Thyra Travels: Thailand, Land of the Tourist 2018-19

Going against the trend, I spent almost all my time in Thailand in the north and didn’t even set foot on an island. This was for a few reasons, I was volunteering in the north and I had heard the islands were touristy, expensive, and a lot of drinking. I decided to not go. I will write a separate post about my time volunteering (and almost breaking my arm).

Bangkok:

I came in to Bangkok from Cambodia, ready for food and relaxation. Meeting an English girl on the bus, that night we walked down the famous Khao San Road, which is party central. The next few days were filled with lots of walking, temples, and pad thai. We took a taxi boat across the Chao Phraya River, probably the most hectic boat ride I have ever taken. One of the best parts about Bangkok was meeting up with my friends Kathy and Jack, who live there. They introduced me to the holiness of mall food courts, helped me get a SIM card, and are some of the nicest people! Bangkok really surprised me. It wasn’t as busy or dirty as I had expected and the people were nice and I felt safe.

Chiang Mai:

After Bangkok, I made my way to the north of Thailand, stopping in Chiang Mai before volunteering in Chiang Dao further north. Chiang Mai is a super cute little town with the downtown enclosed in a moat and an old wall. I had some fabulous food here and even took myself out on a date to a fancy place. Got some weird looks since I was the only person eating alone but I am used to that. The most exciting thing that happened was the day I rented a motorcycle to ride up the mountain and visit some waterfalls. I went with a guy from Poland and he almost died when he fell at the top of the waterfall. It was the closest near death moment I have seen all trip.

Chiang Rai:

After I finished volunteering at the start of January, I moved on to Chiang Rai, a city close to the border of Laos. I was recently injured, a story for another time, and was nervous to carry my backpack. Luckily, I met a girl who was also going to the city. It turned out to be not a big deal but it was nice to have someone there, just in case. I spent a few days there trying to heal as much as I could before I crosed the border to Laos when my Visa ran out. I only really did one thing besides eat which was go and visit the White Temple which was actually not much to write home about.

My impressions about Thailand are mostly positive, it’s cheap to travel in, but not as much as Vietnam. The people are friendly and the roads are AMAZING. It’s super prepared for tourists and I understand why so many people travel here. Compared to all other countries in Southeast Asia I have been to, it is easy to travel in.

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