Thai travel diary: A school term full of adventures (2)

By alesheek | June 30, 2020 | Comments 0 Comment

Do you want to travel? Do it! There’s no better time than now. There may never be the right time. There may never be the perfect time. There may not be tomorrow.

With my Thai journey coming to an end soon, I wanted to see as much as possible. And so during the last term I went on more trips than before.

.: TRAVEL * EXPLORE * LIVE :.

Term trip #4: Koh Mak & Koh Chang

I loved going to the seaside while living in Thailand. And so for the New Year’s holiday I decided to go to two islands, Koh Mak and Koh Chang, because they were on my list and also because they were some of the nearest islands to where I lived.

I’ve read that Koh Chang is one of the most beautiful islands (or the most beautiful island) in Thailand. Although very nice, it won’t beat Koh Kood as far as I’m concerned. From the 3 main islands in the Trat province, Koh Kood is my top pick, followed by Koh Mak, Koh Chang being at the bottom.

Yet, I had a super cool day there. After two days exploring two islands on foot I rented a motorbike and went to two farthest beaches from where I was staying. And it was totally worth it. Because the beaches I had seen before on Koh Chang were a far cry from the beautiful beaches of Koh Kood.

The Long Beach and the Wai Chaek beach made up for the disappointment. They are the most beautiful beaches on the island with the clearest water and the fewest people. I had to ride over 50 km to reach them. The Wai Check beach is accessed by a 4 km long road which is in a very bad condition and will test your riding skills. It was so totally worth it. Not more than 10 people there.

Happy New Year 2020!!!

Happy New Year 2020 at Koh Chang (my third New Year’s Eve in a row in Thailand)

Term trip #5 .:. Isaan trip #4: Ubon Ratchatani

I took a train to Ubon Ratchatani, the easternmost railway station in Thailand. I mainly came there to visit Sam Phan Bok, the so called Grand Canyon of Thailand, a place where a foreigner rarely pays a visit.

I rented a motorbike (scooter) because it’s about 120 km away from the city and set out to explore one of the most remote areas of Thailand right at the border with Laos. I visited a Mun river viewpoint, Pha Taem National Park with the mushroom rocks, Wat Tham Khuha Sawan Temple and Sam Phan Bok. After more than a year I got another glimpse of the today not so mighty Mekong River. I covered a distance of 300 km which was very tiring but totally worthwhile.

I got a flat tyre but luckily there was a garage nearby and I had it fixed in about 5 minutes for 100 baht. I was so glad.

Sao Chaliang Yai (Pha Taem National Park)

Golden Candle Monument (Ubon Ratchatani)

Term trip #6: Hua Hin

On the road again. I wanted to go to the seaside again. But the sea was so far from Dan Khun Thot. But I’m a traveller. And so I took a bus to Korat, then an overnight train to Bangkok and then a morning train to Hua Hin.

Hua Hin is a very popular seaside resort city south of Bangkok. I’m not a fan of such places, but I am a fan of the sea. Since it was one of the closest places to Dan Khun Thot I didn’t mind going there.

It wasn’t crowded like I had expected. I managed to find a beautiful stretch of beach where there weren’t almost any people. But the sea wasn’t very nice. Yet, I enjoyed taking a dip, probably knowing it might be my last visit trip to the seaside.

If you are a vegan or a vegetarian look for a restaurant with this flag/sign

Term trip #7 .:. Isaan trip #5: Nong Khai

I visited Nong Khai in December 2017 while on a trip around the world. I loved the place back then. It was a nice transition. To arrive in the land of smiles. And I loved the place the second time, too.

I love cities and towns with large rivers. Nong Khai is such a city. And knowing there’s another country just across the river makes my heart skip a beat. A traveler always dreams of going places. I always dream of going places.

Sala Kaew Ku is a park featuring giant fantastic concrete sculptures inspired by Buddhism and Hinduism. And this sculpture park was the reason I decided to return to Nong Khai after two years as I hadn’t seen it back then. No regrets. It was worth it. I loved it.

Term trip #8 .:. Isaan trip #6: Phu Kradeung

My last trip during the term was to the mountaineous province of Loei. I was planning on visiting three different national parks to get the most out of my trip, but I ended up visiting a single park. Which was more than enough.

I went hiking in the Phu Kradeung National Park. It was a good hike, one of two real ones I went on in Thailand. It’s rare. Still seeing the sign at the top made me feel amused rather than proud or accomplished. 1.288 m. Yes, I’ve never been higher. In Thailand, that is. But for a lot of locals it may be an accomplishment of a lifetime.