Thailand - Land of Smiles :)

People

My favourite thing about Thailand....the people! It isn’t called the land of smiles for nothing after all :)

No matter where you go in Thailand whether it be the city or the islands you will always be greeted with a smiling Sa wad dee ka/krap (Ka for female, Krap for male) which means Hello. Thai people are friendly, so make sure and respond with sa wad dee ka/krap, they'll love it.

Food

Your typical Rice/Noodle street food is roughly 30 baht (60pence) or 50 baht (£1) on the Islands. Eating out in a restaurant the prices will vary with western food being more expensive. Rice/Noodle/Curry dishes average between 100-150 baht (£2-£3), Burgers, Pizzas between 150-250 baht (£3-£5)

Thai’s love their spices in food so expect it to be hot! You will never be stuck for food options as there is something there for everyone, and if that’s not enough there’s always the interesting option of fried scorpions, cockroaches, mealworms etc.....eh not for me!

Pad thai.....delish, my favourite dish!

Clubs I Parties

For me it’s all about the beach parties and little bars in Thailand you can go to the big clubs anytime, anywhere else. The beach parties are packed with people, amazing fire dancers, drunken tourists attempting to jump through a skipping rope on fire, dancing to loud music and drinking their alcohol from a bucket.....it's a lot of fun! Phi Phi beach parties are the best I’ve been too if you get down earlier on in the night most of the bars will be playing drinking games so it gets very messy but you can chill out at the end of the night at Stones bar with a shisha before crawling back to your nest. My last trip to Phi Phi in April this year though was mostly spent in Kongsiam bar that plays live music all night, the guys that play here are very good and also run open mic for an hour or so every night, you will be sure to have a top night here with the best buckets on Phi Phi.

Beaches

Patong beach in Phuket for sunset is stunning, Long beach on Koh Phi Phi is where to go if staying on Phi Phi, you can ride a long tail boat there or walk although i do believe this is quite tricky, I'm going back to Phi Phi for new years so i'm definitely going to go to Long beach, i've saw some posts recently about another beach on phi phi called Ao Lo Moo Dee, looks amazing! Koh Samui beach is class, the planes fly over you as you lie there topping up your tan sipping on a cocktail. No matter where you are in Thailand though the beach is going to be amazing but if you can find one of the beaten track with less tourists then you're in for a treat.

Bangkok I Phuket I Island life

Everything is cheaper in Bangkok/Phuket compared to the islands, food, shopping and everything else! Two completely different experiences in Thailand is the hustle and bustle of the city compared to the chilled out islands. Bangkok is crazy (Ting-Tong in Thai) especially if you stay around the famous Khaosan Road area and this is usually where we stay, I’m all for the chilled out island life but I also love a bit of craziness especially along this road at night. During the day in Bangkok at every hotel you’ll find a rooftop pool that will be packed out with other farang (foreigners, you & I) getting to know one another over a Chang beer then off out onto Khaosan Road in the evening to join in the fun and grab some food from either a food stall on the street or one of the many restaurants along Khaosan. On Khaosan you’ll find tonnes of stalls selling your knock off clothes, sunnies, kicks, electrical goods and some other stuff. Treat yourself to a massage, foot scrub, mani, pedi, you’ll find all of this on the one street in between the thousands of other visitors here. There are many bars along here too and the later into the wee hours it goes, the crazier it gets :)

While in Phuket you have the madness at night on Bangla Road with all the nightlife, many bars and clubs also shopping and lady boys roaming the streets. Daytime you can visit the beach to top up your tan or go have some fun with the water sports that are available - para gliding, jet skiing and make sure you stay for that sun set...WOW!

Now off to the islands you go, take a ferry to Koh Phangan to mash it up at the world famous full moon party on Haad Rin, Koh Samui for your Bora Bora Ibiza feel beach with those planes flying over you and the party beach bars and the tiny island of Koh Tao for some scuba diving, these islands are in the Gulf of Thailand on the East Coast. On the West Coast you have Koh Lanta and Koh Phi Phi the place i like to call my second home and where i leave a piece of my heart each time i visit. Any island is worth a visit but my heart lies here, it’s love at first sight.

Phi Phi is paradise, from here you can take along tail boat to Maya Bay, this is where 'The Beach' with Leo Dicaprio was filmed and you can spend an afternoon taking in the beauty of this place. There are no roads on Phi Phi just paths, pushbikes and the locals pushing their transporting carts full of goods. There is an amazing viewpoint here, when you’re at the top you have breathtaking views of the island on both sides, it’s a nice (long & steep) little climb too ;) head up for sunset with a few beers.

When in Thailand be sure to ride in a tuk tuk, see a ladyboy or ping pong show, drink some chang and plenty of buckets, visit the islands, buy a same same but different vest, watch or even partake in a Muay Thai boxing match, the typical tourist things here haha

I'll be back in Thailand (Phuket, Phi Phi, Koh Tao and Samui) in December so keep an eye out for my next blog post on that trip <3

Laura X