Thailand

We spent 2 weeks traveling traveling Thailand as part of an unforgettable celebration for both Kayla and I finishing our graduation school programs. We explored other options, including Banff, Alberta, Canada and multiple places in Europe (more to come on that later…), but ultimately decided to plan 2 whole weeks and travel to the Land of Smiles.

Doha, Qatar Layover

We drove to Dulles International Airport (IAD) on a Friday morning to catch an early 10:35am flight with Qatar Airways from IAD to Doha, Qatar. We landed in Doha with a 12.5-hour layover which allowed us to take the Discover Qatar Transit Tour. This tour does not require a VISA and only requires that you are able to arrive at the check-in desk 2 hours before your tour time and have enough time before your next flight to accommodate the 3 hour tour. We landed in Doha, Qatar at 7:15am, AST, which was disorienting to say the least. Kayla and I were running from new experience adrenaline and lounge coffee. Speaking of, the Al Maha Lounge through Priority Pass was very nice, albeit very crowded at times. We toured the beautiful city of Doha (more to come on that later…) and returned to the airport with plenty of time to catch our 8:10pm flight to Bangkok.

Bangkok

We had booked the previous night stay with Airbnb at a condo complex named Circle Suhkumvit 11 to acomodate our early 6:30 AM arrival to Bangkok. Back in the States we had arranged an airport transfer for 700 baht to pick us up when we landed. The drive from the airport to the east side of Bangkok took around 1 hour. After an accidental nap from heaven, we woke up around 4pm and walked to Micros Coffee right down the street from our Airbnb. We are coffee fanatics, and quickly realized how amazing Thai espressos are. We lost count of the total amount of americanos we had on this trip. As evening approached, we took a 15-minute taxi ride to Jodd Fairs Night Market, which operates from 4 PM to midnight. The market was a food lover’s paradise, and we had some delicious pad thai, pork skewers, mango sticky rice, and refreshing watermelon smoothies. Before heading back, in true tourist fashion, we stopped by a 7-Eleven to grab some toasties and Hong Kong dumpling-flavored Lay’s chips.

Our second day in Bangkok started with a hearty English breakfast at The Coffee Club Holiday Inn, just a three-minute walk from our Airbnb. With our energy boosted, we set off for a day of temple hopping.

• First up was the Grand Palace and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra), a 15-20 minute taxi ride away from our Airbnb.
  • The entrance fee was 500 baht per person, and the site is open from 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM.
  • We arrived early to beat the crowds and took advantage of the option to buy tickets 24 hours in advance.
  • Both men and women need to have their shoulders and knees covered, and shoes must be removed before entering at this temple.
  • Be cautious of scams where people claim the temple is closed or that you’re not dressed appropriately.
• Next, we visited Wat Pho, home of the Reclining Buddha, located right beside the Grand Palace.
  • The entry cost here was 200 baht per person.
  • This temple is open from 8:00 AM to 6:30 PM.
  • Similar to the Grand Palace, shoulders and knees must be covered, and shoes must be removed at the entrance.
• For lunch, we headed to Hello Sit Down, where we enjoyed pineapple fried rice and cashew chicken. We then made our way to ViVi the Coffee Place for a cup of coffee, which offered a stunning view of Wat Arun.
• A 15-minute walk from the coffee place brought us to Wat Ratchabophit, a beautiful and tranquil temple.
  • This temple is free to enter and is open from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm.

Dinner was a flavorful affair at Tamnathai Thai Restaurant, where we savored Tom Yum soup and green curry. We ended our day back at the Jodd Fairs market, indulging in a Nutella and banana roti and Taiwanese peanut and coconut ice cream rolls, while drinking from a freshly cracked coconut.

We began our third day with another delicious breakfast at Breakfast Story Eleven, a short six-minute walk from our Airbnb, where we enjoyed a simple breakfast of delicious omelets and fresh juices.

• Eager to continue exploring more temples throughout the city, we took a 25-minute taxi ride to Wat Arun.
  • This temple is a quick five-minute ferry ride across the river from No. 8 Tha Tien to Wat Arun pier, which was only 5 baht per person. It was a little tricky to get a ride to No. 8 Tha Tien. The first taxi driver we approached attempted to sell us an entire day worth of excursions. They are keen on trying to upsell you, be sure to be stern with where you want to go and what you want to do.
  • The entrance fee was 100 baht per person, which included a bottle of water. Wat Arun is open from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, and it’s best to visit early to avoid the crowds.
• Our next stop was Iconsiam Mall, accessible via a taxi ferry from Wat Arun. We headed straight to the Floating Market Sook Siam in the basement (G floor) for lunch, where we indulged in ramen, a mango smoothie, pandan pancake, and coconut ice cream.
• After lunch, we took a taxi ferry to Wat Traimit Withayaram Worawihan, which houses the Golden Buddha. The entrance fee was 40 baht per person, and it’s open from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
• From Wat Traimit, we walked five minutes to the Talad Noi neighborhood and visited the Hong Sieng Kong museum and coffee shop, which offers a serene riverside setting.
• A ten-minute walk from Hong Sieng brought us to Chinatown, where we savored shrimp gyozas. Arriving around 4 pm helped us beat the crowds. We explored Yaowarat Street, but did not get a chance to try two things that are “must tries” – the Michelin-starred Lim Lao Ngow fishball noodles and the Michelin-recommended pandan donuts from Pa Tong Go Savoey. We were both fairly exhausted by the time we made it to Chinatown. We ended our day with a delightful dinner at Patiaala House, enjoying an amazing dish of chicken tikka, and called it an early night.

We started day 4 with breakfast sandwiches at Beyond Bread, also conveniently located near our Airbnb. After fueling up, we took a quick 7 minute taxi ride to Lumphini Park, where we enjoyed refreshing smoothies while soaking in the serene atmosphere of the park. The best part about Lumphini Park are the monitor lizards, which remind you that the dinosaurs were here first. The rest of the day was spent relaxing by the pool, doing laundry, and grabbing some take-out. At the end of this day, we were both feeling the Thai heat (the weather and the food). We had a long few days in Bangkok trying to see and do as much as possible. We were trying to stay hydrated (with bottled water) and eat food that we were relatively familiar with while still indulging in the local cuisine. Nonetheless, we both felt a little nauseas at the end of Day 4. We rehydrated with bottled water, picked up some stomach medicine at 7-Eleven, and had a simple chicken stir fry take-out ordered with the Grab app (Thailand’s best Uber doppleganger).

On Day 5, we woke up feeling refreshed and we decided to end our time in Bangkok with another breakfast at Breakfast Story Eleven before heading to Don Mueang International Airport (DMK) to catch a flight to Chiang Mai International Airport (CNX). Our Nok Air flight was scheduled to depart at 12:20 pm and arrive at 1:35 pm, a short 1-hour and 15-minute trip. This ticket only included a 7kg carry-on bag, so we made sure to pack light. The checked bag limit is 15kg, but we did not want to lose time waiting for our baggage or risk it being lost in transit. We purchased these Cabin Zero bags for our trip and they were amazing. We planned to leave our Airbnb at 9:30 am, with a driver arranged for 700 baht, ensuring we arrived at the airport 1.5-2 hours before our flight.

Notes on Bangkok:

• Although our Airbnb was comfortable, we realized that a hotel closer to the river, the Grand Palace, and/or the main shopping malls might have been more convenient. The traffic in Bangkok is intense, and some Grab rides that were only a few miles took 30 minutes to an hour. We actually hopped out of a Grab at one point because the app continued to say the trip was 30 minutes after we were in traffic for 30 minutes.
• We highly recommend always wearing something that covers shoulders and knees, and wearing shoes that are relatively easy to remove. This is just simpler than trying to determine which temples are strict and which are not. Plus, it means you’re always being respectful of a culture that may not be yours.

Other things to do in Bangkok:

• Khao San Road
• Asiatique the riverfront,
• Tuk Tuk food tour
• Street food tour
• Canal tour
• Sky Bar Bangkok
• Saket Temple (Golden Mount – we recommend you go at sunset)

Chang Mai

After a short Nok Air flight, we arrived in Chiang Mai at 1:35 PM and headed to our Airbnb at Garden Yard Inn, with a check-in time of 2:00 PM. We chose to stay at the Garden Yard Inn in the heart of Chang Mai. We highly recommend using the Grab app for public transportation throughout Grab. It operates very similarly to Uber in the US and has a fantastic translate function which we used to communicate with drivers often. Only when Grab prices seemed especially high did we hail a taxi the old fashioned way. For those using Grab to get to this Airbnb in particular, we’d also recommend sending a picture of the front door of the inn because the sign is difficult to find as it’s tucked away behind some beautiful greenery across the street. The ride from the airport should cost around 160-200 baht and take about 15 minutes.

After we checked in, we had lunch at the Bodhi Tree Cafe, a delightful vegan restaurant where we enjoyed papaya salad, morning glory, and a vegan burger. In the afternoon, we relaxed by the pool at our inn and then took a stroll around the Old City, making our way to the iconic Tha Pae Gate, just a five-minute walk away. For our afternoon caffeine boost, we picked up lattes from Coffee Telling, only a four-minute walk from our inn. Dinner was at Musashi Sushi, where we indulged in a variety of sushi. We ended our day at the Chang Puak Gate Market, treating ourselves to a delicious banana, peanut butter, and Oreo crepe, a perfectly sweet ending to a busy transfer day.

We started our second day in Chaing Mai with a delicious breakfast at Nice Kitchen, just a five-minute walk from our Airbnb. Their eggs benedict was the perfect way to fuel up for the day ahead. At 8:30 am, we were picked up for our cooking class at Grandma’s Home Cooking School, a wonderful experience we had booked for 2,380 baht through Opn. The class included a variety of dishes: Tom Yum sweet and sour soup, coconut soup, pad thai, Khao Soi, green curry, mango sticky rice, and Thai iced milk tea. By 2:00-2:30 PM, we were dropped back off, feeling satisfied and eager to replicate these dishes at home. After the cooking class, we relaxed with coffee at CoolMuang Coffee before spending some leisurely time by the pool at our Airbnb. For dinner, we enjoyed a classic American dinner – hearty beef burgers and fries at Primary Burger. To cap off the day, we booked a Thai massage at Time to Massage. by a soothing ginger tea. We’re glad we tried out Thai massage, especially since we were in Thailand, however this type of massage involves a lot of stretching compared to other types of massage. We’d still recommend trying it out while you’re in Thailand, but do your research and be prepared for the experience.

On Day 3, we began with breakfast at Cafe de Thaan Aoan, a ten-minute walk from our Airbnb, where we enjoyed delicious French toast and fruit waffles. Our morning was dedicated to exploring the beautiful temples of Old Town.

• First, we visited Wat Phra Singh, just a two-minute walk from Sun Ray’s, with an entry fee of 40 baht per person. It’s open from 9 AM to 6 PM.
• Next, we headed to Wat Chedi Luang, a ten-minute walk from Wat Phra Singh, also with an entry fee of 40 baht per person and open hours from 5 AM to 10 PM.
• From Wat Chedi Luang, we took a one-minute walk to Wat Phantao, which is free to enter and open from 8 AM to 7 PM.
• Our temple tour continued with an eleven-minute walk to Wat Chiang Man and a one-minute walk to Wat Rajamontean, both of which were free to enter.
• For lunch, we made our way to Khao Soi Khun Yai, a twelve-minute walk from Wat Rajamontean, famous for its Khao Soi and Thai milk tea. The restaurant is very popular so it’s best to go early – they are open from 10 AM to 2 PM.

After lunch, we refreshed ourselves with smoothie bowls at Khan Kae’s Juice Bar. In the afternoon, we enjoyed chai tea and Thai iced milk coffee at Nowhere Coffee before spending some time relaxing by the pool. For dinner, we headed to the Wua Lai Walking Street Market, where we indulged in shrimp pad thai, jumbo spring rolls, samosas, and roti. It was a wonderful way to end a day full of cultural exploration and culinary delights.

We started Day 4 with breakfast at Early Bird 626, a cozy spot just a five-minute walk from our Airbnb. Their American breakfast provided the perfect fuel for our exciting day ahead. At 7:30 AM, we were picked up for our visit to the Elephant Nature Park, a sanctuary dedicated to rescuing and rehabilitating elephants. We booked this for 5,000 baht total which included a vegan buffet lunch. We had paid 1,500 baht at the time of booking and needed to pay the remaining 3,500 baht in cash at the gift shop upon arrival. We brought along bug spray, a day pack, and plenty of water for the adventure. The experience was both enlightening and heartwarming, and we were dropped off back at our accommodation around 2:00 pm. In the afternoon, we revisited Coffee Telling for their best lattes, then made a quick stop at 7-Eleven for a toasty and a strawberry cake roll. We spent some relaxing time by the pool and checked in for our Air Asia flight 24 hours prior to departure. In the evening, we explored the bustling Sunday Night Market along Rachadamnoen Road and Prapokklao Road. We savored a variety of street food delights including Khao Soi, BBQ chicken skewers, pork dumplings, fried prawns, fried cheese bites, a sushi tray, and a refreshing mango passion fruit smoothie. We finished off with some delectable Thai coconut pancakes. The market’s vibrant atmosphere and delicious food made for a perfect end to our day.

Our final day in Chang Mai began with breakfast at Blue Diamond Breakfast Club which included a hearty American-style breakfast. We decided to enjoy the pool at our inn one last time while Larry watched the Super Bowl on his phone. We picked up our laundry from the front desk, which they had arranged for us, and packed up. We left our Airbnb around 11am and headed for lunch. We hung out at the Inner Cafe and Bistro for several hours, taking advantage of their WiFi and Air Conditioning. We headed to the airport at 3 PM to catch our Air Asia flight to Ao Nang, Krabi.

Other things to do in Chang Mai:

• Mae Ping River Cruise
• Ploen Ruedee Market
• Sticky Falls
• Wat Phra That Doi Suthep Temple

Other places to eat in Chang Mai:

• Khao Soy Maesai (Michelin)
• Coconut Shell Thai Food
• Fern Forest Cafe
• Rachadameon kitchen
• Khaomao-Khaofang Imaginary Jungle,
• Taste of India
• Grill of India
• Beast Burger
• Goodsouls kitchen (vegan)
• Chada (vegetarian breakfast)
• Carp Cafe

Ao Nang

We arrived in Krabi later that evening and Krabi Shuttle was waiting on us. We pre-booked Krabi Shuttle for 998 baht roundtrip. The drive to our resort took about 40-60 minutes. We booked our stay at the beautiful Avani Ao Nang Cliff Resort. Our room was luxurious and spacious and included a view of the sea. The rate we booked included daily free breakfast and a one voucher for each us redeemable for either a 20-minute Thai massage or a cocktail at the in-house restaurant (The Peak) which also serviced the pool area. We chose the latter. The pool deck had a shelf full of beach towels, and our room had six water bottles replenished daily, which is a huge amenity during a Thai summer where tourists drinking the tap water is discouraged. For dinner, we dined at Pyramids Restaurant, a mediterranean style restaurant where we enjoyed chicken shawarma and falafel.

We spent the next day at Railay Beach, accessible by a 20-minute boat ride from Ao Nang Longtail Boat Service Club. We booked this when we arrived at the desk for 200 baht per person round trip. The boat services usually operate from 8 am to 6 pm. We enjoyed paddleboarding and kayaking, walked through the main strip to East Railay, and hiked to Phra Nang Beach and Cave. We stopped by one of the small restaurants on Railay Beach for lunch, which was shrimp tacos complemented with a Mai Tai for Kayla and a margarita for Larry. We made our way back to Ao Nang later in the afternoon, indulged in pizza at Spaghetti House, and had an early night to get ready for an early morning the next day.

Our Hong Island tour started early the next day, we were picked up by private shuttle at 7:30 AM. The tour we booked promised visits to Koh Lao Lading, Hong Lagoon, Hong Island (with a 300 baht per person fee and a 15-minute hike to the viewpoint), Koh Pakbia, and Daeng Island. We had booked a six-hour private longtail boat for 6,000 baht which included hotel pickup and drop-off, water, fruit, snorkeling gear, life jackets, and a fried rice lunch. We made sure to bring sunscreen, towels, snacks, and the 300 baht per person fee for Hong Island. More details about the tour can be found here. We really enjoyed having a private boat to ourselves for the day. The only downside was that the boat had engine trouble after the visit to Koh Pakbia, so we ended up being pulled back to Ao Nang by another boat, which was a little bumpy and meant we arrived back a couple hours later than expected. Additionally, we didn’t make it to the final island in the itinerary (Daeng Island). All in all, we would still highly recommend the private boat tours over the large group tours. Back on Ao Nang, we had dinner at Sushi Sababa and crashed early once again.

The next day promised more of the same. We embarked on a tour of Phi Phi Island with a hotel pickup around 8:30 am, followed by a public speedboat to Phi Phi. At 10:45 am, we took a private longtail boat to Phi Lay Lagoon, Monkey Beach, and Viking Cave (skipping Maya Bay, but possibly including Shark Point). The speedboat back to Krabi departed at 3 pm, and we returned to the hotel by 4 pm. The tour, booked for 8,000 baht, included hotel pickup/drop-off, water, fruit, snorkeling gear, life jackets, and a fried rice lunch. We packed sunscreen, towels, snacks, and prepared for a possible Maya Bay entry fee of 400 baht per person. Upon arrival, we decided not to enter Maya Bay due to the immense crowd. More details about the tour can be found here. For dinner back on Ao Nang, we savored tandoori cashew chicken, chicken madras, and garlic naan at Ali Baba. We still talk about this place constantly, because it was the best Indian food we have ever had.

Our last day in Thailand, we decided to forego any additional boat rides and explore the island of Ao Nang. In the morning, we hiked the Monkey Trail from Ao Nang Beach to Pai Plong. This was a short but challenging 10-minute hike. We refreshed ourselves with a mango passion fruit smoothie before having lunch at Thai Me Up, where we enjoyed pad thai and Massaman curry. We spent the afternoon at Ao Nang Beach, soaking in the sunset. For dinner, we opted for Plant-etarian, enjoying a vegan burger and vegan chicken sandwich. We decided to hunt down dessert at the Ao Nang street market, settling on a fresh coconut and a banana Nutella roti.

The following morning we were picked up by Krabi Shuttle at 7:30 AM to head to the Krabi airport for our long voyage back to the States. We enjoyed ramen at the Bangkok International Airport (BKK) at Ramen & Coffee Club after a long international check-in process (3-4 hours). Our flight departed from Bangkok at 7:10 PM. We arrived back in Doha, Qatar at 10:35pm local time. Drowsy and jet lagged, we hunkered down in the Qatar airport (as the Priority Pass lounge was full) and waited for our 1:20am departure from Doha. We arrived back at Dulles at 8:35am, breezed through customs (thanks to Global Entry), and were on the road back home around mid-morning.

Other things to do in Ao Nang/Krabi:

• Kayak at Ao Thalane or Klong Root (don’t do the tour, just rent a tandem for a half day for ~500 baht)
• Ao Nang Landmark night market
• Jungle ATV tour
• Dragon Crest hike
• Tiger Cave Temple (40 minute stair hike, ~1000 baht roundtrip for a taxi)

Other places to eat in Ao Nang:

• Tandoori Night’s
• Manana Mexican
• Zaika Krabi
• Markets by the mosque on main walking street in Ao Nang
• Kodam Kitchen
• Dragon View Bar & Kitchen

Summary

Kayla and I fell in love with Thailand during this trip and dream about going back one day. We were able to explore three distinct places within the country as I often refer to them – the city (Bangkok), the mountains (Chang Mai), and the beach (Krabi). There are things we’ll do differently next time, and there are things we can’t wait to do again. The people, the food, and the scenery are all what make Thailand such a special place. Getting to Thailand can be difficult and can be expensive, especially if living in the U.S. If you’re a travel hacker, we’d highly recommend saving up your miles and points for this trip, either to get lay-flat seats on your flight or just make economy easier to purchase. We opted for economy and were able to use Chase Ultimate Rewards to basically make one of our roundtrip tickets free (~$1300 cash price at the time). Or, if you’re flexible, searching award flights through any of the major international airlines like Qatar, Emirates, Etihad, and others is highly recommended. We felt as though 2 weeks was enough time for a single trip to the country, but could have easily found more things to do and experience in each place. If you’d like to only visit one of the 3 places we did, we will have additional blog posts linked down below. After this trip, we see why there are so many expatriates living in southeast Asia generally and Thailand specifically.