Thrilling Thailand!

By, fancyn

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This amazing trip was strictly a girls trip! My travel squad and I try to do at least one international trip a year and we chose Thailand this year.

Thailand is a Southeast Asian country; known for tropical beaches, opulent royal palaces, ancient ruins and ornate temples displaying figures of Buddha. In Bangkok, the capital, an ultramodern cityscape rises next to quiet canal-side communities and the iconic temples of Wat Arun, Wat Pho and the Emerald Buddha Temple (Wat Phra Kaew). Nearby beach resorts include bustling Pattaya and fashionable Hua Hin.

Our first stop was Bangkok, Thailand’s capital. A large city known for ornate shrines and vibrant street life. The boat-filled Chao Phraya River feeds its network of canals, flowing past the Rattanakosin royal district, home to opulent Grand Palace and its sacred Wat Phra Kaew Temple. To be quite honest, Bangkok is a very busy and congested city, the noise level to be super high but all you need to do is to get out of the city center and there’s lots of gems to see.

The floating market was a pure highlight. You basically go down a river on a boat and all the vendors are lined along the river banks with their merchandise. You can stop and negotiate prices and purchase your products all the while, on a boat! This was truly a unique experience.

Next we had to check out the famous Maeklong Railway Market. Another Bangkok phenom. It is about 1 hour southwest of downtown Bangkok. You can get to the market by taking a train from Bangkok’s Wongwian Yai Station at 6.45am. The Maeklong Railway Line will take you straight through the market. You can disembark at the last station and walk along the train lines for about 5 minutes to reach the local market.

The train market, Rom Hub is truly a unique market as it’s located right on an active railway track. The shoppers have to walk on the narrow tracks while shopping around because all stalls are literally lined up along the track! When the train is approaching the market, the train driver will sound the horn very loudly to warn the vendors. To clear the way for the coming train, all the vendors will quickly fold away their umbrellas or awnings and remove their containers and any goods placed on the tracks. Many vendors use the stalls equipped with wheels so that they can slide them out of the way conveniently. The train moves slowly through the market, passing the vendors, shoppers and stalls just a few inches away. Once the train is gone, the vendors raise the awnings, push back the stalls into position and resume business again as if nothing happened. The train passes through 8 times a day.. (4 arriving, 4 departing). That’s why it’s called “Rom Hub”… Rom= Umbrella; Hub= Close/folding

If you know me, you know I have to experience any city’s nightlife; especially the world renowned Bangkok nightlife! Let me just say, you need to leave your judgement and inhibitions at the door because everything goes in this city, Las Vegas would be jealous!

Patpong is one of the world’s most famous red-light districts and is considered to be where Thailand’s go-go culture all started. It’s even been immortalised in classic movies like The Deer Hunter (1978) and in a James Bond chase sequence. Its 2 parallel sidestreets, between Silom and Surawongse Roads, house dozens of neon-lit strip bars offering ‘naughty’ shows and pole dancing! At night the street shuts down to traffic and every business is some sort of sex show! Sex tourism is huge in Bangkok so it’s part of the experience. My girls and I had a fantastic time and what happened in Bangkok stayed in Bangkok …

To atone for our sins, we visited the amazing temples in Bangkok. We saw the carved, emerald statue of the Buddha in a traditional pose in the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, admired the gilded interior that surrounds the statue on all sides, and then continued on to the Temple of the Reclining Buddha to see Thailand’s largest collection of Buddha images. These are a must see. The architecture is out of this world. You must however be appropriately dressed to visit so be sure to check out the rules.

After 2 days in Bangkok, we went to the coastal area of Patong, a beach resort town on the west coast of Phuket Island, facing the Andaman Sea in the southwest of Thailand. Its sandy, crescent beach is lined with cafes, restaurants and bars. The famously raucous nightlife scene features beer bars, go-go bars, nightclubs, massage parlors and cabarets that overflow into the street along neon-lit Bangla Road and in the Patong OTOP Shopping Paradise complex. This resort town has an even crazier nightlife, it is basically Bangkok on steroids! We had such a fantastic time and I’m sure we’d all vote for a return trip. My highlight was getting a foot massage in the middle of the street after a night of dancing. Massage is a huge deal in Thailand and it’s very affordable and authentic.

The next day we took a speed boat to Phi Phi Islands! The Phi Phi islands are some of the loveliest in Southeast Asia. Just a 45-minute speedboat trip or a 90-minute ferryboat ride from either Phuket or Krabi, these picture postcard islands offer the ultimate tropical getaway. Featuring classic tropical beaches, stunning rock formations and vivid turquoise waters teeming with colourful marine life, it is paradise perfected. This was such an awesome experience. I really felt like the Kenyan James Bond Girl, speeding through the green/ blue waters with the picturesque surroundings. Upon arrival on the James Bond Island we indulged in some delicious local food and ambience.

James Bond Island is a famous landmark in Phang Nga Bay. It first found its way onto the international tourist map through its starring role in the James Bond movie, The Man with the Golden Gun. A distinctive trait of this famous bay is the number of sheer limestone cliffs that vertically jut out of the emerald-green water.

Our final day was spent enjoying the resort we stayed at, which had gorgeous beach access and massage from the locals. All in all, Thailand was an amazing destination and I feel like I barely scratched the surface. Its definitely on the repeat list!!