So last year in December, I made my first international backpacking trip. I had been travelling solo around India for long and now wanted to take it beyond the borders. After pondering upon a lot of options, I finally zeroed in on Thailand, mainly because of two reasons. Firstly, because a lot of people I know had been to Thailand so I had a lot of information about the place - something very important while travelling solo to a new place, especially internationally. Secondly, the expenses are not at all high as compared to travelling in India and even the immigration process is very convenient. I stayed there for a week, and while travelling there I found many more reasons to be back to the place sometime again. Presenting my journey here through photos for anyone wanting a sample itinerary to plan their trip.
I arrived in Bangkok in the noon, got done with the immigration processes within an hour and booked an Uber for my hotel. In Thailand, you have another cab aggregator service called Grab which is more of a local venture. You can download both the apps and compare the fares whenever you need to book a cab. You can also take the ARL (Airport Railway Line) to Phaya Thai ARL station, walk to the BTS station and take the Banglok skytrain to your destination, which would be a much cheaper alternative to Uber or Grab. I was staying at Sukhumvit Soi 8, which is very near to the Nana Plaza BTS, a place always bustling with life.
After getting some rest at the hotel, I left for exploring around the area in the evening. The area around Nana Plaza is full of lights and life at night. I got my hands on some tasty street food around before heading back.
I started the day by visiting a local school that had invited me for a function. The students later took us for a walk around the Siam Square. The Siam Square is a hub for all the cool things, an individual expression point where you'd see the styles shape and surface. Its a great place for shopping as well. You can reach here by the BTS, getting down at Siam BTS.
After bidding adieu to the students, we left for the Chatuchak market since it was a Sunday. The Chatuchak market is the largest market in Thailand and is operational in full scale only on weekends. What's for sale? Well you name it and you'll find it. If you're a seasoned bargainer, you can come up with a loot. A good place to buy souvenirs from your trip.
There's a BTS station at Chatuchak as well, so reaching here is pretty easy.
The next place we went to was Jim Thompson's House. It is a house turned into museum that showcases the art collection of American businessman and architect, Jim Thompson. The house itself is an excellent specimen of fusion of traditional Thai and modern architecture. The nearest BTS station is 'National Stadium'.
Entrance Fee: 150 Bahts for adults
100 Bahts for those under 22 years old.
Day 3 had a number of places on the agenda, and though they all were quite close to each other, individually they took a lot of time to be completely explored. So after a heavy breakfast, we left early from the hotel for the Grand Palace. It is situated in the heart of the city and is the official residence of the rulers of Siam. The palace complex comprises many beautiful buildings including the Wat Phra Kew or the temple of Emerald Buddha.
The nearest BTS station is the Saphan Taksin station or S6 station on the Silom line. Getting down here, you need to exit from Gate 2 and look for the dock to take the Chao Phraya Express boat. Alternatively, you can take a Tuk Tuk, but always be careful while negotiating the fare. They will almost always charge you for the entire capacity of the TukTuk, which is even more than an Uber or Grab sometimes. But you can ask them if you could share the cab and pay only for your seats, that saves a lot of bucks.
The Grand Palace is open till late noon with the ticket sales closing at 3:30 pm.
Entrance Fee: 500 Bahts
After exploring around the palace complex for a while, we left for Wat Pho, or the Temple of Reclining Buddha. It is a short walk away from the Grand Palace. It is one of the largest temple complexes in Bangkok and is famous for its giant reclining Buddha statue that measures around 46 metres in length. It is also known as the birthplace of traditional Thai massage and still has a massage school operational where you can experience it. The temple is open till 5 pm.
Entrance Fee: 100 Bahts
Next we headed towards Wat Arun, or the Temple of Dawn. From Wat Pho, you need to walk to the Tha Tien Pier from where a boat will carry you to the other side of the river for around 4 Bahts. Wat Arun is a beautiful complex of temples overlooking the river Chao Phraya and offers some amazing views. If you have time, you can also experience the Cruise ride over the Chao Phraya river. Also, though the name of the temple suggests it is a place to watch the sun rise, sunsets here are equally magical. The temple is open till 6:30 pm.
Entrance Fee: 100 Baht
After a long day of exploring temples and getting some rest, it was time for some vibrant fun in the night. And what better than the Khaosan road! The Khaosan road is like a global party in the night with travellers from all around flocking the road. You can grab some street food, drink at a pub, go clubbing or just enjoy the atmosphere on the road with other backpackers.
This was the last day in Bangkok. I had been planning to visit the famous floating markets in Bangkok since I had arrived and finally got the time. There are about five floating markets in Bangkok, but the biggest and most popular is the Damnoen Saduak floating market. It is quite far from the city and it is best to start for it early morning to catch it at its liveliest. Once you reach the market, you can hire a row boat for 200-300 Bahts or a motorboat for 500-800 Bahts. The boats will tour you through the network of canals surrounded by shops and you can halt the boats wherever you feel like buying anything.
It was another long drive back from the floating market to the hotel. After getting some rest, in the evening we left for another popular attraction in Bangkok - the Sky Bar. Located on the 63rd floor of the Lebua Tower, the bar provides a 360 ° panoramic view of the Bangkok city and Chao Phraya river from a height of about 820 feet. The drinks are a bit on the expensive side, but the view totally makes up for it. So if you have a little time and money to spare, the place is a must visit.
After the fun packed four days in Bangkok, now it was time for Pattaya. Pattaya is about 150 kms away from Bangkok and there are buses running frequently from Bangkok to Pattaya. We boarded an AC bus from the Eastern Bus Terminal located adjacent to the Ekkamai BTS station on Sukhumvit Road at Soi 63. The bus ticket cost around 120 Bahts and it took around three hours to reach Pattaya. Getting down in Pattaya, you'd find their own larger versions of TukTuks and cabs. There's Uber and Grab in Pattaya as well, however the drivers usually won't linger for long around the places with a lot of local TukTuks or cabs.
We checked into the hotel and got some rest. In the evening, we left for the Walking Street. The Walking Street is perhaps the biggest and busiest partyspot in the whole of Thailand. About a kilometre in length, almost every building on the street is a nightclub, go-go bar, beer bar or a restaurant. You could go there for a week and still find new places every evening.
The next day started with a bit of a hangover, obviously. After breakfast, we decided to chill at the nearby Jomtien Beach for some time. The Jomtien Beach is a narrow but long strip of beach with shacks all along its length where you can relax while sipping on your favorite beer.
Next, we headed towards the Pratumnak Hill, also known as the Big Buddha Hill as it has a giant 18 metres high statue of Buddha at its top. The hill also offers a panoramic view of the Pattaya city.
After returning from the Big Buddha temple, we had some lunch at the hotel and then left for Tiger Park. We had booked a package from our hotel, but you can buy a ticket directly at the place as well. There are different packages available ranging from 600 Bahts to 2600 Bahts depending upon the age and size of the tigers you'd be spending time with. The place looked well maintained and clean. Initially the tigers did seem a bit lazy, more due to being used to the lifestyle having been born and brought up there itself rather than being drugged. They really got active when we moved to the pool area for the shoot though.
Next place we went was the amazingly beautiful Sanctuary of Truth. This place truly left me awestruck. The iconic structure stands about 105 metres tall and is entirely carved out of teak wood. It is decorated with intricate carvings and sculptures based on Hindu and Buddhist motifs. Overlooking the sea on one end, it also offers amazing views of the sunset.
The sanctuary is open till 6 pm.
Entrance Fee: 500 Baht for adults, 250 Baht for children.
Finally, we went to the famous Alcazar show. It is a cabaret show performed by ladyboys which includes dance performances from cultures all around the world. Initially, I was a bit skeptical about going to just another dance show, especially when on a vacation. But the show was one piece of art! Everything from the costumes to the setup and the choreography was just beautifully done. Definitely worth a go if you have time and money.
Ticket price: 600 Baht
This was our last day in Pattaya and we decided to take a tour of the Coral islands. We booked a package from our hotel itself, which included travelling to the islands in a speedboat along with a few activities like parasailing, sea walking, banana boat, jet ski and snorkelling. You can get a ferry to go to the Coral islands from Bali Hi Pier in South Pattaya for around 30 Bahts, or you can take a speedboat which charges around 500-800 Bahts for a return trip. Once on the islands, you can also rent motorbikes to roam around.
After all the activities and lunch, we chilled on the island for a while and then the speedboat brought us back to Pattaya by late noon. We got some rest at the hotel and the evening was spent exploring around, shopping and munching on street food. We capped the night by one last trip to the Walking Street before heading home.
The next day, we hired a cab from Pattaya to Bangkok airport, from where I had my flight back. A one-way cab would cost you around 1500-2000 Bahts, but is a good option when you have a lot of luggage and shortage of time. Otherwise you have the buses running all day anyway.
So that was my first international trip in a nutshell. Great experience, a lot of fun and some learnings as well. Looking forward to making many more of them, and not stopping anytime soon!