TRAVEL THAILAND
Amazing Thailand
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Thailand is a fascinated country full of history, culture and landscapes. There is so much more to Thailand just that its beautiful beaches, and this is why I will focus on this blog on the North part of Thailand.
Chiang Mai & Chiang Rai
Chaing Mai is the main city in northern Thailand. It's surrounded by mountains, jungle and rice, strawberries, asparagus, peaches, and litchis farms.
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Its food is less sweet and less spicy than in central Thailand. It's famous for its curries, sticky rice and steamed vegetables. The most tried dessert is the mango sticky rice.
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Summers can get very hot. Depict this, people have to enter the temples and surroundings with legs covered up to the knees, shoulders and the whole torso needs to be covered as well. The coolest months are between November and February.
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This is also elephant country, but they have been mistreated for tourism purposes, tied in chains and physically abused. Take this into consideration before paying for an elephant attraction. It is easy to see how damaged these elephants are.
What to do?
Although 3 days was short, I tried to make the most out of it in the following way:
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Day 1. Visit the different temples that Chiang Mai has, they are all within walking distance in the centre of the city.
Chaing Mai's oldest temple
Chiang Mai’s most beautiful temple
The temple of the Great Stupa
Day 2. Take a day tour that takes you to Chiang Rai and the Golden Triangle.
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Chiang Rai has one of the most stunning temples in Thailand: Mueang Chiang Rai, or the White Temple, which was completed in 1997 with a Modern Thai and Lanna architecture. Once you enter the temple you will find many funny world pop-icon figures inside, like Goku and football players, among others. Next to the White Temple, you can find the Golden Temple.
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The Golden Triangle is the middle point between Thailand, Laos and Myanmar. You can cross by boat to Myanmar where there is a small market and shopping centre selling duplicates of famous brands. If you are into shopping, this might be the place for you (make sure to negotiate prices).
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Day 3. Visit the Elephant sanctuary
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I am personally against elephants used for tourism, but if you really want to see elephants in their natural habitat, I've made some research and found a place where they rescue Elephants from circuses and keep them safe in the middle of the jungle, where they can play in the river and hang out freely.
I am not sure how much of this is true, as there were baby elephants as well, but at least I saw them happy and free.
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This place is called 'Into the Wild Elephant Camp' and includes transportation to the Camp and a delicious lunch with ingredients from the region.
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Bangkok
I was highly surprised by how stunning Bangkok is. Getting around is really easy as there are many transport modalities: bus, Skytrain (metro/tube), boats, tuk-tuk and taxis. It is recommended to have a day/weekly pass for the Skytrain, this is the best way to avoid traffic, as well as with the boats.
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People in Bangkok are very respectful and you'll see them lining up at the Skytrain platform before the train comes. They first let everyone on the train out, before boarding in a single line! this should be done everywhere in the world.
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What to wear?
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In the city, you can wear whatever you want, but if you are entering the temples you must cover your legs entirely, your arms up to the elbows, and the whole torso. They are more strict than in the North of Thailand with the dress code. If you don't oblige, even by 2cm to cover your legs or arms, they will make you buy an expensive and ugly baggy shirt/trousers. Make sure the fabric is light and airy, as it is quite warm.
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Also, be prepared for the rain, carry an umbrella, rain poncho and shoes that are comfortable if they get wet.
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I was at a temple when it started pouring with tropical rain for hours. Luckily we had umbrellas, and I had rubber sandals, but my friends that were wearing trainers with socks, were struggling. But the rain was so heavy that it flooded the place, and water was above my ankles, so my long skirt absorbed all the water and was quite heavy to carry. I had to buy elephant trousers in a store, but they were very cute and light so I was happy about the purchase.
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What to visit in Bangkok?
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• Different temples in the city, such as:
 Wat Pho - Temple of the Reclining Buddha |  Wat Pho (the Temple of the Reclining Buddha) |  Bangkok City Pillar Shrine |
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 Wat Arun - Temple of Dawn |  The Royal Grand Palace |
• Khlong latmayom floating market and Boat tour
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You need to go to the food market being very hungry to be able to try and enjoy all the delicious food:
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• Boat tour sightseeing canal side village
• Try the best Thai food in the world! There are many Michelin Star restaurants that are quite affordable.
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Jay Fai, is a celebrity in the food industry, with an episode just dedicated to her on the Netflix series 'Watch Street Food: Asia. However, you need to book at least 6 months in advance to get a place at her small humble restaurant.
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Next to hers, there is another Michelin star restaurant called 'Thipsamai' which won its star thanks to their utterly delicious Pad Thai. You just need to queue up to enter. The Pad Thai is the equivalent of only £3. The only downside is that you'll never try another Pad Thai in the world, as good as this one.
Ayutthaya
Ayutthaya used to be the capital of Thailand (Kingdom of Siam), until the invasion by the Burmese in 1767.
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It is a very easy and cheap journey, starting from Bangkok Train Station to Ayutthaya. The train might not be as comfortable as European trains, but they are more spacious, have windows wide open and the landscapes are beautiful.
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When you arrive at the train station, hire a tuk-tuk to take you to all the temples (negotiate the price as the first price they will give would be much higher than the 'real price').
 Train from Bangkok |  Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon |  |
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 |  Wat Chaiwatthanaram |  Wat Chaiwatthanaram |
 Wat lokayasutharam |  Wat Chaiwatthanaram |
General Recommendations when visiting Thailand
Before you begin this fantastic adventure, be sure to pack anti-mosquito spray, or have every day Thiamin (vitamin B1) for a couple of weeks before travelling to get immune to mosquitos.
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Take a hat with you and wear sunblock, the coolest months are from Nov-Feb and the hottest month is April. However, all through the year is very warm, so take light clothing that covers your legs, torso and shoulders, if you want to visit all the temples. Moreover, don't forget to hydrate yourself.
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Public toilets are generally squat ground toilets (sometimes a hole in the ground), so I recommend not to wear flip-flops, take toilet paper with you (in most places you won't find any) and anti-bacterial gel. Moreover, if you are a woman consider getting a standing urinate device because it is physically hard to use that toilet when you are not used to it.
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Take cash with you to pay for tuk-tuks and taxis, everywhere else cards are accepted, and they are ATMs in many places.
If you enjoyed this article, found out more about my different travels here.