Two Weeks in Thailand
Recently one of the friends from high school messaged and asked a question that I thought deserved an answer that everyone should know. That being said, she asked, “So, if you were to spend 2 weeks in Thailand, what would you do?” That’s verbatim, she actually said that, and I quickly gave her my reply, but I thought it would be nice to share with everyone my thoughts, suggestions, and explanations. I have also included a map with the locations you should visit, because I’m a visual person so if you are too it will make it easier to understand where everything is that I’m referencing.
Two weeks in Thailand. Where to start?
Well, two weeks might seem like a long time, but with how diverse and beautiful this country is, two weeks is really the minimum amount of time you should spend here to feel like you’ve seen everything, or at least to understand what the country is about. My suggestion was if possible to start in Chiang Mai, it is described as the capital of the North, it still has a great deal of Thai culture and influence for a larger city, unlike Bangkok. Chiang Mai is really known for two things, temples and elephants, arguably the most beautiful temples in Thailand and Southeast Asia are in Chiang Mai. There are also numerous elephant sanctuaries, please make sure that if you’re interested in seeing elephants that you visit an actual sanctuary that is truly looking out for the elephants needs and have rescued them, as opposed to many companies that just use and abuse them for money.
After Chiang Mai, I would fly to Bangkok, Air Asia and Bangkok Airways are two airlines where you can find affordable flights running almost every hour of everyday. Once in Bangkok there really are only a few things worth seeing because Bangkok is not exactly beautiful. So here is a quick list: 1. Grand Palace 2. Wat Pho 3. Floating Market 4. Khaosan Road 5. The rooftop bar from the Hangover (crazy beautiful). Other than those things, I wouldn’t spend anymore time there, you really only need about two days in Bangkok. After Bangkok, if you’re up for it you can take a quick 30-minute flight to Cambodia and visit Angor Wat, lets be real, if Jay Z and Beyoncé made a special trip from Thailand over their Christmas vacation it must be worth it.
If you do go to Cambodia you will have to get a visa on arrival, but it’s nothing to fret over, from Cambodia you can fly back into Bangkok or if at all possible Phuket. Southern Thailand is filled with beautiful beaches that fill Pinterest Boards, and most of those boards have pictures from Maya Bay which is off the island of Koh Phi Phi, just a ferry ride away from Phuket, also in that area, is the extremely lovely Krabi, another picturesque location that is quintessential Pinterest Thailand.
If you visit these three places you will hit Northern, Central, and Southern Thailand, all beautiful and special in different ways, and all are worth seeing, they should definitely not be skipped.
So here’s a quick recap on the amount of days you should spend in each place:
Chiang Mai: around 4 days
Bangkok: 2 days
Cambodia (optional): 2 days
Koh Phi Phi (If you have time go to Krabi after Phi Phi and then Phuket): 5 days
Total: 13 days
That leaves you a day to get back to Bangkok to fly out!
Pronunciations:
· Chiang Mai (Chang My)
· Koh Phi Phi (Co pee pee)
· Khaosan (Cow son)
I hope this helps anyone who is interested in visiting Thailand, and if you’re interested in visiting Hua Hin, let me know, I wouldn’t mind showing anyone around. Hua Hin is a small beach town, about three hours south of Bangkok on the eastern coast of the Southern Peninsula.