Thailand (Day 27-34)

Day 27 Bangkok

After we passed through the border controls, where we weren't asked anything by the way, we picked up our backpacks. Then we went to Starbucks to have some coffee.

We stayed there for about 2 hours until we headed to our “hotel.” Upon arrival, however, we couldn't check in yet because it was too early and the room wasn't ready.

Fortunately, we could leave our luggage there. So, I looked for a nearby restaurant where we could have breakfast. To my luck, I found a completely vegan restaurant. We spent a few hours there and then took a walk in the area. At 1:30, we could finally go to our room. After a shower, we immediately went to bed and slept until 6 in the evening.

Then we went to a night market in the city. Here, there are many different food stalls and clothing stands.

However, it wasn't easy to find something vegan, as most dishes contained meat or fish. In the end, I was able to eat dumplings and a kind of flatbread. For dessert, we had the famous Mango Sticky Rice, which is truly worth the hype.

Then it was back to our accommodation and off to bed.

I can already say that I find the weather here a bit more pleasant. It's even hotter than in Sri Lanka but you don't start sweating within 2 seconds. Also, people drive much more orderly here than in Sri Lanka, and there isn’t such chaos on the road.

Day 28 Bangkok

We got our breakfast at 7/11, which is a type of supermarket. Jan got one of the famous cheese sandwiches that are toasted on the spot. For me, there was a protein shake and a really delicious pineapple from a street vendor.

We then took the skytrain into the city. First, we went to the massive MBK Center. There are 100 stores offering everything imaginable. It is especially known for its counterfeit products—everything from fake jerseys to designer watches.

After that, we headed to Song Wat Street. There are many small cafés and shops here. After getting a coffee, we walked further to Chinatown. Chinatown is really huge, and there was a kind of enormous market where you can find almost anything.

Afterwards, we walked around the city a bit more and then made our way back.

After a short break, we set out again to find something to eat. This turned out to be a bit difficult, as the roadside stalls only sold meat and fish, and the people didn’t speak English. Eventually, I found something at 7/11. We then ate our dinner at the roadside and headed back to our accommodation.

Day 29 Bangkok

We stayed at our accommodation until around noon and then took a taxi to Asiatique Riverfront. It's a kind of night market, but unfortunately, the first shops only open at 2 PM. So, we went searching for something to eat since we hadn’t had breakfast yet.

We first went to Starbucks for a coffee.

After that, we fortunately found a Thai restaurant that was already open. Then we made our way to the Chuchat market, which is a massive vintage market. You could really spend the whole day here. In the different floors, there were everything from antiques to jewelry and clothes. I even found something and bought myself an anklet. After all the shopping, we went to the top floor for dinner. I had the famous Pad Thai for the first time.

Afterwards, we looked for a taxi that was supposed to take us to the boxing stadium. The driver was older and a bit confused. He took my phone and used Google Maps. After he got lost, we told him just to let us out right there. We found ourselves somewhere in the middle of nowhere. Luckily, a man approached us and arranged a tuk-tuk that took us to the stadium.

The Muay Thai fights started precisely at 7 PM. The first fight was between two women, and there was even blood. After that, there were several fights, and even a German boxer fought.

The regular fights went for 3 rounds each. The main fight for the title and the cash prize even went for 5 rounds. It remained exciting until the end, as it stood at a tie after the fourth round. Between the fights, there were also different tasks. For example, someone from the audience was shown on the screen and had to finish their drink. There was free beer that evening, which Jan appreciated.

After the fight, we went to a rooftop bar. However, we only got a drink and enjoyed the view of Bangkok at night.

Day 30 Night Train to Chiang Mai

After checking out, we took a taxi to the city. We had lunch at a shopping mall first. After that, we had a delicious but very expensive soft serve ice cream.

We decided to go on a boat tour since we had to carry all our luggage around. The tour lasted about 2 hours, and we passed several sights. Most people, however, use the boat more like a taxi than for a tour.

At the end station, we disembarked and felt like we were somewhere in the middle of nowhere. We went into the first shop we found and got a drink. We spent about an hour there until we took a taxi to the train station. Once there, we got something for dinner. The train arrived at 7 PM. Initially, we didn't have seats next to each other, but fortunately the seat across from me was still free. After about an hour, the seats were converted into beds, and we could lie down.

The ride itself was relaxing, but I kept waking up whenever the train stopped or someone walked past me. Jan had the bad luck of having to sleep in the upper bunk, where the light was on all night.

Day 31 Chiang Mai

At 6 AM, we were woken up by the train staff, and our beds were turned back into seats. Shortly after 7, we arrived in Chiang Mai. We decided to take a taxi to the hotel first. Upon arrival, we couldn't check in yet, but at least we could drop off our luggage.

Then we headed into the city for breakfast. We are really lucky with the location of our hotel since we are right in the center.

After having vegan pancakes for breakfast, we made our way to a temple. There are really many temples in this city, so you'd never manage to see them all. The temple was really large and very beautiful. There were several smaller buildings with golden Buddhas inside.

After visiting the temple, we continued walking through the city. We walked through a few small shops and even bought a skirt. Then we went for lunch, this time at a vegan restaurant once again. I’m really positively surprised by how many vegan restaurants there are here in Chiang Mai. Afterwards, we made our way back to the hotel. During this walk, I discovered a Decathlon and immediately bought a small microfiber towel since I lost my own in Sri Lanka.

After that, we were able to check in and lay down in bed for a bit. In the evening, we went to a night market.

To my luck, there were again a few vegan dishes available.

Day 32 Chiang Mai

In the morning, we headed back to the city center for breakfast. After breakfast, we looked for scooter rentals and asked how much they cost. The first one we asked ended up being the cheapest. So, we got our documents from the hotel and returned to rent a scooter for the next three days. Our plan was to visit two waterfalls, but according to the weather app, it was supposed to rain all day. We decided to stay near the city instead and first went to a park. Afterwards, we drove to a farmers market. However, it was quite small, and we only had a coffee there. After that, we made our way to the old town to a vegan restaurant. There, we ran into our acquaintance from the night train again. We chatted, and in the end, she wrote down some recommendations for the area.

Afterwards, we went for our first Thai massage. Then we returned to the hotel, and I took another round in the pool. In the evening, we went back to the night market.

Day 33 Chiang Mai

In the morning, we once again made our way into the city for breakfast. I was very fortunate to eat avocado toast made with real sourdough bread. That is one of the things that I or we have really forgotten. A truly fresh bread, fresh rolls from the baker on Saturdays, or a fresh pretzel would be a dream.

After breakfast, we headed to the sticky waterfall. We drove for just over an hour, which was plenty for me. Riding the scooter is definitely not very comfortable. The waterfall was really cool as you could climb all the way to the top. It was made of a kind of limestone, which meant it wasn't slippery, and you could walk up easily.

Afterward, we went to the next waterfall, which was artificially created and part of a whole park. The whole place looked truly magical. You could explore little caves and the various waterfalls. As we continued walking through the park, we discovered a rabbit and a goat enclosure. You could feed them for a small fee, but of course, we didn’t do that. Had I known about the animals beforehand, I wouldn’t have entered the park. The rabbits and goats were in an enclosure that only had a stone floor, and there was no proper food in sight. Afterward, we left the park and headed back to the city. Here, we went to a new vegan restaurant, where we again met our acquaintance from the train.

Then we went back to the hotel and rested a bit.

In the evening, we went back to the night market.

Day 34 Chiang Mai

After what felt like an eternity, it was time to do laundry again. Fortunately, this is a small issue here. We simply looked for a laundromat nearby and filled the washing machine. The woman there told us we could come back in an hour. So, we went to have breakfast in the old town and returned after an hour. By then, our laundry was already completely dry and folded. Afterwards, we set out on our exploration tour. However, this was interrupted after only 5 minutes. We were stopped by the police and were supposed to pay a 500 baht fine because we didn’t have a motorcycle license. However, we had until 6 PM to pay at the police station, after which we could continue riding for 3 more days.

We then continued into the mountains. We made several stops at places we liked. From here, there was a really good view of the city. After about half an hour, we arrived at a temple. After what felt like 1000 stairs, we finally reached the entrance and visited the temple. There were many gilded Buddha statues, and several monks were walking around. In some buildings, you could also get blessed by a monk.

Afterwards, we went right under the temple for something to eat. It was also not hard to find something vegan here, and many items were labeled as vegan as well. After that, our tour continued, and we made a few more stops until we ended up at a small restaurant somewhere in the middle of nowhere. Here, we had a coffee and a tea. Afterwards, we searched for the route to the police station, as we had to pay by 6 PM at the latest. We followed Google Maps and ended up on a rocky and very uneven road. At the first fork, we almost went the wrong way if locals hadn’t shown us the correct path. This road kept getting worse and narrower. At times, I really thought we would have an accident. Despite the terrible road, we drove through stunningly beautiful landscapes. We passed plantations and small huts. After more than an hour, we finally reached a paved road. I had never been so happy about a road. We arrived at the police station at 5:50 PM and paid our fine. I was incredibly relieved when we arrived at the hotel because that long scooter ride was quite painful, and I couldn’t sit down afterwards.

In the evening, we headed back to the night market. On the way back, we encountered a small white dog that was extremely happy to see us. I, of course, was equally delighted and petted it immediately. My new friend accompanied us the rest of the way and would have probably come into the hotel with us if another dog hadn't come along and chased it away. Jan was quite glad about that, but I was not. I had already planned to end our trip and fly home with my new dog.

In general, there are significantly fewer street dogs here than in Sri Lanka. Additionally, it cools down a bit more in the evenings, so you’re not completely soaked in sweat.