This is an archive of a travel blog
When most people think of Thailand they think of the film ‘The Beach’. The film’s location was filmed at Maya Bay on Ko Phi Phi Le. The success of the film threw Maya Bay into the spotlight as one of Thailand’s most visited destination. We decided against a tour and wanted to find a long tail boat that’d take us there ourselves. We’ve heard how crowded Maya Bay gets and we wanted to go on our watch before it gets too busy.
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Tigers. _‘King of the Jungle’ – as the saying goes._Something which the majority of the world’s population adore, admire and respect. At least that’s what I thought, until I visited Tiger Kingdom. Tigers are powerful, they are hunters, they fight for their territory. But if we had the opportunity to be near these animals? Maybe even going as far as touching them? Well this is where Tiger Kingdom fits the bill (apparently) by giving visitors the opportunity to enter the enclosure and get up close with a tiger.
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Ahh, the Yi Peng festival. Otherwise known as the Lanterns festival. Before we set off on our travels (actually way before that) we always spoke about this particular festival. Wouldn’t it be great to go there? I bet it’d be wonderful. Look at how beautiful these photos are! Ahh I’m getting jealous now. If only we just ‘dropped’ everything and went this year. But that’s not gonna happen is it? Oh well, it’s good to dream I guess….
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From Sukothai we headed back to Phitsanolouk and caught a local bus to Chiang Rai. The journey lasted 10+ hours with only 1 stop for a quick toilet/food break. You can pretty much imagine how boring/tiring/dismal/frustrating it was! Chiang Rai is the most Northern region we’ll be visiting in Thailand. Our main reason for visiting Chiang Rai was to see Wat Rong Khun – otherwise known as ‘The White Temple’.
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Curiously getting up close to a Buddha monument. Have you ever looked at a Buddha statue for so long that you feel that its staring right back at you? We visited Sukhothai as it was on the travel route north (where we’ll eventually make our way to Chiang Mai). The journey wasn’t direct but easy enough; first we boarded the morning train from Bangkok to Phitsanolouk which was about a 5 hour journey.
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Though I’m not a fan of Bangkok I did enjoy an afternoon visiting Wat Pho, one of Thailand’s oldest wats (temple). Wat Pho has more than 1000 Buddha monuments and is home to the renowned ‘Temple of the Reclining Buddha’ Wat Pho has the largest reclining Buddha in Thailand. The reclining Buddha is to represent Buddha’s passing into Nirvana (death). Admission fee for tourists is 100 baht per person. There is also a dress code under strict guidance – no exposed shoulders or knees (and above).
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At Bayon, Angkor Thom Planning which temples to visit required more planning than I expected. Stretching over 400km around the park the temples are the magnificent remains from the Khmer Empire spanning back from the 9th -15th century. It’s important to budget when visiting the temples as costings add up quick. There are various types of passes ranging from the following: 1 day ($20), 3 days ($40) or 7 days ($60).
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I admit it… I was pretty naïve when I landed in Hanoi. I knew very little about Vietnam or its culture, people and way of life. After spending 2 adventurous months travelling down the country’s spine I’ve immersed myself into Vietnam’s lush scenery, received the warmest generosity from locals and eaten the most incredible food. Vietnam surpassed my expectations and made me realise how versatile and wonderful this country is. I’m glad in a way that Vietnam hasn’t received the same attention as its nearby neighbour Thailand.
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Final bus journey, Mui Ne to Saigon (via The Sinh Tourist) We embarked on our final bus journey to Saigon, departing from Mui Ne. As we arrived at the Sinh Tourist office five hours later, it was clear that we were once again back in a major city. Glaring bright lights, frantic motorbikes whizzing in all directions, taxis racing up and down, hawkers galore…yep, welcome to Ho Chi Minh! Instead of checking into a hotel we opted to go Airbnb and stayed with an expat couple in District 2, a much quieter part of the city but only a 15 minute bus/car journey into District 1.
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Mui Ne is a coastal town in the South east region of Vietnam. We got the bus from Da Lat to Mui Ne which took about 5 hours. The roads are in a desperate state of repair and we counted down the hours till we got off the bus, we lost count of how many potholes the bus went over! Mui Ne is still in development as there are a number of construction sites popping up around the area.
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We booked a bus via The Sinh Tourist from Hue to Hoi An, the journey took under 4 hours to arrive in Hoi An. Hoi An ancient town is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage and has something for everyone – a beautiful beach, quaint town, gorgeous food and a load of tailor made shops competing at your disposal (as I’m super fussy with clothing I decided not to get anything made.
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As we make our way South of Vietnam we decided to spend a couple of nights in Hue. We got a day train from Hanoi to Hue. Our train departed 06:00 morning and arrived into Hue at 20:30. The soft seats we booked were manageable for the duration, although the carriages weren’t in the best of condition. There were so many bugs crawling all over carriage walls and curtains, whilst the overheard TV’s blared out Vietnam’s latest hits and showed Indian films dubbed in Vietnamese (random!
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After our disappointing experience at Sapa we were looking forward to our next excursion. Halong Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage site, renowned by its vast uninhabited islands of jeweled limestone formations. There are many travel agencies in Hanoi offering a range of packages, all competitively priced. We booked the package through our hotel and decided to go with Indochina Junk, staying on the Dragon Pearl 2. Indochina Junk have many positive reviews on TripAdvisor and sail to a quieter part of the bay – Bai Tu Long Bay.
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Gecko adventure tour ‘Ain’t no Mountain High Enough’ 12th July – 30th July 2014 To start off our travels we booked a Gecko’s tour which began in Kathmandu, Nepal and finished in New Delhi, India. As we lacked in travel experience we chose to go on this tour for the following reasons: Have a smooth introduction into our travels The tour is a great combination to visit two countries which we knew little about in regards to arranging transportation, language barrier, safety etc.
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Our next stop after Varanasi was Agra – home to Agra Fort and the iconic Taj Mahal. We had a guided tour around Agra Fort in the morning. It was a wonderful fort to walk around and admire. The fort is full of interesting legends and showcases beautiful architecture. From the top of the fort you can see the Taj Mahal in the distance (and apparently the prison where Shah Jahan died).
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……Or the Monkey temple as it’s otherwise known! After hearing recommendations from fellow travellers we challenged ourselves to walk to the temple, venturing into new territory away from the touristy hub of Thamel. Soon after we left the central markets, we were beginning to feel so much calmer. We were able to walk freely without someone hassling us to get into a taxi or buy their items at a ‘special discount’.
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I was first skeptical about going to the Garden of Dreams at first as the location is right next to a busy road. How can these gardens be appreciated if there is so much noise nearby? Thankfully my skepticism soon changed after strolling around the lush greenery, tranquil water features and beautiful flora on a sun filled afternoon. Single entry is 200NPR per person, once your ticket is stamped by security you are free to roam around.
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