2016 - a year full of travels and adventures - ended in Thailand. With a lot of excitement, tropical weather, summer tan, delicious Thai food and lovely people I started well into 2017 in KOH CHANG.
Koh Chang is Thailand's third largest island, which is located in the eastern part of Thailand near the border to Cambodia. It's also called "The Elephant Island" because of its elephant shaped headland.
Beside tanning and drinking lots of delicious fresh fruit juices there are numerous activities to keep you occupied - everything from elephant trekking to scuba diving.
Koh Chang isn't quite striking as other islands and doesn't have mesmerizing aquamarine blue water that you see on photos but the water is still clear and blue and the vast majority of the island is undeveloped rainforest.
I stayed at Kacha Resort on the White Sand Beach and by far the most touristy beach on the island. I spent amazing days there, swimming for hours in the Indian Ocean, watching beautiful sunsets, eating a lot of streetfood and Pad Thai, working out, playing with elephants, snorkeling from island to island, quad biking in the jungle, exploring the culture and enjoying life - and even more. Put some sound on and enjoy the pictures!
Enjoying the beauty of this sunset and the night's farewell kiss
Swimming with elephants
AS THE SUN SETS
street dog
THAI NAME: KLUAI
This little one is putting the bananas into a bucket so the tourists can feed the elephants later
feeding the elephants
turquoise dream
monkeys
there are a lot of islands around koh chang and islands hopping tours are available in every travel agency
HE WAS READY FOR THIS SHOT
MERRY CHRISTMAS - 25.12.2016 - KOH CHANG, THAILAND
a place of relaxation, rest & tranquility
SNORKELING TRIP
(NOT WITH THIS BOAT)
a bird suffering from depression
I gave him my coke and he made the elephant look like this for the picture
white sand beach during ebb
The last stop was Bangkok, Thailand's most well-known destination and capital city. The city hums with life but is the total opposite of Koh Chang. It's crowded, busy, full of people and there is high polution, which is bad for your health. After strolling for hours through the big shopping malls - Siam Paragon, Siam Discovery Center, MBK, Central World, Siam Center- I needed some rest .
While in Bangkok, I stayed at The Berkeley Hotel in Pratunam, which was a good choice to find silence and relax, eventhough it's located in the heart of Bangkok. The breakfast buffet was great and had lots of choices, the rooms beautiful and incredibly comfortable.
The following day we visited the GRAND PALACE AND WAT PHRA KHAEO. Despite the heat and thousand of people I thought that the Grand Palace and its temples are stunning.
And that's the special thing about Bangkok. For one minute you hate it and you're very tired of its noise, smog and chaos and the next moment you are visiting one of the temples and you're totaly fascinated and in love with this city.
Some illuminated Asian plastic trees in Bangkok
Pink elephant statue outside of Grand Palace
DETAILS
COVERED WITH FOIL GOLD IN THE INNER OF GRAND PALACE
the garuda statue and admired walls around the temple of emerald buddha
I'm totally mesmerised by the richness of the architectrue and the beauty of the sites
Remember to dress appropriately
exotic factor
Golden statues and warriors cover the grounds of the Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand
Buddhism is the country’s predominant religion and it influences everything from the architecture to the way people interact with each other
NAMASTE
This was my second trip to Thailand after I already visited Phuket. The lesson is clear: I love Thailand and I highly recommend travelling on this country for many reasons. The most important one is Thai people, absolutely kind and welcoming, always with a smile and a great sense of humor. Other reasons are the delicious and very cheap food, still well preserved landscapes, the laid-back atmosphere, amazing Thai massages (If there is something you should definitely try: Thai massages. Trust me, you won't regret it.) , a great number of shopping opportunities with small local shops and massive flea markets where you will find pretty much anything you are looking for and the rich culture they have. Don't forget to check out my THAILAND TRAVEL VIDEO on YouTube!
