Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Two Week Thailand Itinerary

Tuk-tuk Outside the Grand Palace

As I've stated about a bajillion times (what can I say, I was really excited), I was in Hong Kong for work, and took the opportunity to fly to Thailand afterwards for a little two week solo vacation. Here's my itinerary which includes a little bit of history, adventure, and beaches, because Thailand has a plethora of all three.

Date
Activities
7/9/11Check into Wild Orchid Villa Khaosan in Bangkok. Sleep.
7/10/11Get terribly lost and approached by two different scammers. See the Grand Palace, Wat Phra Kaew (the temple of the Emerald Buddha), and Wat Pho (my favorite temple).
7/11/11Taxi ride to the ferry to see Wat Arun, and then a ferry downstream to Chinatown.
7/12/11Morning cooking class at Baipai Thai Cooking School. Souvenir shopping at MBK Center.
7/13/11A day tour of Ayutthaya, the former ancient capital of Thailand.
7/14/11Morning train to Pak Chong. Check-in to Greenleaf Guesthouse & Tour, and do the half day tour. Millions of bats, a scorpion spider, and springwater swimming.
7/15/11Greenleaf Guesthouse & Tour's full day tour of Khao Yai National Park, complete with jungle trekking, macaques, horn-billed toucans, and assorted other wildlife.
7/16/11Return by bus to Bangkok and fly to Phuket. Check-in to Manohra Cozy Village in Kata Beach, and go for a night walk along the shore.
7/17/11Spend the day at Kata Beach. Get a [cheap] Thai massage.
7/18/1150 minute elephant trek with Kok Chang Elephant Safari in the morning. Spend the remainder of the afternoon at the beach, getting terribly horribly sun burnt.
7/19/11Starlight tour of the lagoons with John Gray Sea Canoe. Beautiful lagoons, mangroves, seascapes, and delicious food.
7/20/11Swimming at Kata Beach in the morning, then a foot massage and pedicure, before flying back to Bangkok. Check into the really expensive (by Thai standards) Suvarnabhumi Airport Novotel.
7/21/11Wake up absurdly early and spend the next 29 hours in airports and on airplanes.


Limestone Islands

There's more photos from my Thailand trip up on my Flickr account.

Phuket Elephant Trek Lots of Headless Buddhas
Kata Beach Seafood-less Pad Thai!
Lily Grand Palace Hall (Chakri Mahaprasat) and others
2 Hour Bat Trail Kata Beach
Haew Suwat Waterfall Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon Mangroves in the Lagoon
Temple Cow Wat Pho Kiddos at Wat Phra Si Sanphet (I think)
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16 comments:

  1. Carrie @ Hazardous DesignJuly 27, 2011 at 4:41 PM

    What an adventure! I'd love to be able to visit Thailand someday...

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  2. ElleJuly 27, 2011 at 5:47 PM

    Can I just say your blog is amazing? And you are from Pittsburgh too!?!

    This trip looks like so much fun - I was in Phuket about 12 years ago and I loved it! My favorite thing there was boating around the Phi Phi islands :)

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  3. michelle@decorandthedogJuly 27, 2011 at 10:32 PM

    Wow! Beautiful pictures! Looks like a fabulous trip!

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  4. Ms. BeckyJuly 27, 2011 at 11:10 PM

    hello Iris, I've got to say first off, love the name of your blog. and secondly, I'm under the spell of Thailand - your photos are magnificent. and did you have the adventure. elephant trek, starlight lagoon tour (that must have been pretty darn amazing), all of it. I'm happy to meet you, and thanks for visiting my blog, I truly appreciate it. my life in comparison isn't all that exciting, but I'm happy to have this vicarious adventure via you and your fantastic blog. take good care Iris.

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  5. tinajoJuly 28, 2011 at 3:44 AM

    Ah Thailand - hope to get there one day! :-)

    I totally agree, one can only hope that somewhere along the way, people can learn to live and let live. I hate violence and guns. :-(

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  6. LesleyJuly 28, 2011 at 4:36 AM

    This looks and sounds AMAZING! I'd love to visit Thailand. Your photos are wonderful.

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  7. AnnaJuly 28, 2011 at 8:47 AM

    Your photos make me wish I could hop on a plane - today! What wonderful captures of an amazing trip!!! Lucky you. My sister went to Thailand years ago and had a fantastic, life-changing time. She cooked spicy, exotic dishes for us for months. Thanks for stopping by my blog, I really appreciate it.

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  8. JamieJuly 28, 2011 at 10:47 AM

    Wow - what a trip. I did Chang Mai on a long weekend when I was living in Delhi - based on your itinerary I really need to go back and see more.

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  9. UnknownJuly 28, 2011 at 1:53 PM

    Beautiful!

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  10. NicoleJuly 28, 2011 at 3:36 PM

    I spent two weeks in Thailand four years ago and it was the best trip I've ever taken. As a result, I'm in a never-ending state of wanderlust. Your experiences remind me of my time there. And your pictures are freakin' amazing! Thailand really is a beautiful place. And thanks for stopping by my blog, by the way!

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  11. JustineJuly 28, 2011 at 5:20 PM

    What a fantastic itinerary and a wonderful set of photographs

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  12. Kaylia PayneJuly 28, 2011 at 9:23 PM

    What a fantastic trip! You have been to so many wonderful places :)

    My sister just came back from Thailand and loved it, it looks amazing!

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  13. christine doneeJuly 28, 2011 at 11:26 PM

    seriously? My jealousy could not be any bigger right now.. ;)

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  14. StephanieJuly 29, 2011 at 11:02 AM

    Oh my goodness, these photos are BEAUTIFUL! I hope you had an amazing trip!

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  15. UnknownJuly 12, 2013 at 2:39 AM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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  16. UnknownMay 6, 2014 at 2:47 AM

    It was really a best experience for me in Baipai Thai Cooking School during my Thailand trip..
    My Thailand trip itinerary was planned by a travel expert who included cooking class session also for 1 day..Great!!!
    You have clicked awesome photos specially of Grand Palace..:)
    I will surely include your itinerary in my Thailand trip plan in future.

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Thanks for visiting my blog! Comments are greatly appreciated.