Thailand - to go, or rather no?

- June 14, 2018

I have to be honest with you, the Kingdom of Thailand has never been on my bucket list. I ended up there unexpectedly and to my surprise I’ve spend there almost a month. Might seem like a lot of time but actually I’ve visited only a few places. And now I feel a strong urge to come back there. Below you can find few reasons why.

Backpackers mecca

For people like me, who are in a codependent yet loving relationship with their backpacks South East Asia seems like a perfect destination. And Thailand is usually a place of first choice before visiting Cambodia, Vietnam and Myanmar.

First of all Thailand is a very well communicated place therefore moving from one place to another is simple and surprisingly comfortable ( I was travelling by bus few times during the nights and I was sleeping like a baby). Also the domestic flights are pretty cheap and cover most of the interesting destinations.

Then there is the accommodation – a wide range of hostels and hotels dedicated to low budget travelers but also for those who need something more. I was staying mostly in middle range hostels and the quality of them was really good - most importantly they were clean and in many cases more neat than those I’ve stayed in Europe and USA. On average I’ve paid about 10 euro per night.

And for those who came to Asia unprepared The Thai Red Cross Society offers vaccinations at affordable process (if you compare them with Poland, the difference in price is not huge though). I’ve been there to take few shots and I must say it was a quite interesting experience. The place is located in Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute in Bangkok which houses the snake farm and those who know me can imagine how much stress the closeness of this animals gave me. Fortunately none of them escaped ;)

Ayutthaya Thailand, 2017

Solo female traveler friendly

The main reason I decided to go to Thailand was that I’ve read somewhere that this is a perfect destination for girls who travel solo. And I can totally confirm that I felt safe both in Bangkok and Chiang Mai. Only Phuket seemed to be not that safe mostly due to drunk European tourists that were bugging me in the evenings. On the way I also met many girls who travel solo and they all felt the same way. In Bangkok I stayed out at night quite often as the temperature then was most bearable and not even once I felt threatened.

(I just must admit that I've avoided the famous (infamous?) Khao San Road in Bangkok that is very popular among the travellers. Mostly because I am not a fan of noise, bad quality alcohol, drunks and underage prostitutes).

Chang Ton (Royal Elephant) Bangkok, 2017

Paradise for foodies – including vegans!

Before I came to Thailand, Thai food was a mystery for me. There are a few Thai restaurants in Kraków but as they are quite expensive I never went there. The only thing I knew was that the food is both vegetarian and vegan friendly and that information was all that I needed to know. Thailand is a paradise for those who loves to eat. Usually, food is prepared in front of you so you can adjust it to your preferences (less chilli, no fish sauce if you are vegan).

I really didn’t expect that I will experience foodgasms so many times! I can’t even recall one meal that was disappointing. I was so excited with pad thai, tom yam, mango sticky rice, khao soy that I decided to take a vegetarian cooking class in Chiang Mai just to learn how to make a perfect stir fry. And it was a great fun as the cooking classes included not only shopping at the local market, cooking but also eating all the prepared dishes. I can truly recommend it to everyone.

Thaimuang Vegetarian Cooking Class, Chiang Mai 2017

Destination for everyone

Backpackers, foodies, families with children, solo female travelers, nature lowers and restless dreamers – they all come to Thailand in search of fulfillment. And I truly believe all of them will find something interesting there. The southern part offers kilometers of sandy beaches and picturesque islands. The north of Thailad is less hot and you can try some jungle trekking and then visit one of the animal sanctuaries where you can met the elephants saved from captivity. Architecture lovers may simply sit and admire all the astonishing and beautiful temples and pagodas (Personally I loved the temples in Chiang Mai the most). For shopping lovers Bangkok is a place to visit – it has many shopping malls and outdoor markets. The prices are very low and I decided that next time I’ll go there with an empty bag ;)

That's all for now, in my next post I will take you to Chiang Mai - my favourite place in Thailand. Subscribe so you don't miss it.