La Thaïlande et ses trésors

Third step of our “world trip”: Thailand. Two years ago, we enjoyed our fifteen days in this country and this second experience confirmed again our love for Thailand. It might be the most touristic country on south-east Asia, however Thailand has so many treasures to offer. Thai people are welcoming, smiling and they have a lot of amazing dishes. The landscapes are incredible and the temples are gorgeous.

In this post, we explain how we travelled through the country, what we liked to eat, our budget, which banks and phone operator we used. We also share with you, our tips and the best guesthouses and restaurants we found when we were exploring the cities.

Back in Thailand, we mainly spend our free month visa in the north. From Sri Lanka, we flew to Bangkok where we reconnected with the crazy life style of Thailand. We rediscovered the quarters of Bangkok and we visited the monuments we didn’t see before. On our way to the North by train, we made two stops: Ayutthaya and Sukhothai. Both cities are famous for theirs ruins and ancient temples. The best way to discover these two towns is by bicycle. It is easy, simple and efficient to link the historical relics. By the way, we have a slight preference for Ayutthaya. After these historical places, we arrived in Chiang Mai. We fell in love for this city the first time we came in. It is the most famous town in the north part, but the walking streets in the centre are charming. There are so many activities to do from there (trekking, temples, caves, waterfalls, kayaking, elephant care centres, hot springs…).

This time, we made an 18 days motorcycle trip all around the mountains. If you know how to drive a moto or scooter, we advise you to take this opportunity. You will be free to drive and make stops everywhere you want, every time you wish. You ’ll enjoy the viewpoints and live at the local’s rhythms. After our road trip, we came back in Chiang Mai and we took a bus to Chiang Kong to cross the Laos’ border. You can find more info about our itinerary « here ». On each city we stayed, there is a brief, some advices, few pictures and our daily diary. Even on the travelled lines, there are prices and time information. For more info you can also join us on our social media 😉.

Once again, Thailand was full of surprises and this is our top 5:

1. Make a road trip by motorbike: you can fully enjoy your freedom and your flexibility. Don’t need to be well-organized. You can’t be bored about theses incredible landscapes all along the road. Time flies when you are driving.

2. Mae Hong Son: it is a small charming city surrounded by mountains. The viewpoint, temples and the night market take you in a peaceful atmosphere. In addition, there are different places to see around the city like: a fish cave, a waterfall, a lake and some villages. The countryside is relaxing. We regretted our one-night stop, two or three would be more appreciable.

3. Pai: it’s a very touristic city of this famous loop, full of bars, shops, guesthouses, clubs and restaurants. However, we liked Pai because there are many non-casual activities to organize like: a canyon, a landslip, a walking-pass above rice fields, hot springs, waterfalls and viewpoints.

4. Mae Lana: again, we found this city fascinating and absorbing because of its authenticity. We just stopped there for the lunch and appreciate the landscapes, so we can’t tell you more about it. But one thing is sure: we have been charmed and we would love spend several nights there.

5. Ayutthaya: exploring the city by bicycle and know about its history have been a great pleasure. Ruins and temples are impressive.

This one-month trip was extremely different than our first experience in this country. We realized that there are many different ways to handle a travel. Definitely, time is one of the biggest factors. First, we had only fifteen days, so we wanted to do a maximum. We “didn’t care” about the money (because Asia is cheap for European people). We ate in touristic restaurants instead of street food and local markets. We didn’t take common transport like bus or trains, but we took taxis and planes because we wanted to go faster. Everyone makes these mistakes. Now that we are traveling for a long period, we understand the benefits of traveling differently. You have to take common transports and eat street food if you care about the environment and about your wallet. If you do less things in your plan you will take full advantages of your holidays trip. It should be more economic, more “eco-friendly” and you might be closer to the local lifestyle.

Anyway, Thailand is a lovely country. We hope that this post interested you, to get some ideas about what to do and how to plan your next trip. Feel free to contact us! And don’t hesitate to share with us yours experiences and feelings about this post and Thailand! For more info check our detailed guide about the North of Thailand ?

The Transports

Thai cooking

Good addresses

Our budget

Telecom

Banks