From September 9th 2022 until October 8th 2022 we travelled through Thailand for one month. We visited Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and the islands Koh Samui and Koh Tao.
Thailand
Read here about our month in Thailand, the specific blogs about our destinations and the recommendations for these destinations.
Thailand
We spent a complete month in Thailand most of September and a part of October of 2022. One month is by far not enough to see the entire country so we specifically chose our destinations. We started with 9 days in Bangkok because we wanted to experience the vibe of the city as much as possible.
From Bangkok we took the train to Chang Mai in the north. Here we stayed a full week as well. From Chiang Mai we travelled south to the islands in the south on the eastcoast. We were 5 days on Koh Samui and a full week on Koh Tao. We deliberately chose to settle a bit on the islands after a really hectic summer in our homecountry and after the dynamic of Bangkok and Chiang Mai.
From September 8th until September 17th we stayed in Bangkok for 9 days. Initially we had planned for 5 days and 6 nights but since we really enjoyed it we added another 3 days/3 nights.
In Bangkok we stayed at Somerset Rama, an excellent accommodation. We visited some temples, for example Wat Arun, Wat Pho and What Phra Kaew. The last one is the temple at the Grand Palace that we ofcourse visited as well.
Furthermore we visited Chinatown, and we did that twice. Once by foot, just strolling around the largest Chinatown outside of China. And we visited Chinatown during the biketour that we did with Co van Kessel bike tours. We do recommend this tour because it takes you to the back alleys of Chinatown and less visited parts of Bangkok.
Other highlights in Bangkok were the Jim Thompson House, a boat ride on the Chao Praya river, Bayoke tower, visiting the Chaktuchak weekend market and strolling around Lumpini park.
We had good expectations, but the city surprised us and exceeded these.
During our stay in Bangkok we visited the city of Ayuttahaya, more speficic the historic park with ancient temple sites. Since we decided to stay longer in Bangkok we thought it would be nice to make it a daytrip from Bangkok. So, we took the 8.30am train from Hua Lampongh station in Bangkok to Ayutthaya. That is about an hour and a half with a few stops, mainly in the Bangkok suburbs. At first you drive with the train through some slump neighbourhoods in Bangkok, which is confronting because you see people live right next to the train tracks. On the way to Ayuttaya we travelled 2nd class (350baht per person), which is comparible to western railways. On the way back we travelled 3rd class (220baht per person) which is less comfortable but more fun. Travelling to Ayutthaya on a daytrip from Bangkok is a good option but you can also do a stopover in Ayutthaya when you travel to Chiang Mai by train.
In Ayutthaya we visited the ancient temples in the Historic Park Ayutthaya in the heart of the city. In the Historic Park there are many ancient temples and other historic sites.
We visited the Wat Mahathat which seems the most popular because of the number of ancient buildings and beautiful green surroundings. Furthermore we visited the Wat Ratchaburana and the Wat Phra Si Sanphet.
For an entrance fee of 220baht per person you can stroll around the park and enjoy all the temples and sites. It was definitely worth visiting Ayutthaya and visit more ancient temples then we did in Bangkok.
It was a beautiful and warm day, definitely worth the trip from Bangkok.
After 9 nights and 8 full days in Bangkok we left the city. On Saturday September 17th we took the day train to Chiang Mai. We deliberately chose the day train since we expected to see more of the landscape. Many people take the nighttrain and (try to) sleep at the train but we did not choose that option. The train departs at 8.30am from Hua Lampongh station in Bangkok and it takes 11 hours to get to Chiang Mai and the train makes 21 stops. These stops are mainly at small local authentic stations which are an attraction in itself. After the first few hours through a flat green landscape with here and there some rice fields, the landscape becomes more hilly and mountanious during the second part and sometime the train drives just 30km/h because the track goes across small cliffs. Just after 7.45pm the train enters Chiang Mai where we stayed for one week.
Chiang Mai
We stayed a full week in Chiang Mai, at the Astra in a serviced apartment and we visited some temples again such as Wat Chedi Luang and Wat Phra Singh in the old city. Additional Wat Yed Chot just outside the old city and Doi Suthep up in the mountains. Here you have great views of the city as well.
Just outside the city of Chiang Mai you will find the ancient site Wiang Kum Kam, we visited that as well but that was rather disappointing.
Chiang Mai is a great location to follow a Thai cooking class and we did that with Thai Akha kitchen. The class is 4-5 hours and you learn to cook 11 dishes.
Furthermore we just enjoyed the good vibe of the city, we rented bikes to tour the city on our own and we took two yoga classes at Wild Rose Yoga. A very welcoming studio where we could do the alignment we now and then do on the road to keep on track with our own repertoire.
After the hectic summer of 2022 mostly in the Netherlands and the dynamic of Bangkok and Chiang Mai we chose to relax and put our feet up. There are many good locations in Thailand to do so, but we chose the islands of Koh Samui and Koh Tao. The main reason was that we had Koh Tao high on our list as a location to sit back and relax. We had the islands “on the other side” like Phuket, Koh Phi Phi and Koh Lanta on the radar as well, but we believe that we will back one day and visit them as well. So we flew from Chiang Mai to Koh Samui with a stop over in Bangkok. Both flights were smooth and during the afternoon we landed on the small charming airport of Koh Samui. From there it was just 20 minutes with Taxi to our accomodation on Koh Samui, Lennon Maison. And this was just the perfect location for our 5 nights on Koh Samui.
The purpose of our visit to Koh Samui was twofold. First we wanted to relax and put our feet up and second we wanted to explore the island ofcourse as well. We managed to do both.
Our accomodation, Lennon Maison, was just perfect to find some peace and relaxation. A tiny boutique villa in the quiet area around Mae Nam and Ban Tai Beach, located direct on the beach. Host Lenni showed the perfect hospitality so this is definitely a recommended accommodation.
To explore Koh Samui a scooter is required to see as much as possible and stay flexible. We toured two full days and went to Fishermen Village, Big Buddha, Hin Wat waterfalls, Lad Koh viewpoint, Hin Ta Hin Yai rocks and the Overlap Stone (favourite). Furthermore we had great coffee and croissants at the French bakery Le Fournil and a lovely lunch at Homegrown versus KOB Cafe. The five days on Koh Samui were just enough to fulfill what we came for.
After 5 days on Koh Samui we took the boat from Koh Samui to Koh Tao. From the pier at Mae Nam the high speed catamaran sails twice a day. We took the 12.30 am ferry and with a stopover at Koh PhaNgan (yes famous for the full moon parties) we arrived at the Mae Haad pier on Koh Tao just over two hours later. The boat ride was smooth, not too wobbly and just a small shower at open sea. Koh Tao is a small island, just 8km long and 3km wide and the pier is small and a bit chaotic too. But the taxi driver was waiting for us and took us to our accommodation somewhere on the middle of the island. We settled and were ready for a very relaxing week, just what the doctor ordered.
The purpose of the week on Koh Tao was just to relax and so we did. Balcony Village was a good accommodation to do so. We visited some beautiful beaches and bays on the island and relaxed. Ao Hin Wong, Tanote Bay, Freedom Beach and Sairee Beach are perfect places to relax and/or snorkle.
We did some active things as well, climbing up a few viewpoints like John Suwan viewpoint and Mango viewpoint. The last one is a tough hike, not because it is long (3km to the summit) but some parts are really steep.
The absilute highlight of the week was our boattrip to Nang Yuan, three small connected islands just off the Koh Tao coast. From Mae Haad pier we took the private taxiboat and it takes you in 20 minutes to Nang Yuan. There you can climb easily to the viewpoint there and have brilliant views across Nang Yuan. After that we just relaxed on the beautiful island beach an snorkled in the clear water to witness some beautiful colored fish. A perfect week on Koh Tao.
It was a fantastic month in Thailand and we enjoyed all the places we visited and the things we did. And we do realize there is so much more to see and do in Thailand but we decided to stay 1 month and we can always come back to visit other places that we really want to go to. If you want to stay longer this is possible. When you enter the country you will get a 30 day visa, and if you want to stay longer you can extend it at several offices throughout the country. We had the feeling it was time to move on after one month and we travelled to Malaysia and Singapore. First stop in Malaysia was the island of Penang.
