This is the last day in Thailand, I’ve enjoyed my last destination very much. After a few days in Chiang Mai, I made my way to Bangkok for another few days when I started visiting the city and around with Ayutthaya. Surprisingly I really like Bangkok. I don’t know why I thought the huge capital city wouldn’t be much to my liking but I got nicely surprised by how modern it is and how helpful and nice people are. It’s not so common to be in such a big metropolis and get people stopping by to help you with your map. Sometimes it’s tuk-tuk drivers hoping they’ll get you to your destination but even they are quite nice because if you don’t need the ride they still remain helpful and smiling. Maybe the political situation in Thailand has influenced tourism towards other destinations in the region so tourist are treated very well at the moment, or maybe they just have so many decades of experience and they still don’t get tired of ‘falangs’ (foreigners). I also liked in Bangkok that I had to use the boat as a pubic transport to go visit some places. You can also have a ride on the river in London but I actually never tried, maybe because I stopped being a tourist there a long time ago 😃… but in Bangkok locals use it a lot as well as it links many places on quite a long distance; and the price is quite different… the ride wherever you wish to go is the equivalent of just under £0.30! It’s quite a nice way to beat the traffic which can be pretty bad at certain times of the day!!
Next I went to Koh Tao, the “turtle” Island. I stayed there for about 10 days, knowing it would be my last time at the beach for quite a while. One more time I was able experience some time in beautiful surroundings. Of course white sands and clear waters, it was amazing. I was a little scared that the rainy season would get in the way of my plans when I got there but I was very lucky. It rained a few times but I got to be a lizard on the beach most days. I was also nicely surprised that even though Koh Tao is not the most well-known island as it is quite touristic it would be a bit spoiled. But Thai people and authorities there have made an excellent job at preserving the island very well. I kind of hope the tourists as well might be well behaved because the beaches and waters were clean. I also liked that the waterfront wasn’t full of shops or bars occupying sand space with subnets. Instead there were just bars, far enough to get free space and ‘street’ sellers were very few. So it was a very relaxing destination. I didn’t know about it before going but I stayed in Koh Tao over the 2 day festival they organise each year. So it was fun during those two days, there was a lot of animations and the first day over lunchtime all restaurants, bars and other shops had organised free food and beverages for everybody passing by. So it was a great opportunity to taste some local specialities. I stayed in Koh Tao as long as possible to enjoy the beach before going back to Bangkok before my flight home. I could have also visited other islands nearby but just the boat ride was a repellent for me. To get to Koh Tao I went on a boat ride for 3 hours after an almost sleepless night and the sea was really choppy so I didn’t want to get on another boat until I really have to!
Back to Bangkok I enjoyed my last 2-3 days by finishing to visit the city and going to the famous floating markets. This city was the perfect last destination to enjoy some cheap shopping for souvenirs, there are so many markets.
Now I’ve checked myself in a hotel near the airport for my last night, it’s weird to think it’s already been over a year I have left London and I’ll go back to Europe for a ‘new’ life as I’ll be landing in Lyon. It was also very strange to realise that in about 380 days I have spent less than 10 days alone in a room and probably less than 10 days alone at all… Some ‘accompanied’ travellers I’ve met were wondering about how it travelling solo… the answer is you are never alone, or very little, and the few times it happens you might feel lucky to have a bit of time for yourself if not, well you can just get to the next destination where you know there will be more people like you.
I feel very lucky about my experience. I’ve met a lot of amazing people, some have become very close friends. I guess I already had a huge interest in travel from my job before but now it has grown so much after this year of ‘vagabonding’ the world that I enjoy so much more reading about special project travels and talking with other travellers about their impressions of places visited. The world is so beautiful and interesting!!! I really don’t have a clue what the future holds for me, I’ll have to settle myself down with a job and rental flat in Lyon or elsewhere depending on how easy or difficult it is to get employment in my lovely city. But one thing is sure… I haven’t finished getting stamps in my passport, maybe it will have to be in the next passport, meaning in some time sooner or later, and not sure for such a long period. Even if I’m daunting all the paperwork and ‘boring stuff to do to settle down in Lyon, I’m very excited about enjoying family and close friends again. I’ve been homesick more than once, and I got some amazing news on the family side whilst I was in Laos… so I’m looking forward enjoying and sharing special happy moments. I’m also happy to know I’ll have a few visits from friends in Lyon, I’m looking forward to it so, very, much!!!
This might be my last post, as once I’m back in Lyon I don’t think I’ll have a lot to write about travel-wise even though I see my return home as a new journey as it’s a different home from the last one I had! And if any of the readers of this blog is curious about Lyon, just come to visit! It’s a beautiful city rivalling with Paris, except it’s much smaller geographically and it’s on the way to many places, so you don’t have to stay that long, just long enough to enjoy it 2 or 3 days before the next stop in the South of France or the Alps or in Switzerland, or even North of Italy! Make your choice! Maybe the tourism office in Lyon should employ me 😉!!
Anyway, to all of you reading this, thank you for following my adventures, I hope you enjoyed them. If anyone is thinking of travelling around and needs any help in answering some questions, don’t hesitate do get in touch, I’ll try to help as much as I can. Travelling is just an amazing experience every single time. you get to experience new places, meet new people, sometimes meet yourself too in a new way. For me it's one of the most rewarding and amazing experiences one can have in life so if you have the opportunity, don't even think one more second, make a realistic plan suiting yourself and book a ticket!
See you later, travel reader!!
