Nine chapters
part II begins with chapter three and covers through five.
- Hat Yai
- Koh Lipe
- Bangkok (+ Tara & Michelle)
- Chiang Mai (+ Tara & Michelle)
- Khao Sok National Park (+ Tara & Michelle)
- Krabi – Rai Ley Beach (+ Tara & Michelle)
- Phuket – Patong (+ Tara & Michelle)
- Ayutthaya
- Chiang Rai
Bangkok
Tim and I: Hat Yai to Bangkok. ✈
Tara (Tim’s mom) and Michelle (Tara’s longtime friend): Seattle > layover in Taiwan > Bangkok, Thailand ✈
Once Tim and I landed, we waited for Tara’s or Michelle’s text. I remember it clearly. There was a sign showing “Meeting Point.” Tim thought he was funny and kept repeating “Meet up Spot/Meeting Point.” Soon enough we all were united! It was about 12:00 or 1:00 PM. We hopped onto the car Grab and got dropped off in DT Bangkok. We tried to get dropped off nearest to our reserved hostel. It was hot. The sun was out, the streets were busy. All four of us had our backpacks. We began on the busy main street and through narrow pathways to find this hostel. Only to end up with our hostel temporarily shut down to due safety conditions.
Accommodation
The receptionist from the shutdown hostel recommended another hostel. It was called Merge. As you can see with the link provided, this hostel welcomes families too. It’s cool that in general hostels provide different demographics and sets the tone for various ambiances. There are party kinds and there are ones that are the very opposite. For example, ones that are meant to be quiet and for relaxation. In addition, there are bunk styled rooms which piles 10+, 12+, 16+ the amount varies. There are even private rooms that are identical to hotel feel service. In Bali, there were two different ones that provided inexpensive private room and right outside your front door, a giant shared pool was right at center. In South America, Tim and I visited multiply sites that were meant for digital nomads. I love how the atmosphere can change.
What do you prefer? Resort style, funky, party? Take your pick!
Day 1
Flight days can be rough, especially with coming across the world. So day 1 calls for a light and less intense day. We began with roaming the nearby streets. Checking out the the environment and how different it is from our home in America.
- Volume – the traffic/motorcycles/tuktuks/cars.
- People: working/walking/shopping/eating/strolling/pushing carts/carrying big market bags
- Stores: pop in shops/7/11/souvenir stalls/food hawker stalls/casual dine in restaurants.
The list goes on but these words are are similar to cues. The object or action take me back to this vivid memory.
The first meal was soup. After our meal, Tara enjoyed a fresh coconut drink. Eventually, we ended up at the Chatuchak weekend market – a massive market with over 15,000 stalls. After a good amount of steps, we all enjoyed a feet/shoulder/neck massage.. I bought a hat, Tara bought souvenirs. Michelle tried her first Thai Iced tea. Once we were hungry, we enjoyed dinner at the food side of the market. By night, we enjoyed dessert within Chinatown. There were cream-like filled donuts ** and we got them again the next day. We had skewers as a snack. And lastly, once we spotted a 7/11 closer to our hostel, Tara, Michelle and I tried our first toastie.
Day 2
By morning we got Thai coffee + Thai iced tea. From my previous post I did mention that the daily beverage cycle was kicked in! As you can see, I was not joking. We tuktuked to a temple called Wat Arun Ratchawararam, The Temple of Dawn. Before we went in, we ate breakfast that was nearby and outdoors. A traditional breakfast with rice, eggs and minced pork. Once the temple was open, we paid a small fee to enter the temple. It was very beautiful to walk around on a bright, sunny day.
Once we hit the greenery area (outdoors next to the river), we decided to take on a deal and cruise on a longtail ride. During the boat ride we saw Bangkok Yai – Great Buddha of Thailand. Witnessed the river villages. Saw many monitor lizards.
See below for some snaps of Day 2.
After the boat, we shopped a bit more. It’s fun to see what different items gift shops offer. Majority of items are the same and you star to notice a pattern. However, it is fun when you find something different. Once we were back in our hostel area, Michelle experienced the fish tank on her feet. After some midday rest we ventured off into dinner plans. We ate at a nice restaurant for dim sum that was constantly busy (great sign!) And having more food.. when we were out exploring. A group favorite was Pad Thai out at Khaosan Road.
Day 3
This morning Tara, Tim and I wanted to have Jai Fai. A instagram-worthy hawker stall. Unfortunately, it was closed. We still had a yummy soup for breakfast. We ordered to-go for Michelle. Tara experienced her first her solo grab (motorcycle taxi) on the way back. 🙂 Tim and I had our own as well!
The next activity I chose for all of us to visit was Iconsiam mall. It is a well-known floating water market. There was so much to see (as you can see the map below). There were many Michelin star restaurants within. There was a water display. The water fell through the ceiling in a circular release platform. The lights at each output help visualize the shape and caught your attention. At another floor, you could have a upper view outdoors on the patio.
Other items purchased here: ice cream, octopus skewer, wagyu, earrings, healthy dessert snacks, fried noodles
After the mall we came across another massage place. We all got a full body Thai massage. This was Michelle’s first Thai massage!
By night, for Valentines day we decided to have a nice, “higher-end/fancier” Thai restaurant celebration. We were in time to enjoy a live performance with our meal (piano and singing). To end the night off, we went to a rooftop bar and saw all the city lights. From a far, tall point of view, we saw what Bangkok traffic looks like.
Upcoming post: Chiang Mai part III
Beyond Rose 
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