I want to share with you my last travel experience: this summer I visited Thailand and Cambodia. I travel a lot but this holiday was very special both because I saw magical places and because I got to share this experience with my best friends. We started planning this holiday really late ( we bought the Tickets with Emirates late May) and for me it was really weird because usually I plan my summer way before that. Anyway, let's start and I hope that you will find this post helpful in case you want to plan a trip to Thailand and Cambodia as well.
We booked the tickets with Emirates from Rome to Bangkok with a stop in Dubai. I have to say that Emirates was beyond perfect : seats were big, huge choice of new and old movies to watch and perfect timing.
Day 1: BANGKOK
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| Chao Phraya River and Wat Arun temple ( view from the Hotel) |
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| Wat Pho |
At the temple you can also find a kind of "SPA" where you can get massage. Since we were really tired we decided to each have one massage. For me it was a "terrible" experience since I was in a lot of pain rather than relaxing but my friends really enjoyed it.
One experience you cannot miss while in Bangkok is a boat tour in the river: there, you can see people in their everyday life. it was really worth it. It lasted 1 hour and a half.
Before dinner, we went to get a TATTOO ( yes we did) each of us got something different: they were really professional, the tattoo I got is now of my favorite because it was really well done and the price is way cheaper than prices in europe. We were very lucky because they had room for us but otherwise they are always fully booked.
Tattoo studio: BKK INK TATTOO STUDIO.
So if you want to get a tattoo while in bangkok I really recommend it.
After dinner, we went to Sky Bar at Lebua Hotel, which is where they shoot a scene from the Hangover 3. It was amazing ( maybe a little bit expensive) but worth it for the amazing view of Bangkok by night.
In the morning we went to visit Royal Palace : it is a huge complex of buildings/ temples and the thing I noticed was GOLD everywhere :)
Remember that you need to be properly dressed to enter the palace: shoulders and legs covered
In the afternoon we met some italian friends and we went to visit the Jim Thompson house: it was nice but a little too touristic.
At night we went to the famous Khao San Road, better known to be backpackers road: full of drunk tourists and backpackers and lots of nice pubs and bars. I really enjoyed it, it was as if being in another dimension, really different from being back home.
How to move in Bangkok: 1) Tuk Tuk: very funny and remember to always bargain the price before.
2) Taxi: cheapest way to move if they use the meter: 20 mn of ride and we payed 60 baht.
3) Boat: very cheap as well
Hotel in Bangkok: Sala Rattanakosin ( 4/5 stars), very good position for the visit in the temples and very nice and big rooms
DAY 3: SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA
This was my favorite part of the trip: Cambodia was simply amazing. At first we were torn between going to Chang Mai and Chang Rai ( North of Thailand) or going to Cambodia. I am so glad that we chose to go to Siem Reap. In my bucket list there are 3 places I really whished to visit and they are Machu Pichu in Peru, Petra in Jordany and Angkor Wat in Cambodia. Finally I got to realize one of my dreams and visit Angkor. It was Breathtaking and outstanding. We wanted to visit it at dawn but unfortunately we didn't get the chance because every morning it was cloudy or raining but if have the chance do it.
We traveled from Bangkok to Siem Reap with Air Asia. The flight was one hour long, so we didn't even had the chance to sleep and we were already there.
Tips: In Cambodia you can pay in dollars and it is best if you buy the ticket (20 dollars) the day before in the afternoon so you don't have the queue in the morning. Moreover, if you buy the ticket in the afternoon you can enter for free for the same day to watch the sunset.
To enter Cambodia you'll need a Visa: do it on the internet so you won't have to do a long queue at the airport.
DAY 4: SIEM REAP
We spent the day visiting the temples in Angkor.
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| not my picture: Angkor Wat |
I had a lot of expectations about Angkor because it was on my bucket list for a long time, I can say that I was not disappointed. 1 Day is not enough to visit everything and I wished we had more time but at least we saw the most important temples.
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| Bayon Temple |
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| Ta Prom ( where Lara Croft was filmed) |
At night we went to the famous PUB STREET ( yes that's the real name) where foreigners and local meet to party. The best pub/ disco was Angkor What? and I thing that the name fit perfectly.
DAY 5: KOMPONG PHLUK FLOATING VILLAGE
I know we could have spent our second day in Cambodia visiting other temples but we wanted to have a different experience and see how local people live so we went on a boat trip to KOMPONG PHLUK floating village. it was a really unforgettable visit. It is a village built on stilts. The rainy season was just starting so the water was very low and we could see the high stilts. It was weird to imagine how much the water would rise in just a matter of time. The part I liked the most was the trip with a really small boat ( raft) through the mangrove forest: it was the most peaceful thing I ever did.
How to move in Siem Reap: We had 2 Tuk Tuk included in the room rate
Hotel in Siem Reap: Navutu Dreams Resort ( 5/5 stars): amazing hotel, amazing people who work there and the price of the room include a Tuk Tuk.
DAY 6: KHAO SOK NATIONAL PARK, Thailand
It's Jungle time: Since we could not go to the north of Thailand I thought that it was a good idea to to a little of Jungle time in the south of Thailand, namely in the Khao Sok National Park.
The park was really beautiful, green everywhere but we were not so lucky because it was raining non-stop for 2 days. However, We were not put off by the rain and as soon as we arrived we went on a night walk safari. We saw spiders, bat, snakes, scorpions, monkeys.
DAY 7: KHAO SOK NATIONAL PARK
Today we did a trip to the Cheow Lan Lake: It is certainly one of the most exceptional natural thing I have ever seen and it was raining so I can't imagine what it would be like with the sun. We took a boat that took us to a very private part of the lake where we got to rent ( for free) kayak and just have a swim and relax. After the relaxiing time, we did a 2 hours walk to reach another beautiful part of the park and with a bamboo boat we reached a pretty awesome cave.
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| Bamboo boat |
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| Kayaking in the lake |
DAY 8: KHO SAMUI, Thailand
Jungle time was over but in the morning we had a little experience with elephants before leaving for the island. We helped bathing the elephants, obviously it was very touristic but at least I know that elephants are happy when they can play with water.
Afterwards, we took a ferry from Surat Thani to Koh Samui. During august the only island you can visit in Thailand are the one in the Gulf of Thailand. Originally we planned to stay in Koh Tao which is less touristic and smaller but we had to stop over in Koh Samui for one night because there trip from Surat Thani to Ko Tao was too long. We booked the hotel the day before we arrived and it was an amazing villa with 3 rooms, 3 bathrooms, a big living room and a pool and it was only for 20 euro each.
We arrived pretty late so we went to an amazing restaurants called Page at the Library Hotel and we went to Green Mango.
Hotel in Koh Samui: Amera Villas, Koh Samui: 5/5 stars, I could also give 6 stars, it was amazing, however a little bit far from the center.
DAY 9-14 : KOH TAO, THAILAND.
At dawn we took the ferry and finally got to our final destination which was Koh Tao. Koh Tao is the smallest island and the less touristic and it is also know as the Turtle Island and is famous for people who like to go diving.
During the time on the Island we relaxed and got to enjoy sunny and warm weather after the experience in the jungle.
Most beautiful beaches: - AOW LEUK BAY
- KOH NANG YUAN ( small private island close to Koh Tao)
- Sairee Beach ( the most famous one)
-Shark Bay: This bay is famous for the small sharks that don't attack humans. We went there to do snorkeling and we didn't see any sharks, however we saw a huge turtle and it was a pretty awesome experience.
We really wanted to attend a full moon party while we were in the Islands but unfortunately the full moon was 10 days before we arrived so instead we went to BlackMoon party which is the opposite of when there is the full moon. It was in Koh Phangan, the island for people who want to party ;) I expected more but it was nice anyway.
Restaurants in KOH TAO: -Barracuda Restaurant and Bar
- Whitening
Nightlife in KOH TAO: -Lotus Beach Bar
- Choppers
-Fishbowl Beach Bar
Hotel in Koh Tao: Aminjirah Hotel : 4/5 stars: amazing view
As you can see I had the best time in my life, saw wonderful places, meet amazing people and got to know a different culture from my own. I hope you will find this post helpful and you can use some of my tips in your next trip.
Remember: "Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you reacher"
Lucrezia ;)
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