guitarist at the bar said "Khap Khun Krap" (Thank you in Thai) every time he received an applause after each song he performed.


The walk back to the resort was similar to the previous night, again passing by the very elegant "Hideaway coffee house", but passing through the premises of a different resort to reach the sunrise beach. The shore was again decorated by the glowing planktons. 



(melancholic sea breeze at the resort on the final night in Koh lipe)

Travel tips: To thank someone, a male should say Khap Khun Krap while a female should say 'Khap Khun Kha" and likewise to welcome someone with a hello, a male should say "Sawadee krap" while a female should say Sawadee Ka". 

Krap and ka are used at the end of every sentence to speak in a polite manner and we hear it a lot during our time in Thailand. (Krap is pronounced as Kap)

Mar 06


It bothered us that we haven't yet bothered to see a sunrise despite staying in the sunrise beach, so we woke up early to see the sunrise on our last morning at Koh Lipe and we had our second complimentary breakfast in the "Elephant beach bar".





We chose the "American breakfast" which was a mistake because it came with ham and sausage.


The staff at the reception office booked a bike taxi (120 bahtfor us to the Pattaya beach where the speed boats are available at the ferry terminal. 







The speed boat picked us at Koh Lipe by 9:30am and a van dropped us at the "Hat Yai airport" by 1:30 pm
 (1800 baht), I bought some freshly cut Mango and guava (60 baht) somewhere on the road. 




I bought a Mushroom puff and a Chinese custard bun (36 baht) in the "ko Ka cafe" inside the airport and also a Cappuccino in the departure Gate (70 baht) before we took off in Hat yai at 5 : 50 pm and landed in Bangkok at 7: 20 pm. 


We booked a Grab taxi (300 baht) from the Airport to the "La Locanda hotel" (1620 baht for two nights) in Chinatown We had planned to visit the Yaowarat road in Chinatown but it was late by the time we reached and we were in no mood to explore. The hotel room was well equipped and well designed but we had to climb too many stairs, we chose it because it had a hostel vibe, it was close to Yaowarat road and also close to the MRT blue line subway station.




(the world map and the globe are a nice touch, hotels in Bangkok receive travellers from all countries).

We dint have the appetite for dinner so I went alone for a late night walk trying to buy some apples and Vinegar at the 7-eleven store but it was not available. I got a grilled sweet corn (30 baht) near the "22 July roundabout park" where some boys were playing Sepak Takraw (Foot volleyball) in the park. The garbage trucks were busy, the homeless people were sleeping on cardboard sheets and some freelance sex workers were lingering in the dark looking for customers. 


I was checking the photos in my camera before going to sleep and there was this English movie (dubbed in Thai language) on tv.


Mar 07


We had our breakfast (210 baht) in the outdoor lobby of the La Locanda hotel.



Travel tip : average costs in the China town side of the Bangkok city.

A water bottle in a grocery store costs14 baht,

A Paracetamol strip costs 15 baht, 
A freshly cut tender Coconut costs 40 baht .

It was a slow day, we wanted to see some temples in the late afternoon and for lunch we tried the Valhomas curry (smoked tuna) with steamed rice and roshi (maldivian roti) (200 baht) in Zara Café, Chinatown. It was a pursuit for the Maldivian taste but we should have chosen vegetarian instead of tuna.  


(navigating through the streets of china town)

"Zara Maldivian café and restaurant"

We booked a Grab taxi to "Wat Benchamophit" aka the marble temple (150 baht). We dint have the exact change so the driver had to drive us around the streets to help us get change, we gave an additional 20 baht as a tip for his hospitality.


The day was meant for resting but we couldn't also miss these temples, the marble temple was really beautiful. I had a feeling that I couldn't photograph the temple properly even after spending considerably enough time in it but i managed to click a few good frames.







Travel tip: Try using only a wide lens for the entire trip (or only a telephoto lens or a lens of a particular focal length), It can reduce your luggage.


We had to be at either Wat Arun or Wat Saket during the sunset. We tried booking a grab taxi but taxis were really not available from Wat Benchamophit. So we hired a Tuk tuk to Wat Saket (160 baht), tuk tuk drivers are hard to bargain with but very friendly in their service.




Travel tip :  tuk tuk rides are not cheap but they're partially open air with comfortable seats, a lot of fun.




Wat Saket (golden mount temple) was beautiful but the important parts of it were closed for maintenance, it was so disappointing to us and the many other tourists as well. 



It was almost dusk and we booked a Grab taxi to Wat Arun (200 baht), it was the closing time of Wat Arun temple complex and we luckily got through the gates even without a ticket. Many people were leaving as the security staffs were trying to get the people out. We quickly climbed the temple, scrambling with the leftover crowd. 





The temple has a lot of stairs and some narrow lanes where we can walk. it is 
decorated with small pieces of coloured glass and porcelain, it has a unique structure/style and most importantly it is located right next to the beautiful Chao Phraya river. We wished we had more time at Wat Arun. 


We hopped into a ferry from Wat Arun to the marine department (32 baht) but by mistake we got down at the Rajini pier. Then we had to catch another ferry from there to the marine department (32 baht) after which we walked to the Hong Sieng Kong café to have a Blueberry Tart and hot chocolate (300 baht).





We found Vinegar (15 baht) available in a 7/11 store on the way back to our hotel room. Nisreen soaked her feet in a bucket of warm water mixed with vinegar to soften the sea urchin spines. 


I went alone to see the Chinatown's Yaowarat road while she had some rest. The road was not very congested like the Khaosan road, there was a sense of adventure due to the variety of street food. 





(this hotel has the "sky view 360" revolving restaurant at the 25th floor) 

I tried the Red bird's nest soup 4th class (200 baht) at the "Nam sing bird's nest - shark fin" restaurant. 


 

I found out that apples are costly in Thailand because they are imported and also the apple trees don't grow well in Thailand due to the climatic condition. I also bought some Jack fruit (30 baht) and a Pomogrenade juice (50 baht) to takeaway to the hotel room.  

 

Mar 08 


In the morning, we paid a casual visit to the Wat Mangkon Kamalawat which was decorated with hundreds of Chinese lanterns. 




At this point in the trip, my curiosity about Thai food may have dropped a bit from high to mild and for a change we were heading towards a hamburger restaurant called "The Fat Cow". But we came across the "Starbucks @ I'm Chinatown" and decided to check it out. We were comfortably sitting by the large windows in the very spacious hall of the coffee shop, munching the Almond cream croissant and the toaster pancake with a tall cup of Caffe Americano and earl grey tea (530 baht).

Starbucks @ chinatown.

After again relaxing for sometime at our hotel Lounge, we vacated our hotel room and walked to the MRT station nearby. 

(Graffiti culture in Bangkok)

(a coffin shop amidst the coffee shops)

We were in a drowsy state and we lazily passed the time on our last day in Thailand. 


The MRT Wat Mangkon is easy to miss, it was hidden in plain sight. MRT subway stations in Bangkok are inconspicuous.

(This is the Wat Mangkon MRT (blue line) subway station)


The Metro train system in Bangkok is very clean and orderly.


We travelled from MRT Mangkon to MRT Silom (50 baht) where we interchanged the line to the Sala Daeng BTS skytrain.


Both the MRT and BTS in Bangkok are well maintained and very comfortable.


(The BTS skytrain)


Soon we reached the BTS Siam station (42 baht) which is very close to the "Siam Paragon mall". 

Travel tip : Remember to save the coins through the trip, we will need it for these train journeys because some of the ticket machines will only accept coins while some machines accept notes too. Also try to spend all the coins before leaving Thailand, afterwards it might get difficult to exchange these coins to our native currency.


(a ticket vending machine)

The Siam paragon mall is connected to the central world mall through a skywalk and we wanted to explore the central world first. We reached the Central world mall by early afternoon and kept our luggage in the Central world luggage storage (80 baht) 

(self service luggage storage machine)

Travel tip : Average cost of various things in the central world mall.


Orange juice in café Amazon costs 55 baht,



Small mix of Fried shrimp cake, squid cake and fish cake costs 60 baht


Two hand bags in Naraya costs 655 baht,



Cheese cake tart (Sweet bite) in D'ARK café costs 80 baht,



Pomelo ruched detail shirt (yellow) costs 1301 baht, 

Danea button down knit top (almond) In editors market costs 990 baht,

Shirt and shorts in guy laroche costs 1335 baht,


Hoegaarden (small) in love sick bar costs 283 baht.



Coconut costs 80 baht,



We couldn't explore the Siam Paragon mall because the central world took away every bit of our time already, the malls in Bangkok can consume an entire day's time easily.


We booked a Grab Taxi from Central world to the airport (440 baht), we also paid an additional "express highway toll" (50 baht).


At the airport we bought a "Siang pure formula 2 oil (white)" (215 baht for a pack of two small bottles). 


Our final dinner in Thailand was the Vermicelli noodles with crab meat and egg on top combined with a hot ginger tea In a Thai restaurant at the airport (352 baht)



We left Bangkok by flight at 9pm and reached the Chennai airport by 10:55 pm.