62 January 11, 2015Tour

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THAILAND is a country thathas always been on my ‘todo’ list when it comes totravel. It was one of thoseexciting, exotic destinations

which I had planned to visit in myearly twenties but continuouslyput off due to a rather hectic workschedule and part-time study.

Every year I swore to myselfthat I would get round toembarking on the trip of alifetime to the 50th largestcountry in the world. My desireto visit was so strong that iteventually got to the stage wherefollowing a night out, I bookedplane tickets through EtihadAirways before I could say snap,crackle and pop.

As a result of my somewhatwhimsical decision, the nextthing I knew my sister Ruth andI were off to the bustling city ofBangkok, backpacks in tow forthree-and-a-half weeks. Likemost people, our busy workschedules meant this was all thetime out we could take. Wouldthis really be enough time toexperience what Thailandhas to offer? And as two girlstravelling on our own would webe safe?

Thailand is at the centre ofthe Indochina peninsula. It’sincredibly famous for its sandybeaches and tropical climateswhich can reach a sizzling38°C. Having heard about thevarious different seasons, wedecided to travel in Novemberas it is considered to have morecomfortable temperatures.

To ensure my mother had pieceof mind and to get the most outof what little time we had, wedecided to book a 16-day grouptour with G Adventures throughIrish company AdventureHolidays. Aptly titled ‘Thailandon a Shoestring’ we also decidedto book three days of free time toourselves both before and afterour experience with a gang ofother travellers so we would havetime to relax and unwind.

We kicked off our adventurewith a three-night stay at thefive-star Lebua State Tower Hotelin Bangkok (which you can readabout, top right). Known as thecity that never sleeps, Ruth andI made the most of our few daysgroupless and spent our timeexperiencing the nightlife andtuk tuks on famous backpackers’strip the Khao San Road andtesting out authentic thai disheson many of the city’s food stalls.

We also visited the originalhome of the Thai King ‘The

Grand Palace’ which was litteredwith towering temples andglittering golden Buddha statues.One of the main attractions in theroyal grounds – which are simplybursting with tourists – had tobe the Temple of the EmeraldBuddha which was the personalchapel of the royal family.

Another attraction in Bangkokwhich is a must see is the70m-high ‘Wat Arun’ – otherwiseknown as ‘The Temple of Dawn’.We took a private long tail boat towhat’s known as one of the mostbeautiful temples in Thailand atsunset where we were ensuredsome stunning views of the sunslowly sinking below Bangkok’sskyline.

When it comes to Bangkok,another area worth mentioning isshopping. Bangkok is full of streetstalls and gigantic shoppingcentres. Its most famous mall,the eight-floored MBK, offers

something foreveryone and with over 2,000shops it’s safe to say you cancertainly get bang for your Baht.It truly is shopping heaven.

The final day of our stay inBangkok saw us join ourG Adventures group of 16 peopleand embark on an overnighttrain to Chiang Mai in the north.The laid-back city, dubbed thecultural centre of Thailand,provides something for all typesof travellers from ancient ruinsand temples to top restaurants,pubs and clubs.

Although we only had two daysin the city, one of the highlightswas a visit to the perfectlypicturesque, ancient BuddhistTemple ‘Wat Chedi Luang’ whichoozes history and gives touristsan opportunity to learn aboutBuddhism.

Seeing as our group itinerarywas designed for the moreadventurous traveller, Ruth and Iwere delighted to see it includeda three-day hill tribe trek whichwould enable us to see the ‘real’Thailand as it were. Our threedays of hiking up a sweat saw usvisit three remote villages andstay in the homes of the Karentribe members, each of who hadtheir own language, religion andculture.

Following what was anunforgettable experience inChang Mai, we took anotherovernight train to the ever sobeautiful, unspoilt Khao SokNational Park for an overnightstay. Being the oldest evergreenrainforest in the world, it’ssituated in the South of Thailandand is part of the Surat Thani

TICKETTOPARADISEHistory, culture and beauty await visitors in unforgettable Thailand

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HIGHLIGHTS:Rebecca and Ruthfeed elephants and

visit a temple inChang Mai, below

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