Back in 2019, several friends and I were fortunate enough to travel to China and Thailand. While China was fascinating (and will get its own dedicated post because I have THINGS TO SAY), Thailand was the country I was most looking forward to. I was a bit nervous, though, because you don’t hear a ton of positive feedback about Bangkok. Yes, it’s busy, yes, it’s huge, yes, it’s chaotic. But it is also vibrant and beautiful. Honestly, it reminded me a lot of Athens for some odd reason. Maybe it’s the frenetic energy, or the shabby looking neighborhoods backed up to glittering marvels. I’m not sure. But I loved it.
A couple considerations before I get into the meat of this post. First, there aren’t a ton of direct flights from the US to Bangkok, so you’ll likely have to connect somewhere else in Asia. We flew direct from Washington DC to Beijing, but there are also routes where you’ll layover in Istanbul or Dubai. Either way, be prepared for 14+ hours of flying. Also, especially in the rainy season like when we were there, the humidity is at 500%. You will be sweaty the entire time you’re there. Just embrace it.
Day 1: Bangkok
We stayed at the Pullman Bangkok G hotel. It’s a very sleek, modern hotel with a fun vibe. There’s a pool about halfway up the building and a rooftop bar/restaurant with incredible views of the city. Located in the Silom neighborhood, there is a small Night Market a few blocks away offering souvenirs, street foods, and plenty of the infamous “Ping Pong” shows. I promise you, this is not Forrest Gump’s ping pong — it is an adults only type of experience that gentler souls may never completely recover from. If you want to explore some of the more expansive night markets, here are some options:
- Talat Rot Fai Market – Retro market with food trucks and mobile VW-based bars and pubs
- Asiatique Market – by the river with a Ferris Wheel
- Rad Fai Night Market — train night market
Day 2: Bangkok
I think my favorite thing about Bangkok (and Thailand) in general is the “too much” gene it possesses, and that was on FULL display on our first full day in the city. It brought me immense joy, mostly because I, too, have the “too much” gene. There is so much gold and color and sparkle. The majority of that glitter is housed in the cities numerous Buddhist temples.
We started at the Temple of the Golden Buddha (Wat Trimitr) to see its solid-gold Buddha. I have a silkscreen print I bought from the souvenir shop here that was allegedly blessed by Buddhist monks hanging in my home.
From there, we moved on to the Temple of the Reclining Buddha (Wat Pho), known for its monumental, horizontal Buddha. Those are his giant tootsies you see showcased above. The reclining Buddha is located inside a much larger temple complex, which house smaller chapels with rows of gilded Buddha statutes, 4 towering stupas, which commemorate the first four Chakri kings, and open air classrooms where children were learning traditional dance and music, which was very cool to watch. I also got to pet a whole bunch of temple kitties, so that was a particular highlight.
Our third and final temple was the Temple of the Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Kaew), which is located within the Grand Palace grounds. Be warned — there will almost certainly be wall to wall people, which is part of the reason why I highly recommend getting the audio guide for $6. It will not only direct you through the maze-like compound, but it will give you a sense of purpose amongst the meandering masses. Just be sure to give yourself time and practice some patience.
We didn’t make it there, but the Temple of the Dawn (Wat Arun), the 4th of the major Bangkok temples, is located across the river from the rest. You can take a ferry over, take a dinner cruise to view it at night, or find a rooftop bar on the riverbank and enjoy the lit up temple over a cocktail or three.
**Men and women must have their shoulders, arms and legs covered when visiting the temples on this list. A scarf is sufficient to cover arms and shoulders, but keep that in mind while packing. I highly recommend linen pants as an option because they are especially breezy.**
Day 3: Bangkok
An hour or so outside the city is Damnoen Saduak, one of Thailand’s most famous floating markets. We hitched a ride on a long tail boat and boat delicious fresh fruit from the lady above. There were also souvenir stalls lining the canals with vendors calling out for you to look at their wares. There was also a man with a python and a lemur, but I didn’t investigate that any further. Note to the wise: if you want to purchase durian, eat it in the open air. It tastes good, but smells like rotting garbage and feet.
If you choose to do one thing from this post, let it be the Midnight Tuk Tuk Food Tour. It’s around $55 per person, and includes at least 3 food stops, a rooftop bar, the bustling flower market, and tuk tuk transportation throughout. I am not kidding when I say this was some of the best food I’ve ever eaten. It’s designed as a Street Food Tour, and when they say “street food”, they mean some of this is straight up cooked on a wok in an alley. While that may sound suspicious, I promise you it’s both standard for Thai restaurants and results in delicious dishes.
Day 4: Bangkok
Another amazing experience was our trip to Elephants World Sanctuary. Full disclosure — this sanctuary is a solid 2 hour drive from Bangkok, but it is well worth it. The sanctuary houses and cares for over 30 elephants. They offer half day visits, full day visits, or even longer term stays if you’d like. We spent a half day there and were able to admire the elephants, feed them, and wash them in the River Kwai. We fed them both watermelon (who knew that elephants like watermelon??) and balls of various elephant friendly grasses and seeds. The washing process that followed consisted of caking the elephants in mud and then brushing it off in the river with what was essentially a wet broom. The elephants LOVED it, and we even got sprayed by some of the enthusiastic calves. After communing with the elephants for a few hours, we were served a lunch of local specialties before packing back onto the bus for the trip back to Bangkok. Definitely bring a change of clothes with you because you are almost guaranteed to get dirty and/or wet.
There are a lot of opportunities to mingle with wildlife in Thailand, but before you decide to visit a particular sanctuary, do a little legwork. A lot of places hold onto some inhumane practices (like allowing guests to ride on the elephants, which is harmful to their backs) or they sedate the animals so that you can hold them. While it’s incredible to be able to interact with animals, I’m not a proponent of doing so in a way that makes their lives more difficult.
Day 5: Bangkok to Phuket
Head back to one of Bangkok’s airports for a short flight to Phuket, the biggest of Thailand’s islands. Measuring 30 miles long and 13 wide, this island in the Andaman Sea is famed for its white sands, crystal-clear seas and lush rainforests. Our hotel was located relatively close to the airport, but that also means it was relatively far from the beaten path. However, it was on the Indian Ocean, had a pool bar, and several small restaurants within walking distance that we enjoyed every evening. After the hustle and bustle of Bangkok, it was delightful to lounge in a hammock with a book while the waves lapped in the background. I would recommend it to you, but apparently it is now closed. Instead I will just recommend one of the beachfront resorts on Khai Mao Beach.
Day 6: Phuket/Phang Nga
Our first full day in Phuket began with a stop at the Buddha Cave Temple Suwannakuha, also known as Monkey Temple. As you approach the cave, which has a reclining Buddha similar to the one found in Wat Pho, but smaller, you will be surrounded by the local monkey population. Do y’all remember when you were in college (or any area with lots of food establishments), and the squirrels became less and less afraid of humans and more and more food motivated? Well, that’s these monkeys. There is fruit for sale that you can hand to the monkeys, but be warned — they will snatch whatever you have out of your hands. It was a unique experience, but I was a bit wary of getting bitten by a monkey.
From the monkey temple, we headed to the Ao Phang Nga National Park The park consists of over 40 limestone islands, caves, rock formations and evergreen mangroves. We boarded a traditional long-tailed boat and made our way our amongst the limestone islands until we docked at the famous “James Bond Island” from Man with the Golden Gun. You are free to roam around the island and climb to the various viewpoints, but know that it will be crowded and you may need to wait your turn to get a picture with the iconic villain’s lair in the background.
Lunch was served at the Koh Panyi Sea Gypsy Village, which is built entirely on stilts. The food at the dockside restaurant was good, but the most interesting part was wandering through the maze of walkways through the souvenir stalls to the village itself. We wandered past school rooms with students in lessons and some out playing basketball on a floating school yard. The population, which is historically nomadic, predominantly makes their living through fishing and provides the fish to the tourist restaurants visited on these tours.
Day 7: Phuket/Phi Phi Islands
One of the indisputable highlights of the whole trip was our day on a speedboat zipping around the Phi Phi Islands, snorkeling, sightseeing, and lounging on pristine beaches. There are very few places that I’ve traveled to that actually look like the postcard pictures, and the Phi Phi Island are among those. The water was so brightly turquoise, it looked like it had been photoshopped. After a full day of playing mermaid, our last stop was a picturesque little island with abundant lounge chairs and several cocktail bars. It was basically my perfect day. If you also want to have this perfect day, there are no shortage of companies offering similar trips. Just make sure to pack your Dramamine if you get seasick, because those speedboats ROCK.
Day 8: Phuket
On our last full day, we went on a sightseeing tour of Old Town Phuket. We were dropped off near a scenic vista on the famous Promthrep Cape. Having never been able to say no to a scenic vista, we climbed the steps to the top and took in the sights. Spoiler alert: it was more gorgeous water and lush greenery.
From there we went into Old Town, which is full of shops, restaurants, and beautiful architecture. I bought a few tchotchkes to bring home with me, and then we found a little ice cream shop with some very unique flavors (think Sweet Potato, Redbull, and Wasabi). It was nice to explore a little, but honestly, I wanted to be back on the beach. Phuket is a beach town, after all.
Our trip to Thailand is one of my favorite adventures to date. We were lucky to have squeezed it in just before the whole world shut down. If I have the opportunity to go back, I absolutely would. There’s so much more to see, and so very much more Thai food to eat. Southeast Asia has not seen the last of me.
A Slice of Kate 
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