Thailand 2013

 

 

Our first trip 2013 took us to Thailand.
We decided to start with a short stop over in Bangkok, did a seven days round trip to the northern part of Thailand. Then flying back to Bangkok for a stop over, followed by a nine day trip to Kho Phi Phi for relaxing, diving and snorkeling.

Bangkok:

Some call Thailand the best place to go to easily explore Asia, however, the megacity Bangkok is truly Asia.

Huge megacity, nice parks, lovely spots and wonderful palaces, but also crowded, loud, hot and humid, dirty, poverty, adversity. And, that’s at least what we thought, not really friendly.

However, going to Thailand and not visiting Bangkok would be a failure. Some nights in Bangkok for short stop overs are a must, but take your time to explore the wonderful countryside in the northern part of Thailand or the coastal spots…

Small hint: If you start and finish your trip in Bangkok and do a stop over in Bangkok on your way from Chiang Mai to the South part of Thailand, leave parts of your luckage at the hotel... Helps you during the round trip in the northern part and also later on during your trip to the South.

 

Let's continue with our North Thailand round trip:

Much better than overcrowded Bangkok…

We did a bus trip visiting the best spots in the Northern Thailand region.

The trip took us on the first day from Bangkok to Ayutthaya, the former capital of Siam, destroyed by Burma in 1767 and to Phitsanulok.

The second day was starting in Pitsanulok, visiting the temple area Wat Maha Dhat, afterwards a trip to Sukhothai to see the historic temple park with lots of nice temples (ruins), close by the remainders of the old kings temple Wat Sri Chum (with a Buddha statue of 11m height). From there the bud took us to Lampang with nice temples and the famous green Jade Buddha.

We stayed the night in a very nice River Lodge with excellent food / barbeque. Keep in mind to take mosquito protection with you.

The next day took us to Chiang Ray and to the utmost northern city of Thailand, Mae Sai at the border line to Burma and to the Golden Triangle, where Thailands border meets Laos and Myanmar. From over there you have breathtaking views, towards the river Mekong and the countryside itself.

Second last day took us to the mountain region of Chiang Mai, which is called the “rose of the north”. Impressive is the temple area Doi Suthep and the visit in the small villages of the peoples that came from Meo area in China.

Last day took us to a nice elephant camp (don’t miss the riding on the Elephant and the river tour with the wooden raft) and to an Orchid Farm. The tour itself finished with a farewell dinner in Chiang Mai on the last day.

Nice, the trip is not cheap at all, but really really beautiful. A bid exhausting, bus leaves the hotels early in the morning and reaches the next hotel only late in the afternoon. But worthwhile doing this trip. Especially when you manage to be on a bus with not that many people (and if you have reserved some time for a beach trip afterwards)

 

We continued our Thailand trip to Koh Phi Phi Island after one more night in Bangkok:

We stayed at a nice “step back to simplicity“ five star luxury hotel on the east cost of Kho Phi Phi, called Zeavola.

Really breathtaking hotel, nice rooms, nice beach, nicely located, a bid away from touristic hot spot of Phi Phi Downtown, reachable only by boat!!!

There are some gypsy villages close by to go for a nice dinner at the beach (we can recommend the small “Jasmine Restaurant” with excellent food).

You can also find an excellent dive center over there, small, but very nice…

Thanks to Khun Cian for hosting us and taking us out to nice spots within the Phi Phi Marine National Park.

What can you expect over there: Bad visibility, unfortunately, sometimes waves, often current, but all the big fishes coming along with that…We have seen lots of turtles, rays, leopard sharks and lot’s of other nice things… Gorgonian sea fans and colorful soft corals, Hawksbill Turtles, Black Tipped Reef Sharks and stunning and beautiful macro fauna. Nudibranches, Sea Horses and Ghost Pipefish can all be discovered in the six island archipelago, and if you are lucky, Manta rays as well.

Things you must do staying at Koh Phi Phi:

• Staying at Zeavola and diving with the guys from the Zeavola Dive Center
• Trip to May Bay, but don’t do an single trip with a long tail boat, go diving there in the bay itself
• Enjoy a sundowner at the sundown spot of nearby hotel Holiday Inn, much better than the sundown spot near Zeavola (30 minuts walk from Zeavola, down the coast and then follow the signs within Holiday Inn)
• Visit Phi Phi view point, but make sure that you visit both the view points (I and II with is a bid further up the hill), offers breathtaking view over the island, nice drinks and nice food at the viewpoint II restaurant
• Visiting Ton Sai Bay, the hotspot of Phi Phi Island with lot’s of restaurants, shops and tourists…
• And relax, relax, relax at the beach and in the Hotel Spa!!!

 

Below you can find pictures of Bangkok, our round trip to the north and pictures from Kho Phi Phi as well as diving pictures. 

Have fun looking at the pictures and share with us our nice memories.