Category Archives: Thailand

Songkran Roughly Explained

Let’s talk about Songkran.
In Thailand there is a holiday called Songkran. Songkran is the nationwide celebration of the changing seasons from rainy to dry in Thailand. YouTube depicts Songkran in one kind of light the reality of Songkran is completely different. As you travel away from central Bangkok to the suburbs you’ll find people laughing and spraying water at people passing by.
What is the main attraction to Songkran?
Thai people are already generally laid-back and happy but when they are on a holiday they are an absolute riot! If you are planning on traveling to Thailand between April 10 and April 20 roughly and planning on doing regular tourist stuff you may be disappointed. Many of the local attractions close so that type people can go and celebrate the Songkran holiday which last three days. This year, 2017, Songkran will be on April 13, 14th and 15th however because the holiday falls on a weekend it will be held over till the following Monday extending the holiday to April 18. During this time many shops and tourist attractions might be closed or have a limited staff available. Good thing for me though because I like to party with the locals! 150191709

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Booking My Third Flight To Thailand

My return trip to Thailand.
This will be my third trip to Thailand within one year, I guess you could say I really like it there. There is Songkran. Songkran is a nationwide water fight but you can see more on that here.
On previous trips I have shared with you pictures and videos of random places that I have gone. While these videos are great in the pictures outstanding this time I want to show you a little bit more of exactly how I book my trip to Thailand. On the last two trips I have used Google flights and monitored them throughout a couple months. To try and get the best pricing on flights to Bangkok. This time around I have used an app called Hopper. Hopper has been set up on my phone for a few months and sends me notifications as flights from Phoenix to Bangkok change. With the notifications it also has recommendations on when the best time to buy your flights to Bangkok will be. Financially you should be prepared to purchase your plane ticket at least six months in advance of your trip. This way when the best price comes along you can purchase on the spot and don’t have to wait for your next paycheck.
For more tips on being financially responsible while traveling click here.

Hopper App Demonstration Image

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Hopper sent me a notification on flights with United Airlines and ANA Airlines as having the best deal for around $660 USD. Considering I paid almost double that on my first trip to Thailand I feel that this time around these flight prices are a steal. While at first I found it hard to trust an app on my phone to book plane tickets with, hopper actually connects you with the official websites of the airlines that you are booking with. Even though I use the app Hopper, I dealt with united airlines when I paid for my airline tickets to Thailand. Going through the flight booking process with united airlines website was pretty straightforward. There was one minor mishap where I accidentally selected a seat for one of the legs of my trip. Because of that selection there reset it resulted in a additional charge of $69 USD. The receipt for that flight was a little cryptic and I was having trouble understanding where the additional charge came from. I waited until the charges process it through PayPal and then I called United airlines to get clarification on the additional charge for the flight. Customer service at United airlines was very helpful. The gentleman helped me distinguish what the additional $69 USD charge was for and then he offered to reverse the charge because of my accidental click. I really appreciate united airlines being flexible on their refund policy.
$69 USD goes a long way in Thailand! I did have to submit a refund request electronically and enter a long series of numbers in order to process the refund, however, it was not that difficult and their was on the screen instructions to assist me. So that wraps up how I booked my flight to Thailand this time around. Once I get to Thailand I’ll be able to book shorter flights, let’s say to Vietnam or Cambodia, something like that. But the main flight is out of the way. Now the waiting game begins…The excitement builds more every day…

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Nai Yang Beach

Overall staying in Nai Yang Beach was exactly what I was looking for when getting out of Bangkok. While partying it up in the city is a great time, the relaxing waves on the beach and absence of overly loud clubs and club goers suited me better. The main beach road you have to pay to drive but one ticket will last you all day. You will find that the main beach road is lined with restaurants, tiny bars and plenty of street food. There is a walking street that is also loaded with all kinds of stores to buy novelty shirts, shorts and hats. While there are plenty of shops along the Nai Yang Beach strip you won’t find any peddlers on the beach which means you can relax without someone trying to sell you something. See the Cabo posts on that. However there are still Soi dogs running around at night which was another good reason to have a scooter or a car. During my two stays at The Himaphan I ate and drank at a lot of places, all of them were good, nothing made me sick. Maybe a little too spicy but I ate it so it’s my own fault. Memorable places: BossBar, live soft lounge music nightly, huge menu of Thai and American dishes. Inspire Beach Club, world class DJ, sand floor, ultra nice people.

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I’m Going To Phuket

After spending plenty of time in and around Bangkok it was high time to move along a bit so I decided to book a flight to Phuket and hang out a few days before taking my first tour of the Wats of Bangkok. Air Asia seemed to have the best prices on tickets with the most flights in and out but they fly in and out of Don Mueang International Airport rather than BKK which I was closer to. Air Asia really gets the job done quickly with no frills. Flying into HKT, the Phuket International Airport, was easy. It is a relatively small airport that shuffles you through quickly when you are flying in and out to Grung Theip (Bangkok) with a smile. One of the friendliest airports I have been in. I hadn’t booked a place to stay and needed time to pick through AirBnB and book something, the small coffee shop was all too kind to let me use their wifi. Just outside the arrival gate there are plenty of taxi drivers that will approach you and try to get you to book a place as well. I’m not sure about any of those places because the months of scrolling through AirBnB I knew that I wanted one of those. Turns out The Himaphan was one of my top picks and was 3 minutes from the airport and was accepting instant bookings.
Perfect.
The Taxis’ leaving the airport are no less than 400 THB which is a little high. The driver also didn’t know where The Himaphan was even when I showed him directions, he got a little frustrated but we worked it out. However that all could have been avoided if I had booked a little earlier The Himaphan Resort would have picked me up.
Phuket really is a magical looking place. The nature walks, waterfalls and mountainsides are absolutely breathtaking. Don’t forget to bring extra batteries and SD cards for your camera ’cause you’re going to need them.
Renting the scooter was a good call too, it made getting the 3 blocks to Nai Yang Beach a snap from the villa especially after a massage and dinner. It also made getting around the island easy. If you aren’t afraid of riding a scooter it is an easy way to get to all the attractions pretty quickly. Traffic wasn’t too bad however being on a scooter you have to pay attention, no sleeping on the scooter! I considered renting a car but it seemed like more of a hassle since I travel very light. Overall I’m glad I spent a few days alone on Nai Yang Beach. It was good for collecting my thoughts on the rest of my trip.

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Songkran: A Nationwide Water Fight

The following day I was happy to meet my friends Dad. We have been friends for about 10 years but this was my first time meeting his Dad because he has lived in Thailand for about 15 years. Dad hipped me to a couple of must have Thai phrases then took us to the local market to have a look around. He insisted I buy a Traditional Songkran shirt saying that it was the only way to REALLY celebrate Songkran, I passed. I didn’t learn how serious he was until the next day, EVERYONE had a Songkran shirt but me 🙁
Lesson learned, when Dad of friend has a suggestion, go with it!
Songkran is a celebration of the transition of seasons, rainy to dry. While a lot of people will call it the Thai New Year that really is not true. Hence the water and lots of it. Walking down any street in Thailand during Songkran and you are surely to get wet and have powder rubbed on your cheeks and forehead. Some of the powder is just plain baby powder, some of it has mint in it though which is really refreshing on a hot day.
Men, Women and Children pile into the back of pickup trucks and stand on the sidewalks to splash you as you pass by. No car, motorcycle or fancy dress is safe but they smile and welcome you to Thailand while they bless you with the powder and water.
Over the three days of Songkran I fully participated, acquiring a proper shirt, multiple water guns and colored safety glasses (That didn’t really help like I thought they would). The entire time I carried all of my belongings in ziploc bags to prevent them from getting wet. In fact I packed extra bags for that purpose. You can see some of the Songkran antics in the video below. I can’t express how good it felt to be childlike and ride around splashing people. Even when the water was ICE COLD! Spending the first 7 days of my trip between Bang Na, Bang Pli and Bangkok eating street food was an absolute blast. As an adult I felt like a child and that was priceless.

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