i originally planned to pack a 28 liter bag and knew that was really unrealistic so i opted for a 46 liter bag (Osprey 46L Bag https://amzn.to/2qhY35h). it's also important to bring a smaller bag for every day carrying items (Fjallraven 20L Bag https://amzn.to/2ICTXfo). while i normally like bringing my own water bottle, i didn't bring one along because it's recommended to only drink bottled water here.
for the plane ride:
Travel Pillow https://amzn.to/2qfmvFe
Silkworm By Robert Galbriath https://amzn.to/2qhhU4F
skincare/toiletries:
Tiger Balm https://amzn.to/2vkqvsY
Sun Bum Sunscreen https://amzn.to/2GZqvDX
tom's toothpaste https://amzn.to/37FvdzW
2 in 1 shampoo & conditioner
soap bar
travel toothbrush
clothing:
2x tank tops (i usually buy whatever is on sale at rei) https://bit.ly/2QSOAhW
2x shirts
3x dresses
prana pants (similar) https://amzn.to/2tvVimc
patagonia baggies https://bit.ly/2SWN4OG
2x bathing suits
chacos https://amzn.to/2FmxKCP
climbing gear:
five.ten rogues https://amzn.to/35qgTtm
friction labs chalk https://amzn.to/35rBe1w
black diamond chalk bag (similar) https://amzn.to/35qztS7
camera gear:
gorilla pod https://amzn.to/2Eve78K
go-pro hero 4 http://amzn.to/1TK35R2
go-pro floating mount https://amzn.to/2ENGO0Z
sony rx iii http://amzn.to/1QGacEI
and when in doubt, you can buy inexpensive clothing and things you may use there!
with everything we did in thailand, there's only a few things i would do differently.
plan ALL bookings ahead of time including flights and lodging. while it's fairly cheap to get around thailand and find accommodations, you will save so much more by booking everything ahead of time. we knew we were going to fly into chiang mai and fly out of bangkok and we identified all the accommodations in between, but getting from chiang mai to our other destinations we decided to "play it by ear". again, it wasn't a huge deal breaker but i'm all in the biz for saving money and because we didn't have good internet, it would have saved quite a bit of stress booking the flights in between
we stayed 3 nights in chiang mai and i didn't get to try enough coffee shops! we only got to visit 1 and there was so much more to explore
i know it's really unrealistic and seeing chiang rai would also have been ideal .. just means i have to come back next time!
if you're a beach person, stay longer in phuket. the beaches are truly magnificent and the quick in and out was too short of a journey for us
we took a ferry from phuket to koh phi phi and it's at least a 2-3 hour ride so pack your lunch and snacks! you can buy food on the ferry and if you have any particular food restrictions, highly recommend packing your food.
while i'm not about using toxic chemicals, i really recommend using deet products to prevent mosquitos. i had over 60 bug bites and could have been happy with a little less bites.
let me know about your recommendations in the comments below!
I was told that this was a dirty city and to the extent that any major city may be "dirty" is what I found. Like any major city, Bangkok is bustling with people and cars and sky scrappers and metros and taxis and traffic. The traffic here at rush hour is probably the worse than Los Angeles, and that's something to say for a city that has a major traffic. When getting out of Bangkok to get to the airport, it took me about 30 minutes to travel less than a mile, and when we finally got out of the city, it was normal traffic from there.
A lot of the locals take the metro/Skytrain and probably the quickest/most efficient way to get around town aside from walking. The two places we ended up visiting were within both of these scopes aside from the floating market which was an hour outside of the city and did require transportation. Luckily, we escaped the city during a non-peak time.
Getting to the floating market
We had asked the hotel for a car and although it was nice to be in a luxury vehicle and in a comfortable space, we probably overpaid for this service. I do not recall the exact cost and the number coming to mind feels like $60 per person and a taxi would have been cheaper. Given that we didn't have cell service or a way to call a taxi - we stuck with the car service since he guaranteed he would wait for us while we explored the floating market.
@brittnissx3
The Floating Market
Just to ride the boat is about $20 USD per person. Pricey in my opinion compared to everything else that I had paid for up until this point and it was one of those things where the market was closing in an hour once we arrived so wasting time trying to bargain wasn't a plausible option. Thus, we paid our fee and away we went.
Food, art, souvenirs and entertainment lined the stalls. Our "driver"/whatever is equivalent to boat driver, took us to his folks that he was friends with.
@bearahlee
@bearahlee
Since I was making a goal to eat mango sticky rice every day in Thailand, the first thing I bought on our floating market adventure was mango sticky rice and I think someone else bought the coconut ice served in a coconut as shown in the image below.
@bearahlee
The one thing I had to get while on this trip was literal boat noodle and it was one of the best noodles I've ever eaten.
@bearahlee
Terminal 21 Bangkok
We also visited one of the largest malls I've ever seen, which isn't much to say since this is my first international trip. I think it was 5 floors tall and just absolutely massive. My favorite part was the food court because of the all the options that were available and each of us could get what we liked. The only downside is that you have to convert your money to their card system so that way it's an easier transaction at the stalls. If you don't end up spending everything on you card, you can get the cash back.
@brittnissx3
@bearahlee
Where I stayed //Novotel Bangkok Ploenchit Sukhumvit Hotel
I learned very quickly that you can't get away with excessive people in your hotel room the way you can usually get away with it in the States. They actually check your passports and cross reference the amount of people to the stay. I mean the do that to some extent in the States but American hotels do not ask for the passport/identification of every single person in your room. So when we originally booked a room for 4 (2 adults + 2 kids), we didn't realize that they would actually set an age limit on the "child" and thus cross reference against our passports. All that to say, make sure you're booking the correct room with the literal number of people in your party.
Nightlife // Sky on 20 Rooftop Bar
We didn't get to visit any of the "speakeasies" in the city and we got to experience the rooftop bar at our hotel. Drinks were alright and nothing too memorable here except for the view. I'd check it out if you're staying here and not something I'd make a "must do".
@brittnissx3
@brittnissx3 // these wedges were so good
@brittnissx3 // traffic in bangkok
@molly_velasco
If you have friends and locals to take you places, do it. They will provide the best experience for you. We ended up visiting Jae Koy Somtum and another rooftop bar (a name that is escaping me). It was great to get a local experience.
P L A C E S //
Terminal 21 Bangkok https://www.terminal21.co.th/
Damnoen Saduak Floating Market
Jae Koy Somtum https://bit.ly/2v2R96u
Novotel Bangkok Ploenchit Sukhumvit Hotel https://bit.ly/2UWDDQy
Use my link to book your next hotel at booking.com // https://bit.ly/2Xbg4Rk
C A M E R A G E A R //
GORILLA POD https://amzn.to/2Eve78K
GO-PRO HERO 4 http://amzn.to/1TK35R2
GO-PRO FLOATING MOUNT https://amzn.to/2ENGO0Z
SONY RX III http://amzn.to/1QGacEI
T R A V E L E S S E N T I A L S //
Silkworm By Robert Galbriath https://amzn.to/2qhhU4F
Osprey 46L Bag https://amzn.to/2qhY35h
Fjallraven 20L Bag https://amzn.to/2ICTXfo
Travel Pillow https://amzn.to/2qfmvFe
Tiger Balm https://amzn.to/2vkqvsY
Sun Bum Sunscreen https://amzn.to/2GZqvDX
M U S I C //
Music promoted by La Musique Libre
Ikson - Morning : https://youtu.be/4hgEUfNEsrg
Ikson: https://soundcloud.com/ikson
Song: Ikson - Home (Vlog No Copyright Music)
Music promoted by Vlog No Copyright Music.
Video Link: https://youtu.be/Vrz_omDwiGA
Song: Ikson - Explore (Vlog No Copyright Music)
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Video Link: https://youtu.be/hQIJdaoqoqE
Song: Ikson - New Day (Vlog No Copyright Music)
Music provided by Vlog No Copyright Music.
Video Link: https://youtu.be/cVA-9JHwbFY
S U B S C R I B E // http://bit.ly/subbrittx3
Y E L P // http://tinyurl.com/yelpbritt
B L O G G E R // www.brittniss.blogspot.com
I N S T A G R A M // @brittnissx3
T W I T T E R // @brittnissx3
L O O K B O O K // www.lookbook.nu/brittnissx3
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