Last year, I travelled around Asia for a couple of months. It was a pretty special trip for me because I ticked off three bucket-list items in a row: Thailand, Japan, and South Korea. This blog post will focus on Thailand, and I’ll write about the other two in separate posts of their own.
Thailand is one of those countries that pretty much everyone knows about. It’s always been on my radar as an attractive destination for backpacking, holidaying and being a digital nomad. I got the opportunity to do a collaboration with Digital Nomad Adventures at their conference and coliving experience in Koh Phangan. That’s when I finally had the perfect opportunity to come to this intriguing country.
Phuket
I was so excited when I touched down in Phuket Island, a popular island in the south of Thailand. I took a shared minivan transfer from the airport, which I’d really recommend as it’s much cheaper than a taxi. So many amazing sights and sounds; for me, this was the perfect introduction to Thailand.
I stayed a few nights at Lub D Hostel on Patong Beach, which I loved – clean rooms and bathrooms, a great restaurant and swimming pool, and even a coworking space if you have work to catch up on (which I did!). It’s right by the beach, which I enjoyed taking a stroll around. You could get taxi scooters here in Phuket, and I visited a gorgeous temple. It was also in Phuket where I tried durian, the famous stinky fruit of Southeast Asia, for the very first time. As much as I love most foods, I’m afraid I wasn’t a fan of durian – I couldn’t stomach the stench, and it pretty much tasted as it smelt!
Soon, the time came when I needed to travel onwards to Koh Phangan. I found a great transfer service that picked me up from my hostel in Phuket in a shared minivan. This was a journey of several hours, taking us through the island, crossing a bridge into mainland Thailand, and then over to the east coast of Thailand. The ticket also included taking a pleasant ferry ride over to Koh Phangan.
Koh Phangan
Now I was excited to make it to the equally famous Koh Phangan. It was here that I discovered songthaews, which are like both public transport and taxis, and are the standard way to get around this island. Of course, I took a songthaew over to the Digital Nomad Adventures Beach Meets venue at Tiki Beach Resort. Unfortunately, as of writing this, Digital Nomad Adventures has closed down as the owner focuses on his family life. That said, I was blessed to have attended their final Beach Meets, which proved to be another of these brilliant digital nomad events with everything I love – community, talks, workshops, networking, exercise and fun! Feel free to view my reels and read my written accounts of each day on my Instagram.
Right after Beach Meets finished, I got to experience the famous Full Moon Party, which I really enjoyed, as it’s just like a music festival on a beach. And then I got to experience the special Thai New Year, Songkran, where everyone in Thailand participates in public water fights to wash the old year clean for the new. Basically, if you don’t want to be wet, stay at home! I decided to join in, because how can I not experience such an interesting tradition? And when I needed a break while being out, I just escaped to a rooftop bar!
In addition to the 5-day Beach Meets event, Digital Nomad Adventures also ran a coliving programme at Tiki Beach Resort, which I stayed at for the rest of the month. It was a nice small group of us doing this coliving, which consisted of lots of activities such as Thai language lessons (all I can really remember is how to say “sawadeeka” and “kob khun ka”, Muay Thai classes, watching a Muay Thai fight, and doing a Thai cooking class.
From the Beach Meets event, I connected with Sophie, who runs the KPG Co-Work & Connect events, which were great for meeting fellow digital nomads to work alongside in laptop-friendly cafes.
As for Koh Phangan in general – as cliched as it sounds, it really is paradise! It was such a treat to stay at beautiful sandy beaches and enjoy the crystal-clear sea. There is a lot to explore. One of my highlights was the Spirit House Gallery – you can not only look at art here, but you can also come and create your own.
One downside of Koh Phangan is that they don’t have access to Grab taxi apps like other parts of Thailand do. If you don’t have your own scooter or car, then your only options for getting around are walking, relying on rides from friends, or getting a songthaew. I didn’t have my own transport, so guess what I did? I always felt some apprehension about driving a scooter, but I think whenever I’m next here, I will at least get lessons to try and build my confidence on them.
Bangkok
Of course, how can a first trip to Thailand be complete without visiting its famous capital, Bangkok? I enjoyed Lub D Hostel in Phuket so much that I decided to stay in another of its branches in Bangkok, Lub D Bangkok Chinatown. I found this hostel much less lively than its counterpart in Phuket, but nevertheless I had a pleasant stay here too and loved its coworking space. I did meet a couple of guys in my hostel to go with to have dinner at Khaosan Road. On another occasion, I found myself a private tuk-tuk tour to take me around Bangkok and see lots of popular sights.
Second trip to Thailand in less than one year…
I went to Chiang Mai, which I had heard so much about as a digital nomad haven. I went there primarily to attend Nomad Summit, which I wrote about in an earlier article, and stay at Mate Coliving (pop-up coliving) and Alt_Chiang Mai (permanent coliving space), which were all brilliant experiences. I’ll expand more on this second trip in a separate post, so watch this space!
My verdict on Thailand?
After having Thailand on my bucket list for so many years, I really beamed the biggest smile to myself when I finally arrived there. It was so much like what I expected and more. I absolutely loved my time in Thailand, and I could now understand what all the fuss is about: wonderfully warm weather, tropical vibes, friendly locals, digital nomad and backpacker communities that are easy to join, delicious food, and stunning beaches and seas. For sure, I loved Thailand, have been twice now and will go again the next chance I get. I would return to all the previous places I’ve been to, as well as see some new spots, such as the Phi Phi Islands (of The Beach movie fame) and Koh Samui.
Have you been to Thailand? Where did you go, and what did you love about it? 😀
