Thailand

Thailand wasn't at all what I expected. After traveling to Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore, I was ready to see what Thailand was all about, especially because most backpackers rave about it.

First we went to Ao Nang, a small beach town, for only a day. I though the beach was lovely but the town was practically empty. A bit boring, but extremely cheap. However I did have Pad Thai that tasted much like dog food...

Next we went to Koh Phi Phi, and island off the western coast. It was very nice, but just covered with backpackers looking to get smashed. We went on a boat trip with cliff jumping and snorkeling and kayaking another day, but apart from that we found this place pretty much boring after 5 days. Also, this was one the the more expensive places we went to.

Then we were off to Bangkok. Oh Bangkok, my "home away from home" as I joked about with many travelers. It seems people keep coming back but not because they want to. It is the hub of all travel in Thailand and getting off to Laos. This place is absolutely nuts. Granted, I did stay around and go to Khao San Road most of the time. Khao San is where all of the foreigners stay and hang out. The street is lined with bars, massage places, shops, and hotels. The party never stops. Other than this, we went to a temple or four, Chinatown, and took the 'free' tuk-tuks all over town to the jewelry emporium and suit-making shops.

After a couple days in Bangkok, we gladly headed off to Chiang Mai. This was actually a great stop after the expensive Phi Phi and Bangkok. Here we went elephant trekking and bamboo rafting. We went to the tiger sanctuary and pet the adults and babies. Also we went to a ladyboy show, which is a MUST.

From Chiang Mai we proceeded north to Pai, my favorite place in Thailand. It is so small, quaint, and laid back. Oh Pai, I still think about this lovely place. We got our own hut facing the river for $5 per person each night.

Our last stop in Thailand was all the way back down south to Koh Phangan for the full Moon Party. We don't need to go into details here, lets just say this time was filled with buckets on the beach and dancing for hours.

So all in all, Thailand was definitely fun-filled, however not  exactly what I wanted. I was looking for more culture, but instead I got backpackers everywhere I turned.