Thailand - First and Lasting Impressions

Thailand has been a bucket list destination of mine for many years, so I was curious to see if it would live up to my expectations. I am delighted to say that it did, from the moment I arrived up to the moment I departed I loved exploring this fascinating country.

My first impression on arrival in Bangkok was of complete surprise, it is a modern cosmopolitan city with skyscrapers and busy traffic, it was bustling a city and hot, and I couldn’t wait to get out and about. Exploring on foot and riding on the metro I found that the old city of Bangkok is still thriving. The food markets were packed with locals, the flower market was in full bloom and smelled amazing and the street vendors were out in force. Taking the tourist boat along the Chao Phraya was so easy to navigate and perfect to hop on and off to take a closer look at the temples and the Grand Palace, so good that I did it again at night and it was magical seeing the temples lit up so beautifully.

After three days of exploring Bangkok, I took a short flight to Chiang Rai to visit the Golden Triangle. After a scenic hour's drive, I arrived at Sop Ruak where the Rivers Ruak and Mekong converge and the countries of Thailand, Myanmar and Laos meet. Surrounded by mountains and jungle, this area's infamous history as the epicentre for the opium trade is hard to believe, I would highly recommend a visit to the fascinating opium museum for an insight into this illicit but fascinating trade. Taking a longtail boat trip along the Mekong was a real highlight and we saw some beautiful views of Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand - we even spotted an elephant along the riverbank. Before leaving I would recommend stopping at one of the local vendors for a local cup of tea or trying a tea tasting experience.

My third and final stop was Phuket, the largest and most popular Island in Thailand. A short flight to Phuket and a half-hour transfer took me to Laguna Phuket where I would spend my last few days relaxing on the beach. Again, I was totally surprised at this luxury resort offering seven different hotels, a lagoon, a golf course and the fabulous Banatao Beach which is a 6km long stretch of pristine sand. The resort offers the perfect place to just relax and enjoy the beach in beautiful surroundings, just a short trip outside the resort offers local restaurants and a night market on Boat Street. Whilst in Phuket it would be a shame to not explore the Island, Phuket Town is worth a visit, take a walking tour around the pretty pastel buildings and colourful night market or take a day cruise to one of the many smaller islands and swim and snorkel in the clear waters.

I loved my stay in Thailand as there is so much variety and exploring to do, I can't wait to go back and see some more!