Sawadeeeeee... welcome to Thailand!

Just got back this week from one week in Thailand, one of my favourite places.  I just can't seem to get enough of that place.  It is cheap to travel in, has delicious food, friendly people who speak English, and beautiful beaches!

The flight from HCMC to Bangkok was less than 1.5 hours.  We had heard many stories of there being floods in Thailand, but that didn't stop us from going.  Most of the flooding was in northern Thailand and other areas where we were not travelling to. 

Upon arrival in Bangkok, we made our way straight to Khao San Road (backpacker ghetto).  The one problem about Thailand is that so many people try to rip you off.  We were quoted a ridiculous price for a taxi from the airport to Khao San, but we figured out that it was cheaper to go on the express railway, and it was a much better way to see the city.

Khao San Road is overrun by foreigners - mostly backpackers on "gap year" holidays.  Even though it is ridiculous, I still love it there.  We checked in to a cheap guesthouse in the heart of everything, but didn't realize that we had a window facing the road and that there would be loud party music at all hours of the night.  I think the music actually stopped around 6am, but we had earplugs and I slept through the whole night.  On Khao San you can get cheap street food (pad thai, spring rolls, and mango sticky rice are my favourites) and buy cheap clothing and souvenirs.  You have to bargain hard to get souvenirs within an acceptable price range!

John and I were travelling with our friends Greg and Brittany.  Greg was the only one who had never been to Bangkok before, so we decided he needed to see the Grand Palace.

Hanging out at the Grand Palace in Bangkok

The next day, we moved on to Kanchanaburi (in central Thailand).  The bus brought us right to the famous bridge over the River Kwai.  It was a cool spot, and we found a guesthouse nearby.  Our main reason in going to Kanchanaburi was to see the Tiger Temple.  At the temple, we got to take photos with tigers who were lounging around.  There is some debate among tourists of whether or not the tigers are sedated.  We spoke with a monk at the temple (who was from L.A.!) and he explained to us that the tigers are not drugged, but they are calm because many of them have grown up at the temple and are used to interacting with humans.  He also said that they follow a strict routine which helps them stay relaxed.  If there are deviations from their daily routine, they don't like it!  Luckily there were no tiger attacks when we were there!  I got to pose with a baby tiger on a leash, but then it started dragging me up a flight of stairs and the trainer told me to go with it!  Kind of crazy but another memorable experience.

Tiger Temple!

In Kanchanaburi we also visited the Erawan National Park, where there is a beautiful tiered waterfall.  After spending an afternoon there, we made our way back to Bangkok on a local bus, where we paid the same price for a ticket as the Thai people riding it.  It felt nice not to be getting ripped off and paying the "tourist price" ... and the bus was much better than our "private VIP minivan" which we arrived to Kanchanaburi in (booked through a travel agent in the backpacker ghetto)!

The first few days of our trip on mainland Thailand were rainy.  On one evening, Khao San Road flooded due to rain.  It was hilarious seeing bicycles and people walk through it.  Thankfully, it drained in less than 2 hours when the rain stopped.

The remainder of the trip was spent on the island of Koh Chang (Elephant Island), which is on the east coast of Thailand, near Cambodia.  We rented motorbikes (don't worry... not HCMC traffic conditions!) to explore the island.  Some of the highlights included the Treetop Adventure Park (ziplining and ropes course in the jungle which was very challenging!), Klong Plu waterfall, Bang Bao fishing village with restaurants in the water on stilts, snorkelling at the national marine park, and of course... the Ban Kwan Chang elephant camp.  At Ban Kwan Chang we got to bathe/swim with elephants, ride the elephants into the jungle, and feed them a snack at the end of the morning.  It was pretty cool to see elephants up close like that.  Some elephant camps in Thailand do not treat the elephants well, but at this camp the elephants were out in the open and free to walk around.  There is one specific trainer for every elephant, so the elephants and trainers form a close bond.

Ban Kwan Chang

Leaving Koh Chang was an adventure because we missed our ferry.  The plan was for Brittany and I to take a taxi with all our bags back to the ferry, and John and Greg would drive the motorbikes back to the rental guy and then take a taxi to the ferry.  It turned out that it was extremely difficult to get a taxi from the beach we were staying at, and that you don't call taxis on Koh Chang.  They just arrive every half hour like a bus (??) ... so Brittany and I had to wait.  When it arrived, we told the driver to go fast and not stop at all for anyone else.  I felt like I was on the Amazing Race.  Unfortunately, he did not go that fast and he picked up a bunch more people.  FAIL!  By the time we got to the ferry pier, it was past 9:30 and the ferry had left.  We were certain that Greg and John would be worried that we left without them, even though I had all the tickets and would not leave without anyone!  Turns out, they were still waiting at the pier, and had also arrived late and missed the ferry.  They had only arrived a few minutes before we did after going to the wrong ferry pier!  They told us that they saw the ferry which we were supposed to be on, and were yelling our names and waving their arms in the hopes that the ferry would turn around.  We were all so happy that there was another ferry at 10:30 and that we could get on it without issues. 

We spent our last night in Bangkok buying souvenirs, eating delicious Thai food, getting cocktails at a bar which was decorated like a psychedelic hippie bus, and visiting McDonalds.  There are no McDonalds in Vietnam so I was really craving cheeseburgers!!

Anyway, it was an awesome trip to Thailand.  I hope to be back again some time since there is so much to see and do there!