THAILAND x BALI
The classic, graduate from university and escape to South East Asia for 2 months of sight seeing (partying).
We did it. We loved it. And I have been DREAMING of going back ever since.
Years have passed since this adventure in 2014, so I must disclose some of the information is outdated. The adventure began in Thailand for just over 2 weeks, and then we made our way to Bali, Vietnam and Hong Kong. We were two excited 21 year olds ready to let loose and explore the unknown. We travelled the 2 of us and met friends along the way. Sadly I did not save my entire itinerary; below you can find my tips for Thailand and Bali.
Thailand
We spent about 2 weeks exploring the country, walking through the immaculate temples, eating endless amounts of pad thai, drinking buckets of what I hope was vodka and red bull, swimming in the turquoise water, and relaxing (recovering) on the gorgeous beaches. We started our trip in Bangkok → then made our way to Koh Phangan, Koh Phi Phi and Koh Samui → and ended our trip in Phuket, Krabi and Railay.
Bangkok and Phuket are the main hubs for flights into the country. So it is best to plan your trip with one at each end. We started in Bangkok and ended in Phuket.
Bangkok
Boy did we eat a lot…. one friend dedicated her every meal to pad thai, whereas another was counting how many tom yum soups he could eat. This was the beginning of our trip. We were in high spirits with no fears and a lot of desire; thus, eating local street food did not scare us (and fortunately we did not get sick). We ate a lot of street food (pad thai, fried rice, fresh fruit and soup) and embraced the markets. The best place to start your eating tour is on the streets of Rambuttri and Khoa San Road. Get yourself a cold Chang, a plate of pad thai, and sit your butt down for a dollar foot massage on Khoa San Road.
In Bangkok - and most of Thailand - you will stumble upon endless markets and temples. The ones worth mentioning are: Chinese Market, Pratunam Market (Little America), Wat Pho (Sleeping Buddha), Wat Arun Temple (Temple of Dawn) and Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of Emerald Buddha).
One thing we did not get the chance to do in Bangkok, and I wish we did, was visit River Kwai, see the floating houses and market. Definitely worth looking into further!
Otherwise, my last 2 notes on Bangkok are:
(1) If you are a movie buff and loved The Hangover, go have a drink at the Sky Bar in the State Tower in Lebua Hotel, and
(2) do not take taxis, only take Tuktuks!
Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai is the typical next stop from Bangkok. Truly could not tell you why it was not a mandatory stop for us, but I think it should be for you. Here is what we missed out on:
Thai Elephant Home: https://thaielephanthome.com/
They have about 20 elephants: 14 at the main camp and 6 at their nursery. The elephants are ridden bareback, one at a time. They are devoted to the conservation and preservation of the endangered majestic Asian elephant. The elephants are rescued and preserved.
Siam Rice Thai Cooking School: https://www.siamricethaicookery.com/
The perfect opportunity to learn how to cook real Thai food! Menu items include Thai soup, stir fried noodles, stir fried vegetables, feed fried items such as spring rolls and wontons, thai salads, curry with rice, and thai desserts.
Tiger Kingdom: https://www.tigerkingdom.com/chiangmai
So the Tiger Kingdoms can be found all over Thailand. We went to one in Phuket. They are incredibly controversial as they do sedate the Tigers. I would leave this to your discretion to decide if this is something you are comfortable exploring further. As cool and exciting as it was to see the tigers, it was equally as heartbreaking and disturbing.
Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep - Big Buddha in Chiang Mai, and many other beautiful templates. I found this awesome link for your reference: http://www.chiangmai.bangkok.com/top10-best-temples.htm.
Night Market / Night Bazaar - Located at the intersection of Chang Khlan Road & Loi Khro Road from about 6 PM onward. Make sure to explore each and every corner of the market, including the alleyways and arcades along the way.
Phuket, Krabi & Railay
From what I remember, we moved between Phuket, Krabi and Railay. We spent time in each stop, while also doing day trips to different islands. The highlight for us was our day trip through Phang Nga Bay and James Bond Island.
When planning your trip to this region of Thailand, look into the following:
The beautiful beaches that you have access to in Phuket are Kata, Karon, Patong and Laguna Bang Tao;
Khao Sok River: trek through elephant sanctuaries, walk through Wat Sok Tham Phanthurat Temple, raft through the rapids of the river and visit coral caves;
The incredible floating resorts;
Hot springs, waterfalls and Railay beach for rock climbing;
Restaurants in Phuket that I remember really enjoying are Number 9, Mr. Good Seafood and Papaya Restaurant.
The Islands
The islands we spent the most time on were: Koh Phanghan and Koh Phi Phi. Would I recommend focusing more on those islands? No. We did so because we were young backpackers that recently completed undergrad and wanted to party. With that said, they are both still worth visiting.
Koh Phanghan: We stayed at Cocohut and loved it. The food, beach and service was amazing, and we felt incredibly safe. Why did we go to Koh Phanghan? It is where the infamous Full Moon party takes place. It is like frosh week for the first semester of university but rather a lineup of parties for Full Moon: Coral Bungalows, Jungle Beach and Hat Rin Beach. When we were not consumed by buckets of alcohol, tanning on the beach or swimming, we did a lot of eating. Restaurants to visit are Mama Schnitzel, Paprika, Moon, Omh Genesh, Mr. K’s and The Biet.
Koh Phi Phi: A small and beautiful island that you can and will walk around multiple times. The beaches in Koh Phi Phi blew my mind. I spent many mornings walking out as far as I could on the beach into the ocean. I felt incredibly zen, safe, and happy there. A tour we loved and I would highly recommend was the Ibex half day boat tour which took us to Monkey Beach, Maya Bay, Green Lagoon, snorkelling and cliff jumping. The tour was beautiful and half a day was more than enough time. If you are looking for a day trip like this but also want to continue the party, then the Shangri La Booze Cruise is for you. Restaurants we went to were Cosmics, Calarmos, Papaya, Pirate, Capu Latte and Banana Mexican - essentially every restaurant on the island in 2014.
Koh Samui: An absolute favourite with the most gorgeous beaches and such a nice town to walk through. I recommend eating at Beach Republic and taking a break from the heat at the Ice Bar. Not sure if Arc Bar exists but if it does… it was fun!
Bali
We didn’t know much about Bali, nor did we do much research before going. We thought 7 days would be enough to do a quick pit stops in Ubud, Seminyak and Gili….. we were wrong. We ended up extending our entire trip to 2 weeks and even then felt there was so much that we missed (which is why I keep nudging my boyfriend that we need to go back). Bali is incredibly interesting. The hippy nature lends itself to the worlds of fashion, art, fitness, architecture and foodie culture, all within this traditional meets modern jungle beach escape. Watch Eat Pray Love, scroll through The Bali Bible or We Like Bali and you will understand what I mean.
Ubud
Depending on how many people you are travelling with, I would recommend looking into a villa. We booked Villa Damee for 5 of us. We had a private pool, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a chef and cleaning staff. They made the most delicious Indonesian dinners: chicken, sautéed green and rice, and we started our mornings with custom smoothies and fruit platters. What did this luxury cost us? $30 each! It felt like it should have been for much over $100.
Other popular hotels and villas: Indigo Tree House, Lakeside Cottages, Royal PitaMaha, Murni’s Villages, Nandini Jungle Resort and Alila Ubud Hotel.
What you must do in Ubud:
Mt. Batur - Hike up a beautiful volcano to watch the sunrise. You will wake up at an ungodly hour, think like 2:00 or 3:00 AM so that you can watch the sunrise from above the clouds at Mt. Batur’s summit. It is a unique and panoramic view of Bali, the volcanic landscapes, islands and the surrounding ocean. It is 2 hours up and down, so be prepared with layers and good sneakers or hiking boots. On the way down you will see monkeys and the end of the hike is Lake Batur: a volcanic crater lake. The hike will finish around 8:30 AM.
Rice Fields - We had coffee and lunch by the rice fields, which in itself was a special experience. The fields are intricate and vast. You will see the traditional Balinese irrigation system for their crops known as subak. It provides an equal amount of water and support for optimal harvesting. The rice fields are and continue to be a very popular tourist destination, thus there are a lot of tourist offerings, allowing you to choose how you want to explore the fields: lunch, walk around, hike, bike, ATV…. so on and so forth. I would recommend Bali Bible’s sunrise, rice fields and waterfalls tour - it is a full day, but why not.
Coffee Tasting - There are a couple of options there. You can learn about “cupping” and the tricks to properly evaluating what makes a “good” cup of coffee. The lesson explores flavours, body, aroma, acidity, sweetness and aftertaste. You can tour Ubud’s famous coffee plantations: Segara Windhu Coffee Plantation and Bali Pulina Coffee Plantation. Typically you will be given a tray of 8 coffees and teas to try, and the infamous Coffee Luwak. The coffee in Bali is made from plants… and poo. I will leave that last bit for you to learn more about there.
Monkey Forests - Right in the main town of Ubud you will find a crowded Monkey Forest full of people holding and/or throwing bananas, while trying to take pictures with or of monkeys (while also trying to get them out of their hair and clothing). Beware.
Hanging Gardens - Gorgeous hotel in the middle of the rainforest with a breathtaking infinity pool. Go during the day for the view. You will have to spend a minimum of $35.00 either on food or on the spa.
Yoga Barn - The Yoga Barn is the centre for Wellness and Healing in Ubud. Take a break from touring and being on the go to clear your mind and reground yourself here. They have daily workshops and classes, and beautiful views of the surrounding greenery.
Folk Pool & Gardens - Spend a day, spend an evening, stay the night. The perfect place for romance, relaxation and Instagram-worthy pictures. This is Ubud’s first swim up bar and twilight poolside cinema. There are private daybeds and you can visit for lunch or dinner (or both).
Jungle Fish Pool Bar - Famous and popular open-air, split level restaurant, pool and bar in the heart of Ubud’s jungle.
Seminyak
Seminyak is a mix of a city life, art scene and beach living. Imagine heavy Aussie vibes, hipster meals and drool worthy pools (pool parties) and hotels. I won’t even bother telling you where to stay because every villa and hotel is nicer than the next. We, of course, were recent graduates and trying to watch our spending so we stayed at Bali Krisna. I have to say, if it still exists and you aren’t wanting to spend a ton - it was clean, safe, quite nice and a good location.
Uluwatu - We booked a car to take us around for the day. We stopped at a temple, monkey forest, and the most gorgeous beaches: Pandang and Dreamland. We finished the day on Jimbaran Bay with a beach BBQ and view of the sunset.
Petitenget - In my opinion, this is the trendy cool neighbourhood in Seminyak full of local shops, markets, cafes, bars and art galleries. Every restaurant and cafe in this area is cooler and better than the next, and a lot of them are vegan. Look out for: Kynd (smoothie bowls), Kiln (Mediterranean), Merah Puti (Indonesian), Sardine (Seafood) and Nook (Coffee & brunch overlooking rice paddies). In this area you will also find Potato Head (mentioned below) and Ku De Ta for tropical vibes, day bed to dance party.
Potato Head - We thought we would hang out here once… we went about 4 times, and if we did not have to leave for Gili and then Vietnam, we would have likely gone back again. Not only is it Instagram worthy with the amphitheatre made Balinese shutters, they also have great food, an awesome DJ, swim up bar, sunset view…. I can go on. Just do us all a favour, spend a day here!
W Hotel - Huge beautiful infinity pools, unreal Sunday brunch, and the most magnificent hotel. After weeks of staying in price friendly hotels and villas, walking through the W brought actual tears to my eyes. It is really cool.
La Plancha - A happy hour destination: super cozy spot on the beach for hookah, cocktails and a view of the sunset.
Other fun pools, parties and days can be spent at: Finn’s Beach Club, Rock Bar, Townhouse and Sundays Beach Club.
The food in Seminyak is AMAZING! Definitely look into the following:
Ultimos (Italian)
Taco Loco (Mexican)
Vin (Wine Bar)
Sisterfields (Brunch)
Revolver (Espresso Bar) Earth Cafe & Market (Vegan)
Motel Mexicola (Mexican Food & Bar)
Nalu Bowls (Smoothie Bowls)
Betelnut Cafe (Healthy)
Ryoshi (Sushi)
Bambu (Indonescian)
Mozaic (French)
Otherwise go venture through Gili T. You will take a speed boat to and from the island. You can walk or bike around the whole island in a day. It is your tropical island getaway: cute boutique hotels, pools, beach fronts, and lots of partying. We did an awesome booze cruise, spend our days lounging on the beach, walking around the island and paddle boarding. You can do day trips to the different islands near by.
