Thailand, my first international trip!
- Anisha Ghosh
- Feb 19, 2024
- 13 min read
I have never been outside India, well, that's not a bad thing, my parents love traveling but most of our traveling escapades were contained in India and I'm so grateful because they are probably one of the reasons I love traveling so much.
Writing this blog right after I am back from my 2nd international trip, will write about that soon. Let's go back to 2023 when my friends and I were all working so we saved up and decided to go to Thailand for a trip, trust me it was one of the best trips ever, even though I fell sick in classic Anisha manner when she forgets to drink enough water :) I had so much fun!!
I am writing this blog to express my feelings about the trip itself and our whole itinerary, things you can do, places you can eat from, things you should stay away from, what you must carry in Bangkok and Phuket, and more!
My highlights from this trip which made it a core memory
The day we left for the airport to catch our flight to Bangkok, I was beyond excited! I even color-coded everyone's documents (yes, I like doing such things) I couldn't have been happier at that moment because I was really happy and grateful that I could do this by saving up myself, and that I have the opportunity to do it. It was my first time getting a stamp on my passport and I was so happy when I got it! It truly felt amazing, I know it might not be a big deal for many but for me, it truly was a bucket list item I was ticking off. When we reached Bangkok, even though the city didn't look too different than any other city, the air felt different, also it was surprising that people in vehicles stopped for you beforehand and blinked their headlights indicating that they would stop when you try to cross any road, something that you just don't see in India, there is proper lane discipline, people follow the basic rules like do not litter or spit on the roads and more. We were all really tired because we barely slept. We knew we couldn't check in, so my friends and I freshened up in the hotel washroom and got dressed did our skincare and makeup out in the lobby. The first meal was in the hotel, and we were excited because it was Thai food, but we couldn't bear the flavor of fish oil. The smell was really potent. Anyway, we head out for the day at Grand Palace and Khao San for some shopping. Because were so tired and the heat was horrible, we were quite dead by afternoon. Grabbed some lunch in Khao San market, this time around the fish oil was less, and we realized that maybe fried rice was a safe option. The market was nice and the fact that I could bargain even though I didn't know the language was quite fun! Free tip, always buy in bulk, and try to monetize in one store so that you can get a discount on the final bill.
Got all dressed to go to Chinatown in the evening but we didn't make it due to heavy rains, we were quite upset but didn't have a choice :/ We stayed in, played some games, and then headed out for a walk to the nearest mall to grab something from McD, the McD in Thailand uses fish oil to fry their fries and that wasn't the best for my stomach, so I decided to pair it with iced milk tea which just aggravated the acidity and I was really sick the next morning. I was dehydrated from the puking, and just so weak, my friends took care of me and we were off to Chinatown in the afternoon to grab some lunch and look around. Today we had to catch a flight to Phuket as well, we, of course, stopped at seven eleven on our way, seven eleven was one of our favourite places to go to for anything and everything we needed throughout the trip, we love seven eleven!
When we landed in Phuket, we got to witness the most beautiful sunset ever! and we were picked up by. a nine-seater bus with one of the best drivers. He had party lights, and he gave us the control of music, what a trip that was <3 When we checked into our hotel, it was beyond our expectations for the price we paid. A super nice bathtub, a massive room with an extra area for dinner seating arrangements, a beach view, and an amazing complimentary breakfast, loved every bit of it.
Now coming to the most unforgettable and adventurous day of our trip, the island tour. It all started as expected, nothing out of the ordinary, went snorkeling for the first time in deep seawater and it was so calming. Felt like my ZNMD moment, next time we truly live ZNMD style by going scuba diving. Now begins the true adventure bit of this trip, the sail back to the shore, it had started drizzling and the waves had started to get mighty. The nose of the speedboat is where the impact is felt the most, for almost 30-40 minutes we endured a mild storm and I sustained an injury to my head, my friends had fallen down, and all of us were bruised somewhere or the other on our bodies. But we were all fine, in the moment though it felt like we were holding onto our dear lives, trying our best to not get thrown out or fall down, the adrenaline was insane. It was the only time I wished I was heavier and hoped I had more grip strength. The boat stopped for snacks and then initially we decided to sit inside the boat, the boys went to the front of the boat, then the driver kind of did some reverse psychology and we weren't gonna give up so we also went ahead in the front and we don't regret it one bit! By the end of it, we were wasted and filled with energy because of the adrenaline rush.
Something scary also happened during this time, so one of our friends lost the snorkeling goggles, and the people on the boat were charging. super high amount for it. We knew they were just trying to get more money, and we were okay to pay the right amount, so we tried to bargain and we did lower it a bit but barely. Ultimately we had to pay it because there were 4 of us on the boat, and the driver just undocked the ship and started stressing away from the shore, this is when we were quite afraid so we just gave up and paid, we knew we were getting cheated but we had no choice :/
We got back to our hotel, freshened up, bought ramen from seven eleven, made it in our hotel rooms, and had that for dinner before we headed out for walking street, the place was lit up, so vibrant and lively, and the party didn't seem to end till next day morning. We went to one of the most happening clubs, this club has a free entry, and we had a blast inside! Nothing like any other club we had been to in Bangalore. The next day morning we went to Phuket's old town, and it looked like something right out of Pinterest. It was so aesthetic all around, and the architecture was clean & colorful, you cannot skip this and the hotpot place I mentioned below. In the evening we had planned to go to the Simon cabaret show, but we were super late for our pickup at the hotel, the driver was so angry with us because we delayed his other pickups too. And we had to come back with the same person back to our hotel as well and after the show, we couldn't decide if we wanted to go by cab or with him so we went back and forth on our decision, the guy didn't look too happy with us, I mean it is justified his end, anyways it all worked out in the end, so yayy.
We were back in walking street for our last night in Phuket, it was really nice, this time around the club music was alright, maybe it's just that we don't enjoy techno a lot. Took a tuk-tuk back to our hotel for the experience, and it was nothing too special so you can honestly skip it unless you really want to experience it. The next day morning was an early start, we went to the airport to catch a flight to Bangkok, and something happened in DMK which we will remember forever, Anyways we bought a lot of snacks and ramen from the seven eleven in DMK(Bangkok airport) and one of our friends bought some goat milk thinking it was an edible drink and turns out it was actually shampoo or lotion and it was hilarious. Now back to our interesting encounters, we met a monk during our 6-hour halt and had some really interesting conversation. The monk used to work in the marketing division at Vodafone, had 2 degrees from prestigious universities, and probably had the stable & settled life we all talk about at some point in our lives. So all of us had so many questions as to why he became a monk, how is it going for him, and so on and so forth. In short, all he said is that he was looking for a true purpose in his life which led him to this path of becoming a monk and enduring all that it takes to achieve the discipline, wisdom, the purity of a monk. And he had so many questions for us and the current world, something that he was cut off from for many many years now. He was so excited to know about what's happening in the country, about our lives, how has it changed over the past few years, and more! We had a great time, a totally unexpected encounter, but these are the moments you really remember from a trip, and maybe that is also the joy of traveling, you get to explore so many new cultures, and meet so many new people along the way who leave an impression on you which at some point in your lives when reflected upon can actually be so valuable! All in all this trip was one to remember and will always hold a special place in my heart <3
Itinerary Day wise
We had come up with a basic/super packed itinerary, check it out here but we couldn't really stick to it for the most part due to monsoon season in June, and ad hoc changes because there were problems we had to tackle during the trip. But the itinerary I shared earlier does have recommendations for a set of places you can choose from to plan your trip.
Now coming to how our trip panned out day-wise is mentioned below
Day 1:
Land in Bangkok
Advisable to take a direct flight from Bangalore as it's only 4 hours
Most flights to Thailand don't have a check-in baggage allowance, so pack light as you have to pay for baggage
Drop luggage in hotel + freshen up + have brunch
Most hotels in Thailand have a 2-3 pm check-in time, so it's advisable to land around that time but because we were optimizing for the cost of the flight tickets, we decided to drop our luggage and set out for the day
Visit grand palace
Grand Palace has clothing restrictions, check them out here and be mindful otherwise you'll end up like us buying stuff off the rack outside the palace for a good price https://yourthaiguide.com/dress-code-for-grand-palace-and-temples-in-and-around-bangkok/
This is where most of our itinerary went off track as we took a while to get around Grand Palace, and because we were quite tired/hungry we decided to ditch the other places and directly went to the market
Khao San Road (souvenir shopping + lunch)
There are plenty of places here for lunch and shopping
You need to bargain a bit to get the best prices, and it's easier if you buy in bulk
Back to the hotel and check into our rooms
Go for dinner near our hotel
We went to an MCD near our hotel because it started raining and our China town plans were ruined :/
Day 2:
Plan was to go to the train market but we couldn't https://www.introducingbangkok.com/railway-market
So I fell sick in the morning
We also slept in till quite late and the next train was around 11:30 and then 2, we couldn't make it to either as the first one was too early and the second one was too close to our flight timings
But if you do get a chance to go there, then please do
Instead, my friends went to a restaurant near our hotel and had some of the best broth ever
Instead, we went to Chinatown in the morning, it was pretty nice
Of course, would have been better in the evening but it was raining :/
We picked up our luggage, left for the airport to go to Phuket
Check in to one of the best hotels we have been to, find the details in the itinerary
Day 3:
Island tour and snorkeling
Booked this through Klook, will provide more details in the next section
Breakfast was in the hotel
Lunch was a part of the package
Took over most of our day
Walking street
Came back to our hotels, freshened up, ate some ramen, and then were off to partyyyyy in one of the best clubs Illusion (free entry)
Day 4:
Phuket old town
You cannot miss this place, it is so pretty
Shopped for a while, and walked around
Simon Cabaret Show
The show was really good, and the production was beautiful
Also booked this on klook
Back to walking street and partyy again!
Day 5:
Leave for the airport from Phuket to Bangkok
Had a halt in Bangkok for almost 6 hours I think and there are some interesting stories from there which I have mentioned above in my highlights!
Catch a flight back to Bangalore from Bangkok
Bookings + Travel tips + Food
Bookings:
Sightseeing + shows
Booked the island tour in Phuket on day 3 on the Klook app
https://www.klook.com/activity/6556-phi-phi-island-snorkeling-day-trip-phuket/
https://www.klook.com/activity/292-simon-cabaret-show-phuket/
Flights:
We had taken 4 flights in total throughout this trip
Why didn't we choose to directly come back to Bangalore from Phuket?
Two reasons, the first one being it is cheaper to book 2 flights than to book one flight directly from Phuket, could be different in your case
And second one was that we thought we would actually go out on day 5 when we reached Bangkok but we were all so tired that we ditched that plan
Hotels
In Bangkok we stayed in the Bangkok Palace Hotel, the rooms were really nice but there was no complimentary breakfast
They have a good facility for dropping off luggage, so you can choose to arrive early, finish the check-in process, and drop off your luggage
The food and water in the hotel are quite expensive so would advise that unless it is necessary don't buy them there
There is a vending machine outside to buy water, which is much cheaper
In Phuket, we stayed in one of the nicest hotels, Patong Paragon Resort and Spa
The hotel was beautiful, the rooms were massive and my friends and I got adjoining rooms with a beautiful view of the beach right outside the hotel!
The complimentary breakfast was yum, totally worth the price we paid, actually more than what we paid for
There is a seven eleven right opposite to the hotel, so you can buy snacks and ramen there, along with any other items you might need
Common tips for all the hotels, almost all the hotels we checked had a security deposit, which you get back when you check out of the hotel, so please do carry cash or you can pay by card (but if you have forex markup, just pay by cash)
Traveling in the city
Initially, we thought we would use public transport more but that was not the case, so because we were a group of 5, cabs when split by 5 people, are quite cheap
Download the apps Grab and Bolt to travel around Bangkok and Phuket
Bolt is significantly cheaper than Grab so we mostly chose that to travel unless we didn't get something on Bolt we chose grab
Tuk-tuk is something you can try once for the experience, but it is quite expensive
You can walk around to most places in old town Phuket, to and fro from walking street is a long walk but at least when you're going there in the evening the walk is quite nice, it's along the beach!
For airport pickups, grab/bolt was reliable
For the island tour, Simon Cabaret shows, there are options on Klook to book with hotel transfers and that's what we chose as that was easier, and it also makes sure you reach on time to these places as they have a strict itinerary.
Cash requirement and budgeting
We booked our flights, hotels, and Klook bookings online so we were able to use our cards with a minimal markup
In Thailand, we noticed that most places don't accept card payments, and even if they do there is a fee apart from your Forex markup
So it is advisable to carry cash for most of your expenditure which is primarily food/cabs/entry fee
The whole trip cost us around 75-80k including visa, gifts, and duty-free purchases. We did make the hotel bookings 1-2 months prior and because it was off-season we got good prices
Each of us carried 10000 baht in cash which was enough, everywhere we paid with cash itself. So almost 9100 baht was used
The visa when we went was on arrival but now there is no visa requirement so you save around 2500 baht and a few hours at the airport!
Food in Thailand
Most of the food places we went to (not the Indian restaurant because we didn't wanna try that) had fish oil as their primary ingredient
The first few meals took some time to adjust to, and also it caused me to fall sick as it is quite greasy https://everesthimalayancuisine.com/exploring-the-acidity-of-thai-food-a-guide-for-sensitive-stomachs/
Most soups/broths have fish balls, which personally aren't my favorite so you can skip that if you also don't like extremely potent-smelling fish
The prawns/shrimp in most places were great. Fried rice and stir-fried noodles or just meat/egg-based dishes are also good
Always buy packaged water, it's cheaper to buy packs of water from seven eleven, if that is not viable, then look for a vending machine, only if none of those are available, opt to buy it at a restaurant, you will save money
Seven-Eleven is a life savior when it comes to quick meals, one of the nights we chose to have Ramen and they have some of the best collections! Apart from that the many flavors of lays are great for snacking, along with many flavors of yogurt, soda, iced tea, coffee, cookies, etc.
We did explore mostly Thai food when we were out in the city, but for the breakfast in the Phuket hotel we stuck to having a simpler English breakfast as it was better for our stomach
One of the days we explored a Chinese hotpot place in Phuket which was delicious and there was not an ounce of fish oil flavour in, also choose the mala broth if you like spicy broths!
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