Thailand: Highs and Lows

Vantage point in Mae Wang National Park, Author’s own image (2022).

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It has been a few months since travelling to Thailand with my bestie. This trip was long overdue. So much has happened since we booked this trip — the Pandemic and the busyness of life. I didn’t feel like I had the headspace to plan properly beforehand. And with other things on my mind, we unintentionally travelled to Thailand with only our first two nights booked and a return flight to Phuket. There are definitely highs and lows of being this spontaneous.

My bestie and I chilling, Author’s own images (2022).

Highlights

The landscapes

• The boat trips in Phuket really opened my eyes to (one of the many) beautiful landscapes native to Thailand. From the majestic rock formations and limestone cliffs and the numerous Mangrove forests in Phuket to the forests of the Mae Wang National Park, in Chiang Mai were incredible to witness. The pictures honestly don’t do the views justice.

Pics from Phang Nga, Phuket, Author’s own image (2022).

Mangrove Forest in Phang Nga, Phuket, Author’s own image (2022).

Chiang Mai

• We were only in Chiang Mai for a few days, unfortunately. But we managed to pop into the North Gate Jazz Co-Op which had such a cool vibe, that overspilled into the street.

North Gathe Jazz Co-Op, Chaing Mai, Author’s own image (2022).

• The jungle trek in Mae Wang National Park was the highlight of the trip. Even though we had no idea what this excursion would entail or where we were going initially. In total, our group had approx 20 people. The first few hours of the trek involved visiting different waterfalls, which were lush. I spent some time journalling during one pit stop, which led to a cool conversation with another blogger from our group. During the first few hours of the trek, we traversed rocky terrain, walked through rice fields and encountered impressive views from various vantage points.

Trekking Mae Wang National Park, Author’s own images (2022).

• At the end of the day, our tour guides prepared a home-cooked meal in the family’s home we were spending the night. After dinner, we spent time together around a campfire, talking and learning more about our respective experiences and countries. Since my bestie and I didn’t stay in hostels, this was one of the few moments we were able to interact with other travellers for a decent amount of time.

Our home for night while treking the Mae Wang National Park, Author’s own images (2022).

Mangrove Forests in Phuket

• Gliding through the mangrove forests in Phuket was so incredible. The unfamiliarity of the roots and branches honestly captivated me long after the excursion. Through conversations, I learnt how integral mangrove forests are for our environment. I started to research what existing projects sought to protect the Mangrove Forests — often destroyed due to tourist developments (and other land conversion or developments), fishing and climate change. You can check out the examples of mangrove conservation in regeneration in Thailand and Bali, Indonesia.

Lows

Limited vegan options

• While there were some vegan options listed on Happycow — such as Vegnanecessity Cafe, Phuket and Mango and Cabbages and Condoms, Bangkok — it was challenging to find (& trust) options while out and about. Which was funny, as food markets with so much fresh food were in abundance. The lack of options meant I didn’t eat properly during the trip. But I know for next time, to book accommodation with cooking facilities.

Mango, a vegan restaurant in Bangkok, Author’s own image (2022).

Feeling uncomfortable

• There was a lot of staring during this trip, especially in Chiangmai and Phuket. Some people really pushed the boundaries re invading personal space — just something to be aware of, especially for any Black travellers.

Poor communication with our tour operator

• As I mentioned before, we booked barely anything before travelling to Thailand. But the tour operator we ended up going with — whose name from my transaction states ‘Yak Koo Travel’ — started to be unreliable after a couple of days which was annoying. Transport from pick-up points wasn’t always arranged or on time which meant lots of chasing on Whatsapp. We barely had any visibility re our itinerary, which is just a basic function I expect from tour operators.
• From our experience, I’d suggest booking anything with reputable tourist agencies. And avoid being taken to ‘travel agencies’ by locals in a tuk tuk, as you can’t be sure if they’re going to inflate the price (or even commit your booking).
• Luckily, we weren’t in the latter situation, but I do feel like we were bumped somewhere along the line. Especially when I started to add the costs of individually doing some of our activities. Like the train tickets to and from Chiang Mai and the daily rates for our accommodation in Chiang Mai and Phuket.

Difficulties finding artistic and cultural spaces which were not connected to a temple

• I found some interesting arts and cultural organisations online. But I only managed to catch the ‘Crossover II: The Nature of Relationships’ exhibition at the Bangkok Art & Culture Centre.

From left to right, ‘A Forest from My Imagination, Unknown’ by Sompach Thongdang, view from the top floor of the Bangkok Art & Culture Centre, Author’s own image (2022).

• From my search, it seemed like the orgs I was most interested in visiting, did not have physical buildings. And very few were within walking distance from where we were staying, in Chiang Mai. Also, the Chiang Mai City Arts and Cultural Centre and Lanna Folklife Museum was closed on Monday — the day we arrived. However, we did visit the Old City Wall Gates and the Three Kings monument:

‘The middle one is Phaya Mangrai, the right one is Phaya Ruang, and the left one is Phaya Ngam Muang. These three kings are regarded as the creators of the Lanna kingdom and Nopburi, Si Nakhon Ping, Chiang Mai to be prosperous for more than 700 years.’ (Thailand Tourism Directory, 2021)

From the top left to right, the Old City Wall Gates, Chiang Mai, the Three Kings Monument, Chiang Mai, the Old City Wall Gates, Chiang Mai and a market stall, Chiang Mai, Author’s own images (2022).