THAILAND

I dropped my burner winter coat and a bunch of heavier clothes as I left wintery Europe, to arrive in the beautifully warm climate of Southeast Asia. Being a warm-weather fiend, I wished I'd had more time to spend here. It was fantastic for so many reasons; my Canadian dollar got me so much more for so much less, the weather was ideal, the people were friendly, the food was spicy & flavourful.

I prefer to travel alone. I never have to compromise or work to other schedules, or try to keep others happy. I love the freedom of moving at my own pace and doing what I want to do. Perhaps that's selfish. Fine. But in hindsight, the only off-vibes I got in Thailand were from my fellow travelers. Almost as though traveling by myself, made others view me with suspicion; maybe seeing me as some pervert, or sex tourist or maybe even worse...

My recommendation for traveling Thailand would be to go with someone; a spouse, a buddy, maybe a small group. But going it alone may get you the stink-eye from some people. However, I never got that vibe from the locals who were always kind & helpful. Highly recommended country. Thailand was the highlight of my 'Eurasiaus' odyssey.

Bangkok

I'd heard all kinds of stuff about Thailand, particularly Bangkok from lots of people and lots of books. I've never been a fan of big cities; my approach has always been to leave them for the quieter rural areas as quickly as possible. Despite the sprawl of this massive Asian megalopolis, I enjoyed myself while staying at a quiet, comfortable hostel to get acclimatized after chilly Europe and met some great girls with whom I caught a train west to Kanchanaburi.

Kanchanaburi

After a 2-hour train ride from Bangkok, Myself and a few new friends spent a few days checking out the famed Bridge over the River Kwai. The Burmese railway and bridge had been built in 1942 by forced labourers and Allied prisoners of war when Kanchanaburi was under Japanese control.

Checked out the surrounding areas on bike & scooter, including an amazing giant Monkey-Pod tree. The cold Tiger beers went down well afterwards.

Tiger Temple

A bit shameful this one is, and I knew it walking in, but I still had to see it for myself. The Tiger Temple was a bit of a tourist (and animal) trap where sick or orphaned tigers were brought back to health and cared for by so-called monks. Getting this close to one of your favorite (not to mention badass) animals was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Much the way I feel towards zoo's, lots of mixed feelings about animals being kept captive.
After many investigations of abuse and mistreatment, the temple was closed in 2016.

Places In-Between Others

The warmth agrees with me. I don't reckon I had a bad minute in Thailand simply because there it was always 'shorts & tee-shirt' weather. Buses and trains took me through some quiet, relaxed and enjoyable places as I traveled from Bangkok to points further south.

See if you can spot the mid-air monkey in one of these pics...

Ko Tao

My island-hopping adventures began with this small speck in the Gulf of Thailand. Ko Tao (meaning Turtle Island) was quiet and beautiful. My rental bungalow (called View Rock resort) was as advertised and listening to the sea night and day induced Zen-like calmness. Easy to see how people come to places like this to disconnect and be Buddha-like.

Ko Pha-ngan

The second island in my week-long island hopping tour in the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea was renowned for its full-moon rave-like parties which I was happy to miss.

By now, I'd distilled a nice little formula; as soon as I found my accommodations, I'd hit up one of the scooter hire places that were plentiful in each town/village. I'd hand over my passport (which, granted, was risky) and some Thai baht ($) and they'd hand me the keys. This widened my search radius massively and let me get to some pretty off-the-beaten-path spots.

Great food, friendly people.

Phuket

Pronounced Poo-Get, this island was ravaged by a Tsunami in 2004 with huge devastation and loss of life. The intrepid Thai's rebuilt it admirably and it stands as a fresh, new spot that still attracts loads of tourists. It was worth a visit, but a little too busy for me.

Ko Phi Phi

Party time. Well, more accurate to say beach and sun all day, then Thai buckets, new friends, and evening stumbling at night. Much fun in the sun.

Ko Lanta

My last island before returning to the mainland to head further south. Sunsets on a western Thai island are among the best in the world, I’d reckon. Stayed at a beautiful cabana right by the beach for cheap. Fantastic.