THAILAND PART THREE: BANGKOK

Day 7: We said our (very sad) goodbyes to Koh Samui and headed for the ferry port around 9:30am after checking out. We should have checked the ferry schedule online ahead of time considering they only leave every two hours, so the next wasn’t until 11am. This time our ferry and bus ticket was only 390 baht, way more reasonable than the 600 baht we got tricked into paying on the way there. This ferry was a bit slower, taking around 3.5 hours this time, but still gave us plenty of time to get back to the airport in Surat Thani. We flew to Bangkok from there and took the bus to an area near our hotel, then took a taxi to our hotel from that stop (it’s much cheaper this way rather than paying 800 baht for a taxi to your hotel considering the airport is a ways out of town). By the time we got through the thickest traffic I’ve ever seen, it was 7:30 and we were exhausted. We turned in for the night so we could get up early the next day- ready to check out the city.

Day 8: We woke up well rested and decided to book a Tuk-Tuk hop on hop off tour for the day. This is a great thing to utilize if you’re staying within city limits. You pay about 8 USD for a day pass of pretty much free “Uber” rides around the city. I compare it to Uber because you call a driver on the app who comes to get you and takes you to any site listed within the district that you want to see- free! Tuk-Tuks are basically motorized golf carts that weave through traffic and usually cost less than a taxi. We stayed on the outskirts of town so we had to catch a cab or tuk-tuk to one of the pick up points, then utilized our hop on hop off deal.

We started in Chinatown where we walked through many shops as it downpoured on us. Luckily it only cost us $1 USD for one of those really attractive clear plastic rain coats that we had to wear for an hour. After this we checked out one of their many malls for some food. I went out on a whim and tried an Asian cuisine of what I thought would taste like tacos but unfortunately ended up tasting like candy. We opted for some watermelon from a fruit vendor on the streets and checked out a flower market before heading back to the hotel for a dip in the pool.

At night we decided to visit the infamous Khao San Road. This is where we did all of our tourist shopping and bartering with the vendors for better deals. There are loud bars everywhere that try to play their music louder than the bar next door, so it actually sounds terrible. Overall Khao San Road was a cool sight to see! We enjoyed walking around and visiting with the different vendors. If you want to be adventurous and try a fried scorpion, this is also the place to do it!

Day 9: For our final day in Bangkok we decided to relax. It took forever to get anywhere in the city and the weather was in the 90’s, feeling like 105 degrees with humidity. We spent the afternoon at the pool then got ready and head to the top of Sofitel Sukhumvit for the famous view overlooking the city at their rooftop bar. We were seated outside at a table overlooking the bustling city where we sipped on wine and mixed drinks until the sun went down. This was the perfect, most relaxing, way to end our stay in Bangkok. A lot of tourists go to the city to party so if that’s your jam, visit Bangkok someday! The nightlife is always bumping no matter what day of the week.

Day 10: *sigh* Our trip had come to an end. 10 days flew by (12 if you count the two days and time change it took to get there) before we knew it. Overall, Thailand amazed me. The people were so friendly and giving. The cities we visited had so much to offer. I tried so many new things; crazy food, snorkeling, scootering and more. If you ever plan on going to Thailand, message me directly and I’ll help you plan it out!

Last but not least, I have to give a big shout out to my friend Emily for making this trip so fun. I wouldn’t have been able to go to this beautiful country without you! Thank you for being so spontaneous and sharing your love for travel with me.