7 Days.. 6 Nights…. 3 Places… Our Trip to Thailand…
A vacation together during December 2012 led us to search for popular destinations in Thailand. What most of the Indian travel sites threw up even before we completed writing the query were Bangkok, Pattaya and Phuket. While we were not averse to exploring them as well, we were primarily looking for a destination which is not too crowded. We hit on Phi Phi islands.
A connection in Phuket made it easier to draw up an itinerary – Diego from Easy Day Thailand. We had excellent feedback from a couple of our friends who planned their holiday with them.
A customized itinerary and we were on our way…
Day 1: Kolkata – Bangkok – Phuket. Reached Phuket at 10 pm. We pre issued the Visa and did not opt for Visa on Arrival as it could take a little longer in the Airport. We had a pick up arranged from the airport to the hotel – a 12 seater MUV for the 2 of us.
A quick check–in at The Nap, Patong Beach and we are off to the streets to explore the night life we heard of. Amazingly tasty and cheap street food [200 baht/400 Rs for two including beer] followed by a walk to Bangla Road. There is nothing Bengali/ Bangladeshi on the road. It’s a broad lane filled with Roadside pubs, Night Clubs, Strip Clubs [commonly known as GoGo], Table Top dancers and Girls in little dresses, willing to take them off (for money of course). Close to 2 am at night and the place was alive with music, dance, and smell of beer and smoke. Bangla Road was truly intoxicating.
Dead tired, we decided to come back the next night with a camera.
Day 2: Day speed boat trip to places around Phuket. James Bond Island, Phang Nga Bay, Koh Panyi [a sea gypsy village built on wooden stilts]. Sea food, Sea shells, Sunglasses, Salt water on our face and endless photographs is what will best scribe this trip.
Back in Phuket by evening we decided to explore Bangla Road again, and this time with our camera. To our surprise the place was dead. All pubs closed.. no music.. no Singha [most popular beer maker in Thailand].. It was the King’s birthday.
Day 3: Early morning pick-up and we were on our Jet Cruise to Phi Phi.
Change over to a speed boat which took us the waters near Moskito Island for Snorkeling. Pristine white beaches and azure blue sea of Bamboo Island was paradise. Rows of corals, sea urchins, school of fish and loads of sun bathing followed by sumptuous crabs and BBQ sea food for lunch at Laem Tong Beach and we were on our way to Phi Phi.
We reached Phi Phi by late afternoon and checked into our hotel, Andaman Legacy situated about 10 mins walk from the ferry pier.
Phi Phi Islands is small to be covered on food, packed with endless varieties of sea food, lively nights, beach side restaurants, candle-lit tables and fire shows. In-spite of all these the island had an air of calmness.
Day 4: An early start for a day’s course in SCUBA with Barracuda Dive Centre [PADI certified]. This was pre booked which made it easier for us to get a morning slot. The 4 /5 hour short session included learning the basics and exploring underwater diving along with an instructor.
Completely alienated from the world above, our underwater expedition opened our eyes to a world where silence is beauty, colours know no bounds, the sun sparkles, bubbles galore and the only prints you leave behind are your own bubbles. The underwater journey was mesmerizing with colorful Corals; millions of Fishes, dangerous sea urchins, Star fish and last but not the least, a Black-tip Shark.
Back by afternoon, we spent our last evening exploring the island.
Day 5: A ferry ride and an afternoon flight to Phuket and then to Bangkok by evening. With only our backpacks, we decided to take a bus ride to our hotel in Bangkok.
After the endless late nights we spent exploring Phuket and Phi Phi, we were surprised to find that the part of the city we were in quite empty by 10 PM. We checked in at 23rd floor of Prince Palace in a room which had an amazing view of the city with all the Major Pagodas and High Towers. The hotel offers extremely good amenities at economical prices.
Our appetite for street food went for a toss when we realized that shops have closed shutters. Ready made noodles and sausages from a 24 hour convenience store [7 ELEVEN ] were our dinner.
Day 6: A lazy day, we traveled around Bangkok – Wat Pho, Wat Arun, King’s Palace and finally shopped at MBK one of the biggest and cheapest shopping mall in Bangkok.
Day 7: Our day of Good Bye to a wonderful trip. The trip was meticulously planned by Diego ensuring comfort at every stage. We couldn’t have asked for a better Honeymoon.
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