The Village Voice Oct Nov 2018

TRAVEL guide
THAILAND: A live travel piece for this edition as
Christina is currently in situ! This is part one of her adventure.
Having flown into Bangkok via Dubai (splitting
the flight into two digestible 6 and a half hour
sections), we arrived to warm and dry
conditions despite it being rainy season.
Bangkok is a crazy, busy, fascinating city and a
great place to start a visit to Thailand as long as
you have a relaxing end planned! We visited the
obligatory night markets and wandered around
the streets with vendors selling everything from
fresh fish to fake handbags.
The following day we had an adventure
planned. We got up early and were driven 2
hours out of the city into the lush green
countryside to a place called , The Flight of the
Gibbons to do a few hours of zip lining! It was
less terrifying than I had anticipated, and really
very beautiful being above the treetops and
zipping down 30 individual wires. The day was
finished off with a trip around an open zoo
where the animals were in (sometimes
worrying) touching distance.
The next day we were picked up at the crack of
dawn to go to the floating market, which is an
amazing
experience.
We travelled
along the river
on a long tail
boat and then
got dropped
off and left to
our own
devices for a
few hours. We
chose to see
the markets by
boat and so
paid 100 baht for a lady to row us through the
canal network. We could stop at whichever
boat we wanted to buy from. They have a full
array of fruits and vegetables for sale, as well as
beautifully fresh food being cooked on the river
boats. You can also buy souvenirs and clothes
here. It was a lovely morning and got us back
into Bangkok in time to visit the Grand Palace
and Wat Pho, both of which are serene and
quiet oasis in the middle of the bustling city.
After a few busy hot days in Bangkok we were
ready for the relaxing part of our trip, and made
our way to the airport for our flight to Koh
Samui. It was a seamless journey and within 3
hours of leaving our hotel in the city ,we were
on a beautiful white beach on Koh Samui. The
island is large and there is plenty to see and do
here. The plan is an island tour to see the
waterfalls and rock formations, but then also to
take a boat to Koh Phanang to do some
snorkelling in the crystal-clear waters.
I am heading back to Thailand in October to see
Elephant Hills and visit Phuket, so my next
travel piece will be an insight into another side
of Thailand.
The best time to visit is usually December to
May but the weather is glorious here in Koh
Samui at the moment. Prices are at their lowest
during our summer. There are many direct and
indirect flight options with various airlines, so
we are spoilt for choice. The time change is 7
hours and the local currency is the Thai Baht.
At Milford Travel we can arrange all of your
travel requirements to Thailand so please
call 01590 644899 or visit us at 78 High
Street, Milford on Sea or email
enquiries@milford-travel.com.
We would love to help!
Please mention The Village Voice when responding to adverts
21