Thailand Travels
Just another reminder that whilst everyone at uni was doing Jan exams, I was pretending to have no responsibilities or financial restraints.
Unlike Bali, I had a lot of preconceived notions about Thailand, both good and bad, and was simultaneously more excited than ever, and scared of what I might see- what if the elephants were badly treated, or the full moon party was disgusting, or I got malaria, or another tattoo??!
This was a larger group, coming from one of 6 to 22, and initially I was absolutely bricking it. Travelling in a group of four for over three months means you get reliant on each other, and suddenly I was with new people that could be completely different to me. Spoiler: they were, but that only meant we had more to talk about, more to joke about, and more to find in common.
We started in Bangkok- the most polluted place I've ever visited. Some people leave with a thai tattoo from crashing bikes, I have a Bangkok cough that I can't get rid off- that dust is one with me now. The most hectic couple of days included drinking buckets bigger than my head, eating scorpions less than two hours after I landed, and being forced into dressing up during a hungover cooking class (I still don't know why or how we did this).
We then took an overnight train to Khao Sok National Park, where we stayed in floating bungalows on a lake, kayaking, swimming, and drinking until our leader cracked out the mind games. Not a fan of them btw. no.
After that was Kho Phangan time- full moon party and notorious drinking site. I was totally prepared to absolutely hate this (not sure why, it's not like I hate drinking or beaches), but surprise surprise, I was screaming the YMCA on a table before the night was over.
Phi Phi was one of the most memorable places on the whole trip, the insane views and party vibe making it most people's favourite spots. Spending our days on boats and our evenings in bars, leaving Phi Phi was the hardest goodbye by far.
Having studied Thailand and the effect tourism has had on it in the last decade, I was wary about the impact that I was contributing to, especially with recent environmental crises (coral reef bleaching, shark fishing, climate change, global collapse etc) so prominent in the news. However, the conservation effort felt far more apparent than it had in other areas; we were offered reusable bottles, straws were far less common than at home, and most notably Maya Bay, the setting for 'The Beach', was completely cut off to tourists. Anchored to the edge of the bay, where minimal damage can be done to coral by oil leaking and anchors, the view of the bay was just as breathtaking as it would have been from the beach, helped by fewer boats and tourists than in previous years.
However, after going all the way back north to Chiang Mai, the most exciting part of the trip arrived: an overnight hilltribe trek. Walking through fields, across rivers, and up a lot of very steep hills, was worth it once we arrived at our accommodation for the night. Nestled into the hills, were bamboo huts where we slept, right next to a waterfall, under the stars, and surrounded by the jungle. We had bamboo sticky rice next to a bonfire, where David gave us his best Will-from-the-inbetweeners singing impression, and watched the sunset over the mountains. The second day of the trek felt much easier now we knew what to expect, and rafting down a river where the elephants splashed us almost as much as the guides was absolutely incredible.
Chiang Mai isn't known to tourists for its jungle treks, its the elephants that really bring people in. We visited Into the Wild Elephant Camp, where four elephants have been rehabilitated from working. This was the most amazing day, made even more special as the elephants were in completely different conditions to ones I saw in Nepal. Walking around freely, with love and respect for their Mahouts made it an emotional day for a few of us, and washing and trekking with them felt very rewarding.
Thailand introduced me to a whole side of the world I hadn't dreamed of visiting, and doing it through a tour meant I didn't have to worry about transport, accommodation (especially after the amount of cockroaches in Aus hostels this was a huge relief), and stay in areas that are relatively unknown. Staying in the Floating Bungalows in the was such a surreal experience that I only know it happened because of the go-pro video of me capsizing our kayak.
Travelling has been the most amazing experience of my life, and so much more than just gallivanting around Australia and Asia. Not to sound like I've done an actual gap yah, but this has been an unforgettable experience with incredible people, and I am so grateful that I have been lucky enough to do it!
See you in the next blog post ranting about another unasked for topic,
xoxo
Millie
Unlike Bali, I had a lot of preconceived notions about Thailand, both good and bad, and was simultaneously more excited than ever, and scared of what I might see- what if the elephants were badly treated, or the full moon party was disgusting, or I got malaria, or another tattoo??!
This was a larger group, coming from one of 6 to 22, and initially I was absolutely bricking it. Travelling in a group of four for over three months means you get reliant on each other, and suddenly I was with new people that could be completely different to me. Spoiler: they were, but that only meant we had more to talk about, more to joke about, and more to find in common.We started in Bangkok- the most polluted place I've ever visited. Some people leave with a thai tattoo from crashing bikes, I have a Bangkok cough that I can't get rid off- that dust is one with me now. The most hectic couple of days included drinking buckets bigger than my head, eating scorpions less than two hours after I landed, and being forced into dressing up during a hungover cooking class (I still don't know why or how we did this).
We then took an overnight train to Khao Sok National Park, where we stayed in floating bungalows on a lake, kayaking, swimming, and drinking until our leader cracked out the mind games. Not a fan of them btw. no.
After that was Kho Phangan time- full moon party and notorious drinking site. I was totally prepared to absolutely hate this (not sure why, it's not like I hate drinking or beaches), but surprise surprise, I was screaming the YMCA on a table before the night was over.
Phi Phi was one of the most memorable places on the whole trip, the insane views and party vibe making it most people's favourite spots. Spending our days on boats and our evenings in bars, leaving Phi Phi was the hardest goodbye by far.
Having studied Thailand and the effect tourism has had on it in the last decade, I was wary about the impact that I was contributing to, especially with recent environmental crises (coral reef bleaching, shark fishing, climate change, global collapse etc) so prominent in the news. However, the conservation effort felt far more apparent than it had in other areas; we were offered reusable bottles, straws were far less common than at home, and most notably Maya Bay, the setting for 'The Beach', was completely cut off to tourists. Anchored to the edge of the bay, where minimal damage can be done to coral by oil leaking and anchors, the view of the bay was just as breathtaking as it would have been from the beach, helped by fewer boats and tourists than in previous years.
However, after going all the way back north to Chiang Mai, the most exciting part of the trip arrived: an overnight hilltribe trek. Walking through fields, across rivers, and up a lot of very steep hills, was worth it once we arrived at our accommodation for the night. Nestled into the hills, were bamboo huts where we slept, right next to a waterfall, under the stars, and surrounded by the jungle. We had bamboo sticky rice next to a bonfire, where David gave us his best Will-from-the-inbetweeners singing impression, and watched the sunset over the mountains. The second day of the trek felt much easier now we knew what to expect, and rafting down a river where the elephants splashed us almost as much as the guides was absolutely incredible.
Chiang Mai isn't known to tourists for its jungle treks, its the elephants that really bring people in. We visited Into the Wild Elephant Camp, where four elephants have been rehabilitated from working. This was the most amazing day, made even more special as the elephants were in completely different conditions to ones I saw in Nepal. Walking around freely, with love and respect for their Mahouts made it an emotional day for a few of us, and washing and trekking with them felt very rewarding.
Thailand introduced me to a whole side of the world I hadn't dreamed of visiting, and doing it through a tour meant I didn't have to worry about transport, accommodation (especially after the amount of cockroaches in Aus hostels this was a huge relief), and stay in areas that are relatively unknown. Staying in the Floating Bungalows in the was such a surreal experience that I only know it happened because of the go-pro video of me capsizing our kayak.
Travelling has been the most amazing experience of my life, and so much more than just gallivanting around Australia and Asia. Not to sound like I've done an actual gap yah, but this has been an unforgettable experience with incredible people, and I am so grateful that I have been lucky enough to do it!
See you in the next blog post ranting about another unasked for topic,
xoxo
Millie
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