Third up on our big trip was Thailand
We arrived in Bangkok pretty late after getting the bus from Siem Reap - which was pretty good service, without any hitches or too much waiting around at the borders. We got the bus ticket from one of the travel agents in Siem Reap and they were super helpful. We were dropped off close to Khao San Road which we walked through on the way to our hostel which was super cool, I felt like a proper backpacker right then - walking down Khao San Road with my giant backpack! We stayed in Lucky Hostel which is just opposite Khao San Road and is pretty good for what you pay for (though there is a hella lot of ants). We went for a walk and a few drinks on Khao San Road and also Rambuttri Alley which has some great food stalls and just general YUM everywhere. The next day we did the tourist thing by walking to the river to find a boat which would take us upstream to the Grand Palace. Be warned, when getting off the boat some guy may approach you and tell you the Grand Palace is closed, but you should come with him and do another tour - the Grand Palace is not closed, you should not go with him and you should not do another tour. About three different people told us the same thing and we almost believed them until I asked some tourists who were incidentally on their way back from the Palace which was definitely open. It's definitely a sight to see - there is an insane amount of gold and jewels everywhere and it's just so beautiful but the crowds are pretty insane so it's hard to get around or get good pictures. After this, we got a tuktuk and hit up the Chatuchak Weekend Market, which is ginormous so unfortunately by the time we got there we didn't have too much time to look around. If you go there I would advise going to the Pet section (section 11 I think!) where they are selling all kinds of ridiculous fluff and cuteness.
The next morning we were up bright and early to catch our flight to Krabi,
from there we got a ferry to Phi Phi (side note: if you're going to Laem Tong Bay, they will try and sell you a long boat ride for ridiculous money. Instead you can get the Andaman Wavemaster ferry which will drop you off at Phi Phi, where you transfer to another ferry which will take you to Laem Tong.) The ferry ride is insanely beautiful as you go past all the islands. The ferry stopped a little offshore, and a longboat came out to collect us and bring us to the shore, where we were piled onto a little tractor trailer to take us right up to the hotel entrance. Now that's service. Phi Phi Errawan Hotel was amazing, the rooms were beautiful, the location was perfect, the staff were brilliant and the BREAKFAST oh my god. Drool. The hotel has a restaurant, but it's pretty expensive even by Thai standards. So instead, we walked a little way down the beach where you will find the Sea Gypsy Village - yeah you read that right. There are a couple of restaurants and a little shop, and other than this there is pretty much nothing on Laem Tong. It's so relaxing there, honestly like a dream. It rained quite a bit while we were there but it was still warm so we went swimming anyway, and other than this and a boat trip to go snorkeling we just relaxed the whole time, which is always necessary after intense travelling. The snorkeling is amazing! I've never been snorkeling so I was really excited by the aspect of this and I loved it so so much - so many fishies and so many colours, and they're not afraid of people at all so you can swim right up next to them. This was probably my favourite activity in Thailand!
After our stay on Phi Phi we boarded the ferry to get to Patong where we arrived in the evening and left again the next morning so we didn't see much except a quick trip down Bangla Road and a stop off at the beach!
I know this is a lot in one go, so if you have any questions just leave a comment below and I'll help as much as I can!
