Thailand - Chasing the Wow

Koh Tao Diving and Island Life

Koh Tao in Thailand is one of the world’s most famous places to learn to dive, with warm water, cheap courses and easy dive sites. I’d argue that the diving isn’t as world-class as other places nearby (its a bit to crowded to be honest), but what really makes Koh Tao special is the island itself – great beaches, a lively backpacker scene and the kind of relaxed atmosphere that makes people never leave.

It’s real highlight is the Sai Ri Beach backpacker vibe – I can’t think of too many places that have that wonderful combo of chilled + party ✅, sunset views ✅, cheap + high end options ✅, and without being ruined by cars and mopeds ✅. They’ve really nailed it.

Plus, taking a moped round the very accessible island to a lot of the hidden spots is one of the best moped experiences in SE Asia.

If you drop your expectations of it being “world class diving”, and enjoy it for a chilled island getaway that offers beautiful scenery and ease of turning the on/off switch for partying, it’s a great little trip.

Mopeds along the Thai / Laos border near Chiang Rai

The Lonely Planet categorises the drive from Chiang Kong to Phayao as Thailand’s most stunning route, and I’d have to agree. This dramatic road hugs the steep mountainsides along the Thai-Laos border passing waterfalls, sensational vistas both into Thailand and Laos, and various national parks.

I’m sure you could easily do it as a tour, but its way more fun to hire some mopeds and zip along at your own pace, especially considering the hundreds of great turns and the surprisingly high quality of the roads.

Chiang Rai overnight trek into the nearby hills

The countryside around Chiang Rai is some of the prettiest in Thailand, and doing an overnight trek into the nearby hills and villages turned out to be one of the nicest surprises of our time in the country. This isn’t a world-famous trek and it’s not somewhere you go for dramatic, jaw-dropping scenery, but the combination of gentle hiking, rural scenery, village life and excellent weather (Oct-Feb) makes this a really enjoyable 2-day experience.

The trekking itself isn’t particularly difficult. You’re mostly walking through rolling hills, farmland, forest and small villages rather than steep mountains, and the experience is as much about seeing rural Northern Thailand and staying overnight in a village as it is about the walking itself.

Is it worth it? If you’re in Northern Thailand and you have a couple of spare days, then yes, I think this is a very good use of time — especially in January and February when the weather in this part of Thailand is close to perfect. It’s not one of the absolute “must-do” experiences in the world, but it’s a very enjoyable, easy adventure and a great way to see a different side of Thailand.

In a nutshell:

A 2-day / 1-night trek into the hills and villages around Chiang Rai
More “pretty countryside” than dramatic mountains
As much about the village stay and rural scenery as the hiking
Best in January and February when the weather is excellent
A really nice way to spend a couple of days in Northern Thailand if you like the outdoors

High-level tips:

#1 Go with the 2 days trip – 1 day would just be a bit rushed once you factor in the transport, hiking, food etc, plus you won’t get that sunset feel of being in the village. 3 days – whilst there is a lot of countryside, you’ll see that it is the same few highlight spots that get called out and 3 days will feel quite samesy.

#2 I’d recommend going with Bamboo Tours – we actually went with Rai Pian Karuna, who were well organised and nice but, as with so many of these things, our experience depended on the guide who unfortunately wasn’t great. After doing a bit of research, Rai Pian Karuna tend to simply get people from the villages (often with very poor english) to walk you from drop off to their village and cook for you at home – which is nice, but it felt a little bit of a waste compared to having a proper guide who showed you more. Note that Bamboo Tours rated 5/5 on Tripadvisor, whereas Rai Pian Karuna 4.2/5. Certainly, not the be-all-and-end-all, but indicative. Both were around 3000B (USD80).

#3 Try to go October to February – the weather is just perfect, with dry heat, bright blue skies, cool mornings and evenings, and hit afternoons. Plus, March is when they start the burning and you don’t want to be there for that.

#4 Chiang Rai itself is nice as a base, but no more – yes it has the temples and market, yes it has some nice hotels for recharging, but you are there for the surrounding countryside.

#5 The highlight of the nearby area for us was – Mopeds along the Thai / Laos border near Chiang Rai. Spectacular scenery and something fun about zipping about on the windy roads with a moped.

Exploring Chiang Mai

You’ll typically have to travel through Chiang Mai if exploring Northern Thailand, and its actually quite a nice spot to spend a couple of days to recharge before your head off on your next adventure.

Whilst it is developing at quite a pace, it still maintains a nice combo of chilled out vibe, ancient Old Town, plus having all the amenities and a bunch of things to keep you occupied for one of two days.

High level tips:

The Monk’s Trail to the temples of Wat Pha Lat and Wat Phra That Doi Suthep in the nearby western hills of the city is worth doing. The walk itself is nice, the temples quite cool and the views from the top worth it. You can walk from the Chiang Mai University, or, considering the heat, its easier just to get a Grab taxi (super easy to get) to the start of the trail
One of the main things Chiang Mai is famous for is Khao Soi — a Northern Thai curry noodle soup — and the best place to try it is at the night markets. Talat Pratu Chang Pheuak market was easy to get to, and aim for the Cowboy Hat Lady (you can’t miss her).
Have sundowners on the rooftop of one of the hotels / bars – Chiang Mai is flat, but surrounded by hills on all sides. The sunsets are beautiful, and would really recommend from Hotel YaYee
There are some fab restaurants in Chiang Mai – just wander through the streets full of them. Our favourite was Huen Muan Jai
Best time of year to visit is November to February – the weather really is perfect, with super clear blue skies, warm days and cooler nights. Don’t go in March – that is when the farmers do the burning and the air is horrible
The inner town is easily walkable, but its often easier to just set up a Grab account to get around. There seem to be thousands of them, really cheap and a bit of a life saver in the heat
If trying the weed, go very slow. We tried two of the joints and entered another dimension
Accommodation – we stayed at the Yesterday Hotel and would recommend

Nice opportunity to enter “Insanity” mode

Relaxing on the beaches of Phuket

Phuket is a beautiful spot to chill out at for a few days. ✅ Accommodation and eating options right up there in standard with just about anywhere. ✅ Beautiful sunset beaches. ✅ Great opportunities for partying / lash. ✅ Good scuba diving to the south. ✅ Enough scale to head off on trips all around the peninsular.

Yes, its touristy, but it ticks the chill out vibe after a few weeks of travelling or as a simple break from any of the nearby Asian cities.

Only a very brief travel entry, so a few high level tips:

Even if there for full on partying/ lash – try not to stay in Patong. It’s great for the nights out, but there are just so many wonderful options slightly further away in the hills and on the beaches for the same prices. Staying in one of these villas typically is the highlight for me
There are a bunch of islands off the east coast of Phuket that you can visit as part of day tour with a variety of operators leaving from Yamu Pier. The islands are great, but you just need to be careful who you book with because it is very easy to get rammed into a full tourist boat that won’t quite hit the paradise vibe you’re looking for
Definitely visit the Sunday Phuket Street Market in the Old Town – I was blown away by how good it was and just how atmospheric the old town is. Also known as Lard Yai or the Sunday Walking Street Market, located on Thalang Road, its open every Sunday from 4pm-10pm
When in Patong, even if not there for a giant night out, make sure to head to Tiger Bar . . . and you can’t miss Suzie Wongs. Both kind of sum up the Patong vibe with something like 50 different mini bars each with their own theme in Tiger Bar, and Suzie’s is an institution – be sure to go the original one!
There are some super spots for scuba diving all around Phuket, in particular the ferry reef dive off Raja Yai in the south is superb, with heaps of large cleaner fish that come up super close.

7/8 week itinerary for the highlights of South East Asia

South East Asia has to be the premier world traveling region. A big call? For sure, but consider what genuinely world class offerings it can provide:

World class beaches and coastal areas – think of THAT beach in Ko Phi Phi and HaLong Bay, one of the Natural Wonders of the World
World class food – think Thai, Vietnamese, Malay and the genuine fusion into the mix with the large established Indian and Chinese communities
World class ancient sites and history – think of the temples of the “8th Wonder of the World” of Angkor Wat, and the breathtaking site of the pagodas stretching across the plain in Bagan
World class cities and party locations – think of Singapore as the city of the future and the Full Moon Parties on Ko Pha-Ngan

And all this in a place that is super safe, outrageously friendly, easy and cheap to travel in. A must for any keen traveler and the below itinerary will give you the highlights – enjoy!

Ko Pha Ngan and Ko Samui – mopeds, beaches, ping pong shows and full moon parties

God I’ve been to Ko Pha Ngan and Ko Samui for full moon parties and general partying a few times and to be honest its always been a bit of a blur! So this is a very short entry!

My overriding memory though is that the whole experience, whilst getting now very commercialised, is great fun and, if you’re travelling through this part of the world, it is a must. The islands are surrounded by beautiful beaches, food is great, you have endless variety of accommodation options and its is the easiest country to travel in in SE Asia. Main tips:

#1 Full moon party and half moon parties – the famous Ko Pha Ngan full moon party obvious happens roughly every month, but you do also have the half moon party which can give you an option if your timings don’t work

#2 Ko Pha Ngan or Ko Samui – I’ve stayed on both Ko Pha Ngan and Ko Samui for the full moon parties. Whilst Ko Pha Ngan is obviously more convenient, there are heaps of regular boats back to Ko Samui throughout the night and the morning. They only take 30-40mins and leave from any of Bangrak Pier (Big Buddha Pier), Maenam Pier (Pralarn Pier), or Nathon Pier (main town port).

3. Mopeds / taxis – getting around both islands is very easy with the taxis and ubers available, but its also par for the course to drive around on one of the mopeds. Its great fun, just be careful – many of us have the scars from falls from mopeds on these islands!

4. The bars and clubs on both islands have the full range from all-above-board to about as sleazy as it gets, so you’re kind of going to have to roll the dice to see what you get . . . and you can usually tell within he first 2 seconds of walking in. The most famous on is Suzie Wong’s (there are now 3 of them right next to each other), which gets a bit of a bad reputation, but I’d say give it a go because, whilst it is a strip joint, you’ll find it quite a tame one and you’ll see many couples in there checking it out for pure curiosity (and staying for several drinks). A good fun place and you can always leave if you don’t like it.

Cycling through Bangkok’s green Phrapradaeng Peninsular

When I first visited Bangkok I remember reading in the guide book, “fasten your seat belts, this is South East Asia’s centre of backpacker energy with all manner of ways to get into trouble”. For backpackers, I think this was fairly accurate and it’s always worth a trip to the Koh San road to get a feel for this energy if it’s your first time in Bangkok. If your a bit older, Bangkok also offers some of the best value rooftop bars and restaurants in all of Asia.

But it’s not all ping pong shows and refined dinning – you can also have a surprisingly rural experience right in the centre of Bangkok in its Phrapradaeng Peninsular, aka Bangkok’s Green Lung.

Best way to do it is a rent a bike – heaps of places to do so and your hotel / hostel can easily help – and head to the Khlong Toei Pier to take the regular boats over the river to the peninsular. From there, just head off through the canals, orchards, jungle and have a wander through the Bang Nam Pheung Market at the weekends. Can easily take a day passing through there and can still give yourself all the time to get loose in the evening in Bangkok’s mayhem.

Diving and relaxing around Ko Phi Phi

I remember when returning from my first long trip around South East Asia, the place that most stuck in my mind as meeting the expectations of island paradise was Ko Phi Phi. It had white sand beaches, stunning jungle interiors, coral reefs just off the beach and tall jagged karst hills jutting throughout. In the middle of all that you had the wonderful Thai people and Thai food, the ease of travelling, plenty of options nearby for world-class diving and, of course, THAT world-famous beach.

That experience is still there to be had, but you just need to plan it a bit more to avoid what, unfortunately, has become a bit of a mess in various parts of the town as the development has been allowed to run riot. The effect is that large parts of the islands won’t give you that island paradise vibe and, also unfortunately, THAT famous beach is sometimes closed to allow it to recover from what has been years of damage.

(I decided, frustratingly, to lose most of my photos from my trip, so this is a very short travel entry)

So, my key tips for giving yourself the best chance of that paradise vibe are:

#1 Aim for the east coast or Hat Yao area. It’ll take you longer to get there by speed boat, but once you’re there it’ll be worth it and, to be honest if you’ve chosen the right place, you’ll probably want to stay there and just enjoy for a few days

#2 Make sure to still take one of the day trips to Ko Phi Leh (Ko Phi Phi Don and Koh Phi Phi Lei are the 2 islands that make up Ko Phi Phi). Whilst THAT beach may be closed, the island itself is still beautiful and untouched by development

#3 Hike the 30mins up to the Phi Phi viewpoint as it will give you unbeatable views around the island and a chance to go for a bit of an explore

#4 Give yourself a day or two for scuba diving. There are beautiful reefs nearby and the chance for whale sharks in February and March

#5 Include Koh Phi Phi as the centre part of a trip between Phuket and Krabi – Phuket for its beaches and sophisticated restaurants, hotels and partying / lash; Krabi for the kayaking by the impossibly steep karst towers on the beach. Boats run super regularly from both spots and only take 1.5-2 hours

Trekking the mountains and jungle around Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai is a good spot to spend a day or so checking out the temples and markets, or a bit longer if you take one of the famous cooking courses. But the highlight is heading out into the mountains and jungle on a 3 day trek that will let you stay with some of the the hill-tribe villages, interact with the elephants and go rafting down the rivers.

The only problem is that these treks have now turned into a bit of an industry and the market is full of companies that provide the “standard package”. This most likely won’t meet your idea of adventure and, worse, may be keeping the elephants in very poor conditions.

I did this trek years ago when awareness of the treatment wasn’t so clear and it wasn’t quite so commercialised as it is now, and have since returned to do it in 2024 without the elephants. My take is:

There are companies out there that focus on the well-being of the elephants. They tend to be the ones that lean more towards a multi-day trek. If you are prepared to do thorough research, you can get closer to the genuinely “authentic” experience with a provider that cares for the animals.
Chiang Mai as a city is great and the surrounding activities cool. But the Chiang Rai / Tha Ton areas to the north are simply better for mountains and wilderness. Consider making the effort for the extra push up there and I’ve written a review on a great Chiang Rai overnight trek into the nearby hills (wow factor ⭐️⭐️) and Mopeds along the Thai / Laos border near Chiang Rai (wow factor ⭐️⭐️⭐️) which was super cool.