Today’s photo comes thanks to my brother in Thailand. It’s been a cold spring here in Colorado, and this photo makes me look forward to summer even more. We spent a few weeks hanging out on the beach loungers in front of Maya Beach Club on Koh Tao, and I have to say, they get some of the best sunsets nearly every night.
Mmmm….fried bugs. You can find carts full of fried bugs all over SE Asia. Apparently they are not only filling, but can be really healthy for you. Some seem like they’d be more horrible to eat than others (see the giant cockroach?) whereas others are so crispy that they just taste like a very well done french fry. One thing I didn’t know about eating bugs is that in Thailand, most of these critters are raised in captivity for the sole purpose of being sold as snacks. Yum!
Number of days spent in country – 19
Cities/towns visited – Bangkok, Koh Tao, Khao Sok, Phuket
Number of different lodgings – 7
Flights – 0
Bus journeys – 10
Boat rides – 4
Taxis – 3
Total US dollar amount spent – $1,642
Average cost per day, per person -$43.22
Average lodging cost per night, per person – $11.86
Most expensive lodging, per person – $32 at the Royal President in Bangkok. I had just gotten out of the hospital in Nepal and we decided to treat ourselves to a few days at a proper hotel. It was lovely.
Least expensive lodging, per person – It’s a tie at $6.50 for a fan room that was pretty basic at SB Cabana II on Koh Tao, and an air-con room at a dive hostel in Bangkok that was also pretty basic.
Average food/drink cost per day, per person – $17. Generally our meals were cheap street food in Bangkok, but we splurged big time with meals on Koh Tao and ate out many times at nicer places since my brother was there to give us some great recommendations. The alcohol accounts for probably half of this total as we made up for all that beer we didn’t drink through Turkey, Jordan, Israel, India and Nepal…
$1 Pad Thai on the street. Practically everywhere you look, you’ll find the super-cheap pad thai carts. They aren’t always great, but they are a great value for a huge pile of noodles with veg, and chicken/beef/prawn on request.
Barracuda on Koh Tao – This place is run by a chef who worked for my brother when he had his restaurant on Koh Tao, and it’s easily the best place for a nice fish meal on the island. Their appetizers are to die for.
Lung Pae on Koh Tao – It’s is a bit out of the way, high up on a hill with a great view of the ocean, which makes it perfect for a sunset dinner. If you don’t have a scooter, they’ll come pick you up. Interestingly enough, even though it’s a Thai place, they are best known for their steaks, particularly menu item # E4.
Portobellos on Koh Tao – Craving Italian? This is the place to be. Excellent thin crust pizzas and a decent wine list.
Sunday Roast at Banyon on Koh Tao – Obscene amounts of comfort food for when you are feeling particularly homesick. It’s a local’s hangout so you’ll likely encounter bar and dive staff from all over the island at this weekly feast.
Going to the movies in Bangkok –There are massive movie theaters at the tops of nearly all the big shopping centers in the Sukhamvit area. These are no ordinary theaters though, and they range from huge and classically decorated to enormous and lavish rooms filled with couches, soft lap blankets, and bottle service. You can choose your level of service/quality of seat (and believe me, even the regular seats are generally nicer than those you’ll find in the States). It’s a perfect way to deal with a rainy afternoon. Don’t forget to stand for the national anthem…for real…it’s the law.
Massage parlors literally line the streets!
$6 massages – Massage parlors are everywhere in SE Asia, and Thailand is no exception. They run the gamut from sleazy ‘happy ending’ factories, to luxury spas that will pamper you for hours. We stuck to crowded places with a communal area for Thai massages (no happy endings possible in these!) and if one massage wasn’t that great, we just went for another with a different masseuse! If you want a super luxury deal (so, not $6) at a fraction of what you’d pay in the States, head to the Jamakiri Spa on Koh Tao. They’ll come get you for free and you can spend the day getting pampered, and then relax by their pool that overlooks Sharks Bay.
Getting random jumbles of noodles with fish sauce at a ‘Pad Thai’ cart in Bangkok. This happened more than once. Watch the cart before you order to see if they are really making Pad Thai or if they are just dishing up mixed noodles and veggies to drunk tourists.
Khao Sok National Park, despite not having a coastal scene, has some of Thailand’s most spectacular scenery. We took a longtail boat through the lake, which is surrounded by incredible limestone hills that reminded us of Halong Bay in Vietnam and Yangshuo in China. It was stormy the day we arrived, but that only added to the mysterious appeal of the landscape.
We’ve spent the last week lounging about and stuffing our faces on Koh Tao, in Thailand. My brother has been living on this little island for nearly 10 years, and even though we’ve been to visit him before, we never get tired of watching the sun set from one of the many local beach bars. After three days of clouds and rain we finally got a hot sunny day and were happy to sit at my brother’s bar, Maya Beach Club, sipping mojitos and checking out the longtail boats as they bobbed around on the tide.
The Parallel Life 