Bangkok and KRABI
First things first.
Here a view important tips to make your Thailand trip awesome:
– Never drink from drink cans or bottles, always use a straw. – The hygiene is not the best and there could be poison on the bottles or cans.
– If you feel sick and you vomit, call a doctor. You can’t get it under control without the appropriate medication.
– Buy a Thailand SIM in advance, there are digital or physical ones, both work fine.
Now to our trip andexperiences. After we had to postpone our Thailand trip because of Covid, we could finally set off towards Asia in February 2023. Verena and Christian accompanied us on this trip this time. Our travel plan took us to Bangkok for 3 days, from there by plane to Cambodia and after another 3 days in Cambodia we went back to Krabi – Railay by plane. In total we were on the road for 16 days.
In Bangkok we stayed at the Shanghai Mansion Hotel in the middle of china town. An excellent choice and good decision. A beautiful and elegant hotel, at a fair price, with a great bar on the ground floor and very courteous staff. Right out of the hotel you are right in the center of China Town. One street food place after the other, every dish simply delicious.
There is only one reasonable means of transport to get around Bangkok. Tuktuks. By far the cheapest and fastest means of transport, and the price can usually be negotiated a bit. Depending on the distance, 200-400 Bhat per trip are usual. If you are a little daring, four of you can share a tuktuk. This corresponds to about 5-10 euros per trip, with four passengers that makes 1.25-2.50 euros per person.
For one day we booked a guided trip to a floating market. Yes, it’s a very touristic matter, but sometimes it has to be like that. We choose the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market, because it is said to be one of the most photogenic floating markets. It was a highlight, especially for me as a photographer. I always wanted to see this kind of market. I especially liked the little old lady with the bananas and mangoes. I am so happy that I was able to take a very nice portrait of her.
Of course you can find more photos of everything below.
After 4 days in Bangkok, we take a flight to Cambodia and had additional 4 days there. You can find the details here.
Of course we did a “secret food tour” again during these three days. It was delicious, exciting and informative. Personally, I like these tours because it’s not just about the food, but the culture is always brought closer. We learned a lot about temples and rituals and went to some places we definitely wouldn’t have visited and were thrilled. Restaurants in small side streets and with great street food. Especially the duck soup with handmade noodles was a highlight. The papaya salad was delicious as well, albeit slightly spicy. Our guide took great care of us and we can highly recommend “Secret Food Tours”.
If you are looking for a breakfast in China town, we can recommend the Lhong Tou Cafe at Yaowarat. A beautiful little cafe in the middle of China Town that offers Chinese breakfast. We got there very early, so we got a table quickly, but it’s very busy. A drink that accompanied me throughout my vacation was Thai Milk Tea. Actually a special tea mixture that is infused with condensed milk, but is usually also prepared from a powdered mixture. I thought it was great.
Of course you cannot leave Bangkok without visiting at least one temple. We chose Wat Pho. A beautiful temple complex with a huge reclining Buddha. Wat Arun is probably just as well known, but we only saw it at sunset from the other side of the Chao Phraya.
After we came back from Cambodia, we flew to Krabi and booked two bungalows at the Railay Phutawan Resort. What I only saw at second glance is that Railay cannot be reached by car. At first I thought we really want this. Then I thought it’s definitely nice and decelerated. And so it was. No cars, just a tuktuk on the peninsula, but lots of very nice places to eat.
The only way to get to the peninsula is by longtail boat. For a few euros you can also take them spontaneously from the west beach to get to Ao Nang. One of the most beautiful beaches in the area is Phra nang Cave Beach and as a resident of the peninsula you have the great advantage of being there before the crowds and the day tourists tend to only stay 2-3 hours as the long tail boats only come at high tide can create. Therefore, we were able to really enjoy the peninsula, especially in the mornings and evenings, as there are only a few hotels here.
The flora and fauna here on the peninsula was quite interesting. From lizards to various species of monkeys and silk spiders. Nothing dangerous but quite exciting to watch. Because we attach great importance to a natural environment, we have also refrained from feeding the animals, especially the monkeys, who do try to steal something.
Excursions can also be made from Railay. You always start with a longboat towards the mainland, but from there everything is possible. We opted for a trip to the Hot Water Spring Spa and the Emerald Pools. As well as for a visit to the elephants and a kayak trip into the mangroves.
For me it was a great experience to bathe with an elephant. We could stroke it and feel it up close.
There are two small supermarkets to stock up on bottled water and buy some snacks. You don’t need more.
Our hotel took really good care of us. The pool bar at the Infitiny Pool had Thai Milk Tea and great snacks like Pad Thai or Minced Chicken with Herbs and Rice.
The breakfast offered some international dishes such as waffles or scrambled eggs, especially very regional breakfasts such as curry, fried rice or tom kha gai soup.
On one of the last days in Thailand we rented a longtail boat to go to Phi Phi and see Maya Beach (the beach from the movie “The Beach”) and the other very nice bays there. Maya Bay was to be honest a bit unspectacular. Masses of tourists and not much else. Unfortunately, the Pi Leh Bay was also extremely overcrowded. Thousands of tourists are brought to the islands with long boats and motor boats, just terrible. Of course everyone has the right to see the wonders of nature, but somehow it’s still tragic.
All in all, I found Thailand strange. On the one hand it is extremely touristic, on the other hand they don’t even know what a treasure they have. Unfortunately, it is very dirty, rubbish is simply thrown on the street or in the forest and nobody cares what the individual things are all about. The tour guides tell you very little about the area or what is where and why. Maybe we just caught uninterested guides but I would have liked to learn more about the country.
On the last day, Michael and I absolutely had to test the medical supply system. You don’t have to do it, but if you need it I can confirm that it’s not bad. We probably caught a water bacterium on the last day and unfortunately we couldn’t start the journey home with Verena and Christian. We stayed an extra night, got some medicine and an IV and were then able to start our journey home 36 hours later. Thanks to our Visa credit card, all costs were covered by the insurance company. So I can’t recommend it to anyone, but if you need it, it’s not the end of the world.
Recommendation list Thailand
Hotels:
Shanghai Mansion – https://www.shanghaimansion.com/
Railay Phutawan Resport – https://www.railayphutawanresort.com/
Restaurants and Cafe:
Lhong Tou Cafe at Yaowarat – https://goo.gl/maps/FJS8gtDA23bt7SUG7
Jae Maelee Noodels – https://goo.gl/maps/cyTW6imxuLD1AAfV6
Secret Food Tours: https://www.secretfoodtours.com/
Damnoen Saduak Floating Market – https://goo.gl/maps/3F5y8NNyRL6uMqEL8
