Thailand Travel Adventure Photographer
My second trip to the East. The adventure begins with the arrival at the newly renovated Zagreb airport. After landing in Bangkok, a real heat wave and strange smells blew us (we later found out that it is the original smell of food that takes fish oil as a basic ingredient for preparation –just make sure you don’t get any on your hands because the smell lingers for days). Bangkok –definitely a must see, but for the short period of time.
Huge hectic city. The polluted air concentration is so high that people are covering their faces with masks (and that was before the corona virus). At first I thought everyone was sick and that I could get infected, but then I realized the masks are for protection of breathing that air.
next day we got up early in the morning and went to visit the floating market which we were so excited to see. It was an hour and a half drive when we finally got there. Here we are at the floating market – I have to admit- it’s a very unusual feeling to do shopping from a boat ;).
Anyway, the experience of a floating market was amazing: a huge amount of colors, fruits, vegetables, meat. After returning to Bangkok we went to the main shopping street Koh san Road. This is where the shopaholics in us awakes and we are making our first purchase here.
Of course, the point of shopping there is bargaining, still we spent quite enough bahts ;). We discovered a great bar in cascades and were enjoying the charms of Koh san Road a little more. From the Koh san Road we make a turn into the first Red district in our neighbourhood. I have to admit that I couldn’t really tell the difference between women and ladyboys ;).
The next day we decide to take a look around the Grand Palace (an imposing building). In this place women need to cover themselves because, as we found out later, women are considered sexy and provocative in oppose to men.
The next morning we are headed to the train station. We took a train to Ayutthaya. Traveling by train in the eastern is very interesting. We took the 2nd class wagon.
We enjoyed the beautiful scenery. Ayutthaya is a city that will leave you breathless. It simply has to be seen. A photographer’s paradise! We rented bikes and drank smoothies, catching monks and taking pictures with them on the ruins of temples.
1st prize photo on photo contest
In Ayutthaya we came across 2 couples who had a wedding photoshoot and it was really interesting to see their customs and the festive clothes they wear for that special day.
When they saw us they immediately wanted us to be a part of their photo, even though we weren’t properly dressed for such an event ;).
It was time to take the overnight train to northern Thailand. My friend and I were sitting at the station and decided it was time to brush our teeth outdoors ;). We saw 3 policemen taking a selfie so I decided to photobomb them with a toothbrush still in my mouth. It was funny to them because they didn’t see it coming, we all laughed so hard. That is a funny story how we killed a little time while waiting for the train to continue our journey.
We boarded the train with the sleeping car. What a great feeling it was to lay down on a clean bedding and rest my legs. I was so happy. The ride lasted from 9pm to 8:40am the following day. It was 12 hour ride but it passed in an instant, even though I couldn’t really sleep all night but rested.
It was morning, we observed the last few stations before Chiang Mai. Nice green landscape full of palm trees, bananas, coconuts and rice fields. That same day we signed up for Smile Organic Farm Cooking School where we took Thai cooking class.
First we took a taxi (the driver taught us our first words in Thai: kopunkaaaa, Chang, Doi, Wat …). It was an hour-long drive to the market where we are greeted by Kim and Ui, our instructors for the day. There we saw and try some fruits and vegetables we’ve never seen before. Next came the cooking, a superb experience and even better food.
The next day we visited the Doi Inthanon National Park. We climbed to the highest peak of Thailand, in about 2500 m. The temperature was pleasant 20 degrees Celsius, greenery and freshness all around us – absolutely beautiful.
At the top we saw two temples (of the king and queen) with a beautiful park full of various flowers in between them. There was a place at the top that was a bit elevated from the rest but wasn’t very safe to climb because of the possible landslide. It is a place from where you can take phenomenal pictures! They even warned us that if we do climb and get caught the penalty would be 2000 baht..but hey, how often does one visit Thailand? I took a risk and started climbing, I was all covered in dust, but when I got there..The view was spectacular! Totally worth it!
The next morning at 7 am we set off towards the Hot Spring, the white and black temple. We had to enter the white temple barefoot. It was 39 degrees Celsius outside and the smell of sweat in the air. The temple was built by a famous Thai artist with his own funds. To tell the truth, I thought it was too kitsch but seeing all the details someone has devoted so much time to –you can’t help but to admire it. It looked magnificent.
The next day we started a new adventure, each better than the previous! So this time private taxi driver Chris was taking us on an elephant ride.
That was something to remember! After that, we enjoyed canoeing on the river in a canoe made of bamboo. It was very hot, almost 40 degrees Celsius, but at least we were surrounded with water.
We’ve successfully survived the heat because a new favorite destination – Longneckvillagewas waiting for us.
There we enjoyed photographing everything we saw, buying souvenirs and talking to women who wear rings weighing up to 5 kilos around their necks. Legend has it that it protected them and saved their lives from tiger bites.
Highlight of the day: Tiger kingdom — I bought a ticket to enter the cage with a baby tiger (a 9-month-old but I’m sure he could eat me if he’d wanted to), I had to sign a paper for entering at my own risk — I was trying to stay positive and not think about it!
Eye to eye with the beast.
maybe he is hungry :)?
We said goodbye to Chiang Mai, documented everything with photos and took a taxi to the airport. For the first time our driver was a woman, what a wonderful experience (no offence to the men). We waited at the airport for couple of hours and head to Phuket.
The taxi drivers were trying to trick us into paying 800 baht for a minibus ride (which is very expensive!) also not every passenger pays the same price. Tourists, naturally, have to pay much more.
Phuket is an island that I personally would never choose as a vacation destination cause it is a “party island”. With lots of bars and sex shops I don’t think it is a place for families or if you wish to have a peaceful vacation, but it is in great location and offers a lot of nature sightseeing tours nearby.
The next day we started touring as well. First on our list was James Bond island. Of course, we arrived by boat and the beautiful landscape immediately left us breathless.
It was the perfect day-the sun was shining bright and the temperature was high but it was definitely worth it.
That same day the celebration of the Thai New Year has begun or how they call it – Songkran. They celebrate it by watering themselves, so they started watering us as well. As we later found out the celebration and watering traditionally lasts until morning.
The next day we had a trip to Similan islands. It is what they call “heaven on earth”. We swam in the crystal clear sea, climb on the rocky viewpoint and enjoyed every moment of the beautiful Similan.
As a wedding photographer I think this is a perfect place to have an intimate wedding ceremony. To all of you adventurous newlyweds, I recommend.
Our last trip was visiting the Phi Phi island with its beautiful Maya beach from the movie The Beach starring Leonardo DiCaprio. Again, sandy beaches with crystal blue sea are like a dream. Too bad all these islands are so commercialized and overcrowded with tourists that you can’t enjoy nor experience their true beauty in peace.
This is the only photo I managed to capture without showing a human anthill.
All in all, Thailand was truly a journey to remember. The people, the food, the culture, the landscapes..it leaves me breathless, even now just looking at the photos. I’ve seen and learned a lot on this trip. I’ve created a memories that will last a lifetime. It is a kind of journey that enriches your soul and lifts your spirit! For everything we experienced, Thailand I thank you – KhobKhunKaaaaaa!
Thailand Travel Adventure Photographer
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