Christina Marie's Travel Blog
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This photo makes me smile every time. While at the Elephant Rescue Park in Chiang Mai, Thailand, I got a sloppy (yet very sweet) kiss from a baby elephant. How adorable is this?
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Chiang Mai
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Another destination out of Krabi is Railey beach. I was originally going to Railey for the rock climbing, which it’s popularly known for because of the different size limestone mountains, but decided to just take the slow boat over for the beach. Overall, the island is absolutely stunning, relaxing, and great for couples and families. It would be ok for solo travelers, although I didn’t really see any besides myself. (Travelers Tip: the best time to go to Railey is May. It’s slow season which makes everything almost half off!) Here are some of my favorite photos from that day:
To view more photos of Railey, Thailand, please visit my Flickr photostream.
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Railey is a popular destination for rock climbers of all levels to test their skills. They also have a fantastic beach and the island as a whole has a very laid-back atmosphere. Definitely one of my favorite spots in the world.
After four days in Bangkok, it was time to head south to Krabi and continue my solo adventure. As expected, the driver was reckless and fast, just like every other driver I’ve encountered on my trip. Luckily it wasn’t my time and I managed to live another day. I’m glad I survived because Krabi was pretty.
Krabi isn’t known to have a lot of touristy things; however, it’s a great jump off to visit the surrounding islands, such as Ko Phi Phi Don and Railey. (Tourist Tip: Visit at least five tourist offices and compare prices.) Another destination I could have added was Phuket, but I heard it’s a haven for middle-aged men looking for a good time with underage girls, so I decided to pass.
Since May is low season in Thailand, I managed to snag a great deal on a day tour to visit Ko Phi Phi Don Islands (aka ‘Pee Pee Islands’). While on the tour, I met this really cute married couple from Indonesia and they let me tag along. The tour was organized by Barracuda Tour and was definitely one of the best parts of my whole trip.
Some of the destinations we got to visit include the following:
Bamboo Island
Pileh Bay
Maya Bay - where the movie ‘The Beach’ starring Leonardo DiCaprio was filmed.
Ko Phi Phi Don Island
Monkey Bay
We also got to do a ton of snorkeling. The water was a crystal blue and the reefs were magnificent. I highly recommend everyone to go on a tour of the Islands if they’re in the area or thinking of what to add to their itinerary.
To view more photos of Ko Phi Phi Don, visit my Flickr stream by clicking here.
Meet the laziest cat in the world. The Elephant Nature Park used this cat as an example of where you can touch, and stand by, the elephants. The Park also rescues unwanted and abused cats and dogs.
After 15 hours on an overnight bus from Chiang Mai, I finally arrived in Bangkok. What made this part of my trip unique was not just the obvious fact that I’m in Bangkok, but that this city marked the beginning of me traveling solo.
As soon as I got off the bus, there were a number of tuk tuk and taxi drivers trying to win my business. I finally agreed on 200 bot with this one taxi driver (which I later learned was double what I should have paid) to get to my CouchSurfer’s house.
My driver said he knew exactly where I needed to go. I should have known better. We get to this one random hotel and the driver needs me to come with him so he could find out where the address I showed him was. After the receptionist told him where to go, we were on our way, again. I’m frustrated at this point because the driver lied to me about knowing where to go. At this point I decide to sit directly behind him because I recently read an article about a taxi driver shooting his customer, which was not how I wanted my solo adventure to begin. After 30 more minutes, several attempts and much help from the locals later, I eventually found the place.
Part of my solo travel goal was to meet other travelers and tour the city with them. Mission accomplished partly thanks to CouchSurfing. Overall, Bangkok was a pretty great city with my favorite part being the architecture, pagodas and clubs playing house music.
Initially, I was nervous about touring the city because of the number of militants I saw on every block, but I eased up since a number of them loved flirting with me. I didn’t see a lot of red shirts as I made sure to avoid the ‘red zones’. What surprised me was that although I went at a time when every country advised tourist to avoid Bangkok unless absolutely necessary, there wasn’t a moment I felt unsafe or threatened. I had heard from several CouchSurfers that they met some members of the red shirts and were even invited to eat with them.
Since there were areas in Bangkok I refused to go just to be on the safe side, I can only recommend areas close to Cow San Road. The street is a popular spot to buy merchandise and hit up some bars and clubs with bartenders that are not concerned about your age.
Other tourist attractions worth seeing includes Grand Palace, Golden Mountain Temple and Wat Pho.
Please visit my Flickr photostream to view more photos from my trip to Bangkok.
Watch from my point-of-view as I give this elephant some bananas.
As big as elephants are, they’re extremely sensitive and get really itchy, even when a fly lands on them. Watch as this elephant uses a pillar to get rid of a few itches.
