Trip Moments Recommendations
Should you visit Ao Nang, Krabi Thailand?🇹🇭
Ao Nang, Krabi📍
5 Nights in Krabi! Krabi was one of the places in Thailand that I was excited for, but it didn’t really meet our expectations. Similar to Koh Samui, Ao Nang felt totally full of tourists and completely dedicated to tourists.
One of my biggest hates is when people try and beckon you into their restaurant or shop😂and you just could not walk anywhere without someone shouting ‘tuk tuk’ or ‘hungry?? Please have lunch at our restaurant?!?’ - totally not what I’m seeking when travelling.
Nevertheless, we did some really good shopping in Ao Nang & a nice trip to Railay Beach.
I think it’s just made us realise that we aren’t into places that are extremely popular with tourists, especially when we aren’t much into partying or drinking🤷🏻♀️
#aonang #krabi #railay #thailand #southeastasia #backpacking #travel #travelblogger #budgetbackpacking #traveltips #tour #jungle #hiking #cave #exploring #rainforest #mountains #rocks #longboat #nature #monkey #kayak #temple #rockclimbing #themonkeytrail #beaches
SHOULD YOU VISIT PATONG, PHUKET THAILAND?🇹🇭
📍Patong, Phuket
3 Nights in Patong. And after 3 nights, I have deciphered that Patong is only good for: Shopping.
Although there are lots of activities to do, it seems as though you would be paying double in Patong, compared to other parts of Thailand.
As anticipated before arrival, what I felt Patong mainly lacked was the feeling of adventure & culture, unless you wanted to pay lots of dolla 💸
Nevertheless, we spent our days on a gorgeous rooftop pool, having the typical relaxed ‘holiday’ - even though, we’re now a month into our travels!
#thailand #islandlife #southeastasia #backpacking #travel #travelblogger #budgetbackpacking #traveltips #tour #sunset #exploring #beach #beachbar #traveltheworld #travelphotography #patong #phuket #banglaroad
SHOULD YOU VISIT KHAO SOK, THAILAND?🇹🇭
Khao Sok📍
2 nights in the most gorgeous place I’ve ever been. Khao Sok National Park consists of lush rainforests, deep caves, limestone cliffs and green lakes. We were lucky enough to stay on a floating bungalow, overlooking the breathtaking scenery.
The company that we booked with, Smiley Tours, took us on safari expeditions & jungle and cave trekking experiences.
The jungle & cave trekking was undoubtedly one of the scariest and most vulnerable experiences of my life!
The walk through the jungle was insanely dangerous. We walked on crumbling footpaths and rickety bridges. The caves were loaded with creatures that looked like they weren’t meant to be seen by humans, as if they were made for the dark and never should be seen by light- huge spiders, frogs, snake-like fish, bats, crabs.
We were constantly walking on wet, jagged rocks and placing our feet blindly within dark water.
But, despite the imminent danger of the trek, it was an experience that I will forever remember fondly, as I have never been able to see nature so untouched and in it’s truest form. Nature is frightening and formidable, but beautiful nonetheless!
#khaosok #khaosoknationalpark #khaosokjungle #khaosokcave #smileybungalows #khaosokfloatingbungalows #floatingbungalows #thailand #southeastasia #backpacking #travel #travelblogger #budgetbackpacking #traveltips #tour #jungle #hiking #cave #cavetreking #caveexploring #exploring #rainforest #mountains #speedboat #longboat #sunset #bats #nature
khaosok
khaosoknationalpark
The temples of Angkor Wat, Cambodia🇰🇭
📍Siem Reap, Angkor Wat Temples
Our first destination in Cambodia! Although Cambodia is only an hours flight from Thailand, there is no doubt that you are in a completely different country. Cambodia is smaller, less developed and more rural than Thailand. There seems to be fewer crowds and less tourists roaming the streets. The first thing that I noticed was how friendly Cambodian people are, they are so so welcoming and proud of their country.
Siem Reap is home to the Angkor Wat Temples and we took a 9 hour tour, exploring the some of the main ones. As Angkor Wat is the largest religious monument on the planet, there was so much to see. We learned such interesting history of the temples and of Cambodia from our lovely tour guide. And we really felt like we were tomb raiders, exploring the ancient temples. We finished the day with a big climb up a mountain by Bayon Temple to watch the sunset.
#angkorwat #angkorwattemple #siemreap #cambodia #temple #tombraider #tombraidertemple #southeastasia #backpacking #travel #travelblogger #budgetbackpacking #traveltips #tour #sunset #aesthetics #exploring #buddhism #angkor #traveltheworld #travelphotography #hinduism #meditation #monks #nature #hiking #bayontemple
angkorwat
angkorwattemple
A TRIP AROUND THE PHI PHI ISLANDS, MAYA BAY!
Koh Phi Phi📍
We day-tripped from Koh Lanta to the Phi Phi Islands to explore the top tourist spots.
Maya Bay was our first stop & we had heard lots of negativity about it not meeting expectations. So our expectations were pretty low. Yes, there were crowds upon crowds of tourists. And yes, the toilets made me heave multiple times. However, the beach truly is beautiful. And the sand is so white and so so soft.
Next, we went to Viking Bay - I found it interesting that this is where they harvest bird nests to make traditional Chinese soup?! How random.
We snorkelled nearby & I’ve never snorkelled before. For my first experience, it surely was a frightening one😂 Firstly, I couldn’t get my snorkel to work. Constant mouthfuls of water & waves hitting me in the face. Finally, when I could breath & actually see what was beneath me, I instantly regretted it. Two Blacktip Reef Sharks in the water below. I have Ellie telling me that there were trigger fish in the water (not nice fish) & also saying that there was a barracuda (it was not, in fact, a barracuda). So, the entire time, I was freaking out :) After the second shark sighting, it was a fast swim back to the
boat.
We then headed to the main part of Phi Phi, Phi Phi Don, to have some lunch and look around shops- there was a lovely Burger King & McDonald’s facing eachother👯♀️
Finally, we went to Bamboo Island where we swam in the crystal clear water & had the absolute best time. I think Bamboo Island has the best water we’ve ever swam in.
Overall, we had such a fun day exploring Phi Phi & we are so glad that we just did a day trip, instead of staying on the super party island!
#kohphiphi #mayabay #thebeach #thailand #vikingbay #bambooisland #speedboat #phiphidon #southeastasia #backpacking #travel #travelblogger #budgetbackpacking #traveltips #tour #snorkelling #cave #exploring #sharks #mountains #rocks #longboat #nature #monkey #temple #mayabaybeach #mayabaythailand #beaches
SHOULD YOU VISIT PHUKET OLD TOWN?🇹🇭
📍Phuket Town
2 nights in Phuket Town.
I am so glad that this was our final stop in Thailand. I absolutely adored this town & wish that we had stayed longer.
Phuket Town is perfect for those that are holidaying by the beaches of Phuket, to come and experience the culture and incredible history of the island.
The most beautiful aspect of Phuket Town is the European architecture that is seen throughout the buildings and shops.
The buildings are such a stark contrast from traditional Thai architecture & it felt so much like home to me, I really loved it.
There are amazing clothes stalls, the cutest coffee shops & the best traditional food that takes inspiration from both north and south Thai dishes.
I really enjoyed my time here & totally recommend if you’re spending some time in Patong or Karon!
#phuket #phuketoldtown #thailand #aquariathailand #islandlife #reptiles #sharks #southeastasia #backpacking #travel #travelblogger #budgetbackpacking #traveltips #tour #jellyfish #aesthetics #exploring #aquarium #phuketfood #traveltheworld #travelphotography
HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM 🇻🇳
📍Ho Chi Minh City
What an amazing start to Vietnam! Although the beginning of our trip was a bit rocky, (a bit of anxiety getting used to the new country, currency, culture, etc), I absolutely loved Saigon.
Things that I loved:
1. The coffee here. Vietnam’s coffee is unbelievable. I will miss Vietnam coffee more than anything. And so many different types, so far I’ve seen; egg, cheese, and coconut coffee & I intend to try every single coffee out there.
2. Everything being close together- the independence palace, the cathedral, Saigon central post office, book street, the café apartments & a huge shopping mall - all right next to eachother! Brilliant!
3. There’s so many restaurants, so many thrift stores and just so much to do. You could definitely stay here a week. We stayed for 4 nights & definitely didn’t see it all.
#hochiminh #saigon #cafeapartment #cuchitunnels #saigoncentralpostoffice #warremnantsmuseum #vietnam #southeastasia #backpacking #travel #travelblogger #budgetbackpacking #traveltips #tour #city #exploring #traveltheworld #travelphotography
PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA 🇰🇭
📍Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh was our final stop in Cambodia. As the capital, Phnom Penh is the biggest and busiest place we’ve been to in Cambodia, full of towering buildings and thousands of people.
As a whole, the main theme of our Cambodia trip has been history & education. We have learned so much while being here about the history of Angkor Wat, in Siem Reap, and about the Killing Fields in Phnom Penh.
Our day trip to the killing fields is something that I will always remember, it was totally unsettling, but serves as a reminder to not take our privileged lives for granted.
For the majority of our trip through Cambodia, we have talked about how lucky we really are to have been born in a part of the world that is full of opportunity, free education, free health care, etc. But we just feel for those that weren’t granted with the same luck.
We are really excited to explore Vietnam & see what the country brings us. We can’t believe that we’re already in our third country! - just a 6hour bus ride away🚎
#phnompenh #thekillingfields #s21prison #countryside #cambodia #history #southeastasia #backpacking #travel #travelblogger #budgetbackpacking #traveltips #tour #sunset #aesthetics #exploring #traveltheworld #travelphotography #madmonkeyhostel #meditation #nature #hiking
phnompenh
thekillingfields
BATTAMBANG, CAMBODIA 🇰🇭
📍Battambang, Cambodia
When we arrived in Battambang, we were pretty stumped on what to do. When researching into Cambodia, Battambang was always on traveller’s itineraries, for a while we were unsure why. Battambang is certainly the least touristic place that we’ve visited, with very little on the streets to see. You are completely immersed in local life.
We booked a trip on our second day to see the typical main sites in Battambang; Battambang’s ‘golden gate bridge’, the bamboo train, the killing caves and the bat caves.
We had a really great day. Not only were the sites absolutely beautiful, as we rode along the countryside in a tuk tuk, but the tour was so informative on Battambang’s important history regarding the country’s oppression under the Khmer Rouge’s ruling.
The tour ended at the bat cave, where we witnessed 15 million bats swarm out of the cave at sunset, to hunt around the surrounding countryside. An absolutely incredible sight.
Although, it is arguable that 3 nights would be too much to spend in the rural city of Battambang, the tour that we did was definitely worth the visit!
++ Battambang is also home to the sweetest locals we’ve ever met. The children there are so sweet and excited to see you in their country. I felt so blessed to be so welcomed :)
#Battambang #bambootrain #countryside #cambodia #goldengatebridge #thekillingcaves #thebatcaves #southeastasia #backpacking #travel #travelblogger #budgetbackpacking #traveltips #tour #sunset #aesthetics #exploring #buddhism #battambangbatcaves #traveltheworld #travelphotography #hinduism #meditation #monks #nature #hiking