Although it was super scary, I am so glad I jetted off on this incredible trip alone, because it meant that I was able to fully immerse myself in the experience, and make a lot of new friends along the way.
I was meant to write and submit this post months ago, but I never got round to it, so here it is. I have been putting off writing it due to the sheer amount of incredible things that I got up to. I did so much on this incredible 17 day trip, so I will not be able to write in detail about everything that I did, but I will give you a little taster. If you are thinking about doing something like this, I 100% encourage you to do so, because I have made friends for life and it is an experience of a lifetime!
On Thursday 19th July 2018, I flew out of Heathrow airport and embarked on the 14 hour flight to Bangkok. After 7 hours of in flight movies and what seemed like endless magazine reading, I landed in Qatar and spent 2 hours in the airport, frantically trying to find a shop to buy water after mine got taken off me at Qatar security (I forgot I'd have to go through it again) and find my gate number. It was then another 6 hours and 45 minutes before I nervously trundled off the plane, through passport control and finally found my transport to the hostel. I met two other girls at the airport, Matilda (Matty) and Stephanie (Steph), who I instantly became friends with, and Matty became one of my closest friends on the trip, and I was lucky enough that she was doing the exact same programme as me, so we spent an awful lot of time together. When we arrived at our hostel, it was time for exploring, eating and making new friends, so after too much food and waaay too much alcohol, I stumbled into bed at about 4am (oops).
Because I accidentally drank a bit too much, I wasn't feeling entirely fresh the following day for sightseeing, and after picking up heatstroke throughout the day, it wasn't one of my finest moments. But I didn't let my illness stop me, and I still had an INCREDIBLE day sightseeing in Bangkok. We went on a boat tour across the river, saw some beautiful temples, and even the King's Palace, which was awesome.
This is the whole team - unfortunately in the next part of the trip we split into different groups, but this meant that we met new people and made new friends, so that was fab.
This is me and Matty - she will reappear throughout this blog.
One of the buildings at the King's Palace!!
That night we watched a Ladyboy show, which was honestly the stragest thing I have ever seen in my life, and I was strictly alcohol free (I didn't want a repeat of the night before haha)
The following day we were travelling across Thailand by coach to get to our next stop, Surin. Surin was probably my favourite part of the trip, because it was there that we got to volunteer with elephants!!! Elephants are one of my favourite animals, so I jumped at the opportunity to get to see them. But this was where the whole group split, as some stayed in Bangkok, and some did different programmes in Surin, such as teaching and medicine.
My first time touching an elephant!!!
The cutest baby elephant ever
Our room in the elephant village! Out 'beds' were thin mats on the floor covered by mosquito nets that we shared between 2. I shared the green net shown in the picture with Charlie, and it was surprisingly comfy - just hot.
These next four days went by in a blur. We planted crops for the elephants to eventually eat, and chopped down sugar cane and banana plants for their food (it was hard work and I was a bit scared of the machete!) We bathed them in the river daily (my favourite part), went kayaking along the river, and even made paper out of elephant poo! (I have a notebook and bookmark made out of it to prove it!)
This is Charlie. She was another one of my closest friends that I made on the trip. She is planning to come and visit me at uni sometime this year, and I am so excited to see her!
Here we are standing in elephant poo to make the paper! Gross I know - but a once in a lifetime opportunity!
Then it was time to leave the elephant village and go back to Surin town for one final night. We partied and had a lot of fun, and Thai clubs are really strange (there were tables all over the dance floor in the one we went to) but it ended up being a super emotional night as the group was splitting even further, and I had to say goodbye to Charlie and all the others that we were leaving behind in Surin.
Charlie and I before it got emotional!
The following day we travelled back to Bangkok and spent a couple of hours there, before getting the overnight ferry to Koh Phangan. The island is STUNNING. 5 of us went - me, Matty, 2 American women called Becca and Jenni, and an Swiss woman called Andrina. We all became really close by the end of the trip, so it was lovely to spend time with people from different countries that I never would have met before.
The five of us admiring the view (from left to right) Jen, me, Matty, Becca, (top) Andrina
Whilst in Koh Phangan, we went to a full moon party on the beach, which was amazing! So busy and so many people wearing multicoloured clothing and neon paint. All the bars are open on the beach front, each playing different music, and the drink is at a reduced price, which was an obvious bonus! ;)
This is the kind of colour I'm on about!
This dress is Primark!!
Glow in the dark facepaint!
Matty and I
The following day, we needed a massage to get over our hangovers - and it was heavenly. All illness I felt was washed away and I came out feeling refreshed. If you get a chance to have a massage in Thailand - do it! Depending on the massage, they do different things. We got a Swiss one I think, and it was so so relaxing. I could definitely do with one now!
The rest of the time on the island we spent exploring. We visited the 'Secret Beach', which was gorgeous - a very Instagrammable location ;)
On our final full day on the island, we visited the famous waterfalls. Apart from no one told us that they'd dried up HAHA, so there weren't really any waterfalls to see! That didn't matter though, as we climbed up the mountain to the viewpoint, which was definitely worth it. One of the most breathtaking views I have ever seen!
Me admiring the view at the top of the viewpoint!
The following day, we got the ferry back to Bangkok and had our last dinner together as a five, before Becca and Jenni flew home early hours of the morning. For Matty, Andrina and I, the following day consisted of last minute shopping, eating and exploring in Bangkok before Andrina and I got a taxi to the airport for our afternoon flights home, and Matty met her friend who lives in Bangkok, to continue her trip!
Overall, Thailand was one of the best experiences I have ever had, and despite not "finding myself" as many travellers suggest they do, I did discover a new culture and meet some incredible friends along the way. I hope one day to return to Thailand, and maybe visit some places that I didn't get to see. I definitely want to return to an elephant conservation site, as that was remarkable and I learnt so much about these gentle giants.
As much as I missed my family and boyfriend, a part of me really didn't want to leave Thailand, as I had such an incredible time. But I am determined to do something like this again in the future. I am hoping to spend three weeks volunteering at a safari in South Africa in the next couple of years, but let's see what happens!
If you are considering doing something like this, I would definitely go for it! You will not regret it! Another bit of advice is to book through a company such as STA travel, as they arrange a lot of it for you, and so it is safer than just grabbing a backpacking and going it alone - but if that's what you want to do then go for it!
I hope you enjoyed this post. Thank you so much for reading!
With love, Chloe x
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