THAILAND’S RECIPE
Preparation time:
50 days on spot, or 4203 kms travelled.
Cooking time: 135 hours spent in 82 different transports.
Ingredients:
3 trains
10 ferries
2 speedboats
6 local buses
8 minivans
6 Grabs
2 pick-ups
1 barge
5 long-tail boats
17 tuk-tuks
12 scooters
2 kayaks
2 bikes
Seasonings:
Never too many Pad Thai
4 decapitated cockroaches (in the train, in hotels and in a bus)
1 very early wake-up call (6:00 am) for a kayak ride
1 beautiful snake forcing us to go back
2 suspicions of Covid (!)
3 speeding tickets got by the same driver for fear that we would miss our train
1 backpack (full!) forgotten, then found in a 7/11
1 bag of black vomit (try to avoid eating Oreos during a sea trip…)
4 indelible stickers (with family, it’s better)
1 lizard’s amputation
2 tedious but fruitful negotiations (patience is our greatest ally)
1 beautiful hotel to enjoy comfy bed linens and a hot shower
1 phone repair
15 devoured coconuts (more or less, depending on the machetes available)
1 beautiful hairy tarantula
6 good rainy showers on our heads (on a scooter, of course, it’s always funnier!)
2 broken brakes in a big descent followed by a local rescuing us with a bottle of water cooling the motorcycle
5 excursions to the Koh Phangan’s market to eat till bursting
2 traditional massages to make you crack every single bone you have, even those you did not even suspect the existence
3 pseudo-deaths because of excessive spicy seasoning (Anouck has survived)
1 memorable evening organized by locals in our honor
2 lanterns dropped in the sky during the Loy Krathong Festival
1 big dose of love and emotion alongside Moe Pang and her family
2 beautiful fears when meeting some sharks in Koh Tao (it’s crazy how they blend into the landscape…)
1 ascent on an acrobatic scooter (to finish on foot)
1 global epidemic allowing us to enjoy holidays without any tourists
Method (overview):
AYUTTHAYA
Bike tour of the old town and its ruins
Night market to discover Thai dishes
CHIANG MAI
Participation to the lantern festival
Cooking class
Initiation to meditation with Buddhist monks
Week-end night market
SUKHOTHAI
Day in the heart of historic temples and sunset over the ruins
MAE SOT
Immersion in the local life of Burmese refugees
Visit to AAPP (Assistance Association for Political Prisoners) museum
BANGKOK
Race for finding and eating in the best boui-boui
Getting lost in the bustling streets of the capital and maximize the number of different transports
Exploring cultural temples
Dinner cruise on the Chao Phraya River
Catching up some sleeping in a nice hotel
KOH TAO
Snorkeling to meet black tip sharks
Sunset at the top of John-Suwan Viewpoint
Long-tail boat excursion to Koh Nang Yuan
KOH PHANGAN
One word: food.
Hiking in Thansadej National Park
KOH SAMUI
Scooter loop around the island with family (temples, waterfalls, beaches)
Eating at Fishermen Village in Bophut
Admiring the panorama from the top of the Lamai Overlap Stone
KOH LANTA
Beginning of a dreamy family vacation
Scooter loop around the whole island
Hike and refreshing swim in the heart of the national park
Sunset and aperitif on Ao Nui Bay
KOH MOOK
Kayak getaway to the Emerald Cave
Exploring the surroundings of Sabai Beach
KOH PHI PHI
Watching a Muay Thai fight
Walk on the heights of the island and its 3 viewpoints
Long tail boat excursion on Koh Phi Phi Don & Koh Phi Phi Ley
PHANG NGA
Scooter getaway in the region of Phang Nga
Half-day long-tail boat excursion in the bay and stop at the floating village of Koh Panyi
KRABI
Taking advantage of the night market to buy souvenirs
Getting tattooed
The bill (for 2): 1891,61€
We also passed 2 times by the country on our way to other countries, which adds 57,51€ + 146,1€ to the above budgets.
Positive feedbacks:
The thai culture (welcoming, hospitable and helpful)
Thai food (varied and tasty)
A diverse journey (cultural, relaxing, adventurous and heavenly)
No negotiations needed
Negative feedbacks:
Too touristy at some places/periods
Expensive attractions and sites
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