S̄wạs̄dī Thai!

I felt lost. Honestly. I couldn't believe I was in a foreign place surrounded by unknown people. All the excitement I had while landing, wasn't there anymore. I felt lost. Since we had a lot of immigration procedure to go through, I chose to not concentrate on that feeling. Visa for Indians is free (till April 30th 2020). As soon as our passports were stamped, I regained all the excitement I had regarding our trip.

We had booked a small room just to drop our luggages and freshen up for the day.

We had planned to visit a few Wats in Bangkok and leave for Chiang Mai on the same day.

Entrance fee : 50 Baht per person

This day we mostly used Grab Taxis. They are extremely useful and budget friendly. Well, if there's a sky train nearby, who needs a grab taxi?

Next since we didn't have enough time to enter The Grand palace, we decided to roam around. Being a vegetarian in Thailand is very difficult, especially with so many sea food options around.

Thankfully we had carried some of our Maiyas ready to eat foods. As we went in search of a place to microwave our food, we found this beautiful place near grand palace.

Thanks to 7-eleven store, we got our food heated. 7-eleven stores are basically everywhere in Thailand. So convenient!

We took a tuk-tuk from here to Wat Suthat. It costed us 120 baht.

Entrance fee: 100 Baht per person.

We chose to walk to Khaosan road where we had dropped our luggages.

We had booked bus tickets from Bangkok to Chiang Mai.

Bus ticket cost: 550 Baht per person.

Bus journey was extremely comfortable. Zero potholes on the way to Chiang Mai!

First thing we did as soon as we stepped out of this place was take a rented scooter.

As we were in quest for a good brunch, we found this place that said "Roti" in the name. Of course, our heart was set on stopping there, for obvious reasons :P

Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep is 15km from Chiang Mai city.

Doi Suthep is the name of the mountain it is located on. Although the origin of this temple remains a legend, it is said that it was founded in 1383 when the first stupa was built. This temple looks very vibrant and best to visit on a sunny day. Ride to this temple is filled with amazing view points, lush green and very well banked and clean roads.

Entrance fee: 100 baht per person

Each lantern costed 100 baht. And a krathong costed 80 Baht.

Chiang Mai is said to have the best (and most famous) views of thousands of lanterns being released into the sky all at once. Yi Peng Lantern Festival is a holiday celebrated by the Lanna people of northern Thailand. These sky lanterns are known as khom loi. It is believed the origins of Loi Krathong come from India. Both festivals offer floating baskets to river deities to express gratitude, thankfulness, and the desire for forgiveness.

Bua Tong Sticky Waterfall is around 60km from Chiang Mai city. This is a one day trip. Story to reach this place is extremely memorable.Our bike broke down and we were left on a highway where locals there didn't know English. We somehow explained our situation to two factory workers over there who offered us help. One guy asked me to sit on our bike and the other sat in his bike with my cousin as they rode one and pushed the broken one. I was extremely worried and was so unsure if we should trust them. I held pepper spray from inside my bag and was thinking of ways to defend us in case of any danger; While my cousin looked at me, smiled and said "I believe in people". So finally we ended up saying namaste and thanking them in Thai.

PS : if you don't climb this waterfall from the bottom against it, it's not fun. It is called Sticky waterfall for a reason. Chances of slipping and falling down are too less.

Entrance fee: 500 Baht per person

This is a very beautiful and gigantic wooden construction.

We were picked from our hotel in the morning (on time). The speed boat ride to the island was very thrilling and fun. We stopped mid way for parasailing. Everything was on time and was never delayed nor did we wait in huge queues. Jet Ski, banana boat ride and lunch were scheduled on Koh Larn island.

For Snorkelling, we were taken to a different island.

We don't recommend snorkelling if you don't know basics of swimming as there was only one instructor for the whole group. We were served watermelon and pineapple for snacks. I didn't know I could enjoy watermelon and pineapple so much! It was a very relaxing, calm and beautiful experience on the whole.

We stayed at this hostel which was very budget friendly with very compact rooms with a bunk bed, very hygienic and pretty. We used up all our ready-to-eat foods and it was a feast! :P

Siam Niramit Show is one of the must-see shows of Thailand. The show is suitably structured into 3 acts: Journey Back into History, Journey Beyond Imagination: The Three Realms and Journey Through Joyous Festivals. It was once certified by Guinness World Records as the world's highest stage. Couldn't click pictures inside the theatre as it was prohibited.