Temples, Tuk Tuks & Lots of Pad Thai

Don’t you just love that feeling of going back to work after your annual holiday… I have to be honest when I say I really do.. Because I get to help people plan fantastic trips to all sorts of destinations across the globe!

I have recently returned from my annual summer holiday to Thailand, if you have read my previous blog I listed some key things I was most looking forward to visiting on my trip

We arrived in Bangkok after a very tiring 17-hour flight from Manchester with Etihad – I have to say Etihad where brilliant and looked after us throughout and made the flight as pleasant as possible

As we arrived early morning we were keen to get out and about to see the sights as we only had a few days in Bangkok to see and do everything we had planned. We took the local bus from the airport the Khao San road – I find public transport in different countries a fascinating experience and would recommend it as a great way to see how the locals do things.. however, do bear in mind everything runs on Thai Time so add at least 40 minutes onto any Journey

The temples and iconic buildings of Bangkok are a must see from the temple of the reclining Buddha Wat Pho, to Wat Arun the 17^th Century and encrusted with plates and potteries to the grand palace made up of several impressive buildings ad home to the Thai King – if you are planning on visiting all of the sights in one day make sure to get a Chao Phraya River boat pass which is basically a hop on hop off river pass tour which stops at all the must-see temples and buildings of interest along the way

After a busy day exploring we took a tuk-tuk (the only way to travel in Thailand) to the Chatuchak weekend market to sample all the delights of Thailands street food – in the city the majority of people eat out for all their meals that is because all of the ingredients are fresh that day and cooked by the street vendors right in front of you – the stalls themselves may not look much but the food was some of the best I’ve tried anywhere in the world. Top tip for Foodies in Thailand – if you have an allergy or there are any specific foods you don’t like, make sure to have the written translation in Thai to show the vendors or better still try to learn a few phrases be for you go.

An early morning start awaited us following a well-needed sleep as something we had booked before we travelled was a morning assisting with the collecting of the alms with the monks of Wat Pho temple. Our guide picked us up at 5am and took us to the temple where the monks were well into their morning meditation routine, following this the monks would then go out into the local community and collect offerings from locals in exchange for blessings this was amazing to witness and help out with the carrying of the alms collected.

That evening we visited the Rajadamern Muay Thai boxing stadium – Opened in 1945 it was the oldest boxing stadium in Thailand and the atmosphere from the local crowd was electric as we enjoyed watching the national sport – Definitely, one to recommend!

Our evening was topped off by a visit to the Sky Bar – Made famous by the movie the hangover 2, the view really was worth the cocktail prices! Top Tip – If you plan on visiting Lebua Bar on the 64th floor make sure to dress smartly as they operate a very strict dress code.

Next stop we were heading to Kanchanaburi before flying South.. Keep an eye out for my next blog to find out more about my adventures in Thailand

Eliza x