A week in Thailand

Phi Phi Island Tour

When in Phuket, probably the exiting part of the sightseeing activity is the island hopping tours. There are many islands nearby and can be reached through speedboat, big boat (or cruise) or a long tail boat. Out of the many islands, Phi Phi islands are the most popular among the tourists. The Island group consists of two main islands Phi Phi Don and Phi Phi Leh. Phi Phi Don forms the largest and most populated (has many resorts and hotels) while the beaches of Phi Phi Leh (such as Maya Bay) are popular (became popular after the Leonardo DiCaprio movie "The Beach" was shot here). These islands consists of many limestone hills.

We had booked our Phi Phi Island Tour with Sea Angel SpeedBoat tours that covers 4 Islands (Phi Phi Islands and Yao Yai and Khai Islands) for THB 1250 per person. The package tour also included a) Pickup and drop from/to hotel by mini bus. b) Onboard complimentary Tea/Coffee/Soft drinks.

We first arrived at Khai Islands. This small group of islands is about 20 minutes by boat from Phuket and has limestone structures surrounded by pristine turquoise sea. It is immensely beautiful and a paradise destination to enjoy the scenery and practice water sports. Its shallow reefs are ideal for snorkeling and scuba diving for beginners. We enjoyed doing scuba diving here, it was our first time and it was an awesome experience (although we were a bit scared). Quite not sure if it is expensive or not, but the scuba diving activity costed us THB 1900 for a 2-5m dive of about 30 minutes.

After the thrilling experience of scuba, we next headed to Yao Yai Island. We were allowed for some swimming near the shores of the island. Our next destination was Phi Phi Don for lunch and beach activities. But before that, we stopped to spot monkeys at Monkey Beach.

Lunch was included in the tour package and was arranged in one of the restaurants of the island and the food was decent with less veg options. Post lunch and beach activity, it was time to relax as we were heading to Phi Phi Leh where it was only sightseeing from the speed boat since many of the places such as Maya Bay was closed.

The main sightseeing places of Phi Phi Leh include Maya Bay, Loh Samah Bay, Pileh Cove and Viking Cave. Maya Bay has several beaches, mostly they are small and some only exist at low tide. The beaches are with white sand, and under the water, there are beautiful colorful coral and exotic fish which are visible in exceptionally clear water. But due to extensive tourism, anchors of boats have damaged the reefs and hence the Thai Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation announced that Maya Beach would be closed indefinitely. Loh Samah Bay is another spot best suited for snorkeling and scuba diving, the Bay's limestone formations and crystal clear turquoise waters are a beauty to behold. Viking Cave is one of the most notable sites in Koh Phi Phi Leh and is located at the bottom of a tall limestone cliff. Pileh Cove is another beautiful sites of the island that appears like a canyon and an excellent spot for swimming and snorkeling.

After the sightseeing at Phi Phi Leh, we were dropped to our hotel around 5:30 in the evening and the evening was spent by figuring out our tour provider for our next island tour to Phang Nga Bay. Luckily, near Patong beach, there are several such tour operators and we enquired many of them and got a deal for THB 1100 per person.

After having dinner (cooked by ourselves at hotel room), we crashed to bed

Phang Nga Bay Island Tour

Our Day 3 was one of the most beautiful and memorable in the trip. We were heading to James Bond Island (Ko Khao Phing Kan) named after the Bond. It is an island that is part of the Ao Phang Nga National Park which has numerous limestone tower karst islands and James Bond Island is the most popular among the islands. About 40m from the James Bond Island, is a 20-metre tall islet called Ko Ta Pu. The Phang Nga National Park also has a large section of mangrove forests in the Panak Island. Panak and Hong Islands also have caves formed below these limestone structures which can be best explored by canoeing or kayaking.

We booked our Phang Nga Bay Island Tour with UNC (Udomchok Navy Canoe Co.Ltd) that organizes the tour on a big boat. The day trip costed us THB 1100 and that includes canoeing 4 times. The tour also includes pick up and drop from/to hotel and lunch onboard.

Our first destination was James Bond Island along with our first canoeing experience (Canoe is a lightweight boat typically pointed at both ends). The big boat was halted at about 100m from the island and we reached the island by canoeing. From the island, one can get a good view of the beautiful limestone structures that surround including Ko Tapu. The island has a few caves and two sandy beaches and one need to descend a series of steps to reach them. There are also many souvenir shops here. After exploring the somewhat crowded beaches and caves, we headed back to our boat

Our next destination was Koh Hong (or Room Island), a limestone island that is completely surrounded by cliff walls so that it looks like a huge hall with one entrance to the big lagoon inside and open to the sky. It appears like being in a large hall and access to the Hong (or lagoon) is only by a narrow cave channel and is accessible only by kayaking or canoeing. Entering the sunlit hall from the dark cave will instill an immense feeling of the creative power of nature. Its a thrilling experience of exploring the completely dark caves in the canoe. The guide carries a head torch (or one can carry themselves) that helps to look things around.

As we were back to our boat, we had our lunch served onboard and headed to our next destination which was Ko Panak, a small island in the Phang Nga Bay and is popular among the tourists for its many caves and mangroves. Among the most visited caves are bat cave and mangrove cave. These caves are to be explored in a canoe. After exploring the bat cave, we next hit the mangroves (again by canoe) and the beautiful vistas it offers is definitely not to be missed. This canoe experience was the highlight of our Thailand trip.

The tour to Phang Nga Bay ended with the visit to Lawa Island where we did canoeing by ourselves and relaxed on the beach.

Exploring Phuket on Day 4

Probably the best way to explore Phuket is to hire a rental bike which costs about THB 200 per day (the bike comes with the fuel tank filled, however we had to bear the additional fuel expenses). Note that as a security deposit, we were asked to deposit our passport. It might be a risk doing so, we did not face any issues however better to be cautious and take bike rentals from trusted outlets. [We got it from one of the shops right opposite to our hotel]

After getting our bike, we started our day by visiting one of the most beautiful but less crowded beaches of Phuket, Karon beach which is in the Karon area about 2kms from Patong. One has to go cross the hilly stretch of road to reach the beach and this road stretch provides the best views of the beach displaying the multiple shades of green and blue ocean. The place was very peaceful due to less crowds and very clean too. We enjoyed our beach play for nearly 2 hours and then headed to a scenic spot and probably one of the top tourist destinations in Phuket, the Karon Viewpoint OR Three beaches view point.

This viewpoint is a must stop while going to Promthep Cape and is about 5 kms from Karon beach and 3.5kms from Kata Noi beach. The scenic spot is called Three beaches view point since it offers picturesque panoramic view of the three beaches (Kata Noi, Kata and Karon) and its surroundings.

After admiring the charming view from the top of the hill where we could really can see three magnificent bays and the hills that surround, we headed to another famous tourist attraction and probably the most photographed location of Phuket, Promthep Cape which is about 7kms from the Karon view point and is at the southern tip of Phuket. It has a rocky piece of land that sticks out into the Andaman sea and offers picturesque views of the sea. The place is known for its sunset views. From the vehicle parking site, the viewing platform can be reached by walking up a set of stairs. The other attraction here is the Buddhist temple and a lighthouse. The temple is surrounded by brass elephant statues and carvings.

Our last stop was Rawai Pier and beach where one can find many fishing boats and longtail boats anchored. It is about 3 kms from Promthep Cape and is one of the places that provide scenic views of the sea and the nearby islands.

We then headed back to our hotel (after returning our bike and collecting back our passport) and it was time to say goodbye to this heavenly place in Thailand as we were heading to Bangkok. Our flight (Thai Lion Air) to DMK, Bangkok was at 8:30PM local time and we reached DMK around 10PM and checked in to our hotel (iCheck inn Regency, Chinatown)

SEA Life Ocean World and Safari World, Bangkok

Bangkok's Siam Region houses one of its largest shopping malls, Siam Paragon. The mall is just opposite to BTS station of Siam (BTS refers to the Bangkok Mass Transit System, which is more commonly known as the Skytrain which is an elevated rapid transit system in Bangkok). The mall although is famous for its many branded stores, it also has an indoor aquarium, largest of its kind in South East Asia, SEA Life Ocean World which was earlier called Siam Ocean World. This is an aquatic wonderland with over 30,000 marine animals from across the world such as Sharks, Stingrays, Eagle Rays, African Penguins, Giant Spider crabs and a wide variety of fish species. It also has several species of jellyfishes, seahorses, frogs and starfish. The highlights include the underwater ocean tunnel that provides opportunity to see a wide range of ocean species, glass bottom boat to get a near look of the sharks and stingrays, shows such as shark and fish feeding and the 4D movie. Ocean World is open between 10AM and 8PM, daily.

The first half of our first day in Bangkok was entirely spent here in the Siam region exploring the mall and having a blast with the aquatic creatures. We booked the tickets for the Ocean World through klook.com and got a good deal of about THB 850 per person which included the 4D movie and Glass bottom boat ride. One can also get a combo ticket which includes the visit to Madame Tussauds in Bangkok but we opted not to visit that place. The glass bottom boat ride is roughly for 20minutes but we had to wait in the long queue. Overall, a very nice and different experience it was visiting the Ocean World.

We then had our lunch and our evening was spent relaxing in our hotel room. Given the traffic in Bangkok and the hot weather, roaming and sightseeing in Bangkok can be a challenge. Veg food in Bangkok was not a problem since we found some nice Punjabi restaurants near Yaowarat Road in Chinatown (such as Punjab Sweets, Royal India Restaurant) which was approx 1km from our hotel.

Post dinner, we headed to witness what Bangkok is very famous for, the nightlife. We visited an area that is internationally known as a center of dancing and partying, Khaosan Road. It is a short street in central Bangkok about 4kms from our hotel. As the night progresses, the street gets filled with so many people. It is around this time that the bars in the street open, they play some nice music (many of them are live bands). There are many food stalls and these sell exotic snacks for their visitors. The shops here sell handicrafts, paintings, clothes, local fruits, unlicensed CDs, DVDs, etc. It is also a hub where one can find people trying to promote and sell ping pong shows.

We did a lot of window shopping here nearly till 12AM. We did try some food here including the native food Pad Thai (a street food which is a stir-fried rice noodle dish very common in Thailand).

The next day was a full day activity visiting one of the top tourist attractions of Bangkok, Safari World. Located about 40kms from our hotel, the zoological park consists of two parks (Marine Park and Safari Park). The park was opened in 1988 and consists of an open zoo and a marine park on approximate 200 acres of land. The main attraction of the Safari Park is the large herd of Masai Giraffe (more than 100 Giraffe) and visitors are allowed to feed them bananas and leaves. The park also has many other species such as Zebra, wildebeests, Hippopotamus, etc.

The main tourist attraction of Safari World is the many shows inside Marine park. The shows include Bird Show, Elephant Show, Orangutan show, Dolphin show, Sea Lion Show. In each of these shows, the animals and birds are made to put up a show for the audience with their cute and innocent acts such as parakeets walking on a ball (ranging from volley ball to tennis ball), Sea Lions catching rings through their necks and self-applauding, Elephants playing football and painting, etc. These are shows definitely not to be missed and almost all of them happen twice in a day and each lasting about 20-30 minutes. The only issue here is that the place is so big and the show locations are not near to each other, so one can easily miss shows figuring out where to go next. The hot weather adds to the troubles too. Out of all the shows, we felt the most entertaining was the Orangutan show, however all the other shows were very good too.

In addition to these, there are two additional shows called Cowboy stunt and Spy War shows which gives a feel of a movie action sequence witnessed live (with some sudden loud explosion sounds, these might not be suitable for visitors with small kids. The shows were good although it was not clear as to why these are part of a zoo).

Other than the shows, the marine park houses many animals such as Tapir, Walrus, capybara, different varieties of crocodiles, birds such as flamingoes, mandarin ducks, Macaw, Scarlet Ibis, White swan, etc.

Food and water are not allowed inside but there are eateries available inside which are a bit expensive. A combo ticket that includes both the parks is available and we booked it through Alex Holiday and got the deal for about THB 750 per person.

After enjoying the day thoroughly, we reached back to our hotel around 7PM.

Day visit to Pattaya

To the south east of Bangkok, approximately 140 kms from Bangkok is the city of Pattaya. The Pattaya Bay area has many beach resorts and is the second most visited city in Thailand, after Bangkok. From Bali Hai pier in the Pattaya Bay, one can reach the nearby islands of Ko Larn (or Ko Lan) approx 7 kms from Pattaya and the island is a popular tourist destination for local and international tourists. The island has about six main beautiful white sand beaches and the popular ones being Tawaen and Samae beaches. There are regular ferry services and speedboats to the island from Pattaya's Bali Hai pier. Ferry takes about 45 minutes and costs THB 30 per person while a speedboat takes around 15 minutes and costs more than THB 200.

Reaching Pattaya from Thailand is also very convenient. There are regular super deluxe air conditioned bus services available from the Eastern Bus Terminal located adjacent to the Ekkamai BTS station on Sukhumvit Road. Other bus terminals from Bangkok are Morchit (Northern Bus Terminal) and Sai Tai Taling Chin (Southern Bus Terminal). The bus fare is approx THB 110 to 130 per person and the drive takes about 2.5 hours. The last bus to Bangkok from Pattaya's “Air Conditioned Bus Terminal Pattaya-Bangkok” is at 11PM. The roads throughout are in excellent condition. Upon arrival at the Pattaya's bus terminal, one can find many songthaews (pick-up truck taxi) and taxis (including motorbike taxis) waiting by the entrance. These can be used to reach the Bali Hai Pier (or any other parts of Pattaya). One can also opt for car rentals and self drive options to reach Pattaya.

After a tiresome day at the Bangkok's Safari World, our day 7 started off leisurely and thus our depart time to Pattaya was delayed too. We started from our hotel around 11:30 AM to reach the Ekkamai Bus Terminal (by taxi) and then boarded the air conditioned bus to Pattaya. The experience of traveling in a foreign bus was quite a good feeling. We reached Pattaya around 2:30PM and post lunch, we took the songthaew to get to Bali Hai Pier. We did some photography of the nearby bay area and the famous Pattaya City Sign (a hillside landmark featuring the city's name in giant letters).

We then got into the ferry which left the pier around 3:30PM and reached the Coral Island (Ko Larn). To explore the island, we took bike rental which costed us about THB 200 (here again we were asked to deposit our passport). We visited some of the beautiful beaches of the region, Tawaen and Samae. After enjoying the memorable bike drives and beach play (beaches were a bit crowded), we came back to the pier to board the last ferry to Pattaya around 6PM.

Once we reached Bali Hai Pier, we then roamed around the streets near the pier and one of the popular ones is the Pattaya Walking street (about a km from Pier). The street is a popular tourist attraction with so many international and local tourists visiting each night, primarily for its night life. The Walking Street area has many seafood restaurants, bars, nightclubs (with live music shows), go-go bars and hotels. Also on the street, tourists are often offered the opportunity to watch a variety of sex shows. The area is closed to vehicles from 7PM to early morning.

After exploring the street and some window shopping at the nearby Wat Chai Mongkhon Market and other streets (we did some sovinier shopping here), we had our dinner and headed to Pattaya bus terminal to board the last bus to Bangkok. We reached our hotel around 2AM.

Last day in Bangkok

We soon had come to an end of our first International trip. It was our last day in Thai and we decided to do minimal city sightseeing. One of the prominent landmarks of Bangkok is the river Chao Phraya. It is the major river in Thailand and flows through Bangkok and then into the Gulf of Thailand. In Bangkok, the Chao Phraya forms a major means of transportation and there are several bridges that are built in Bangkok across the river.

On the banks (west bank) of river Chao Phraya is an ancient Buddhist temple (Buddhist temples are called Wat in Thai) which is among the list of the best Thailand's landmarks. The temple is called Wat Arun (temple of rising sun or Temple of Dawn) which derives its name from the Hindu God Aruna (the charioteer of Sun god and a personification of the reddish glow of the rising Sun). The main feature of Wat Arun is its central prang, which is covered and decorated with colorful porcelain. The height of the prang is somewhere around 220feet. Tourists are also allowed to climb the central prang, the steps are very steep though so its challenging both getting up and getting down! From the highest point, one can see the winding Chao Phraya River, the Grand Palace and Wat Pho (Temple of the Reclining Buddha that has 46m long and one of the largest Buddha statues in Thailand) opposite.

The ordination hall in Wat Arun, has a big golden Buddha statue and the inside walls are fully decorated with beautiful detailed murals. Wat Arun is a very popular spot for tourists, but it is an important place of worship for Buddhists, hence tourists are advised to dress up appropriately while visiting the temple.

The visit to Wat Arun was a bliss and then we took a ferry ride to cross the Chao Phraya river as we planned to visit the Grand Palace. The ferry ride takes about 5 minutes and costs about THB 5 to 10.

Grand Palace is considered as the official residence of the Kings of Thailand and it houses many beautifully architected buildings, halls, pavilions and courtyards. It also houses the Temple of Emerald Buddha. Grand Palace is considered one of the must visit places and top tourist attraction is Thailand. The entry ticket is THB 500 per person. As we reached the entrance of Grand Palace, we could see that there a huge crowd and hence we decided not to visit.

Instead we went to explore the local markets near Grand Palace and also near our hotel in Chinatown. By around 5PM, it was time to say goodbye to Thailand as we were headed to DMK Airport to board our AirAsia flight back to Bengaluru thus bringing an amazing journey to an end.

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