Okay, I’m going to make this quick. Just wanted to say hi. I’m back in Bangkok for, like, the 5th time. I love this city! Since I left Laos two weeks ago, I’ve been all over the place, have met a ton of awesome people, and really have just had an incredible time. And Songkran was really one of the most memorable three days I’ve had on this trip!
First off, I should add, almost my entire time so far in southeast Asia since the beginning of March has been incredible. I see why so many people travel here: it’s easy, it’s fun, it’s cheap. Southeast Asia rocks as a travel destination and I’ve only seen a tiny bit!
Anyways, the past two weeks have been good. Started out with me meeting up with Adventurous Kate in Bangkok, where we partied with Rob, of Stop Having a Boring Life fame. Also met up with Mike of Travels of Mike and some other Twitter folk, plus some other travelers I’d hung out with the past few weeks in Laos. (Oh yeah! And finally got to meet Kirsty & Poi from No Place To Be.) Bangkok is fun and the food here hardly ever disappoints.
Drinking beer in a grocery store, drunk cab rides back to my hostel and randomly running into friends on the street downtown, oh Bangkok, I love you!
By the time Songkran finally started I had a new travel buddy for the week! Eyal came all the way from Israel to travel with me. From the world’s largest waterfight in Silom to delicious noodles on Sukhumvit Soi 38, Eyal and I had a lot of fun in Bangkok. And we even did some sightseeing (finally – considering I hadn’t done any the previous 4 times I’ve been here!). Went to the Reclining Buddha.
After being thorougly soaked for three days straight, we decided we needed more water, so headed south to the islands. Original plan was to head to Phuket, but after a pretty roundabout “tourist” bus fiasco to Thailand’s largest island, no more than an hour-and-a-half after arriving, we decided Phuket wasn’t for us and immediately took the ferry to Koh Phi Phi.
Koh Phi Phi (pronounced “pee-pee”) is beautiful. It’s a bit of a tourist mecca and food wasn’t nearly as cheap as Bangkok (or Chiang Mai for that matter), but it was nice to be on the sand and get some sun. Two nights there and we drank WAY too much, but it was fun to be on the beach for a full-moon “party” even if it wasn’t Koh Pha Ngan. Played some pool which I hadn’t done in over a year, and I sucked. But I did get some hilarious videos out of it, at my expense.
After Koh Phi Phi, went back to Bangkok so Eyal could catch his flight and I could start on my way to Cambodia before my Thailand tourist visa expires (15 days isn’t enough)! Went to the weekend market (again) and found a gazillion awesome/trendy/hipster t-shirts to add to my t-shirt collection. If I end my travels of southeast Asia here in Bangkok, things could get ugly. I may just end up with a backpack full of cheap t-shirts, dumping every other thing out.
Now I’m back in Bangkok, traveling alone again. It was fun to have a travel buddy. Makes a lot of things easier, and when you’ve got a broken iPod, having a friend makes long bus rides soooo much more bearable!
Just been pampering myself while I’m here on/near Khao San Road for the next day or two. Got a foot massage while I was simultaneously spoon-fed a ginger soup by a Thai lady who insisted I call her “Mama.” And a cheap haircut (where the woman clearly had absolutely NO hair-cutting experience ever, just a pair of scissors and some solid self-determination).
Day after tomorrow, I’m headed for Cambodia. Plan is to first visit Siam Reap/Angkor Wat, then this small town that my German travel friend recommended, then Sihanoukville which Adventurous Kate seemed to enjoy. From there, onwards & away, and eventually, Vietnam.
Sounds like good times!!
Looks like a bunch of crazy fun. That bit about “mama” is hilarious. I do like this blog post. So, if you changed your style, it’s still a great read.
Can’t wait to be there and to eat a bunch of noodle bowls.
Thanks Serena!
When are you planning to visit Thailand?
I’m going to be there for the month of June. Will you be in Southeast Asia still?
most likely yes :)
Noodle soup made my tummy grumble. YUM.
Welcome back! Looks like you had a nice trip.
Great list – makes me want to pack my bags again! Something to fit everyone’s travel style and budget. :)
I can see that you’re much enjoying your travels in South Asia..hope you’ll visit my country as well Philippines.
If and when I’m able to get a cheap flight there, it’s been high up on my list for a while now…
can’t wait to get back there! sounds like you’re having such a blast. i wasn’t there for songkran so hoping next time. loved cambodia too and sihanoukville was sooooo incredible. can’t wait to see what you think (and do) :)
Songkran really was incredible! Beat all my expectations. Photo and video post about it coming right up :)
Oh, and I’m in Siam Reap now – pretty nice here and really loving Cambodians. Sihanoukville’s on the planned itinerary!
can’t wait to get back there! sounds like you’re having such a blast. i wasn’t there for songkran so hoping next time. loved cambodia too and sihanoukville was sooooo incredible. can’t wait to see what you think (and do) :)
I think I will have the same travel about the t-shirts when I go to Thailand. I can never resist buying a cool t-shirt to add to my collection. Seems like you had great fun for Songkran. I’m looking forward to be there next year!
Dude! The t-shirts here are cheap, and generally awesome. You can get most of them on Khao San Road, but there were some really cool designs I could only find in the Weekend Market. And on Saturday night there’s another “hipster” market off the metro where they sell a bunch of used clothes. Not my style (it was mostly stuff from American colleges) but the market was cool!
Sounds like fun! How long are you going to be in Cambodia for? I’m in Chiang Mai at the mo (met up with a few bloggers here which was nice!), heading to Siem Reap tomorrow.