Exotic fairy tale in Thailand

26 December 2013 • Travel time: with 15 November 2013 on 30 November 2013

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THAILAND 2012

Two years before the trip the operator of the tour agency, having sold us a ticket to Egypt, says: "Next time you will need to go to Thailand. " It all started with this phrase.

3 months before the trip we buy air tickets and wait for hotels to appear.

One and a half months before the trip we buy a hotel from the agency, which we have chosen, according to reviews from the Internet. We refuse transfers and "gift" excursions - we save $ 240 on this compared to the total costs for transfers and these excursions.

First impression: Forgetting to change clothes, we leave for Bangkok, a breath of warm thirty-degree wind. And the delicious air gently entered our body. We immediately ran back to change.

Road

The road was very long and painful. But the last flight of the Emirates company was very memorable. A large, two-story Boeing, 10 people sit in a row, there is also a small fountain on the second floor. The chairs are equipped with a touch screen, on which you can watch movies, series, shows, music and even play games without limits using the joystick. You can display a map on the screen, which will show the detailed movement of the aircraft, as well as turn on the view from various webcams installed in different parts of the aircraft. So I watched the sunrise.

Webcam Sunrise

After a long journey, which took 25 hours plus a five-hour time zone shift, we are tired and enter the hotel territory, where we are joyfully greeted in Thai by one of the staff, looking perplexedly at the voucher, leads us to the lobby. It seems that not every day tourists come to them without a tour operator))) At the lobby, we are treated to welcome drinks and settled in a room with a beautiful view of the hotel's jungle park.

Going out into the street, we were immediately handed a bunch of excursion brochures, the prices of which were significantly lower than those expected in Kyiv, which made us very happy. We went to a Thai street cafe and ordered the first Thai food. Having generously poured some kind of sauce on my portion of Thai goodies, I realized what spicy is. After walking along the embankment, soaking up the Thai atmosphere, we went for a foot massage. Then we went to the celebration of Halloween on Walking Street.

Our hotel

Massages

We went to massages every day, and sometimes several times a day, in different salons and always really liked it. The duration of a standard massage is an hour. Even when the tour was two days in another province, we still ordered a massage. The massages were unforgettable, I especially remember the time when I was given his ladyboy. I was lucky that on that day I opted for nothing more than a foot massage. And one more of the massages I definitely remember for the rest of my life, in other words, what was in Thailand remained in Thailand))) After some massages, I began to notice that while swimming my legs begin to arch in a way that they had never arched before. Massages were second only to Thai food.

Thai food

After walking along Walking Street, we decided to accomplish the first feat by buying incomprehensible pancakes, which were fried on the street in front of us and filled with something pale green. The pancakes were delicious, we survived until the morning. After that, a firm decision was made - boldly eat everything that Thais eat.

Street Dinner

The next acquaintance with street food was when we stopped a motorcyclist with saucepans, from whom, by intuition, we chose dishes that went with rice. On this day, I understood what Spicy is in Asia. The fire engulfed my throat and mouth, my lips burned like dry firewood on fiery coals. Having mastered this meal, my barrier of spiciness increased significantly, then I always ordered “Spicy! ". A good dinner for two came out on average 20 hryvnias, when we were chic, taking pancakes with bananas and fresh juices for dessert, such a dinner cost about 40 hryvnias for two. It is worth noting that their food is really very tasty and has a sweetish tint.

Waking up early in the morning in our heavenly hotel, we swam in the pool looking at squirrels jumping through tropical trees, flying butterflies with beautiful wings and listening to the singing of exotic birds. Having reached the pier, we took the city ferry to the island Ko Lan. The island was nothing special, we got dressed up there and flew on a jet ski across the boundless sea.

Having bought excursions for almost all the days of our trip, we went for a walk along the road beach. In the process of walking, Dasha sometimes deliberately stepped back, and I caught sight of the Thai beauties, who inadvertently stood alone, catching the walking guys with their eyes. In Thailand, excursions are measured in days. When buying excursions, it was necessary to weigh well whether it was worth the time spent in Thailand. But in the end, they didn't go wrong. We started our chain of excursions with a trip to the tops of the jungle trees.

Flight of the Gibbon

During the tour, we made 23 trolley flights with a total distance of more than 3 km, the flight speed reached 100 km/h. You had to slow down with a gloved hand on the cable along which you fly. The views were indescribable, various tropical plants and boundless expanses of the jungle spread under our feet. One of the highlights of the tour is getting there. You are taken on a tuk-tuk off-road uphill through the jungle. This part of the extreme was the most, because I didn’t want to fall into the jungle from a tuk-tuk, which is trying hard to throw off its passengers. After such an active first excursion, the whole body buzzed, but the Thai aromatic massage quickly corrected everything. For a whole hour you are massaged, after which the body remains pleasantly oily. After the active program, we had a cultural program of the Alkazar show of transvestites

Alcazar Show

This show was unlike any other show. We remember this show as a visiting card of Thailand.

When we found out that absolutely everyone was a transvestite on the show, I realized that in Thailand you cannot be sure about the gender of your interlocutor. The show was so bright and memorable that we can safely say. Who was not on the Alcazar, was not in the country.

The next morning we went to the famous garden of Madame Nong-nooch.

Nong Nooch Garden

The first Thai animals we met were tigers, which lay phlegmatically in the park, allowing us to take pictures with them. Several Thais followed the tigers, but this was not at all necessary. I immediately made friends with a local parrot who obviously wanted to make friends with my ice cream. A Thai girl told me “Bite! ”, after which I did not dare to put my finger in the beak of a friendly parrot.

The park itself, of course, is extraordinarily beautiful, I especially liked the area with bonsai (Small trees). Although the heat melted the brains, the feeling of beauty still won. At the end of the tour, an enchanting show of elephants awaited us, this was the first acquaintance with these wonderful, cute and neat animals. Elephants played ball, played darts, drew impressive pictures, and even wrote in English. And one elephant even kindly asked me to eat my corn cob. Do not refuse the same elephant. Elephants are well-rounded: they give food - they eat, they give money - they give it to the Thai. Next was the national Thai show. After the tour, we were taken to a bee farm, an analogue of a papyrus factory in Egypt, only unlike red tea, here you can eat free honey and royal jelly with pollen.

I am writing this post and again immersing myself in the atmosphere of the Kingdom of Thailand. Foot massage with fish and Thais perfectly completed this romantic day. The next day we had a continuation of our acquaintance with the culture, flora and fauna of Thailand.

Discovery

On this tour, we visited the temple of hell and heaven, something does not want to go to hell at all. Impressive statues depicting what awaits Buddhists in hell, to put it mildly, inspired horror. But in the Chinese temple, on the contrary, calm and harmony reigned. I had not seen Chinese temples before, but this one was definitely chic and impressive. A feature of visiting temples is that you need to walk barefoot. After walking around the large territory of the temple, hitting the big bell and drums, we went to taste raw and fried oysters. Raw oysters with lime and fried onion were simply irresistible. I did not think that I would like them, but their taste was remembered by me forever.

Khao Kheo Park and Tiger Zoo

The park is a large natural zoo with open enclosures. That is, animals are not in cages. They can be fed, squeezed, photographed, hugged. The hippopotamus opened its mouth so that well-aimed tourists would throw food into it. Giraffes stretched their necks to snatch beans from their hands, and antelopes, which were the very first on the way of tourists overwhelmed with the desire to feed someone, did not know where to put themselves from the influx.

Next was a second elephant show where the elephants showed off their new abilities, a show of tigers who weren't happy about being thrown into the arena and a show of crocodiles trying in vain to eat their trainers. During lunch we ate crocodile skewers. Probably, it was a naughty crocodile, but very tasty.

An hour and a half body massage magically relaxed us after a busy day. The next day we spent relaxing excursions around the islands, the excursion was called Discovery from Shurik-tour.

Monkey Island

The name speaks for itself. The monkeys were everywhere, seeing the travelers unloaded on the island, they immediately pounced on an easy opportunity to eat. And in order not to reach far, they jumped right at us, it’s good that they don’t have nails. Puffed up with the monkeys, we went to swim in the sea.

We jumped from the roof of a three-story yacht into the salty Gulf of Thailand, which has a strong current. While we were sailing on a yacht to the island of Koh Rin, I volunteered to participate in a competition, which, as it turned out, had the short name "Drink". After this competition, the tour became even more fun. During the tour, in addition to lunch, there was an unlimited bar. In other words, after the last competition, it was no longer necessary)))) There was also traditional fishing, on which, as always, only three fish were caught, and now the long-awaited island is already very close.

Koh Rin Island

Of course, not the Red Sea, but there were many tropical exotics. A few hours spent on the island, this is what was really needed after an active party of excursions. Clear water, fish, reefs and impressive crabs created complete relaxation. Although the weather was clear, the thunder rumbled unchildishly foreshadowing the tropical evening downpour that luckily hit Pattaya while we were at the Thai McDonald's.

A fifteen-minute apocalyptic downpour on a hot night is just right.

There was a foam party on the way back

In the evening we had our first acquaintance with rambutans and mangosteen - Thai fruits.

Introducing Pattaya

Having set aside a day to explore Pattaya, we went to watch a local snake show.

After the show, we conquered the famous Buddha Hill, which towered majestically over Pattaya.

There was a beautiful Chinese-style garden nearby. From a neighboring hill, a panorama of the city opened up.

Since we were in the central part of Pattaya, it was necessary to see the famous Jomtien Beach. The beach was not much different from the Crimean beaches, but delicious shrimp with traditional sauce changed everything)

On the way to the beach, we visited several hotels that tour agents in Kyiv advised us so strongly. The hotels were vastly inferior to our beloved Woodlands. Romantic festivities in Pattaya ended with another show of transvestites "Tiffany Show". We liked the Alcazar better, although perhaps because it was the first.

After a little shopping in Pattaya and a relaxing massage, we went to an unforgettable shock show.

Shock Show 69

The next morning, the largest two-day excursion awaited us - to the River Kwai. In order for our hotel breakfast not to disappear in our absence, we gave a voucher to the guide who sold us the ticket.

The ancient capital of the Kingdom of Ayutthaya

Our two-day program began from the ancient capital of Thailand. These were mainly temple complexes in a larger size than all the previous ones. The temples were mostly inactive, which made their visit interesting and the beauty of the photographs.

Erawan Waterfall

Half of the impressions of the tour fell on this waterfall. After a hearty lunch, we were given two hours to swim in the waterfall.

Descent between the first two levels

The waterfall consists of seven levels, each of which has a beautiful full-flowing waterfall. It is worth noting that the visit must begin from the last levels, since from 16:00 the levels begin to close one by one. Fish swim in the waterfall and love to feed on the skin of tourists. These much smaller fish are used in spa salons. You climb into the water, your feet are immediately covered with a flock of hungry fish, the size of crocodiles. The feeling you get is unforgettable scary-cold-enthusiastic-ticklish-fun. In the river itself, the water is pleasantly turquoise in color. The first time I climbed inside the waterfall, you experience quite extreme sensations when you pass through the curtain of falling water. And inside the waterfall, smooth stalactites, overgrown with green living creatures, hang down.

Since there is no algae in the waterfall, most likely fish swallowed it thousands of years ago, you can safely climb all the stones without fear of slipping. After swimming in one, you go to swim at the next waterfall. The waterfall of each level is unique and extraordinarily beautiful, and the jungle that decorates the falls on the sides adds to the exotic beauty.

There were a lot of fish)

The overnight stay was in the houses, which are located on the water along the Kwai River. Our hotel was located in a small Thai village. How can one not take a walk around the village at night? It was quite interesting, but wandering biting dogs were a little annoying. But the very feeling that you are walking somewhere in the province of Thailand in the village, first of all. In the morning, after the village with the monkeys, we were taken to rafting down the river.

Rafting on the River Kwai

Bamboo rafts, tropical river, exotic views, green jungle in one word - romance. During the rafting, it was possible to sail both on the raft and next to it. Due to the very fast current of the high-speed river, it was very funny. After rafting a few tuk tuks at breakneck speed, we were taken further. Even the air was hard to breathe because of the speed. The third elephant show was the most memorable, as an elephant named Phe took us for a ride around his village.

Soon the Thai who was leading the elephant turned and said, “Camera? DengiJ" After my consent, he took our camera down from the elephant and said, "Dad is the captain, and mom is afraid! » Then I was the captain of the elephant, and the Thai gave us a photo shootJ

On the way back home, we visited another wonderful waterfall. For complete relaxation, we had to master the thermal springs. If there was boiling water in a warm source, then in a hot one there was a temperature incompatible with life. Miraculously, having survived 3 springs, it was a pleasant cooling in a cold mountain river. How is it without a tea factory. But they tried some teas, the existence of which they did not even suspect. Late in the evening we returned home, the forces remained only for dinner.

Farewell to Pattaya

The morning began with a parachute flight. It’s just that everyone took off with acceleration and hovered over the sea, and I fell into it with acceleration in a graceful jump. On this day, we were harsh - there were two massages. First the legs, and then the whole body. Since we were at the hotel for the first time during the day, we took advantage of happy hours and arranged an elite tasting in the water bar. In the evening, after a gorgeous farewell sunset, we went to the fruit market to taste all the exotic fruits, including the famous specific durian.

Rambutan and Pittahaya Dragon Fruit

Due to the smell of durian, it is forbidden to bring it into hotels. Since the fruit was relatively expensive, we quickly gathered 6 like-minded people around the market, who gladly chipped in and we tasted this famous fruit with the taste of raw dumplings. There are still a few left to treat passers-by for free. During the evening trip for beer, the ladyboy tried hard to pick me up, but when she saw me with Dasha on the way back, she was very embarrassed. Then there was a sentimental farewell to Pattaya at night, then a morning farewell foot massage, and this was the end of our trip to the resort part of Thailand.

Bangkok

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Our hotel lobby was on the 11th floor

A high-speed taxi carried us along a toll highway. The skyscrapers of a large metropolis spread their arms in front of us, the country has changed dramatically. From a peaceful resort, everything has turned into an alarming metropolis. Another way to eat on the streets, big buildings, heavy traffic and double tuk tuks were waiting for us. And the fear that the taxi driver himself does not know where we are being taken did not leave us until he showed our hotel in the window. Having moved into the 32-storey Prince Palace Hotel, we were pleasantly surprised by its service and comfort.

"First dive" into the city

When we entered the market with food for sale, we were shocked by the reigning stench and the fact that they serve food in bags. Having bought a dumb dinner, we had no choice but to return to the hotel to have a bite to eat there, since even in the doorways there was no place to sit down.

White towel, that's my rice!

Zaev had a hearty lunch with a watermelon and we went to the famous aquarium in Bangkok.

OceanariumSiam Ocean World

For ignorance of local prices, I had to overpay the tuk-tuk driver a little. After the "first dive into the city" there was not much shock and uncertainty that it was necessary to go to Bangkok. But having met a Russian guide from one of the previous excursions, who briefly explained to us the rules of survival in Bangkok, it became much easier. First, we watched a 5D cartoon, during which we seemed to be flying after the hero, falling, breaking through and smelling thousands of roses. Then we rode on a boat with a transparent bottom, exploring the marine world and walking through the halls of the oceanarium. Large crabs threatened us with revenge for their relatives. Severe sharks and stingrays soaring, as if in the air, effectively swam around the transparent tunnel. Having admired the appetizing marine life, we went to the famous Bayok Sky skyscraper for an evening meal.

Bayoke Sky

It is worth noting that after 20:30 there is a 50% discount for dinner + a review in Skybike.

Sightseeing tour of Bangkok

Since our ticket was a savage without an operator, we arranged a tour for ourselves, in the same places. Having bargained with a tuk tuker for 10 baht (3 hryvnia) per hour, we went to see the sights of the city. As a result, for two dollars he drove us and waited everywhere for 5 hours. But, of course, it was necessary to stop by several stores so that free gasoline was stamped on him. In addition to various temples, the reclining Buddha, the panoramic "golden mountain", a walk along the canals of the capital was very impressive. Streets through the slums, along which you need to sail on high-speed boats with a motor. Thais even came up on boats, trying to sell us souvenirs. In someone's yard, a large, stern reptile was sitting, apparently instead of a dog.

For a day in Bangkok, we fully adapted, and boldly went for a walk from the hotel to the center right through the dark alleys, buying all kinds of yummy on sticks on the go. We walked around the center along the majestic skyscrapers. The next day, the final adventure awaited us.

Water ParkSiam Park

In the morning we started catching transport to get to this park. One tuk-tuker agreed to take us there for little money, but warned us that we had to stop by to buy tickets to tourist information. While we were buying tickets, he disappeared in an unknown direction, however, forgetting to take money from us. Then we drove with dumb taxi drivers along the Pattaya highway, the taxi driver kept trying to talk to us in Thai, all the time repeating the word Pattaya and nervously twitching his hand. A wild relief was the moment of arrival in the park, and not in Pattaya. He also offered us his services to wait for us, but the Russian word is “Goodbye! ”dotted all the Russian “I” and Thai “I”.

Unforgettable specific sensations from this slide)

An unforgettable ride in the water park and the amusement park. We talked with the administration and found out that the city can be reached not only for 400 baht by taxi, but also by city bus for 14 baht, which we happily did. Fortunately, they wrote us a stop on a piece of paper, where we need to get off, otherwise we would have had a long explanation with the conductor in English. We were the only Europeans on the Thai bus. Only 2.5 hours of travel and we are again in the center of the capital. Farewell dinner in Thai, watermelon and corn for dessert, and we set off on the road home. It is very convenient that for only 90 baht you can take the metro to the airport together. During our trip home, our luggage liked Dubai so much that he decided to stay there for a few more days, ruining kilograms of fruit.

The Kingdom of Thailand remains forever in our hearts. Places of honor were taken by massages, Thai smiles, delicious food, elephants, waterfalls, a variety of excursions, a national show, transvestites, as well as tropical fruits: mangosteen, rambutan, pitahaya, jackfruit, longkon, chompoo, watermelons, pineapples, pomelo, durian, mango , cold coconut, noina, salak, and many, many other sweets, whose names we no longer remember.

Tour information

Date of travel: 10/30/2012 – 11/14/2012

Hotels: Woodlands Hotel + Prince palace. We recommend hotels.

Duration: 14 days (Pattaya + Bangkok)

Tour agency in Kyiv: Pilot. They also sell airline tickets.

Tour type: Separate air tickets, separately in a Kiev travel agency hotel with insurance.

The agency refused: Gift package $50/person, transfers $215/two

Excursions: Only with locals.

Air tickets: Bought three months before the trip

Hotel: Bought a month and a half before, adjusting it for air tickets.

The cost of the whole trip for two: 40.000 UAH ($4.900)

Recommendation: It is not necessary to stop in Bangkok, you can stay longer in Pattaya and go on excursions around Bangkok for the same money. That will be much easier. But for extreme sports in Bangkok, it's still worth stopping. We don't regret.

The hotel was chosen based on reviews from the Internet. Vouchers were not sold to our hotel, but at the request, the travel agency booked it for us.

Translated automatically from Russian. View original