TRAVELS: HOW TO SPEND TWO WEEKS IN THAILAND

After a very long 24-hour journey from South Wales to Heathrow to Dubai to finally arriving in busy Bangkok, it was time to start exploring. Our room in the Rembrandt Hotel wasn’t quite ready so it was the perfect opportunity to don the trainers and have a wander.

This wonderful city never sleeps. It is constantly lively and the traffic is manic. If I thought rush-hour in London was busy, boy was I in for a shock here.

Bangkok

Somewhere around 5am, I am lying in my ginormous bed in the middle of Bangkok pondering the events of the previous evening.

It had been spent being enticed into the darkest alley where the most well-camouflaged room could be found, behind a piece of plaster-board that concealed the entrance. Fluorescent strip lights illuminated the grotto filled with counterfeit trainers, bags and purses. A skinny woman lay sleeping under some shelves in the corner of the room while the slimy stall owner attempted to sell us the best of his goods. After he had frantically shown us the extent of his stock and got very irritate informing me I had an awkward shoe size, we decided the back alley cave was not somewhere we wanted to be any longer.

After making our apologies, we nervously strolled back onto the main market streets, being very careful to blend in with the rest of the tourists as the Thai police are not the most forgiving of people, especially when it comes to encouraging the counterfeit goods trade. My ever-thrifty boyfriend then began to haggle with a very arrogant market trader over the price of a pair of ‘Nyke’ trainers and some ‘Ray-Berry’ sunglasses. When he grabbed my unassuming friend’s arm after informing him his prices were much too high, we decided it might be a good idea to walk – quickly – in the opposite direction. While power-striding through the crowds, away from the man yelling at us from his stall, madams snatch at our hands in an attempt to drag us into their delightful bars where “nice young girl dance” offering “sex for you ma’am and sir!”

So, in the tranquility of my hotel room I decide to search for pleasant legal activities to part-take in while in Bangkok. I came across the Bai Pai Cooking School, whose reviews were sparkling and their reputation superb. The buzzing, humid bustle of the night before was a stark contrast to the oasis of the cooking school in the heart of Bangkok’s suburbs.

Bai Pai Cooking School, Bangkok

The moment I stepped out of the wonderfully air-conditioned people carrier that had picked us up from our hotel, I felt I had arrived at the most luxurious, beautiful, east-Asian retreat and knew I would not want to be leaving in a hurry. The space and elegant furnishing of the school made me relax into a sweet state of calm before we had even begun our Thai cooking experience.

Chef Phu gave a detailed tour of the grounds and herb gardens, sharing her knowledge of traditional Thai flavours and cooking techniques, before spending the afternoon teaching us four signature dishes and the art that is Thai cooking.

This was such a tranquil experience – I’m not sure any other cooking course will ever compare.

Chiang Mai

After spending a few days exploring Bangkok, we flew up to the north of Thailand, to Chiang Mai. This might just have been my favourite part of the trip. The hotel we stayed in, Kantary Hills Hotel, was beautiful but it was what we experienced there that topped it off for me.

We visited an elephant sanctuary. But not just any ‘sanctuary’; the Elephant Nature Park. After being picked up from our hotel at 8am, we were driven up into the mountains that shadow Chiang Mai. As we neared the park, we noticed numerous entrances to other elephant ‘sanctuaries’. Our guide informed us that we were just minutes away but these places were not fond of the Park and regularly try to sabotage their reputation.

Let me give you a bit of background. The elephant trade in Thailand is not a pretty picture. Unbeknown to many travellers, newly-captive and captive-born Asian elephants are subject to systematic abuse in order to ‘train’ them to accept riders and perform in shows. It might come as a surprise to learn that elephants don’t have very strong backs. Experts claim that adult elephants can only support a maximum of around 150kgs on the middle of their back for up to four hours per day, but many of Thailand’s elephants work eight hour shifts, carrying two riders at a time.

The 250-acre Elephant Nature Park is home to over 40 elephants who have been rescued form street begging, logging and tourist abuse. They have been rehabilitated, introduced to herds and allowed to live as naturally as possible. The park was set up by Sangduen Chailert or ‘Lek’ (who I had the pleasure of meeting) in the 1990s. Covering the entire Northern region, she now also travels to instruct the Thai mahouts (elephant trainers) on basic health care and diet.

We chose the Sunshine for Elephants day trip which cost ฿6000 Thai Baht; around £140 per person. There are lots of different day trips, overnight jungle sleepovers, week and monthly stays to choose from. Each, I’d say, is worth every penny.

Shortly after arriving at the Park we were introduced to our company for the day: four gorgeous, huge, Asian elephants. Considering their combined weight of over 10 tonne, these beautiful creatures were incredibly gentle. And considering the suffering they had endured, they were incredibly trusting too.

We got acquainted over a breakfast of watermelon before setting out into the jungle in the glorious morning sunshine for a stroll. After an hour or two of wandering through the dense jungle, feeding sugar canes to our giant new friends, we stopped for a traditional homemade papaya salad for lunch. The elephants watched us from the bushes, while contently munching on bamboo and leftover papaya.

When we’d finished lunch, we made our way down to the river. If you thought nothing could top a day of walking with elephants through the Thai jungle, you’d be wrong. We got in the river and give four elephants a bath.

Siam Smile, Kata Beach, Phuket

After a wonderful few days exploring Bangkok and Chiang Mai, I made my way down to Phuket for some much needed relaxation.

Kata is quite a touristy destination but it’s not hard to see why so many people are attracted to coming here. Kata is a beautiful part of Phuket where its gorgeous sandy beaches sit along a backdrop of mountainous greenery.

Just down the road from the beautiful Katathani Resort and Spa is the quaint Siam Smile. This chilled space houses subtle Man United memorabilia and anecdotal framed sketches on the walls which perfectly compliment the Seal album playing over the speakers.

The cocktails are sublime, the traditional Thai food is to die for and the staff are some of the friendliest you could come across.

Compared to the prices of the resort across the road, Siam Smile’s food is a steal at a fraction off the cost with all the flavour. And to top it all off, if you’re not too full afterwards, there is a brilliant massage parlour next door with treatments starting at £6.