Seven Days Thailand, So Little Money, So Much Fun
When it comes to Thailand, people describe it as a great perfect tropical travel destination for lots of fun!
Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and formerly known as Siam, is a country at the center of the Southeast Asian Indochinese Peninsula composed of 76 provinces.
There are so many cities you can go in Thailand. For a seven-day vacation, you should focus on those cities list below so you can get as much fun as you could from your one-week short trip!
🚩Bangkok
📍The first place you should visit in Bangkok is the Grand Palace (Royal Palace) and neighboring Wat Pho, home to the famous reclining Buddha and massage school. The Royal family doesn’t live in the palace (it’s only used for official state functions) and you can’t go into any of the buildings, but wandering the grounds and open temples are worth the visit. It’s beautiful and the craftsmanship in architecture is amazing. Go first thing in the morning to avoid the crowds.
📍You can enjoy a half-day visit to the floating markets around the city (Khlong Lat Mayom and Thaling Chan are the two most popular). It makes for a filling morning adventure and if you get there early, you can avoid a lot of the crowds. Thaling Chan is the more touristy one so to avoid the hordes of tour groups, definitely get there early. Both markets can be visited by public transportation. I love the chaos, the smells, and the little ladies cooking and selling you various treats as they paddle by you. You never leave hungry!
📍Siam Ocean World
One of the top tourist attractions in the city, SEA LIFE Bangkok boasts world-class features, such as a 270-degree glass tunnel and a glass-bottomed boat in which to view the vast range of 8,000 amazing creatures.
🚩Pattaya
Constructed entirely of teak wood, the Sanctuary of Truth embodies a style that can best be described as "Visionary Art." This is to say it uses visual motifs to drive home a theological point of view, in this case, one inspired largely by Hinduism and Thailand's national religion of Buddhism. One of the main things to do in the Sanctuary of Truth is to see visual manifestations of important eastern religious concepts, including man's relationship with the Universe, and the Buddhist cycle of life.
The Sanctuary of Truth is also a survey of the many architectural styles that have existed across Indochina over the past several millennia. Travelers who've visited the ancient city of Ayutthaya north of Bangkok will recognize conspicuous similarities at the Sanctuary of Truth, but more divergent inspirations are present as well. Notably, the Sanctuary is home to four gopura entrance towers, structures you usually find at Dravidian temples in the Tamil Nadu and Karnataka states of South India.
🚩Chiang Mai
Bai Orchid and Butterfly Farm is a must-visit when in Chiang Maias you get to experience the beauty of nature as the butterflies flutter over the orchids.
The Sunday Night Market, aka "Walking Street," is located in front of the highly revered Wat Phra Singh on the west side and runs along Ratchadamnoen Road. The market is only open on Sundays, from 4 PM to 12 AM
If you don’t, this market will test your patience. This is by far the largest night market we visited, and also the most populated – we walked for hours, got lost a few times, and still never really found the end of the market. Although the market is mainly along Ratchadamnoen Road, it extends in a seemingly endless fashion along adjacent streets. Similarly endless is the selection of foods and goods here – food stands galore at cheap street prices, along with stands selling flowers, fried insects (thanksbutnothanks), handbags, paintings, etc. This market has it all, including the remarkable mango sticky rice we had first found at Central Kad Suan Kaew Market (further down the list!). As you'll find, many stands also open up at different markets on different days.
Forever holding onto the crown of the most-visited, most famous, and most highly revered temple in Chiang Mai is the magnificent Wat Phra That Doi Suthep (for short, you can just call it Wat Doi Suthep). The journey up the winding mountain road is an experience in itself, whether you’re doing it on a rented scooter (250 baht for the day), as part of a private excursion (600 baht there and back) or sitting in a packed-out songthaew with the locals (80 baht for one way). The final leg of the journey requires of 309-step walk up to reach the 600-year-old golden ‘chedi’ at the top that towers above the surrounding temple building and monks’ living quarters.
When you go to Thailand, PLEASE DO NOT support elephant riding or any elephant performance! Behind of those shows, it's absolutely horrible and cruel animal abuse! If you want to have a close experience with local elephants, choose local elephant protection home--take a bath and feed elephants bananas!
There are so many cities you can go in Thailand. For a seven-day vacation, you should focus on those cities list below so you can get as much fun as you could from your one-week short trip!
🚩Bangkok
📍The first place you should visit in Bangkok is the Grand Palace (Royal Palace) and neighboring Wat Pho, home to the famous reclining Buddha and massage school. The Royal family doesn’t live in the palace (it’s only used for official state functions) and you can’t go into any of the buildings, but wandering the grounds and open temples are worth the visit. It’s beautiful and the craftsmanship in architecture is amazing. Go first thing in the morning to avoid the crowds.
📍You can enjoy a half-day visit to the floating markets around the city (Khlong Lat Mayom and Thaling Chan are the two most popular). It makes for a filling morning adventure and if you get there early, you can avoid a lot of the crowds. Thaling Chan is the more touristy one so to avoid the hordes of tour groups, definitely get there early. Both markets can be visited by public transportation. I love the chaos, the smells, and the little ladies cooking and selling you various treats as they paddle by you. You never leave hungry!
📍Chinatown in Bangkok is a culinary feast. You can go shopping here and buy lots of useless souvenirs, but what I love about this area is the food. On the chaotic vendor-lined streets, you’ll find a ton of vendors selling food you hardly see anywhere else in the city. This is a crowded and busy part of the city but one of my favorites. At night, the area is one of the best places in the city to get delicious seafood.
📍Siam Ocean World
One of the top tourist attractions in the city, SEA LIFE Bangkok boasts world-class features, such as a 270-degree glass tunnel and a glass-bottomed boat in which to view the vast range of 8,000 amazing creatures.
🚩Pattaya
📍Pattaya's Sanctuary of Truth
Constructed entirely of teak wood, the Sanctuary of Truth embodies a style that can best be described as "Visionary Art." This is to say it uses visual motifs to drive home a theological point of view, in this case, one inspired largely by Hinduism and Thailand's national religion of Buddhism. One of the main things to do in the Sanctuary of Truth is to see visual manifestations of important eastern religious concepts, including man's relationship with the Universe, and the Buddhist cycle of life.
The Sanctuary of Truth is also a survey of the many architectural styles that have existed across Indochina over the past several millennia. Travelers who've visited the ancient city of Ayutthaya north of Bangkok will recognize conspicuous similarities at the Sanctuary of Truth, but more divergent inspirations are present as well. Notably, the Sanctuary is home to four gopura entrance towers, structures you usually find at Dravidian temples in the Tamil Nadu and Karnataka states of South India.
📍Pattaya Beach
Pattaya Beach is one of the more popular ones in Thailand and is mostly crowded with tourists at all times. You will see lounge chairs, beach umbrellas and a number of cafes and bars dotting the coastline. There are also a number of water sports that adventure enthusiasts can indulge in here. Some of them are jet skiing, windsurfing, paragliding, scuba diving and banana boat rides, to name a few. When you’re done with that, you can take a relaxing Thai massage on the beach as you lounge on one of the chairs.
🚩Chiang Mai📍Bai Orchid and Butterfly Farm
Bai Orchid and Butterfly Farm is a must-visit when in Chiang Maias you get to experience the beauty of nature as the butterflies flutter over the orchids.
The exotic setup, nestled in a natural setting, gives visitors a glimpse into the life cycle of these insects and the plants that they love so dearly.
📍Sunday Night Market
The Sunday Night Market, aka "Walking Street," is located in front of the highly revered Wat Phra Singh on the west side and runs along Ratchadamnoen Road. The market is only open on Sundays, from 4 PM to 12 AM
So, about the Sunday Night Market: You either like crowds, or you don’t.
If you don’t, this market will test your patience. This is by far the largest night market we visited, and also the most populated – we walked for hours, got lost a few times, and still never really found the end of the market. Although the market is mainly along Ratchadamnoen Road, it extends in a seemingly endless fashion along adjacent streets. Similarly endless is the selection of foods and goods here – food stands galore at cheap street prices, along with stands selling flowers, fried insects (thanksbutnothanks), handbags, paintings, etc. This market has it all, including the remarkable mango sticky rice we had first found at Central Kad Suan Kaew Market (further down the list!). As you'll find, many stands also open up at different markets on different days. 
📍Wat Phra That Doi Suthep
Forever holding onto the crown of the most-visited, most famous, and most highly revered temple in Chiang Mai is the magnificent Wat Phra That Doi Suthep (for short, you can just call it Wat Doi Suthep). The journey up the winding mountain road is an experience in itself, whether you’re doing it on a rented scooter (250 baht for the day), as part of a private excursion (600 baht there and back) or sitting in a packed-out songthaew with the locals (80 baht for one way). The final leg of the journey requires of 309-step walk up to reach the 600-year-old golden ‘chedi’ at the top that towers above the surrounding temple building and monks’ living quarters.
📍Thai Elephant Protection Home
🚩Phuket
📍Phi Phi islands
The Phi Phi islands are some of the loveliest in Southeast Asia. Just a 45-minute speedboat trip or a 90-minute ferryboat ride from either Phuket or Krabi, these picture postcard islands offer the ultimate tropical getaway. Featuring classic tropical beaches, stunning rock formations and vivid turquoise waters teeming with colourful marine life, it is paradise perfected.
Phi Phi is a group of six islands. The two main islands are Phi Phi Don and Phi Phi Leh. The larger and inhabited Phi Phi Don attracts hundreds of visitors to stay on its lovely shores while the smaller uninhabited Phi Phi Leh hosts stunningly beautiful bays and beaches, including the world-famous Maya Bay, which was the set where The Beach (with Leonardo Di Caprio) was filmed.
📌Tips
🔤Language:
'Hello': "Sa wat dee ka" (females) and "Sa wat dee kap" (males)
'Thank You' in Thai: "Kap kun ka" (females) "Kap kun kap" (males)
💰Currency:
1USD = 31.3715Thai Baht
🆘Safety rating:
Ranked 117 on the Global Peace Index with a score of 2.28 (USA is ranked 128 with a score of 2.40)
👫Solo Travel Friendliness:
A well-worn destination, Thailand is super easy to travel in, and locals are used to seeing tourists. I have not once felt unsafe in Thailand, not even during the Coup D’etat.
☔Climate:
Hot and humid year-round. Rainy season lasts from May to October
💲Best SIM card:
dtac- prepaid SIM cards can be purchased at 7-11 but data credit must be applied at a dtac location
📍Modesty Considerations:
All of the Buddhist temples will require you to have your shoulders and knees covered up. On the islands, bikinis are totally acceptable but it is polite to cover up when you are not on the beach.
🔗Random useful tip:
It is considered rude to point one's feet at anyone else, especially in religious institutions, and to touch children on the head
Ranked 117 on the Global Peace Index with a score of 2.28 (USA is ranked 128 with a score of 2.40)
👫Solo Travel Friendliness:
A well-worn destination, Thailand is super easy to travel in, and locals are used to seeing tourists. I have not once felt unsafe in Thailand, not even during the Coup D’etat.
☔Climate:
Hot and humid year-round. Rainy season lasts from May to October
💲Best SIM card:
dtac- prepaid SIM cards can be purchased at 7-11 but data credit must be applied at a dtac location
📍Modesty Considerations:
All of the Buddhist temples will require you to have your shoulders and knees covered up. On the islands, bikinis are totally acceptable but it is polite to cover up when you are not on the beach.
🔗Random useful tip:
It is considered rude to point one's feet at anyone else, especially in religious institutions, and to touch children on the head
I like your blog! love Thai food
ReplyDeleteThanks! Thai food is great!
DeleteI love this one, especially the "dog food" in the middle.
ReplyDeleteHaha! You FOUND it!
Delete