A Passage to Bangkok

Four days from now I'll be on a plane heading for Thailand. I have a strange mix of emotions at the moment. I feel afraid. Anxious. My over-active imagination is creating negative scenarios in my head like losing my bank cards, having problems with my hotels, or missing my flight home. Stupid I know. Plus I hate flying. First world problems. All of them. I feel like I'll be holding my breath until the plane lands safely at the Phuket airport in the sunny afternoon.

After exhaling I'll take a cab to my first stop, Patong Beach, a crescent shaped slice of the touristy mainland featuring the best and worst of everything South East Asia has to dish out. A perfect place to start! Two days later is Koh Phi Phi, an island famous for its beauty and cheap mini buckets of booze. Three days later it's a short boat ride to Koh Lanta where I have a bamboo bungalow booked on the beach. "This is thatched-roof, Rasta-bar bliss" says the guide book. Sounds good to me! Then I'll back-track to the ridiculously scenic Railay near Krabi Town where I have another bamboo bungalow booked. Rough life! The next day in Krabi town I'll arrange my transportation overland to the island of Koh Pha Ngan where I'll spend a week or more in search of the ultimate bamboo bungalow. I'll probably rent a scooter to explore the island. Next is the nearby island of Koh Samui for my last few days of beach bumming before I fly to Bangkok for a couple of days. I might take a cooking class there before I fly home.

This sort of trip would usually take around two weeks or less but I'm going to take a month. I don't like running around when I travel. Also, it's nice to have the hotels for the first third of the trip booked. I'll wing the rest from there. I've been fortunate enough to have travelled to Indonesia and Vietnam where I had some incredible travel experiences. I'm surprised I feel so strange as this is not my first canoe trip. I have been planning and thinking about it too much! Once I'm there and that South East Asia groove kicks in I know that I'll feel fantastic. South East Asia is such a great place to visit as a tourist. There are tons of locals looking to do business with you and to help you find anything you need. Because I am travelling alone I want to go to areas that are not overly remote yet easy enough to get away from the bustle when needed. It's turning out to be quite a bit more expensive than Vietnam or Indonesia but I can't think of anything better to spend your hard earned money on than a sunny hedonistic and exotic beach holiday! Can you?

Thailand is my first choice in South East Asia. I've always wanted to try real Thai food in Thailand. It's hard to imagine that I'll get to eat it every day for a month! There's no surfing in Thailand but that's okay. I'm looking for a lower impact holiday this time. I might try stand-up paddle and maybe ocean kayaking.

I truly love swimming in the ocean and the feeling of walking on a soft tropical beach. I've always wanted a job where I could be barefoot in the sand. As I lay in my hammock on the balcony of my bare-bones beach bungalow under a carpet of stars with the surf lulling me to sleep, maybe I'll think of one?