4th April 2020, 01:00
| #1 |
| Team-BHP Support   | Thailand: Phuket, Krabi & Bangkok - A family vacation  Disclaimer: I don't have any significant experience writing travelogues. Usually, I feel no hesitation if I need to write regarding our two/four-wheeled friends, but here I'm clueless! Never planned to write one for this trip either!  But then, ever since I posted multiple pictures from the journey up on my Instagram, friends / BHPians started reaching out to get their queries sorted. (Edit: But how things have changed since then, with the lockdown!) Thailand is indeed a hot destination for Indians, but as pointed out by a BHPian - there is actually an information overload when it comes to planning a week of stay and activities there! Hence, penning down my experience - both for my future reference and also hopefully to help at least one BHPian enjoy his vacation in this beautiful land. PS: I'm no expert on Thailand! So feel free to learn from my mistakes. And of course, let's ogle together at some beautiful cars, tuk-tuks, motorcycles, and scooters from Siam and then complain about why the companies don't offer these models on Indian shores! I may have more to talk about vehicles than places, so please be prepared on what to expect! Speaking of expectations - we all know of the naughty little side of Thailand, but there will be none of that here either.  Now that the expectations are set, time for those mandatory teasers - Phuket :  Krabi :  Bangkok :  Last edited by CrAzY dRiVeR : 4th April 2020 at 01:54. |
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4th April 2020, 01:01
| #2 | |
| Team-BHP Support | Tour Package: Experience with Thomas Cook. Let me save you some agony of reading through the below section: Do I recommend Thomas Cook? No. Do I recommend taking the services of a travel company for this trip? In retrospect, absolutely no! Then why did I do it? Frankly, because I didn't have any experience with international travel, neither did my spouse nor parents. Well, at least they've been to Nepal, a couple of years before mom had a long hospitalization. She's on the path to recovery now, and we wanted to kickstart their post-retirement travel plans with a big one. Going with a safe bet - a well-sorted international tour package from a reputed travel services company seemed to be the best thing to do! Thomas Cook won over our money with excellent pre-sales pitch, customization options, flight choices, and local coverage. And then you pay them the money! Things go south immediately! To put a long story short - 1. The sales brochure promises you tours to places like 'Phuket old town, Rawai Beach, Prom Thep Cape' etc. The actual itinerary becomes 'Cashew Nut Workshop, Pearl factory, Honey factory and Souvenir shop'. Foreigners call this the Tuk-tuk scam of Thailand. Well, this is the official version of it! I did try to sort this over email exchanges with Thomas Cook, but they just tossed responsibilities between different teams without anyone providing a resolution. 2. The only primary reason to opt for a service like Thomas Cook was the peace of mind! They ruined it completely by booking a domestic flight within a 1 hour 45 minutes layover window of my international arrival, with the written confirmation over email that the VOA is only to be processed at the final destination of Phuket. Something very basic that any travel agency should have known - but the VOA should be at the first port of entry. Had to actually produce proof from Thai Embassy website to counter their claims of having been doing this process without issues for over a decade now - at which point, the blame game between different departments started. Once again, no solution provided.
The trip promised to be a roller coaster ride even before it started! 'Trust me, sir, if you run - you'll surely make it!" was the best word of advice from Thomas Cook. Stopped wasting time replying to them and decided not to let this ruin the holiday. To take it as it comes! In retrospect, and on a very serious note - You DO NOT need their services! Air tickets / Visa / Forex / Hotel bookings, etc can be handled easily. In fact, I'm not surprised they went bankrupt, or at least the international wing did! With this kind of business ethics and the general human fear of travelling post the Corona period - the Indian arm may not last all that long either! Air Tickets: Duh! Everyone knows how to buy air tickets. So? Just wanted to mention here that I think its a good idea to pay a small premium and opt for Thai Airways instead of Indigo / Air Asia, etc. Not only do you get a much better and comfortable flight, along with seamless check-in luggage transfer (in case of connecting flights) - also your Thailand experience starts right there - with the customary 'Sawasdee', good Thai food, probably the least boring in-flight security briefing, etc.  Also, do note - you will need an arrival and departure card to be presented for Visa On Arrival in Thailand. Thai airways provide these before landing, so you can fill the forms and be ready - other airlines like Air India do not (Or so I've heard). In case you opt for another airline, please don't forget to collect these forms before you stand in the VOA queues. Freeeee Visa on Arrival. Is it free? Yes. Is it really free? No. Thailand had Visa on Arrival waiver for Indian passport holders (Edit: All VOA suspended till September 30th, 2020). There are also rumours that Thailand is planning to add India to the list of countries that get Visa exemption - which could mean even better news! Watch the Thai Embassy website for more! Problem is the queue - if you arrive at a horrible time as I did! Sunday 5 AM, the queue was absolutely horrible and I could have just stood there for 3-4 hours easily if I were to avail the 'free' line - and I only had 20 minutes! No worries, there is an express line which should still take around 30 minutes to 1 hour and costs 200 Thai Bhat per person just to get into the queue. (Note - VOA is still free. The amount is only for jumping the normal queue). If you wish to skip the queues altogether, VOA can be taken online before your travel, but with a cost of around 600 Thai Bhat per person! Once again, I repeat from my mistake - VOA has to be processed at your first port of arrival. And no complications, just carry the below - Quote:
I got the best buying and selling rates from 'www.bookmyforex.com'. And at my doorstep! Use your judgment though and compare the different options available! However, please do carry at least the mandated amount (mentioned above) in Thai currency before starting the trip - rates at the airport were much lesser, and Thai officials are known (as mentioned in vlogs, no personal anecdotes!) to deny INR cash as proof.  Don't worry if you receive 20 notes in denominations of 1000 Thai Bhat. Shops in Thailand don't generally cringe and give adequate change - especially the 7 ELEVEN stores, which sell almost everything, can be found in almost every street and are available 24*7. Hotel Bookings Before you go 'duh' again (Afterall, booking.com makes it so simple and there are excellent choices across price ranges available in most tourist spots within Thailand), let me explain! I only want to remind about choosing the right location here. Depending on whether you are travelling with friends, or spouse, or kids / elderly - you would need to target specific beaches as per your requirements. Some are touristy and crowded, some hep and happening, some still secluded and romantic, etc! If you are travelling with family (like I did) - choose a place which is closer to a street with at least a night market and a 7 ELEVEN store. Thank me later! Local Travel Bangkok - Sky Train rules. Everywhere else, use a cab. Uber is not very popular - "Grab" is the one to use, and they even have the option of two-wheelers if you prefer cheaper transport. Avoid tuk-tuks, they behave very much like our autorickshaw drivers in India - and that's not a good thing. Local Sight Seeing If you'd like guided tours - most beach walkways have tourist counters offering sightseeing options. A better option IMHO is to check and pre-book on klook. | |
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4th April 2020, 01:03
| #3 |
| Team-BHP Support | Day 1: Bangalore -> Phuket (via Bangkok). Travel: Thai Airways TG 326. Boeing 777. Bangalore to Bangkok. Thai Airways TG 201. Boeing 747. Bangkok to Phuket. Stay: Ashlee Hub Hotel, Patong. To anyone who may be reading this thread with the intention of planning a Thailand trip - do not, I repeat, DO NOT take the above flight option. The layover time is not enough, especially considering weekend crowds. We barely made it through because of opting for wheelchair option for mom (Suvarnabhumi Airport is very long and given her medical history - she couldn't manage otherwise) and getting a very enthusiastic young gentleman for our assistance who managed to get us to the next gate. Even with express VOA option and getting preference for most queues, we barely made it in time. Bangkok to Phuket was a better flight than the international sector though!  Stepping out of the airport - you immediately realize one thing about the automotive scene there. Vans and MPVs dominate! Having never travelled in a van bigger than a Maruti Omni, I was truly intrigued by the Toyota Commuter that picked us up. It certainly has the road presence and space to be a good people mover in the Indian context - given the pricing in Thailand, which is very similar to an Innova Crysta.  Quite an interesting one hour commute from the airport to Patong Beach. While wife and parents dozed off, I was looking at houses and cars mostly, and the occasional intriguing scenes that pop up!  Our stay for two days was arranged at the Ashlee Hub hotel, Patong and we arrived there very early for a check-in! Rooms were still being cleaned, so while the family waited in the lounge - I decided to check out the view from the rooftop.  Patong beach is quite interesting in the way it is located between the mountains and the sea. Taking the highway from the mainland, you cross a small ghat section and the whole landscape changes in a minute with the descend and then the ocean comes to view.  Check-in was taking more time than expected, so we decided to head out to the local road-side eateries to get lunch. The first taste of real Thai food was very welcoming. Thai Glass noodles became an instant favourite of mine!  Glazed pork - not so much! Tasted very Indian, in a way!  Back at the hotel, the rooms were decent and clean.  We got the noisy side of the street though, as we realized later that the party this side of the street runs till well past midnight. Couldn't be bothered at this point though - as I was still curious about the automotive scene.  Yamaha XSR 900 caught my attention because it is not available in the Indian market.  The bike was gone later when we stepped out for a walk, to be replaced by this custom machine.  Ah! Now it feels like home for the next two days. A humble Swift parked outside the hotel provides some much-needed familiarity.  The crazy tuk-tuk scene was unexpected though - I expected them to be similar to rickshaws here! These guys are much more 'colourful' than our Autowallahs! They dominate the streets once the darkness sets in!  Thailand (and other SE Asian) countries get some interesting and enviable selection of scooters. The Honda PCX is everywhere, whereas here in India, Honda has been teasing it for more than half a decade with various appearances at showrooms and Auto Expos!  Yamaha doesn't care about the Indian market, but this XMAX could be a welcome addition here.  Or if nothing else, at least the Aerox 155 - which was caught in India back in 2018, never to be seen again. Such a beautiful little machine and would totally stand out in a sea of boring scooters from competing manufacturers.  Seems to be the 'Navi' of Thailand! They, of course, do get the real deal - Grom, but that looks like a far more upmarket product in comparison.  One brand that stood out immediately was Mazda. They do make some very sporty-looking small cars and have an impressive range of vehicles as well. Too bad they are not interested in the Indian market.  15 minutes of walking led us to Patong Beach, which was looking like a playground for SUVs. Most of these machines are used to haul the water sports equipment for tourists - but they do show off and how!     I just love the sunset and the day felt well-spent with this beautiful picture-perfect sunset off the Patong coast. We spent some more time at the beach just soaking in the twilight scenes.  Most tourist spots in Thailand are famous for their night markets and Patong is no different. Patong OTOP opens at 5 pm and the show runs till well after midnight.  They offer a wide variety of dishes, but I did not expect to find Crocodile on the menu!  That said, I was here to try another dish, which would become a staple diet over the next few days - Mango with sticky rice. Coupled with a Durian milkshake (This one is highly subjective though!) - this was one dinner that still makes my mouth water! Many people had warned me about Durian and even hotels don't allow you to take it inside, but I found it quite similar to a ripe jackfruit and rather tasty indeed!  Tuk-tuks come alive at night and they buzz around making all sort of music and noises, painted in fascinating colours and dazzling LEDs!   Even boring Toyota makes good looking cars for South Asian markets!  Damn! I didn't think this one would turn out to be a Yaris when I first saw it from a distance!  The first peek at a Honda HR-V and wondering what makes Honda think of it as too premium to compete against the likes of Seltos and Creta!  The crowd was long gone and we could unwind from a long day of travel - enjoy the breeze and relax. Thankfully, our itinerary was a relaxed one and most of the time, we were not in a hurry and also had no bucket list items to count. The travel co-ordinators, on the other hand, had other plans in mind - which would reveal itself later on in Day 2.  |
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4th April 2020, 01:04
| #4 |
| Team-BHP Support | Day 2: Roaming around. Phuket View Point, Wat Chalong Temple Stay: Ashlee Hub Hotel, Patong. Post breakfast, we had a Toyota Commuter promptly picking us up for our scheduled tour of the City! The driver was not very fluent in English, however, a lady tour guide joined en-route. The tour started with Phuket View Point, overlooking the city and the ocean in the distance.  Now comes the ugly part of the tour - as somewhat expected, the tour guide started to stop at shops along the way citing important cultural this and that! First up was a jewellery and pearls store-  And next up was a cashew factory, followed by a honeybee factory - both useless waste of time! Read up not the Tuk-tuk scam of Thailand and you'll know of this! Except that this one was organized scam by Thomas Cook and its travel partners in Thailand. The company went bankrupt recently eh? Well, it is no surprise!  Anyways, the worst was over soon! Next up was Wat Chalong - a beautiful temple complex and the most important one in Phuket.  The main temple was initially crowded, so we visited the Pagoda first instead.  The temple is supposed to sheltering a splinter of bone from Buddha himself!  Loved the architecture - just what you would expect to see from a Buddhist Thai temple when visiting the place for the first time!   The temple is dedicated to monks who cured the injured people of Chalong during the Chinese rebellion.  Though the temple complex was relatively crowded, it felt calm and serene inside. Nevertheless, I would have loved to visit during a less crowded season!    The intricate designs used were quite fascinating. While the family called for the Commuter to pick us for the return journey, I spent a little more time looking at the details and clicking it.    Back the Patong market - parents opted for a relatively safer choice of Lunch. Rice with Thai Red curry.  Wife went with the safe option of fried rice!  I was happy with the glass noodles though! Rice can be had once back home anyways! Ahem!  The rest of the day was spent relaxing at the hotel! Wife and I went out for a walk post-dinner, once again exploring the Patong market and the various options on offer.  Nopes! I can't think of that one as food, ever!   The city doesn't sleep till well past midnight and it feels very safe and natural to be walking late in Patong. Tuk-tuks run the party as I mentioned a couple of times earlier, but then - seeing is believing. So here goes:     Oh, hello there Rebel! You look perfect for an Indian launch.  We had a stroll through Patong Walking Street, but then - I'm not going to continue writing anything more for Day 2! And if you question me - then you obviously know more anyways!  |
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4th April 2020, 01:05
| #5 |
| Team-BHP Support | Day 3: Phuket -> Krabi (by road). Relaxing in Aonang beach. Travel: Toyota Commuter. Stay: Holiday Inn Express, Krabi. Post breakfast, we were supposed to be picked up from the hotel, for our journey to Krabi - by road. This beautiful Triumph Thruxton caught my attention while we were waiting for the Commuter to arrive.  Our transport for the day:  Spotted this lovely little Brera, but unfortunately on a flatbed. Oh well, at least a spotting is quite something for a fellow FIAT owner!  Krabi is almost three hours away from Phuket and is quite a scenic drive! Well, if there is another chance for another visit - I'm arranging my own drive for sure! For now, I had to be content with the views from inside the Commuter.  The view which kept getting better and better closer to Krabi, especially while running closer to Phang Nga bay area. Traffic was scarce, and the road conditions were mostly excellent, even though only two lanes were present on most roads closer to Krabi.  Holiday Express, Krabi - turned out to be an excellent budget property. Located adjacent to the primary luxury hotel - this one too was located right opposite to the beach, had good ambience and amenities.  A nice little garden and pool area right in the middle of the property:  And clean, functional rooms with excellent glass area!  The hotel was located right opposite the beautiful Aonang beach.  There are quite a few shops located nearby, including Indian ones. This would prove to be a bad decision though - as we had lunch at an Indian place and that spoiled the Krabi trip for wife and parents. All of them wanted light food after the long morning drive and opted for simple rice and Dal, while I opted for my new favourite - Mango with sticky rice. End result: All three of them had bloated stomach and vomiting tendency by nightfall! With parents and wife opting to rest for the day, I went out for an evening walk - once again to witness a beautiful sunset.  Aonang beach was nowhere near as crowded as Patong, and was a pleasure to walk around!  7-Eleven supermarket chains turned out to be a blessing everywhere as we could just purchase sticky rice and curd from these shops to be taken back to the room. Whereas I, shamelessly, had a yummy Mango pancake!  Last edited by CrAzY dRiVeR : 4th April 2020 at 01:56. |
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4th April 2020, 01:06
| #6 |
| Team-BHP Support | Day 4: Four islands tour off Krabi. Beautiful evening sunset at Aonang beach. Wife and parents were still recovering from having an upset stomach on the earlier day, so I went ahead with Day 4 activities alone. Mom was anyways doubtful since we were not sure how she would be able to handle the boat-ride, so wife and myself were half prepared to do this activity by ourselves - but in the end - she had to miss out as well. Reached ahead of schedule and waiting for the boat:  The trip map displayed at the dock. Our boat would be taking a short tour of four islands - Poda, Chicken, Tup and Railay! The more recommended package is Phi Phi island tour - which goes out further into the ocean and is almost a full day (and more beautiful) tour than four islands.  Initially, I had the boat all to myself! We started off from the dock and slowly gained pace through the channels before hitting the open ocean.  Soon, other passengers arrived. Those who opted for this package from Phuket were being bought via a ferry here, and later were to be returned at the same spot in the evening, post the tour.  Not a big fan of Honda, but boy - these three together packed quite the punch!  The first stop - Poda islands. Jumping out of the boat on to the solid ground and looking back - the scene looked straight out of the movies!  We were one of the first to arrive and had the beach to ourselves for a long time! The beach would soon be overcrowded by the time we left though!  Some of the European travellers hired these traditional boats, and travelled in closed groups.  May be someday! It sure looks like a beautiful way to travel.  Photo opportunities everywhere. An old shack under a tree not only provided a good click, but also a nice place to relax and take in the view!  Was never a beach person, but the clear, turquoise blue water surely adds another dimension to walk around solo on the beach.  Ah! Lunch - Served hot, tasty and combine that with this view - heavenly!  Back on the boat, we had a quick tour of Chicken island, before stopping at a designated spot for the snorkelling session.  I can barely manage to swim in a pool! Not sure if it was the environment or the safety of the life jacket - but in a quick and hasty decision - I decided to jump in as well! Took some time to relax and get the heart to stop pounding my ribs!  Finally the snorkel on - and ready to peep under.  Didn't start off so well - the floor was black with dead, dried reef and the one thing that people in the boat warned about - black sea urchins which can be dangerous and painful if you manage to step on one!  But then, these little Nemos were everywhere for company, and that did bring some relief!  Was it a Jellyfish giving company to Nemo? Not sure - with my questionable swimming skills - I decided not to get too close to actually find out.  The last island on the list was Railay! No, I did not photoshop the sky - and that is the very reason I clicked this picture! Have never seen such a strange cloud formation anywhere else.  Tourists generally walk from this side of the island to the other side and return! There is a marked path near to the limestone hills - or you can go adventurous and venture into the hills and forests. I chose the safer option!  The limestone caves of Railay:    The cloud formation was even stronger at the West end of Railay. Strange indeed!  One last click while waiting for the boat to depart:  Back on mainland Krabi, wife and parents had recovered by then and they also came out for a relaxing walk at Aonang beach, along with the view of yet another beautiful sunset.  Even more beautiful than the sunset was the different hues of twilight - from dark blue to blazing red and orange before finally turning to purple and then black! Beautiful, surreal end to a great day.    Thai people, in general, love their King. And its not uncommon to see many such displays honouring him. This was seen on the beach on our way back from dinner.  |
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4th April 2020, 01:07
| #7 |
| Team-BHP Support | Day 5: Krabi -> Bangkok. Relaxing at the hotel and evening stroll in the city. Travel: Thai Airways TG 242. Airbus A330. Krabi to Bangkok Stay: President Park, Bangkok. Day 5 was simple, with nothing much to write about! Once we landed in Bangkok, it took another hour to reach the hotel. Our stay was arranged at President Park, Sukhumvit. The rooms were spacious and cosy and all of us decided to take it easy. A relaxed lunch, long evening walk and a nice dinner - just what a doctor would have prescribed after a hectic day.   |
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4th April 2020, 01:08
| #8 |
| Team-BHP Support | Day 6: Wat Traimit temple, Wat Benchamabophit temples. Leisurely stroll of the city and shopping at MBK Center. Another day, another Commuter.  The travel itinerary included a half-day tour of Bangkok city. Bangkok is a diverse city for sure, with so many conflicting elements co-existing - both traditional and modern.  Wat Traimit, or the temple of the Golden Buddha.  The temple itself dates back to the 13th century, though the main structure is modern and built of marble.  The main attraction is, without doubt, the golden Buddha statue - a 3m-tall, 5500kg sculpture with supposed Indian origins and made out of gold - estimated to be worth ~ 250 million dollars!  Another image of the Buddha from the temple:  The golden statue has an interesting history. It seems the statue survived invasions for centuries, completely plastered over to prevent it from being stolen. It was only in 1954 that the gold inside was discovered when the statue fell off a crane while trying to relocate it.  Next stop was Wat Benchamabophit, known better as the marble temple.  The temple courtyard houses 52 images of different Buddha sculptures from various parts of the country.  The courtyard and pillars are built of Italian marble, and decorated with lacquer and gold.  With the tour and later lunch over, parents decided to head back to the rooms, whereas wife opted for the main item on her list - shopping. MBK Shopping center was the one name that seems to pop up on most travel recommendations and hence we decided to take the hotel tuk-tuk to the Sky train station and the train to MBK.  MBK shopping center:  Place is huge and requires a LOT of walking! This was, undoubtedly, the most hectic half day of the vacation! Here's a tip: Purchase from the higher levels - you get the same stuff for cheaper rates, and this is even without bargaining!  Last edited by CrAzY dRiVeR : 4th April 2020 at 01:15. |
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4th April 2020, 01:09
| #9 |
| Team-BHP Support | Day 7: Early morning walk at Benjakitti Park. Relax and evening return to Bangalore. The last day. We had to report at the airport by evening only and family took it easy for the day. I got up early and went out for a nice ~10km walk though - which felt beautiful! We had only witnessed the chaotic and bustling streets of Bangkok earlier and starting the day before 6 am showed the subtle, beautiful side of it.  ~5 kms into the walk, found this beautiful lake and park where all the morning joggers were active. Though I looked totally out of place in my touristy regular clothes - I thought 'what the heck - it is anyways the last day' and joined in!   Joggers use the main path, whereas those taking it slow and enjoying the view offered by the lake can use this boardwalk.  Beautiful flowers everywhere and even the skyscrapers add to the charm when seen at this time of the day.   Just a casual pic while walking back. As mentioned earlier, Bangkok surely has a charm in maintaining the traditional with the modern.  Back at the hotel and a nice little lunch and checkout later, we had to wait it out in the lobby for some time for the cab to arrive. Father and I went for a short walk, mom sat it out whereas the wife opted for relaxing foot massage. This old timeless beauty made me draw the phone out. Also, in retrospect, I am in awe with how all the cars are maintained spotless clean there! Anyways, look at this one:  A couple of Swifts, just for, you know, the Indianness!   A Vellfire! Rules the streets there, along with the Alphard and the cheaper Commuter. Back then, I had no idea that the Vellfire would be launched in India. Such a cool van, but for the price!  Yet another Commuter arrived soon, and we were back at the Suvarnabhumi Airport by evening - the end of a week well spent.  Last edited by CrAzY dRiVeR : 4th April 2020 at 01:12. |
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4th April 2020, 05:59
| #10 |
| Team-BHP Support  Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: S'pore/Thrissur
Posts: 7,374
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| re: Thailand: Phuket, Krabi & Bangkok - A family vacation Thread moved from Assembly Line to the Travelogues section. Great travelogue CD, highlighted with automobiles and food; the former is anyway expected from a true-blue bhpian  Thank you for sharing! Last edited by vb-saan : 4th April 2020 at 06:01. |
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4th April 2020, 09:24
| #11 | |
| BHPian  Join Date: Mar 2020 Location: Gurgaon
Posts: 312
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| Re: Thailand: Phuket, Krabi & Bangkok - A family vacation Nice travelogue Going by your experience no wonder Thomas Cook went bankrupt. Quote:
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4th April 2020, 10:27
| #12 |
| Distinguished - BHPian   Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Namma Bengaluru
Posts: 7,391
Thanked: 10,724 Times
| Re: Thailand: Phuket, Krabi & Bangkok - A family vacation Whoa, @CrAzY dRiVeR, lovely travelogue and thanks for sharing  Reading your travelogue this morning made my day  While reading, I realized that at the back of my mind there was definitely something that was bothering me and it was the feeling that I've been cooped up indoors most of the time during this lockdown and your experiences and pictures just gave that feeling of freedom that my mind was longing for, some much needed solace and distraction from the current happenings around us. Your TL has all the heady ingredients that BHPians will love - travel, food, automobiles, architecture, scenic backgrounds, photography and hearing about real life experiences and your go-easy, relaxed style of writing is superb. Last edited by NPV : 4th April 2020 at 10:31. |
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4th April 2020, 12:13
| #13 |
| Senior - BHPian  Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: India
Posts: 1,788
Thanked: 6,677 Times
| Re: Thailand: Phuket, Krabi & Bangkok - A family vacation Nice travelogue there CD & superb pictures. Didn't you visit James bond & phi-phi island? About currency, apart from the mandatory amount in Thai baht (10k per head/20k per family), it's always better to carry rest in USD and get them exchanged in local shops in the market. They give you the best rates. They indeed are blessed with way better automobile scene than us. Wonder why our market is ignored so much even by the Asian manufacturers ( Honda , yamaha, Toyota etc) Am surprised you went with Thomas Cook. We have a dedicated Thailand thread here and people there have repeatedly instructed everyone against going with any such packages. Infact I took a lot of cue from that thread while planning my trip back in 2018(link (Thailand 101: Advice, Tips, Planning etc.)) Last edited by SoumenD : 4th April 2020 at 12:33. |
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4th April 2020, 12:43
| #14 |
| BHPian  Join Date: Aug 2017 Location: Bengaluru
Posts: 832
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4th April 2020, 14:29
| #15 | |||||
| Team-BHP Support | Re: Thailand: Phuket, Krabi & Bangkok - A family vacation Thank you so much all for your kind words. Quote:
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A couple of months later, wife and I went to Dubai for a week (Hopefully, I would be able to pen that down later) and that was all by self, with help from information gathered on the forum. Quote:
90% of the shots were thanks to the smartphone - LG G6. Underwater shots - SJCAM SJ6 (Generally used as helmet-cam for my bike rides). Nowadays, I'm lazy and a cellphone + small Gorillapod is the default choice for most situations.  Quote:
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