Emerald Green Thailand

Thailand, for the past few years has become the favourite holiday destination for Indians. It has so much to offer to people and since it isn’t very far from India, we Indians want to go there at any given opportunity.Having holidayed in Bangkok and Pattaya many years ago, Phuket, Phi Phi and Krabi, had been on our bucket list for long. Finally the day came, when our plan finally materialised.

Sharing snippets of our holiday. Hope it helps you all plan yours.

Day 1 - Friday, 2 November 2018 we left for Phuket via Bangkok. We had booked our flights with Bangkok Airways and reached Bangkok early in the morning.

Day 2-

On arriving at Bangkok we filled the Visa on arrival application form and stood in the queue for the Visa. It took about an hour to get the entire paperwork sorted. Armed with the visas we headed for the Bangkok Airways lounge. Astonishingly the lounge gives access to everyone who is booked with Bangkok Airways. They had a lovely breakfast buffet spread. The almond honey cake was pure delight. Our next flight for Phuket was after a gap of three hours. So we rested and ate well and then boarded the flight to Phuket.We arrived at Phuket International airport in about an hour‘s time and then headed outside the airport to book a taxi for our destination Ao Nang beach at Krabi.

We reached the hotel at about 1430 and then went out to grab some lunch. After relaxing in the hotel for a while we headed out for an evening walk along the Ao Nang Beach Road.

It is an interesting road with shops lined on either side, selling local as well as the touristy stuff. There are loads of 7-Eleven shops, Family Mart and so on for fulfilling basic needs. Our last trip to Thailand was 11 years ago in the year 2007, so we knew that we would be able to spot a few Indian food restaurants but were taken by a huge surprise when we spotted loads of Indian food restaurants all along the road. What’s the point of having Indian cuisine when you’re on a holiday outside your country but then some people, just cannot do without Indian food and for them it’s a big relief.

We dined at the local night market which was bustling with various stalls serving local Thai food & amazing cocktails. The tourists were simply loving the place and savouring each bite of the food. The men ordered shrimp rice and fried shrimps while I went ahead with the vegetable Pad Thai noodles. The sights and smells of the place were enough to get you into the mood. It was an evening well spent and we retired to bed early as we were all completely exhausted.

Quick tip- It is advisable to book taxi in advance over the Internet as it falls cheaper than booking a taxi at the airport. Taxi for Krabi, at the airport charges 3500 baht, whereas if you book in advance it’ll cost you 2500 baht.

Day 3 - D3 started in a relaxed manner we had been tired the previous day. We decided to have a laid-back day and spend it relaxing at the beach. We walked along the Ao Nang beach, sipped coconut water, beer & fresh fruits while spending the day basking in the sun. The entire stretch of road is flanked with massage parlours and believe me, there is nothing shady about them. When in Thailand, massage is a must do activity. The Thai people are famous worldwide as being the best masseuse and definitely, there’s no bragging about it.

The rates for various massages are fixed but they are open to bargaining. You can get a good price if you’re a good bargainer.

We zeroed in a lovely place called - Love The Sea Massage no.1. We had been waiting to experience the heavenly feeling of Thai massage and finally had reached the right place. A full body aromatic oil massage can do magic to your body. You can experience 60 minutes of complete bliss. With the sound of the waves lashing on to the beach and every muscle of our body slowly easing out with the massage, we got transported into a different world altogether.

Hunger pangs strike you hard once the massage gets over, so to satiate the hunger, the boys checked into a delectable Barbeque restaurant. The wide variety of fresh seafood including prawns, crabs, fish, mussels, oysters etc was a delight for the seafood lovers my boys are!

The barbecue grill was placed onto our table with broth in the centre cavity, to boil your crabs and veggies while the periphery was for grilling. With smoke emanating from the pan and the aroma of the food feeding the senses, the boys enjoyed every morsel till their tummies burst!

Once dinner was over, we did a booking for visiting the four islands for the next day and then went back to the hotel.

Quick tip – Ensure you take only as much as you can finish eating. Do not waste even a single bit.

You will be charged hundred Baht as fine for every 10 g of food you waste.

Day 4- This was the day planned for visit to the four islands. Right after breakfast, our pickup van, picked us up from the hotel and took us to Nooparathara beach. We had booked our tour with Sun and Sand company and had to assemble at the beach to board the speedboat for the islands’ visit. Our tour guide, Amy was an extremely cheerful girl who tried to give us an idea of the place we were visiting. We walked a distance of about 500 m before we reached the boat, took off our slippers and boarded it. The boat had stocked water and orange juice for us.

The first Island on the itinerary was Railey beach Phranang Cave. This cave has the statue of the princess who is worshipped and the Thai people believe that she has the power to bless childless couples with children. Once the couple delivers the baby, they are expected to come back and offer ‘shivlings’ of various sizes to the Princess Goddess. Those who do not wish to walk up to the cave can just enjoy a swim in the designated swimming area.

Amy gave us 40 minutes to spend on the island after which we headed for the next island, which was Chicken Island. This island has beautiful corals and so the boat just drifts a little away from the beach, so that people can snorkel without damaging the reefs. Beautiful species of fish can be spotted without even having to dive deep into the crystal-clear waters! Colourful fish swim right next to you in perfect communion. It’s an extremely soothing experience!

After snorkelling in the waters for about 45 minutes, Amy called us back as it was time to move on to the ‘highlight of the day island’ - Tub island. This island is connected with two other islands- Mor Island and Chicken island. During low tide, you can walk up to all the three islands together. We however could just walk to two, Tub and Mor. Tub and Mor islands have a stunning backdrop of black and red rocks which provide a picturesque location for photographers!

After clicking some pictures and resting against the rocks it was finally time to move on to the last destination on the itinerary for the day, that is, Poda Island. It was just a short 10 minute boat ride to Poda Island. This was the place where Amy had promised us lunch. The moment we got off the boat, Amy took us to a secluded part of the island, quickly spread a table and laid it with breakneck speed. It was amazing to see the speed with which Amy took out the crockery and the packed food and single-handedly laid everything on the table. By then, everyone was starving. We all ate as if we had been starved for days!!! 😁

After lunch, we walked around, basked in the sun, spread out under the shade of the coconut tree and literally became crocodiles. Poda island has crowd on one side and total isolation on the other. You can choose where you’d like to spend the one hour you’ve been given to spend on the island. As soon as that one hour ended, we headed back to the boat where we were served fresh fruits. Amy did a quick recapitulation of the events of the day and in 10 minutes we were back at Nooparathara beach.

Unwilling to go back, we went straight to the massage parlour at the Ao Nang beach, pampered ourselves with the divine aromatic oil massage, watched the setting sun, sipping our drinks silently and then retired for the day after relishing some local Thai food.

Day 5 -This day we were to take a ferry to Phi Phi islands. We had booked our tickets with Royal cruise and were picked up by the agency absolutely on time. The van driver dropped us at Krabi town pier from where we were supposed to start our journey.

The ferry started off its 1.5 hours journey in an amazingly calm sea. The ferry has three classes and you can upgrade your class by paying a little extra, if you wish to.

Thankfully the sea was calm and so we reached Phi Phi without any hiccups. We got down at Ton Sai Pier, where we were charged an entry fee for the island. Walking a little further, we noticed our hotel representative, holding a placard. We walked up to him and he directed us to a man with a push cart. Our luggage was loaded onto it and we walked behind him along the Ton Sai Bay on a thin walking trail until we finally reached our hotel.

We had some lunch at the Hippy club and then decided to take some rest.

Phi Phi is famous for its crazy, all night beach parties and we were here to experience just that. As the clock struck 8, we started for the party area in Phi Phi as the madness begins just then. The moment we reached that area, the music started reverberating in our ears. We quickly caught on the pulse of the evening and blended into the maddening crowd. The first place we hit was Slinky Beach Bar. A daredevil fire show was going on to the tunes of popular tracks which made it all so happening!

There were free shots for people who dared to play games like passing under the bar which kept getting lowered, jumping between swinging ropes, hangman and so on....The party mood was so infectious that practically everyone was caught by it. Not a single soul stood still. Everyone swayed to the foot tapping music. That was one of the best beach parties we’ve ever been to. It was truly an unforgettable experience!

Day 6 - The previous party night had ended in the wee hours of the morning, so we decided to just laze around that day. Breakfast was a lavish buffet spread by the beautiful green waters of the sea, which was like music to the soul. After filling our tummies, we again fell asleep, only to wake up an hour later to hit the beach. Our resort was located at almost what seemed like the end of the shoreline, but on discussion with the resort manager, we got to know of a beach, named Long Beach which was located further away on a desolate part of the island, and one could reach there after about 20 minutes of trekking. It seemed to be a fascinating place and so we picked up our gear and headed straight to Long beach. The trek was a little exhausting as sweat trickled down our bodies. For a moment we felt as if we had lost our way as the route seemed a little treacherous but then through the clearing we saw a sprawling beach with sparkling white sand and glistening waters, welcoming us. Wasting no time, we threw our bags on the sand and jumped into the soothing waters!

We lay in the water like crocodiles and then when hunger pangs struck, ordered some lip smacking food from the restaurant. Evening was slowly setting in and the tide was getting low, so we were able to trek and then walk easily through the area where the waters had receded due to low tide. At night we hit a local food joint where the amiable owners cooked cheerfully for us, thus adding more flavours to the existing tasty food. A quick trip to the party hub and then we retired for the night.

Day 7- Phi Phi was so captivating that we really didn’t want to leave the place but as planned, we were to board the ferry for Phuket that day. With heavy hearts we left for Phuket where we had booked our hotel at Patong Beach Area. The journey to Phuket’s Rassada pier took two hours. The sea was smooth and we had a hassle free journey. If you wish to feel the breeze on your face, feel free to walk up to the forecastle or to the aft of the ferry. Since most hotels are on the other side of the island, a taxi agent walks up to your seat to ask if you’d like to book a ride to your hotel. The prices are per person or you could take up an independent taxi as well. We booked with him and as soon as we got down the ferry, we were ushered to the waiting taxi which took about forty-five minutes to drive us to our hotel at Patong Beach.

It was afternoon by the time we reached and so we had some lunch and went off to sleep as we wanted to explore the nightlife of Patong Beach area. At night, we strolled on the streets of Patong and reached the most famous street called the Bangla Street or the Walking Street. The entire road has a festive vibe to it and one can’t escape the party mood. The street is lined with bars buzzing with people and music. There are scores of bars along the street, all teeming with crowds totally absorbed in the moment. In case you have the experimental streak in you, the place also offers some adult fun for those looking for some adventure. The street also has a local food market which provides delicious food at competitive prices and also some live entertainment. The street is alive till the wee hours of the morning. We did some bar hopping through the night and left the place around 2am. Surprisingly even then, there seemed to be no end to the party scene!

Day 8 –This day was meant for exploring Patong Beach. We hired scooties and had a pleasant ride to the beach. There’s a convenient parking lot right at the beach, so you don’t have to worry about where to park. We spread out our stuff at the beach and lounged on the beach beds. Since it’s a commercial-touristy beach, you will soon have people approaching you for Jet-ski ride, Banana Boat ride, Parasailing and such other adventure sports. They do try to pester you but you can still politely refuse them if you’re in no such mood.

We’ve already done such things multiple times earlier, so there wasn’t any motivation to do the same things again. So, we merely relaxed, took dips in the sea, watched people parasailing and jet-skiing, had fresh fruits and coconut water and just enjoyed those simple moments.

By early evening, we knew that if we had to party again that night, we would need a nap, so, after grabbing some lunch, we left for our hotel, only to return later that evening, to the beach area and Walking street. That night too, it was about soaking in the colours of the street and some lavish dinner while listening to some lovely live music.

Day 9- This was supposed to be our last day in Phuket and just like we always feel, the holidays seemed to be ending a tad too soon! Since we had the scooties at our disposal, our hotel owner recommended that we must visit the Big Buddha, which a famous-must-visit place for the tourists. The map showed a distance of about 25 kms one way. The adventurous streak in us took over, and we hooped on our scooties. It certainly wasn’t an easy ride, in fact, I’d advise the weak-hearted against it, as the roads were steep and sloping in turns, which certainly added to our excitement but also made us feel that it was a little dangerous, as the roads there did not have any divider in between. There was just a line to demarcate the road but the best part was that I never once saw anybody, coming over to the other side even if there was a long line build-up at the traffic signal. Everyone stuck sincerely to their lane. Perhaps, that’s the reason why we were able to make it to the Big Buddha absolutely intact!

Big Buddha is a holy place for the natives and so, right at the entrance, you will find women, armed with sarongs, tying them around waist if you’re wearing skin revealing clothes. Just comply with it and respect their sentiment. Walk around the statue and you will get a stunning view of Kata and Karon from the hill top of Buddha. After visiting Big Buddha, we decided to visit Kata and Karon Beach. Kata beach is a lovely stretch of beach with a tiny footpath selling beachwear, souvenirs, antiques etc. If you wish to relax and shop for knick-knacks while tanning yourself, then this is the place to be. It also has a artificial surf zone where you can ride the waves in a dedicated area, created for surfing, without having to go into the sea.

The next stop had to be Karon Beach. We rode along the beach and reached Karon in a couple of minutes. This stretch is little elite and is lined with upscale resorts on the other side of the road. Guards of those resorts would often flag you down in order to make their guests cross the road safely. We spent some time at this beach and decided that if we re-visit Phuket, we would probably plan our stay at one of the exotic resorts at Karon Beach. It isn’t a buzzing place like Patong Beach area but isn’t that far too. The transition from the peaceful to the crazy, does not take much time. You can switch between the two in just about 15-minute drive. By evening, we were back at the hotel to rest for a while before heading to the famous night market in Phuket Town – The Chillva Night Market.

Meanwhile, to give my MIL a flavour of the local shows, we booked her on a VIP ticket to the popular Simon Cabaret which she thoroughly enjoyed. She was bedazzled by the glitz and glamour of the show!

At night, we went another 24 kms to the Chillva Night Market. This place is a hideout for the shoppers looking for local stuff. Honestly, we didn’t find it any different from the other markets around Patong, and the ride that far, was just not worth it. So after a quick check at the market and of course grabbing some stuff in the blink of an eye, we went back to our favourite Patong looking forward to having a delightful seafood dinner. We walked through various food night markets, haggled with people for giving us a good deal, had some crabs and lobsters and then for me, the darling vegetarian, we went to Pizza Company where I hogged on some yummylicious pizza! This was our last night-out in Thailand and with sadness filled in our hearts, we bid adieu to the night market.

Day 10- This was out last day in Thailand and so we woke us leisurely and gingerly had our breakfast as we didn’t want any tummy troubles on our travel day. Then we went for some last-minute shopping and picked up loads of instant noodle packets from the Family Mart. The options were so many, that even after I had picked up about 20 packets (none repeated), there were still a few more varieties on the shelf!!!

We then returned to the hotel, did our final packing and booked a taxi for the airport. We thanked our hosts who had definitely been very hospitable and then left for the airport.

Thus ended our extremely beautiful trip to Thailand.

Points to remember–

· 1 THB (Thai Baht) = 2.1769

· Visa for Thailand can be taken in advance in India. Fee: INR 2500/-

· If you are pressed for time or are apprehensive about sending your passport to the embassy, then Thailand also gives you Visa on Arrival. Fee: INR 4353/- (2000 Baht)

· Keep a transit time of at least 4 hours if you intend to take Visa on Arrival, as you will have to take the visa at your first entry point. This means that if you have a connecting flight to Phuket or Krabi via Bangkok, then you will have to take visa on arrival the moment you arrive at Bangkok.

· You need to have evidence of booking your accommodation in Thailand, so keep your printouts handy.

· They might ask you to show evidence of funds too, so better you keep your Bank statement too.

· Do not at any cost miss the massage at Ao Nang Beach. The massage huts, lining the quieter end of the beach, offer you the bliss of getting a massage while listening to the sound of waves. The massage rates though fixed, are still negotiable.

· If you are a seafood lover, then the barbeque at Ao Nang Beach road is to die for.

· Phi Phi shouldn’t be treated as a day trip island. A minimum stay of one night is recommended if you want to let your hair down.

· Cross check and negotiate prices for island trips and shows with different agents, bargaining does take place.

· There are multiple stores of 7/11 and Family Mart which are open 24 hours, so you will never have any problem. Just note that 7/11 accepts only Visa card, while Family Mart accepts Visa and Mastercard both.