<<Previous Photo Essay: Bac Ha Market, Vietnam).

1. Bangkok Pictures: A hectic Tuk Tuk ride through the streets of Bangkok.

2. Bangkok Pictures: The infamous backpacker hideout of Bangkok... The Khao San Road.

3. Bangkok Pictures: The Thai flag flies in the streets around the Khao San Road.

4. Bangkok Pictures: Happy faces from the fresh air of the Chao Phraya River.

5. Bangkok Pictures: Bangkok street food is some of the best I've ever tasted!

6. Bangkok Pictures: Wat Phra Kaew and the Grand Palace.

7. Bangkok Pictures: A shady spot with a beautiful Red and Gold door in the Grand Palace complex.

8. Bangkok Pictures: A golden spire reaching into a blue sky at the Grand Palace complex.

9. Bangkok Pictures: Golden statues glisten in the sunshine...

10. Bangkok Pictures: Golden faces line the walls outside the Temple of the Jade Buddha.

(Next Photo Essay: Sechseläuten festival, Zurich>>

If you’ve been to Bangkok and have a picture you want to share or think is better than mine then please add the link in the comments section… Mucho Mucho Love…

This little beauty is my favourite place in the world… That I’ve been. It’s a small island about 45 minutes away from Koh Phi Phi by long tail boat. The beaches are whiter than white and the only things on the island are a ranger hut and a small fishing community. The tourist boats stop coming after 3pm and for a small fee your allowed to camp (twice we camped over and twice we had the whole Island to ourselves). Watch our Travel Video – Bamboo Island Camping.

3 reasons to camp on Bamboo Island:

• It is a paradise Island with nobody else there.
• The coral reef just off shore is some of the best snorkelling I’ve ever done.
• It’s right under the nose of the tourist trail but still most people opt for camping on MaYa Bay (THE Beach from the movie “The Beach”)

2: Motorcycles on Highway 1, Laos.

Again it’s another one that most tourists in Laos will pass along but almost none will stop. For me the part of the road between Vang Vieng and Luang Probang is just breathtaking, I’ve heard it gets better the further north you go but if you rent a motorbike and ride it yourself you will see just what I’m talking about – doing this made me re-evaluate the way I travel and made me wonder what I had missed while on tourist buses thundering through the heart of a place. Watch our Travel Video – The Long Way Laos.

3 reasons to ride Highway 1:

• The scenery is epic and the road passes through some beautiful villages.
• A night in Phou Khoun will open your eyes to what real Laos village is like before the tourists arrive.
• Cresting the mountain and looking down to Luang Probang sat on the mighty Mekong is something you’ll never forget.

3: Thong Reng Beach, Koh Phangan, Thailand.

And finally, yet another place that is within spitting distance of the backpacker trail. It’s so close to Haad Rin you can almost see the lights but that’s what makes it such a quiet place. Just around the headland no more than 10 minutes by long tail boat this small cove has it all – cheap beach huts, great food and the feeling of being deserted on a paradise island. Thong Reng beach is one of the few places that as I’ve arrived I’ve thought
“I could live there forever.” Watch our Travel Video – Koh Phangan.

3 reasons to find your way to Thong Reng:

• It’s too close not to go and Koh Phangan has so much more than just the party.
• It’s home to a beautiful resort called Treehouse, with huts right on the sand.
• When you get there you will want to throw your passport into the sea and never leave.

Widescreen (1920 x 1200) | Standard (1280 x 1024)

(Next Photo Essay: Bac Ha Market, Northern Vietnam)

1. Jungle Trekking Chiang Mai: At times through some very thick Jungle.

2. Jungle Trekking Chiang Mai: Huts in small jungle villages made the simple life look beautiful.

3. Jungle Trekking Chiang Mai: The jungle has it's dangers for the flip flop wearer!

4. Jungle Trekking Chiang Mai: Children at a jungle village somewhere in Chiang Mai.

5. Jungle Trekking Chiang Mai: An old lady cleaning up after the hungry trekkers.

6. Jungle Trekking Chiang Mai: An old lady cleaning up after the hungry trekkers.

7. Jungle Trekking Chiang Mai: An Elephant and his Mahout, getting a rub down in the jungle.

8. Jungle Trekking Chiang Mai: The Elephant thought our camera was bananas...

9. Jungle Trekking Chiang Mai: After a few long days trekking we stayed in a jungle hut with views to die for.

10. Jungle Trekking Chiang Mai: Sore and tired, the views of the hills and jungle around Chiang Mai made up for it.

(Next Photo Essay: Bac Ha Market, Northern Vietnam)

If you’ve been jungle trekking in Chiang Mai and have a picture you would like to share please add the link in the comments section and it should magically appear, I’ll link back to you also… Mucho Mucho Love…

]]> http://happytimeblog.co.uk/travel-pictorials/pictures-jungle-trekking-chiang-mai/feed/ 13 http://happytimeblog.co.uk/thailand/backpacking-around-thailand-on-a-budget/ http://happytimeblog.co.uk/thailand/backpacking-around-thailand-on-a-budget/#comments Mon, 18 Jan 2010 23:47:31 +0000 Aaron Bradford | HappytimeBlog.co.uk http://happytimeblog.co.uk/?p=1877

Backpacking around Thailand on a budget is a little harder than in the rest of South East Asia, things have moved up in the world and budgets have gone with it.  But, there are still places to save money and often you’ll get a better deal or experience for it… Bangkok is one of those places, a traveller in the know can get a room and a Thai meal for less than 300b – bang on budget!

Below is a hand picked selection of tips, advice, pictures and our posts about budget travel in Thailand – Hopefully to help you stay on budget and inspire you to travel better.

Pictures From Thailand:

[salbumthumbs=7|10|9,3,n,n,centre]

Thailand Posts:                                          Travel Tips:

Slip Sliding down the Khao San Road…………………………………… Make money while you Travel
Bamboo Island Camping…………………………………………………. Off The beaten Track: Thailand
Getting down to Diving on Koh Tao…………………………………..Desktop Wallpaper Download
The Buckets of Haad Rin
The Best Sunset in the World

Thailand Travel Video:

How to get to Bamboo Island:

-Go to the pier on Koh Phi Phi (where all the boats are).
-There’s a small ticket office which has standardised the price on many day trips.
-There will be loads of boat drivers waiting for business.
-Try to bargain for the best deal that suits you.
(We took a boat all day and stopped at Maya bay and hidden lagoons on Phi Phi Ley then
Snorkelling around Phi Phi Don, finally dropped at Bamboo Island (3500b) incl pick up the next day.
-They will bargain but you have to be hard about it because there are so many of them.
-Don’t forget that once on Bamboo Island you have to pay a national park fee of 200b each and a tent fee of 400b for a 2 man tent or 500b for a 4 man.
-The boat driver will help and explain to the park ranger that you want to camp.

What to Take:

-Enough Food - Because Bamboo Island is a National Park paradise you cant bank on being able to have a fire to cook on (we did once) but the rule is generally NO Fires.
-Drink – There is a small hut on the island that stocks beers but they cost a fortune and the rangers sometimes go to bed early so take enough with you.
-Snorkel and Mask – The coral just off the beach at Bamboo Island is some of the best I’ve ever seen! We missed it the first time but when the boat drops you off you will see a roped off section of water IT’S THERE and IT’S BEAUTIFUL!
-Money – There is a small fishing community on the island, the rangers will probably tell you about it and they can if you need it sell you plenty of Squid and fish for a BBQ, offer the ranger a beer and he will cook it up on the Island BBQ.

I can’t stress enough how much more you see when you camp on Bamboo Island, as the sun sets and the tourist boats leave it starts to get almost too beautiful, in the morning there’s no better way to wake up than with a dawn snorkelling session…

First on the Off the Beaten Track list is my favourite place in the world – Bamboo Island just off Koh Phi Phi:
Phi Phi is a place on most peoples list if they’re planning a trip through Thailand and honestly, although Phi Phi has a lot to offer the reality is that the beach isn’t great and there are far too many boats about to enjoy the water (see Nomadic Matt’s post about Koh Phi Phi). But therein lies the key to Phi Phi, the boats are there for a reason and that reason is the stunning national park islands that surround Phi Phi Don. Most people head out on a boat trip to see Maya Bay where the beach was filmed and to do a spot of snorkelling, often these trips are readily available in most travel agents but the key is to go down to the main pier where the ferry brings you in and deal with the longtail boatmen yourself.

Personally I think Maya bay is a must and so is a short trip around some of the stunning hidden bays filled with glowing emerald water but don’t be tempted to stay a night at Maya bay (camping is offered for one night), instead get the boat driver to drop you on Bamboo island, 45 minutes in the other direction to Maya bay it is a small and stunning island fringed with some of the best coral and marine life I have ever laid goggles on. The rangers will throw a tent up for you and there is a small settlement of fishermen who will be only to happy to sell you the catch of the day and help you cook it up. We have been lucky enough to go there and camp twice, both times we were the only people and by 4 pm the tourist day boats had gone and we had the island to ourselves… Once to watch a storm roll in and once to get hammered with the rangers… Good times.

So there you have it, look out for the “Off the beaten track” category and I will keep adding our favourites to it.

It’s been almost a week now since our teary goodbyes in Sihanokville, the morning after we scraped ourselves together and got the stupidly early bus to Bangkok bus as is always the case when taking a long distance bus that crosses a border… Things don’t always go to plan. Yet again one VIP ticket + Border crossing = cramped minivan the other side. Not that it bothers us much because we are used to it but it kind of set the tone for the long journey back to Kuala Lumpur.

We arrived in Bangkok not quite an hour after we were supposed to and quickly found a room down the Khao San road, from the very second we arrived Georgie’s agenda was taking over and that agenda was shopping. Faced with an imminent return to the UK she was dead set on spending what money we had left and some we didn’t on pretty things and who am I to deny a pretty lady of her trinkets.

We had a little stroll up the KSR before the journey caught up with me and I retired to the room leaving Georgie to shop until she dropped… Which wasn’t long.

The same happened the following two days except that Toby met up with us before he flew back home for one last Bangkok blow out… Only thing was there was no blow out, I think we have all been bang on it a little too long and short of a few social beers we did nothing but relax and enjoy the last moments of our time in Asia together. Bangkok took it out of us, Georgie has the stamina of an army where shopping is concerned and it was as much as Toby and I could do to keep up with her and by the time he left us it was clear we all needed a rest.

We didn’t have the luxury of leaving from Bangkok airport our tickets out are for Kuala Lumpur which meant whatever way we looked at it, the cheapest option was a bus and a bus meant 24 hours, not all in one go but still a bit much even for us hardened travelers. The problem is that when you travel long distances on a bus it’s similar to a plane, you do everything in your power to pass the time as quickly as possible and it turns into a battle between you and the journey. Comfort becomes the primary concern and as the scenery passes it’s nothing more than a distraction from your book, every bump is an annoyance and every delay is infuriating… Don’t know if you can tell but what I’m getting at is that if we had our own transport (for instance a Honda 250 Baja) the journey becomes part of the trip, something to enjoy and experience instead of hassle and agro.

We hadn’t left ourselves enough time for a break so when we finally got on the bus we had to get some sleep… That’s where the trip to the Cambodian pharmacy comes in and we are out like lights… Well until that is a man a few seats away starts snoring with such ferocity that it sounds as if someone is actually sawing wood with a chainsaw on the bus, even a good dose of Valium couldn’t block that out so drastic action was required. When we got aboard the VIP bus we were given a small pack lunch containing a few cakes, drinks and a couple of boiled sweets and seeing as we had eaten the cakes already the sweets became the tools of silence… We tried subtle measures to snap the man out of his chainsaw like slumber but that didn’t work so the sweets were hurled and several direct hits later the snoring was over, but as I’m sure anyone who has to deal with snoring knows – it will come again and soon… Ear plugs in and the Valium did the rest.

We woke up this morning in Hat Yai once again and with a few hours to kill until our connection to KL we set off in search of strong coffee and breakfast, we found a lovely little family run Chinese cafe decorated with picture frames filled with old money from around the world, in one was an old note with Saddam Houssein on it!

Our bus to KL was as good as we could have wanted, luxurious and comfortable… And no snorers but it was long and there is nothing like one long bus journey to highlight how long the next on is.

Finally we arrived in Kuala Lumpur, 27 hours after leaving Bangkok and to top it off Georgie had come over feeling rough… Really rough.

We had one final bus to catch from the center of KL out to the airport where we had planned to sleep, but on the way to the airport bus Georgie started throwing up all over the shop. We had no time to hang about, although our flight wasn’t due to leave until the next morning it was an early one and we knew we would miss it if we stayed in the center, so I took the two backpacks (now stuffed with goodies and weighing in close to 25kg each) and Georgie took the small ones. We made it to the airport and attempted to get a room at the only affordable hotel nearby – Tune, only to be turned away… A few other backpackers were also turned away, apparently they had no rooms but it really seemed like they just didn’t want a bunch of smelly hippies dirtying the place up. I humped the bags on once again and we hiked back to the airport (got to be close to a kilometer both ways) luckily Georgie had started to feel a bit better despite the blow that we couldn’t have a bed so as I type she is asleep on the softest seats we could find and I am WIRED on a few too many coffee’s… We have five more hours until the next monster journey twelve hour flight back to the UK and to be honest I cant wait…

Don’t get me wrong I’m not moaning or ranting, I am merely relaying the events of the last few days and despite it all, the buses, the back ache, the sick, no sleep, no beds… It’s what it’s all about and I’d do it again in a heartbeat!

Widescreen (1920 x 1200) | Standard (1280 x 1024) 

Watch more of our Travel Videos.

Watch more of our Travel Videos.