Bangkok & Northern Thailand

Coming to SE Asia I wanted a specific purpose for visiting each country. For Vietnam it was to test my day to day backpacking endurance. In Cambodia it was to wander the Angkor Wat temples. As for Thailand, the goal was simple — eat as much as possible and let everything else slip through the cracks. As for the logistics, I decided not to go to any of the idyllic islands in southern Thailand, hoping for less crowds and more mountain scenery in the north.

Quick backstory: the first time I ever had Thai food was my freshmen year at Lawrence University in Wisconsin — the Taste Of Thai restaurant just next to campus was a favorite with friends and family, and had a cheap lunch buffet. Thai food pulled me in with its healthy mix of vegetables, lean meats, noodles, rice, and spices. For years I continued to sample Thai food, whether it be in America, Georgia, or Australia. I hoped to eventually eat Thai food in Thailand.

Alas — 11 years, 41 countries, and 7 continents later, I was finally on a bus to Bangkok. We arrived in the evening and were let off in a bustling market filled mostly with tourists. It was a long walk to my hostel, and on the way I delighted in the sight of endless street vendors. I wasn’t picky about what I ate that night, as it was already past 9 PM by the time I’d checked in and gone to an ATM. A lone vendor on an otherwise busy side street poured me a scorching hot bowl of noodles with chicken. I didn’t know what it was exactly, it didn’t matter. I proceeded to burn my lips in haste.

I originally intended to do this trip through SE Asia back in the spring of 2020. In the weeks following the covid shutdown I drafted a plan of cities to visit, hostels to stay, and attractions to see — though as time went on and it seemed Asia was closed for good I scrapped the document. I should have kept it, as I ended up starting over from scratch this past July. Having said this, it was really fun in Bangkok to stay in some of the hostels that I had researched back in 2020, such as the incredibly vibe’y Born Free Hostel.

With Bangkok being very big and the sights being somewhat spread out I opted to “hostel-hop” (as I like to call it) — I stayed in three different hostels over the course of four days. This put me within walking distance to the street food surrounding the infamous Khao San Road, the chaotic energy (and more food) of Chinatown, and the higher-end neighborhoods of central Bangkok. I found the public buses an extremely cheap and somewhat quick way to get between different parts of the city.

With only four days in Bangkok there was soooo much more I could have done — but I didn’t feel pressured to play tourist. I kept reminding myself of my purpose. And not only did I feast on Thai food, but one day I ate street curry for breakfast, Japanese for lunch, and Indian in Little India for dinner (oh, and Dairy Queen for second lunch). There were a few differences I observed between Thai food here versus elsewhere in the world — here it was typically in smaller portions, there were more varieties of noodle based dishes (i.e. clear noodle soup) and most beautiful of all: delicious street food (like elsewhere in SE Asia) rarely cost more than $2.

Moving to the north of Thailand I took an overnight sleeper train (an experience in and of itself) to the city of Chiang Mai. This is one of those cities that seems small but is actually quite large — the old town is surrounded by a square shaped moat, with the rest of the city extending beyond its border. I arrived on a Sunday, on which the old town hosts an expansive Night Market. This was the largest market I had seen in Asia, and they’ve only gotten bigger and better as I’ve moved clockwise down from Vietnam.

After a couple of days scouring the markets throughout Chiang Mai I decided to take a 2 day/1 night trekking tour into the villages and hills of Doi Inthanon National Park. Located about an hour west of Chiang Mai, Doi Inthanon is a place where one could holiday for an entire week and be content with the range of activities including 1-3 day treks, elephant “care” (which sounds ridiculous), village immersion, zip-lining, rafting, and a visit to the tallest mountain peak in Thailand.

The never ending list of tours and activities in SE Asia is extremely overwhelming, and these tours always end up being the most expensive part of travel here. What you choose will have a lot to do with how long your trip is, how many other countries you’re visiting, your budget, and of course — your interests. As I am on a long, seven-country trip I’ve chosen to do different kinds of tours, trying not to repeat activities so that the trip as a whole feels diverse.

My trekking group included four French citizens and one Italian. It had been a long time since I’ve done a hike with multiple people, let alone a two-day hike — fortunately everyone was in shape and we didn’t have any stragglers. Our guide took us between villages, stopping at waterfalls or hilltop views for pre-made but fresh meals packed inside of banana leaves. Our accommodation was very rustic, being an open air shack on stilts overlooking the valley — with beds consisting of thick mats with a mosquito net and blanket. We helped our guide prepare a massive curry and vegetable dinner, followed by a few rounds of the card game President (accompanied by a water bottle full of potent rice wine).

My third and final stop while in Thailand was the town of Pai. Recognized as a lesser known backpacker haven, Pai is a three hour drive north west of Chiang Mai. The drive takes you on winding roads almost the entire time, for this reason it’s best to sit near the front and by the window to avoid car sickness.

Like in Bangkok, I wound up hostel-hopping in Pai — though here it was because I wanted to find the right vibe for me. As I’ve approached 30 I’ve become sensitive to hostel culture, particularly because I am somewhat straight edge and rarely ever drink. My first hostel in Pai was in a nice hotel that also had a budget dorm, and while it was very comfortable it lacked any social atmosphere. The second was extremely cheap, at $3/night — it was actually too much of a backpacker vibe — noisy, lacking privacy, and full of questionable people. The third hostel was perfect, being very close to the city center with tame solo travelers and a relaxing vibe.

Pai is like any backpacker haven — at times the percentage of western travelers and remote workers seems equal to that of the locals. Given this, there are a lot of pricier westernized restaurants throughout town — though I largely avoided them because oh yeah, I’m in Thailand! One large, open air restaurant on the main walking street had incredible curries for cheap, I went there at least once a day — usually trying a different type of curry each time. The place felt authentic amongst the menagerie of restaurants and cafes nearby.

It rained a lot during the four days I was in Pai. As the locals said — “there’s a tropical storm, it came from Vietnam!” The rain gave me an excuse to sample the quirky cafes around town, and to do some planning for my coming visit to Laos. Budget tip: if you don’t see prices listed and you still want to buy something, then ask how much it costs first! I sat down for tea one afternoon assuming it would cost between 40-60 baht ($2) — but it was actually 120 baht (meanwhile my curries cost 60). Tourist pricing is real!

Pai was where I got my first ever Thai Massage. It felt like the kind of thing I couldn’t leave Thailand without trying, particularly when an hour-long oil massage costs between $5-$10. This massage actually wound up being one of the most physically painful things I’d ever experienced. I nearly got sick in the days following, as long-held toxins released during the massage flooded my body.

Instead of resting after the massage I felt compelled to take my rental bicycle out to the famous Pai Canyon. It wasn’t an easy ride, considering the steep hills along the way and my massage just prior — but the canyon made up for the struggle. The fascinating thing about Pai Canyon are the thin ridges of rock and dirt that form trails above the canyon. It rained during my visit, which was actually quite a vibe, though it also made for really slippery and dirty conditions in sections that required climbing. Still, it was a very unique sight and experience.

Like I said earlier, there was a lot more I could have done in the three places I visited on this trip to Thailand. But I’m learning to prioritize, to not feel pressured to do everything, and stick to my purpose in order to fully make travel my own. Besides, I’m sure I’ll be back to Thailand some day … it’s just that type of country. Now onto Laos!

Up Next: “Luang Prabang & Nong Khiaw, Laos“