First stops in Asia: Vietnam and Thailand
After finishing high-school, my friends were a little afraid about the future. But not me. I knew what I wanted, what I desired and what I still do. Exploring our wonderful planet!
All the cultures waiting to get to know, all the food I couldn’t wait to try later on to be consumed by me with biggest pleasure.
All the individuals I would meet on my way of bliss, which I am proud now to call them friends.
I was ready to go to Indonesia, ready for a new adventure in my life, ready to meet new people, but more I was ready to get to know more about myself.
But before going to Indonesia, I couldn’t resist to visit Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand.
Visiting Vietnam means to visit my family.
Family equals happiness but also stress. I love them, but living in a cultural system, in which it is normal to have 3 generations under the rooftop, means also less privacy for myself.
I am not sure if they would understand the courtesy we have in Europe not to tear the door but to knock on the door first. Living with my uncle, my aunt and the children is a whole adventure.
When you got to wake up, because one of the children comes inside of the room and starts to play and screams at you, even though you are sleeping;
then joy and happiness come to their limit.
But Vietnam’s nature is admirable.
I am talking about the rice terraces in Sapa or exploring Ha Long Bay by boat. On the banana pancake trail people often get ripped off.
The imperial city Hue might try to seduce you.
Or do you want new and custom clothes?
Then you will probably love Hoi An.
Rather to the beach and sunbathe?, Nha Trang is now very touristy but still brilliant. Mui Ne is also famous for its beaches.
I, myself come from Viet Tri, if anyone would ever go there as a foreigner, then you will be certainly treated as a royal.
For all of you who are looking for flexibility and adventure, I would definitely recommend buying a cheap motorcycle in Vietnam and traveling from South to North or vice versa.
Any questions about Vietnam? You can ask me anything, since I lived there for 5 years, traveled to beautiful places and it is one of the cultures I got to know very well.
Thailand is now one of the most visited country in the world.
I can imagine why: Friendly locals, dreamy beaches, delicious food, cheap prices. Thailand has everything a low-budget traveler is dreaming about.
Bangkok is too big to explore in a week, that is my opinion.
There are all varieties and price ranges of accommodations and whether you will like or dislike this metropolis. I enjoyed it, even though their spicy food made my head spin more often than I would have liked to.
From all tourist places in Thailand, I can recommend these ones
(it is also one of the most crowded places to be honest, I am definitely not a Thailand expert, otherwise I would have visited more hidden gems).
For those who don’t have much time to travel through Bangkok,
I would recommend:
- Jim Thompson House
- Great Palace
- Wat Pho, the most famous temple
- Wat Phra Kaeo
- Lumphini Park
- Thailand’s outdoor markets are huge!
- I actually enjoyed the ladyboy show in Bangkok, too.
The name was ‘Calypso Cabaret Show’ next to the ‘Asiatique Ferris Wheel’, the whole area is a tourist place and very crowded in the evening.
Taking the taxi in Bangkok was affordable and I would recommend and surprisingly cheap at night. I had one taxi ride which cost 4$ for about 30 minutes ride. Maybe I was lucky?
Want to feel the humid air in your hair on the way to home or just to watch people and surrounding while going home?- Take the tuk-tuk and bargain the price with the driver! They generally presume that tourists will bargain and rarely expect to receive the asking price.
Although some of them ask an unrealistic price and won’t budge a dollar, especially if you look tired or in need of help.
The best is, you show confidence and go half down and then probably both of you will agree above half the price.
Chiang Mai is also a wonderful and diverse place to go, even though I have also met people who didn’t like it at all and it wasn’t their cup of tea.
But everyone has a different taste and way of traveling. One of my friends lived there and studied one semester in Chiang Mai – she had a fond time.
Please, don’t confound it with Chiang Rai, which you can visit when crossing the border to Myanmar, also formerly known as Burma.
I went to Phuket with one of my closest friends and we stayed in
Diamond Cliff Resort & Spa, the first and best resort I have ever been to.
It’s the perfect resort if you are on honeymoon.
Phuket is gorgeous, unsurprisingly full of tourists.
The best springboard to explore Phi Phi Islands, Ko Yao Noi, Ko Yao Yai or James Bond Island.
May I show you some of the pictures?
