My Thailand Bucket List

I’ve decided to write a bucket list for my return trip to Thailand. There was so much I didn’t get to do last time I was there, and still so much I did do. I’m going for a much longer stretch this time around and there is a lot I want to make sure I do this time. In this post I’m going to give a little info about each thing, and they’ll be a standalone page that I shall tick off as I do them.

So I present... the list! (its just in alphabetical order)

Build and release some lanterns

At new years, heading back home, we passed a group of people who were releasing lanterns. I had seen them before during the festival the second night I was there, but this was the first time I’d seen them since, and just a couple of weeks before I’m due to go home. When I had first seen them I remember thinking that I wanted to build and release some, but as time went on I just forgot about until New Years.

Go canoeing in the sea around Ao-Phang-Nga

I love boats. I love being on the water. I loved the little canoeing and kayaking I’ve done. Ao-Phang-Nga has some amazingly beautiful scenery and apparently the best way to see it is by canoe.

Go scuba-diving

Some of my friends at university did it, and it’s always something I’ve wanted to try. There are a lot of places that offer it, so I don’t mind where I do it.

Go snorkeling

I enjoy swimming, after my transplant I found it was one of the best forms of exercise I could get because it didn’t leave me with muscle cramping. I have never done real snorkeling before and always wanted to give it a try. Like the scuba-diving, I don’t mind where I do it.

Go White-Water Rafting during the rainy season

I went last time, but there was very little ‘rapid’-ness to be honest. When it was, it was a lot of fun. I enjoyed it. But I want to go when it’s better and that’s during the rainy season.

Learn enough Thai to haggle

I picked up a lot last time I was there and I didn’t really put any effort into learning it. This time I want to learn a lot. And the benchmark I’m setting myself is haggling, specifically over cab prices. If I can pull that off I’ll be fine!

Learn to ride a motor bike

It’s always been a thing I’ve kind of wanted to do, never enough to really pursue it though. I never learnt to drive, everywhere I’ve lived (except Stratford) has had great public transport and I just haven’t needed to, or been able to afford it. But in Thailand I want to learn to ride so I can have some real freedom out there.

See Pee Ta Khon (if it's on when I'm there)

This is actually a series of festivals held between March and July. The dates vary each year so I will look into it more when I get there. But it looks and sounds like a lot of fun.

Travel around Ang Thong National Marine Park

This archipelago of some 40 islands has some amazing scenery and wildlife. It’s pretty cheap and there is just so much to see. Here I can see crab eating monkeys, dolphins, whales, iguanas, turtles and some series snakes like pythons and cobras. There are also some great beaches and coral reefs I would love to see.

Visit The Grand Palace

I actually missed this last time. It’s high on any list of places to see and the photos of it do look very impressive. In Thailand they are very big on the Royal Family, they are not just highly respected but it is an offense to slur in anyway against the king, or step on money because you are stepping on the kings face. Construction on the palace began more than 300 years ago when King Rama the first moved the capital of country to Bangkok.

Visit the National Museum in Bangkok

This is the main museum of a series of national museums across the country. It’s more than 100 years old and features exhibits some 10-12 thousand years old.

Visit Tiger Temple

This was really high on my list last time, I just didn’t get a chance to go. I won’t miss it this time. The place has an interesting history. I’ve done my research and although there has been criticism laid against the place I personally think that overall it is for a really good cause and well worth it.
Tiger temple isn’t the only place in the country that does this, and to be honest I’d be happy to visit any of them.

Visit Wat Phu Tok

This temple is built in, on and around a sand-stone outcrop. It offers some amazing views because it is an amazing 200 meters up and is a place I really want to experience. Though I will really have to get over my fear of heights because the way up is wobbly, wooden stairs built onto the side of the outcrop.



Other countries and cities

There are a series of other countries and major cities I want to visit while I'm out there. I'll be close and earning and would love to try and get off for long weekends away to the following;

Cambodia

Hong Kong

Laos

Singapore

Vietnam

So there we have it! When my time in Thailand comes to an end I'll return to this and see how much I've managed to tick of, and hopefully we'll have blogs, videos and pictures from each one. If you think I'm missing something, let me know in a comment below!

The final days

We have reached the end of the road. This is the final post before we are back up-to-date. It's taken a long time. But we are finally there. So let's pick up where we left off.


"Nick!!" They were all shouting. I'm looking around at all the part guests, but I just don't recognise anyone. Then I hear a voice I recognise, one of the teachers.

"Nick!! Welcome to my home!"

I'm introduced to all the members of her extended family. There are a lot of people here. There was a big gift exchange, the same as at the school before. Everyone brings a gift of some kind and their name is put in a hat. When names are pulled out they exchange their gifts with whoever they are matched with.

In the exchange I won a big pack of bottles of pop. Excellent!

There is a hell of a lot of food and whiskey going down and even though I am really tired, I wake up very quickly and get into it. There is more karaoke and what not going on and all in all it was a good night.







On the walk home I was escorted, keep me safe from the dogs, that had to be shouted at to stay away. I hate all the dogs out here. I sleep very, very well. As always.


The next day I head out with the dad and children from next door again. We spend the day travelling all over the place, visiting various temples and markets and some more extended family.








Once the day was over we went back to the village, I spent the last hour of light playing badminton and once the sun went down I went inside to work on the final lesson plans for the week.



We are now fully up-to-date. I'll be putting up a couple of update posts, but we are ready to dive straight into the next adventure, as I leave in just over a week. I'll talk about the podcast, new travel videos, a possible new blog/website and be putting up my bucket list for the next six months. So there is a lot to look forward to in this build up!

New Years Day

So let's try and put last night behind me. It's a new day. Up nice and early with my alarm going of at 5am. I had to be ready to leave at six, and I always take a bit of time getting up. Another cold shower, dressed, check batteries are charged up, yup. Bag has everything I need. Okay, I'm ready to go.

My view in the morning as I left the house

I'm not sure what to expect today. I'm going to a floating market with the family next door. I've met the two parents, they've served me dinner and breakfast a fair few times, the dad is a well respected man amongst the teachers and on an evening I've played badminton with their kids. Though neither of them go to the school, they play there most nights.

The teachers have been very protective of me my entire time here, with certain people who have offered me invites I've been told not to because they are not safe people or people to be trusted. They have helped arrange this day away so I'm looking forward to it and don't feel any anxiety at all.

At six o'clock I head on over. There is a minibus outside the house, and the family are getting ready. We leave about fifteen minutes later, but are only on the road for about ten minutes before we stop and pull up down a side road. Some of the people get out. We wait around for maybe half an hour. A lot of people arrive, all family members. There are a mix of people, cousins, brothers, sisters and kids. We head out and there are no more stops until we arrive at the market.

The whole place was stunning. There were a variety of temples all over. They taught me how to pray, and what to do when I went into the temples, what order to do things, where to get the gold leaves, how to hold incense so I didn't burn my hands... and technically I didn't. Though I did manage to burn my hair as I bowed!

After the temples we went to the market. We walked through a normal, covered market and the suddenly found ourselves at the river. The boats were beautiful, and there were so many of them. We bought some fruit, I must have tried some eight or nine types that I'd never even seen before. Most of it was very nice. We explored some more, and then stopped and had some breakfast. They bought me everything and refused to let me pay for anything.






We all met up again and took a boat trip. It left the market and we went down various side rivers that led to traditional stilted houses with people who lived on the river.






Once the river trip was over we explored the grounds nearby. One of the mothers bought me a new t-shirt because she was buying her daughters some.



The final place we visited was a cultural heritage museum. There were many parts where pictures were not allowed, so I only have a few from inside.




Everyone jumping into the car, we headed for a place to eat a late lunch / early dinner. It was a sea food restaurant. Words are not enough to describe it, only the pictures will do it justice.











Sadly I lost some of that crab... or rather it was stolen... by some of those monkeys! They had staff whose job it was to stop the monkeys getting at the food, but they would climb on the roof and jump down, run across the table, or under them, and grab what they could before running off again.

After food we visited a few more temples before the long drive home. I was finally able to get some photo's of how people travel on the roads out there.





We stopped and let people out at their houses. I was so tired, it had been a brilliant day and I had so much fun, but I couldn't be more tired! We drove straight past the school and past the neighbours house, even though all the other family members were gone. We continued up the road for about half a mile before stopping outside a house with a large party going on.

"Nick! Party!"
"What?"

"You, go party!"
"Erm... okay..."

I got out the minibus and walked through the gates. There was maybe 40 people in the front of the this house, a BBQ was on the go, music was playing, it was a great atmosphere. I didn't recognise anyone. Everyone seemed to know who I was though...

All will be explained in the next post!

New Years Eve

New Years Eve kicked off with a shower, a nice, cold shower. Ben picked me up early in the morning and we visited many different temples. At each one was a large meal (seriously, how did I loose weight out there?!) and whiskey. That's exactly what I need... more whiskey. There were lots of shows and celebrations throughout the day.

In the late afternoon we headed to Saraburi, calling in at Tesco Lotus (yup... Tesco) and bought supplies for that night. We went back to Ben's and put up Christmas Lights all over the house and garden. We spent a fair few hours doing that, and then he dropped me back home. There I had ANOTHER lunch at the neighbours house, the people who had invited me out tomorrow. I headed back to my room, got a shower and had a nap.

Come about 8.30 and Ben's brother picked me up. I went to his house and lots of people were there. They made me chips and other western food for dinner/snacks. There was karaoke and all sorts going on. When it struck midnight we set off loads of fireworks and I managed not to kill anyone. Wahay!

How do you open wine when no-one has a cork screw?

The best laid plans...

However, as more drinking and singing went on, I stepped on a dog, who bit me. Oh god. I suddenly sobered right up remembering what I'd been told...

"Get bitten by any dog and go straight to a hospital. You have 24 hours."

No blood had been drawn and I was wearing long trousers. But I was worried. There is no getting past it. There was someone there who wasn't drinking and they gave me a list to the hospital. But while in the car we got a call from someone who told me the dog had been vaccinated. So we turned the car around.

That had scuffered my mood for the rest of the night, and I headed home almost straight away after getting back to Ben's. Besides, I had to be awake at 5am and it was already 1:30, so it was probably wasn't a bad idea.