Thailand | A Traveller’s Review

I was in work earlier this week and a colleague asked on our work intranet if anyone had any recommendations for a trip to Thailand. I advised a few things for the places she said she was visiting, and it got me thinking that it might make a good post for my blog. It’s been a while since I post about travel, so maybe this is a good way back into the world of travel blogging.

In 2014 I graduated University and had grand plans to travel the world. The starting point was South East Asia. After a whistle stop tour of Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, and some of Thailand, I training as  TEFL teacher, and started life in the North East of Thailand as a primary school teacher in Roi-Et. I spent months living and travelling around Thailand, experiencing the foods and the cultures, and enjoying as many of the sites and sounds as could be before we left for Malaysia.

In addition, my parents are due to travel to South East Asia at the end of the year. I have been looking at things to do and places to see, and advising them as much as I can, so my favourite things to do are very much in the forefront of my mind.

So, I’ve decided to write a post about my favourite things to do in Thailand. It’s not an exhaustive list by any means, there will be places missing and obvious answers, but it’s a compilation of activities I enjoyed, places I liked to see, and tips I learnt along the way:

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So Long Thailand…

There are very few places in life that I have called home. Liverpool has and always will be my home city, and I of course counted Lancaster, my University town, as a home for 3 years. Neither of these could have prepared me for my time in Thailand, and I’m glad that the experience was so different. I have made some awesome friends, seen some amazing places, and had some fantastic times that have left me looking back with fond memories, and looking forward with high expectations, and an even higher benchmark.

We’re Just Not Beach People

Our time in Thailand is coming to an end. We’ve travelled all over and seen some awesome things, and have reached our final stop: Krabi. Home to beaches, caves, and more beaches, Krabi is considered one of Thailand’s paradises, so should be the relaxing chill out time we need before the hectic run through Malaysia and Singapore.

The Beach Beach

I have repeatedly said on my blog throughout the time I have had it that she had it right in 10 Things I Hate About You. Some things are overwhelming, and some things are underwhelming, and some are just whelming. For me, whelming is a slightly generous description of Koh Phi Phi and Maya bay, which I think I will always refer to as The Beach beach.

Bicycles, Buddhas, and too many tacos

Do you ever make a plan to do something that seems brilliant on paper, but they when you come to do it, you wonder where you have gone completely insane? Yes, you do? Well, I felt like that on Tuesday morning as I got off the BTS and walked to the ABC (amazing Bangkok Cyclist) office. The thought of doing a 16km bike tour of Bangkok was about as far down on my list of priorities as staying in Bangkok beyond Thursday.

I am sorry

I would like to apologise for my unexpected hiatus from writing. I could come up with a wealth of probably rubbish excuses, but the simple fact is, I kept forgetting. I didn’t have the time. I am practically in paradise in Southern Thailand, and just haven’t managed to regularly post.

I am going to try my best to fill in the gaps and write blog posts for everything and everywhere over the next day or two, so bear with the onslaught that may well come your way.

Good news is, we’re having an awesome time!

The Bridge over the River Kwai

I feel like the past few days have been absolutely non-stop. I think that’s a good thing. I’m going to need that rest time when we finally get out of Bangkok and reach Koh Tao. I’m glad were doing so much that doesn’t include being in Bangkok itself because I just don’t really like the place. I don’t know why, I just don’t.

It’s been awesome Roi-Et

For the last few months, I’ve lived in a small Thai city called Roi-Et. Located in central Issan, northeastern Thailand, it’s quiet, authentic, and has provided us with some awesome memories and experiences. To try and capture everything that has happened and everyone I’ve met in one post is going to be, well, impossible, but I can’t leave here without giving it a go!!

The Tale of the Gentlemanly Stalker

Thailand is full of people who like to speak to you, welcome you, offer their services at any moment, anything. They are possibly the most friendly people I’ve had the pleasure of meeting. The area we live in is fairly tourist free, so when we get the Bangkok bus to our city, we are invariably the only white people on board. Everyone shows an interest, and often stares, which we have become used to. They also test their limited English on us wherever possible.

This is how we met Babe.

The Terror of the Visa Run: The Visa Run Strikes Back

I love Thailand, I really do. The weather is great, the people are lovely, the country is beautiful. There is a way of life here that I haven’t ever experienced before and that I will miss hugely when I leave.

That said, I won’t miss the bureaucracy, and the instability with my visa situation one bit.