I studied in Qatar
for a semester which gave me a convenient opportunity to travel to Thailand
over a 10 day break the school had. I
flew into Kuala Lumpar in Malaysia before taking a train north into
Thailand. I’d advise anyone to do
this. It’s a very affordable method to
experience a lot. The schedule, map, and
prices of these tickets can be found online with a google search Seat 61. If
you like to plan ahead then you can buy most of the tickets online for the
major cities. However, some of the
tickets it’s best to buy at the actual station because then you can get a
better rate.
For my trip, I
bought the ticket from KL to Hat Yai, Thailand beforehand. This was a very comfortable train with a
sleeper cabin. Then, once arriving in
Hat Yai, I bought a ticket at the station to Krabi. There are many travel companies that will
offer a bus to the surrounding cities but never accept their offers no matter
how good of a deal they proclaim them to be.
The city station is the desired place and will offer the same ride at a
third of the price. The leg to Krabi was
a bus and not as comfortable but still a great deal for about $6. The whole bus ride took almost 5 hours and
that meant 5 hours of Thai music videos playing on the television at the front
of the bus.
Arriving in Krabi,
my goal was to get to the beach near Ao Nang.
This proved tricky than anticipated as again, I was approached by a
travel agency saying they could offer me the best deal. I knew better and asked around (many people
speak English but few speak it well).
Eventually I found a guy taking guys in the back of his pickup for about
$2 all the way to the Ao Nang area I was seeking.
This coast is the
most beautiful place I have seen. I hope
to travel back someday very soon. And
the country is very affordable. A plate of
pad thai costs only 30-40 baht which is only a little more than $1.
Also, I love to
climb and this country offers unlimited climbing. There are many places to seek more
information on this. I would go to http://www.andamanadventures.com for more informaion.
In summary, here are
the main tips I would offer if you are thinking about traveling to Thailand:
1. Go to Thailand!
This is the most beautiful
country I have seen. If you love
beaches, cliffs, wildlife, or the jungle, this place will offer it in
abundance. It is also very affordable
and many people speak English which makes it easier to communicate than many
foreign countries.
2. Never book travel through a travel agency in
the country
They will be everywhere and seem
very honest when they look you in the eye and tell you that they offer the best
or only deal. But it is certainly not
the truth. One block away the city bus
station will probably exist. This is the
place to buy the bus tickets. And you
need to ask around to find the best service at the best price.
3. Always keep cash on hand
Many places will only take cash
so make sure to keep enough Baht with you at all times. Also, the US Dollar is highly respected so
it is worth keeping if you plan on going to any other countries nearby.
4. Must see sights and activities
The southern beaches are some of
the best in the world and cannot be passed up.
Bangkok is such a unique city with a lot of life and history. Chang Mai, in northern Thailand, is a growing
city, but in the outskirts there are villages that indigenous people live with
such an interesting culture.
Riding an elephant, feeding a
monkey, kayaking in the ocean, and climbing the cliffs, all rank high in the
activities department for me.
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