Now I know what you are thinking. When you imagine Thailand’s beaches you are picturing those tall green rocks on an island surrounded by clear blue water and sipping a cocktail. That is not the kind of beach I went to Thailand on my EF Tour 7 years ago. It was not a resort and I don’t even think there was a lot of backpackers. I know you were picturing Phuket because that is exactly what I thought I was going to get in Thailand, but sadly that is not where we were sent for our beach time. Phuket in located on an island in the very south of the country in what you could call the peninsula that it shares with Malaysia. Our trip what focused solely on the north, so we did not get down to those beautiful beaches. Instead we went to Cha-am, a beach town located a couple hours south of Bangkok. It wasn’t nearly the same vibe as we couldn’t even really swim in the water, because it wasn’t that kind of beach, but the beach culture was still alive and well, so let me tell you about Cha-am!
Day 1
It is super close to Bangkok. Its not long of a drive at all which is why it was interesting that during our bus ride we stopped for lunch at a mall. This was maybe the most interesting experience of my life (that might be a bit exaggerated). Thai malls are intense though. While it feels like malls are dying over here in the states, they are alive and well in Thailand and, boy, was it crowded! We were in the food court and were overwhelmed with all the options. But the problem was not figuring out where to eat… it was how to eat. We had to buy a coupon that was then used to purchase food. I got milk tea as always and then some noodle soup with pork balls. This is how I ruined one of my favorite shirts, because if you have seen Thai milk tea, then you know that is a color that will never come out of white.
I really liked it, but I was upset because I spilt my tea on my white shirt. After that we got Dairy Queen. I wanted to see what it was like here. I got an Oreo blizzard in a waffle cone. It tasted the same. Then we continued to the hotel – June 16, 2019
Yes folks, Dairy Queen exists in Thailand. Sadly it is not that much different, but maybe that is a plus if you are feeling homesick. As we arrived to the hotel we were greeted with a glass of juice just like every other hotel. I never turned it down. I felt very optimistic about this hotel as we were shown to our rooms and let me tell you, it did not disappoint. They were huge rooms with a great bathroom and a nice balcony with a view over the pool, which felt more like a river than a swimming pool. Of course the first thing I had to do was check out this pool!
After some pool time we got ready to go out to dinner.
Then we met down at the lobby to get dinner. We went to a market that had lots of great food choices and lots of great vendors. Again we had to buy coupons. For dinner we shared a meat platter that had Thai pork sausage, grilled chicken, pork, and some veggies and sauces. Then we got mango sticky rice. I love mango sticky rice. After that we walked around a little bit. I wish I had room in my suitcase to buy more, but I was running out of room. I loved everything here. There was a lot of cute clothes, watches, art, and other random things. After spending an hour here we left to go to the other market. – June 16, 2019
We did in fact go to another market. A lot of this trip was spent exploring markets, but they are such a big part of the culture and there really is no other places where you can encounter food, art, and craft, the key components of culture, all in one place!
My mom and I didn’t really want to buy anything, so we got massages. This was my first massage. It was interesting but good. I thought it was amazing that they just knew where you were tight. It felt good on my lower back, neck, and hands. We had to leave the massage early though because we were leaving at 8:30. – June 16, 2019
Once we got back to the hotel, we were allowed to go our separate ways and do our own thing, but we were too tired to. Even though we didn’t do a whole lot that day, these tours really start to wear on you after awhile, because it is constantly go, go, go.
Day 2
After nearly two weeks of waking up at 6am, or 7 am if we were lucky, I finally got to sleep in until 8:30 am! Well 17 year old Emma probably wouldn’t have considered that sleeping in, but 24 year old Emma now would really like to sleep that late! Anyway this day was one where we got to do a lot of our own thing. For my mom and I this meant checking out the beach, so after our Thai breakfast we walked to the beach. It is by no means that kind of beach we are used to going to in the US to go swimming and sit out in the sun on the sand all day. The sand was a bit wetter making it very firm and the water had a dark hue to it, but it was cute in its own way including the sail boats lined up along shore appearing to be abandoned (or just waiting for the tide to come back in). After a nice walk along the beach we eventually came across some chairs that looked like they were for public use so we hung out there for a bit.
Then we walked into the ocean. I have now been in 3 different oceans (the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Ocean). The water was really murky though. After swimming around for a little bit with some of the other girls we walked back to shore and collected seashells. Then is started to rain, so I covered up my stuff for awhile and then my mom and I went in the water. It was actually warm enough for her, but she freaked out because something touched her foot. Then the rain came down pouring so we went back to the hotel and showered. – June 17th, 2019
By the time we got back it was time for lunch. We were served sweet and sour pork along with spring rolls and friend bananas and ice cream for lunch, so of course it was the most amazing meal ever! The fried banana even had honey on it! Luckily by the time lunch was over the rain had stopped so that we could continue our relaxing beach vacation by going down to the pool. Of course this didn’t last long though and I had to put my book away and journal up in my room instead. As you continue to read you will start to see that this day was pretty much full of leisure and eating because now I am about to tell you about dinner.
We had a choice for dinner so my mom and I opted to go with others from the group to Luna Lanai.
I ordered green shrimp curry and sparkling water. We also got shrimp spring rolls again. My less spicy curry was still spicy. I cannot imagine what normal spicy is like. This place was cool to eat at though, because it was basically right on the beach and it was outside. – June 17th, 2019
After another dessert, because it was vacation, we walked along the beach back to the hotel and then it was another early night, because who knew that relaxing could be so tiring. That is my little tid bit about tours that hopefully I can really focus on in another post. These trips are jammed pack with activities and stuff to see and do, which is nice because you feel like you are getting the whole experience when you are constantly moving on to new destinations each day or two, but it does start to take a toll on you after about a week. At this point in our trip we all were exhausted after 10 days of continuously being on the go and we were a bit ready to head back home. I will take advantage of being in Thailand though!
Day 3
This last day in Thailand was mostly a travel transitional day. As a group we had the option of leaving the beach at 10 am or 2pm, but we decided on something in the middle with a noon departure time. I know it seems like an odd time, but it was supposed to be rainy in the afternoon, so it didn’t make sense to spend that time at the beach when we could be on our way back to Bangkok where there are more things to do.
In the morning my mom and I ate breakfast and then went for a walk on the beach. We found two jellyfish and they were huge! I also found a lot of shells. Then after everyone was ready we headed back to Bangkok. – June 18th, 2019
I got in one last 7 Eleven stop on the way back and enjoyed some Thai tea, which I would really miss. The tea in Thailand whether it was a bottled green iced tea or some freshly brewed jasmine tea was so good. Our tea just does not live up to the freshness and flavor.
We got to Bangkok mid afternoon and my mom and I decided to do all our one lasts: one last shopping trip (to get postcards), one lake massage (don’t underestimate a food massage), and one last Pad Thai.
We ended up meeting this really cool guy who suggested a place for us to eat. I couldn;t remember what it was called, but we had some of the best Phad Thai we’ve ever had. I got chicken Phad Thai of course. It did give me a huge stomach ache though. – June 18th, 2019
It was 100% worth it though. Room check tonight was at 8pm because we were going to have to be up at 4 am the next morning. And after our last school tour experience abroad, we learned that you have to make sure all the kids are sleeping and not attempting to stay up all night because they will fall asleep without an alarm and the rest of the group will be waiting. That didn’t happen this time! Anyway my mom and I headed back to the hotel and got some sorbet to celebrate our last night. I had a scoop of pineapple, and she had a scoop of passionfruit. And that was the end of my Thailand adventures.
The next morning the hotel sent us off with a packed breakfast and we arrived at the airport to watch sunrise. I watched the sky slowly light up Thailand while drinking one last Thai tea.
Although this trip happened 7 years ago, it still sticks with me like no other. I suppose that’s because I’ve been to Europe so many time it feels like a second home and Latin America is just an extension of my love for Spanish, but Thailand was something completely its own. It’s not just foreign and new, but it has so much depth to its culture from its beautiful architecture, amazing food, kind people, and extensive history. I felt totally transported to somewhere new where I got to dive head first into the culture and completely immerse myself with what it means to be Thai. That is why the trip will always hold its own special place in my heart.
The Journal of Wanderlust 