I had a lazy morning around Greenleaf Guesthouse to start my day. But, as much as I wanted to stick around Khao Yai National Park a bit longer, I had other parts of Thailand to explore. So I enjoyed a leisurely breakfast before getting ready to go.
In the late morning, a driver took me and three others to the train station. We were all catching the same train, one heading to Bangkok but making a stop first in Ayutthaya.
I had never heard of Ayutthaya before I started researching places to see in Thailand, but it’s a pretty popular tourist destination, especially for those interested in history. Ayutthaya was at one point the Siamese capital, founded in the 1300s. Today there are ruins in varying states of decay of the once great city.
My train ride was a lot less pleasant than my first one was. I had chosen to sit in third class, as apparently second class (the best for regular trains during the day) was all booked up.
Though the second class car was definitely nothing fancy, third class was much more cramped and had no AC, just fans and an open window. You could tell people are used to being crammed on at times, as there were handles like they have on buses and subways. I did find it very interesting that there were reserved seats for Buddhist monks that clearly are set aside at all times.
Thankfully it wasn’t a very long ride, maybe an hour and a half to two hours. I did my best to just look out the window and admire the countryside. At last, we finally arrived at the small train station.
I bid farewell to the other two people who’d been in my group at the guesthouse with me before setting out to my hotel.
My phone said it was less than a mile to the hotel. I’ve walked more than that before, even with a heavy suitcase, so I waved off taxi drivers and set off walking.
Maybe three minutes later I realized what a mistake this was.
While I’ve struggled with suitcases on cobblestone streets and the like in Europe, I found Ayutthaya to be lacking in pedestrian spaces. If there was a sidewalk it often was crumbling, blocked by bins, bikes, cars etc. I was ending up in the street quite a bit and also noticed I’d have to take what looked like a freeway overpass to get over the train tracks. I was a bit dubious that there would be a proper walkway across that. On top of that it was over 100 degrees F (37 C). So, I parked myself in the shade on a corner, pulled out my phone and requested a Grab Car.
My ride was there a few minutes later, taking me to my hotel in blissful air conditioning.
Sure enough, it was a very short drive, but I was relieved to be out of the heat and felt this was a safer option to walking overall.
I arrived at my hotel, Luang Chumni Village. It was pretty much a large house in traditional Thai style with some modern amenities. I spent a few minutes in the AC in my room, drinking some water and laughing at the “No Durian” signs on the fridge. For any who don’t know, Durian is a very smelly fruit, so I did see several signs asking people not to have it in hotels and other public spaces, but this was my first encounter.
Finally, I gathered my day pack and set out to go explore.
The remains of the historic city of Ayutthaya is quite large, spread out across the city, though concentrated on an island in the middle. Still, I knew being mid afternoon I probably would only see a small part and could concentrate on seeing more the next day as I was staying two nights.
Some ruins close to my hotel (free to wander around)
I grabbed a few snacks at 7 Eleven and then took off to Wat Maha That, the remains of an ancient temple. As Ayutthaya is spread out, you can buy a ticket to get you into all the sites for one day, or just individually buy ones for the sites you want to visit. There are also some parts that are free, but the more elaborate structures all charge. I went ahead and just bought an individual ticket, figuring it was unlikely I’d see more than one part with so little of the day remaining.
Sure enough, I wandered through the temple and found myself dripping sweat. It’s pretty exposed out in the sun. They provided free umbrellas for people to shade themselves, but even that only did so much. I also had noticed signs asking women to cover up, so I had slipped some lightweight pants over my shorts, warming me further. I’m not sure the rule was actually being enforced, but I would rather be safe and respectful.
I just meandered through the various temple structures, admiring crumbling phrangs, old pieces of statues, and everything there was to see.
I finally wrapped up my wanderings and headed out of the complex. I noticed there was a park behind the temple, Bueng Phra Ram Park, a large green space with some ponds and shady trees. I sat under one of the trees to eat a snack and rehydrate.
As I was doing so, and debating what I wanted to do next, I noticed a beautiful bird flying by.
I mentioned in my last post, but for any who don’t know I’ve become very interested in birding in the last year. I read a book about the intelligence of birds called The Genius of Birds by Jennifer Ackerman and every since I’ve been hooked. It’s pretty budget as far as hobbies go and makes for good motivation to get out into nature. So, needless to say seeing some new birds had me intrigued.
Turned out the bird was a Common Hoopoe. But as I watched it fly away I was beginning to notice more birds gathered around the large ponds.
Since I knew the day was drawing to a close, not the best time to go explore the other sites, I figured this might make for a good conclusion to my day. I’d stick to the shade of the park and see what beautiful new birds and other animals I could spot.
So I spent the rest of the afternoon wandering, taking photos, listening and looking for birds. I wandered over bridges and looked at a few free ruins in the mix. I recorded a number of new species I had never seen before. I also was surprised by alarge Asian Monitor Lizard in the waters of a pond. He disappeared into the lush aquatic plants before I could snap a picture.
At last, I was tired and ready to be done for the day. I headed back to the hotel, bought some cold water on the way and then took a cold shower to refresh before dinner.
For dinner I ate at a place called Earl Thai. I know I had some kind of a chicken and rice dish which I enjoyed. I had wanted to do one of the curries but unfortunately it was unavailable the night I was there.
On my way back to my hotel I took some pictures of the temples in the evening light. I also stopped by the night market. I’ve seen my fair share of markets in Europe, but definitely haven’t visited one at night, so that was a fun new experience. I didn’t buy anything, but enjoyed wandering a bit.
As I was heading back to the hotel, I realized I was still a little hungry so I grabbed some chocolate ice cream at a local parlor called Duca Tim. They did soft serve, two flavors for the day. You could get one or both flavors in a swirl and then pick your cone flavor. It was very fun and colorful experience!
Finally I headed back to the hotel, determined to get a good night’s rest before another eventful day.
I began my morning in Khao Yai National Park with breakfast at my guest house. Greenleaf Guest House has a small restaurant attached, so they offered food you could order. I had eggs, toast, fruit, and coffee.
After filling up, our group hopped on the back of the truck and took off for the park with our guide, a different one than the day before.
We stopped at the park gates. Apparently they need names of anyone entering the park submitted ahead of time online, and our guide had done so, but technology being what it is, it hadn’t gone through. We entered our names in her phone again and waited before finally being granted access.
The roads wound up into the mountains through beautiful lush jungle. Even as someone who had visited beautiful tropical locations before, I was in awe of the gorgeous scenery.
A few minutes up the road, we stopped pretty quickly, our guide noticing a snake in some bushes on the side of the road. Somehow she’d managed to see it from her spot in the passenger seat. We were all quite impressed with her skills.
It was an Oriental Whipsnake, named for its slim body and crested eyes. Our guide tried to pull it out of the bushes to look at more closely but eventually had to just let it continue on its way as it had slithered out of her reach.
We continued driving onwards, keeping our eyes peeled for more wildlife.
At the top of the mountains we stopped at a viewpoint. Our guide passed out leech socks. To anyone not familiar with leech socks (I definitely wasn’t before this trip) they are small cloth sacks the size of your foot that you slide on like a sock over your socks and the bottom of your pant leg. You then fasten them to keep them tight around your leg, thereby preventing leeches from crawling under your pant legs and finding a place to feed. As it was becoming the wet season in Thailand, leeches were more of a problem so it was important to take precautions.
After some pictures at the viewpoint and securing our socks in place, we continued driving. We stopped at the visitor’s center and had a look around and a short break. Our guide gave us some mango sticky rice in banana leaf as a snack to prepare for our upcoming hike. Then we were back on the road again.
We stopped for a view of a Great Hornbill. As someone who’s gotten into birding lately, I was definitely thrilled to get to add such a beautiful species to my life list.
We did a little more driving and looking for species from the car, but sadly weren’t able to see much else. Our guide then had us stop at a trailhead and we began walking into the jungle.
Our first animal spotted was a Cardamom Mountains Pricklenape, a very unique looking lizard. Our guide kept joking about him wearing eyeshadow since he does have a dark coloring around his eyes.
We kept walking further into the trees. I was at the back, but suddenly the entire group froze. Everyone ahead of me was open-mouthed. As I crept a bit closer, I caught a glimpse of a large black furry form. Before I could even think to raise my camera, it bolted into the trees.
At first I was unable to even comprehend what I’d seen. My brain was trying to register monkey, but I knew the largest monkeys in the area weren’t that big.
Our guide, who was also still in some shock, said it was a juvenile Sun Bear. In all her years at the park, she said she’d never seen one that close before.
We waited for a bit while our guide called her boss and told him. He was nearby and came to look around and see if he could find the bear again. Sadly no luck.
Our guide had calmed down some, but she was still a little shaken. Admittedly to come face to face to such a large and dangerous animal, had to be a shocking experience. As I hadn’t gotten as good of a look and hadn’t even realized what I was looking at until after it was gone, I wasn’t quite so scared.
We continued on our walk, stopping to look at some different insects and bugs. We also spotted some claw marks left from a Sun Bear in the area.
We took a break at a large tree… well I say tree but really it was just where a tree had been before vines had strangled it. Now the vines remained like a giant cage. We climbed through them, amazed at how large they were.
The group sat and ate some snacks. Our guide had gone to scope ahead, leaving us alone. We sat chatting for a bit before we became intrigued by something inching along the ground. It looked like a little dark colored worm, moving in a strange manner, inching and wriggling and then standing on one end and stretching towards us. We were all quite curious.
Our guide returned and we asked her about the strange creature. She told us to move away as that was a leech and the reason it was moving towards us was because it could sense us and was looking to feed.
Thoroughly freaked out we all backed away and followed our guide onwards. It definitely wasn’t like leeches I’d seen in movies.
A few minutes later while looking at something I felt a strange sensation on my finger. It felt like playing with a straw as a child, pressing it to your skin and sucking. Sure enough when I looked down there was a leech clinging to my hand.
I immediately began to panic. I’ll admit, it was not my finest moment.
My guide flicked the leech away and looked at my hand. The little beast hadn’t broken the skin thankfully. She said it was unlikely they would as finger pads have pretty thick skin on them.
Needless to say I kept my arms closer to my body from then on out, worried about brushing against vegetation and having another tiny hitchhiker join me for a ride.
The jungle soon cleared and we came into a large grassland type area. We saw some elephant footprints and dung, but sadly no elephants.
In the middle of the grassland was a watch tower to look for animals. So we climbed up and took a look around. No luck at spotting anything big, though we did admire some swift nests built under the tower.
At last, we came to the end of the trail. The truck met us there and drove us to a restaurant in the park where we had lunch. I went ahead and ordered Pad Thai again, though it wasn’t nearly as good as the day before. Our group enjoyed our food and some fresh watermelon, chatting and sharing pictures with one another. Sadly, no one had managed to get a picture of the Sun Bear before it took off.
With some time remaining for our lunch break, we wandered around the restaurant area a little. I ordered an iced milk tea. I also admired a Sambar (a type of deer) lying near the rest area.
Our guide had set up her scope near a bird nest up front, keeping an eye out for the mama bird to come back. Sure enough, a Long Tailed Broadbill soon showed up. We admired her colors through the scope.
As we were getting pictures of the bird, there was a commotion behind us. Turning around, we saw a monkey with something in his mouth quickly climbing up to the roof of the restaurant. Apparently the sneaky macaque had snuck down, grabbed someone’s food and then quickly headed back up to hide on the roof out of reach.
We had a good time sitting and watching him for a bit, before our guide told us it was time to go. The monkey we’d seen earlier sat at the exit, seemingly watching us leave. He really was prime entertainment.
On the road we drove around a little bit, seeing a juvenile Red Muntjac and its mother. We also saw a large Asian Water Monitor Lizard, though our guide assured us it was actually more of a medium size.
We stopped at a waterfall, hiking down into the canyon to get a better look and take some pictures. Sadly, there is no swimming allowed in the park, but it was still beautiful.
After that the leech socks were finally able to come off as we would be spending the remainder of our trip in the back of the truck.
Apparently evenings are a good time to spot wildlife, so the tour concluded with a drive along some of the roads keeping an eye out for monkeys and elephants.
But after only a short time of driving, our driver pulled over and our guide asked us to hop out quickly. The driver went and grabbed something out of the road using a piece of cloth. He came over to where we were standing on the side of the road and put down the biggest scorpion I’d ever seen. Looking it up later it was a type of Giant Forest Scorpion. Thanks to their large size and bright green color they are very a bit easier to spot crossing the road, so our guide thought it would be a fun thing for us to see, and we’d save it from being run over too.
Our guide let us get some pictures, even turning it around so we could get a better angle. She’s definitely a braver woman than I.
After we were done photographing the scorpion, we hopped back in the truck and continued driving. And before too long we started spotting monkeys. Lots and lots of Pig-Tailed Macaques hanging out along the road. Most of them know that tourists often have food and make easy pickings. Our guide had warned us ahead of time to have food and even sodas tucked away if we didn’t want monkeys in the truck stealing from us. We got to admire them from a safe distance, especially laughing at one larger male who would block traffic to check if there was anything worth taking.
The sun was beginning to go down, so unfortunately we did eventually turn around and head back towards the exit of the park. No elephants spotted.
I was at the back of the truck, so I was staring down the road behind us. I noticed a fuzzy black head poking out of a bush towards the side of the road. My mind immediately jumped to a dog based on the size, and knowing there were plenty of feral dogs in Thailand, I just assumed one had made its home in the park. But as I started to laugh about it to the group, I watched a bear look both ways before heading out of the bushes. And behind the bear were two little black cubs. Sadly by the time I realized, I didn’t get a picture, and only one other person in the group saw it. I apologized for not realizing sooner it was a bear, as I’m used to American bears which are much bigger. Still, I was thrilled to know I’d seen not one but four sun bears in my time in the park. I missed a porcupine others spotted at the front of the truck later, so it was definitely luck of the draw sometimes on spotting wildlife.
We headed back to the guest house for the night. As most of us had to pack or were leaving by train that night, we didn’t hang out as long in the evening, but did enjoy dinner together before heading back to get working on packing our bags, ready for another adventure in the day ahead. I would miss Khao Yai, but definitely looked forward to something new the next day.
After getting up and having breakfast at my hotel in Bangkok, I called for a Grab car to take me to the train station. My next destination for the trip was Khao Yai National Park.
I had booked a train to Pak Chong, the town nearest to the main park entrance.
I’d heard all kinds of rumors about Thai trains always being delayed, having problems, slower than driving, etc. I had none of those problems, so I was actually pretty happy with my first train experience.
Now, I love national parks, but unfortunately they are one type of tourist destination where you really need to have a car. I did manage to visit a national park in Croatia without a car… but from my research, this just really wouldn’t be feasible for Khao Yai. I already hate driving in my own country, and can’t even fathom what it would be like to drive in Thailand with crazy traffic and the fact they drive on the other side of the road from what we’re used to in the states. So, since renting a car or motorbike was not something I was willing to consider, I opted instead to hire a tour company to take me into the park. I knew there were trails you weren’t supposed to access without a guide anyways (I guess some tourists got lost in the jungle at night at some point and sadly ruined it for everyone). So it seemed like a good option to go with that.
Settling on the tour company option, I ended up hiring Greenleaf Guesthouse and Tours. Initially I was just going to use them to do the tour, but I ended up deciding to also use their accommodations for simplicity’s sake. This would be a little change from my usual type of place though, as the guesthouse was less of a hotel and more of a backpackers retreat. Very basic, only a bed and small bathroom. No AC. No hot water.
Still, the driver picked me up at the train station and took me and a few others over to the guest house. When I’d contacted the guest house a couple weeks before they’d said no one else was signed up to tour on that day, and I might end up having to pay more for a private tour just by myself. But thankfully a few others did end up signing up last minute so I was able to do a half day and full day tour for a much lower price and with other people to adventure with. Though I love solo travel, it does get a little lonely sometimes, so a group tour can be a nice change of pace.
We were dropped off at the guesthouse and had a little time to get ready for the half day tour. Once I’d gathered my stuff and made sure I was appropriately dressed in long pants and closed-toed shoes, I headed to the restaurant area out front of the guesthouse. I went ahead and ordered lunch before we took off, doing chicken and cashews with rice which was really delicious.
Having been fed, we loaded onto an open-backed truck and set off down the windy roads. We stopped briefly at a huge golden statue of a monk. Apparently he had turned salt water on one of the Thai islands into freshwater and therefore was very revered and had the statue built in his honor.
Back in the truck, we were offered some chips as a snack and then headed to our next destination: the Ban Tha Chang spring.
Everyone shed their clothes and jumped in the water to enjoy cooling down after time out in the heat. Our guide even built a makeshift changing room for anyone who needed it and most of us spent the time just relaxing and cooling off.
The water was so refreshing and felt amazing. Our guide pointed out a few more natural wonders to us such as a golden orbweaver spider in the trees (too far away to get a decent picture) before we hopped back in the truck again.
In the parking lot, our guide had found a huge millipede and had fun showing it off to us. He let those who felt brave enough hold it. My appreciation of bugs and insects has come a long ways, but I still am not fond of critters crawling on me so I opted to pass.
Before too long we pulled over at a temple called Wat Sa Nam Sai. We walked around the grounds a bit, and our guide showed us some local insects such as the weaver ants that build their homes by sewing leaves together. Our guide then handed us masks to put on our faces and flashlights and led us to some stairs heading deep into the earth.
We passed hanging tree roots and descended into the dark depths. At the bottom of the stairs, we saw several branching caverns and a Buddha statue, and we heard some squeaking noises.
This Buddhist temple also had a cave as a part of their complex. The monks use it to meditate, coming down and sitting in the complete darkness and relative silence and using it to empty their minds. But other residents have made themselves at home alongside the monks. These were thousands of small bats.
Our guide showed us various bats, two different species. He explained more about them to us while we wandered through the caves. He did at one point lead us back into the furthest depths and asked us turn off our flashlights and fall quiet, seeing what the monks must experience when they meditate. It truly was pitch blackness, darker than anything I’ve experienced before.
The bats kept fluttering around us. Our guide did mention that sometimes the young ones will bump into you. I didn’t personally have any hit me, but they definitely came pretty close. I’m not a person who’s scared of bats, so personally I found it to be an amazing experience.
Back out of the cave we removed our masks. Apparently sometimes there’s fungus that grows in bat guano, so it was just a precaution. We jumped back on the truck and headed off down the road.
We stopped at another cave, though our guide warned us we weren’t going in, and certainly wouldn’t want to even if we could. Apparently while there had been a hundred thousand bats in the previous cave, there were more than two million in the current one.
Instead, we took woven mats and went and sat in the nearby fields. Our guide offered some fresh pineapple and binoculars and we waited as the sun went down. Hawks were beginning to gather, knowing what was coming. And indeed as the sun sank lower, bats began to emerge from the cave from two separate entrances. Millions upon millions poured forth, flying in clouds through the sky.
I’ve put pictures below, but truly they can’t capture the experience. The noise of millions of wings flapping, of little bat sounds, the hawks swooping down to get dinner. It was a marvel to experience and something I’ll likely never forget.
After the clouds of bats were beginning to disperse, our guide had us go and stand along the road facing some trees. The sun had almost fully sunk at this point, so it was getting very dark. We stood very still and quiet, and then sure enough a few bats began to fly out towards us. One girl on the tour freaked out a little and had me trade places with her so I was more in the middle of the fray. I stood there letting the bats fly past me, hearing their wings flap and their little squeaks as they avoided colliding with me. Apparently these were the same ones we saw earlier. They take a route out of the cave and through the trees every night and our guide has memorized their route and enjoys putting his groups in that experience.
At last, our guide called it a night, though one of our members realized she’d dropped her phone somewhere. We formed a search party and combed the field we’d been sitting in and thankfully were able to find it.
Our guide made two last stops, one to show us the fireflies, and another at the local 7 eleven to pick up any needed supplies for the next day (apparently a couple people didn’t have good insect repellent).
Back at our guesthouse we had dinner together. I ordered the Pad Thai. I’d been putting it off, not wanting to be too much of a stereotypical tourist. It actually ended up being the best Pad Thai I had on the trip, so I was very glad I had it when I did.
Me and a couple others chatted for a while before finally heading to bed. The guesthouse rooms were indeed very basic, but after a tiring day like the one I’d had it didn’t really matter. I took a cold shower, turned on my bedroom fan and collapsed into bed, ready for the next day, and looking forward to even more adventures.
Day three of my Thailand adventure was my last full day in Bangkok before I’d take off elsewhere (I would have one final half day in Bangkok at the end of my trip, but it wouldn’t be quite as much time). So I was determined to make the most of it.
I again got up early and had a delicious hotel breakfast. I was not feeling quite as warm that morning for some reason, so I opted to get in a swim before taking off. Since the weather hadn’t cooperated the evening before, I was definitely craving some pool time.
After my swim, I took off for the day towards the river. My goal was to go to Wat Arun, the Temple of the Dawn, which was on the other side of the Chao Phraya River and a ways down from there. I’d read one of the easiest ways to get there was to take the local ferry so opted to do that.
The ferry ended up being very easy to use. Bought a ticket from the booth on the pier and then hopped on when it arrived. It took me down the river a little further where I got off right in front of the temple.
I was realizing maybe I should have skipped the swim and taken off a little earlier. It was boiling hot out in the direct sun and there was limited shade around the temple.
Still, I wandered around and enjoyed the sights (and the complimentary small bottle of water) before stopping at a coffee shop nearby to refresh. I had a strawberry mango tea which was so delicious.
I could feel my energy fading in the heat. After all the walking of the day before my body just couldn’t quite handle it. I’d been wanting to maybe do a museum in the afternoon anyways, so I headed to the National Museum Bangkok. I took the ferry back across the river and then walked over, though I ended up running into road closures that made my route take longer. I was in Thailand right during the queen’s birthday, which is a huge to-do in Bangkok, so they’d closed off some roads around the palace.
Purple ribbons were everywhere to help celebrate the queen’s birthday
I actually ended up enjoying the museum pretty well. There were a couple of different structures on the grounds, a house and temple. It also had several different galleries featuring artifacts and art from Thailand. Feel free to peruse the gallery below.
The museum itself was airconditioned, though to get to different galleries you did have to walk outside. And I could tell I’d just kind of exhausted myself and was feeling a little dizzy and dehydrated after an hour or so.
Knowing I needed water and maybe some food, I opted to go eat at the museum café. Now, normally I avoid cafes at touristy spots other than for things like coffee or beverages maybe. But I definitely didn’t want to walk any further, and besides, I wanted to finish up the museum after I’d refreshed and wasn’t certain I could come back in after I left.
So I sat down at the cafe. It was outdoors, but shaded and had lots of fans. Honestly, AC is nice, but fans are really what you need when it is that hot and humid. The air circulation just feels so good and helps zap the moisture away from your body.
At the cafe I had Thai basil fried rice with chicken. It was actually super tasty. They brought the chilis on the side, but I went ahead and added them. The first two days I had been careful with my stomach adjusting so hadn’t indulged in much spice yet, so it was good to finally get to experience some of the heat Thai cooking is famous for.
I seriously was impressed by the food quality, especially because the prices weren’t super inflated like they sometimes are at tourist stops. I went ahead and had two bottles of water and an ice cream, and by the time I was done was definitely feeling much better.
I finished up at the museum, seeing all of the galleries. I was glad I’d chosen to refuel so I could enjoy the rest of the place. One of my favorite parts was the “garage” that housed some of the royal chariots which were incredibly ornate and impressive.
Having seen everything the museum had to offer, then walked back to my hotel to have another lazy afternoon by the pool. Honestly, I figured I should make the most of my pool space as the next two hotels I’d stay at wouldn’t have one.
After relaxing for a while, I headed back out to find some dinner.
I saw good reviews for a place called Steve Cafe and Cuisine on the water. The name made me chuckle a little, and made me think maybe it was overly touristy, but sitting along the river sounded perfect, and they had pretty good reviews.
So I walked over, admiring temples and other sights along the way.
At the restaurant I was asked to take off my shoes. In my research on Thailand I’d been warned some restaurants might do this, but I still was a little surprised at first. I stowed my shoes in a locker they offered and then headed in.
Barefoot I walked over to my table along the waterfront. Once again the restaurant was outdoors, but shaded and had good fans. And the views were lovely.
I watched as the sun sank down, though the sunset wasn’t great since clouds were starting to roll in.
I started off with a Thai milk tea, which was so refreshing and delicious. Then for my dinner I had the soft-shell crab with black pepper. I realized after ordering it I hadn’t tried soft-shell crab before, only traditional crab removed from its shell. I’m not a fan of eating things like shrimp tails (I know some people don’t mind it but it’s a texture that really bothers me). I was a little nervous, but I told myself to be brave, and that I wouldn’t know if I liked it or not until I tried it.
It actually was really delicious. The shell wasn’t quite as crunchy as a shrimp tail, though still probably not my first choice of texture. Still it was fun to try something new and it was flavorful and different.
Since the sunset wasn’t spectacular, I didn’t linger too long after finishing my food. I opted to walk back to my hotel. One of the roads I’d walked up on the way there was pretty deserted, so I was a little nervous walking in the dark. I took a different route, a little longer but sticking to more major thoroughfares. There were plenty of other people still out though, so at no point did I really feel unsafe.
At my hotel the weather was actually still behaving to my relief so I went for one last swim before concluding the evening.
Join me next time for more details of my trip, and my next destination… Khao Yai National Park!
Day two of my adventure in Thailand started with an early morning in Bangkok. I actually originally woke up at 4 AM (curse you jetlag), but did fall back asleep until 7, which was when I’d set my alarm for in the first place.
I headed downstairs to grab some breakfast. One criteria I almost always have in picking my hotels is that they have a breakfast available (preferably just included in the price). I actually am a person who really needs some sustenance in the morning to function on the regular. So when I’m out trekking it’s imperative I eat something.
My hotel had a nice variety of food, some more “Americanized” options like eggs, ham, toast. But also some rice and some kind of stir fried meat and peppers, which I found very delicious. Having filled up I felt ready to face the day ahead.
My first stop was the Grand Palace. My research before the trip had indicated it was a must see in Thailand. Hence making it a priority for the day. I had heard it was good to get there early, avoiding both the heat and the crowds. So I went as soon as it opened at 8:30.
The Grand Palace is essentially a large complex including the royal residence (Thailand still has a monarchy) as well as a temple, and some other structures. I went ahead and rented an audioguide to be able to get some more information as I walked around.
It was very warm in the sun, so I was definitely glad I’d gone early in the day, though I still had to stop and buy water more than once while walking.
I took lots of pictures so make sure to scroll through the slideshow below to get some views of the beauty of the Grand Palace.
I also took advantage of the museums in the complex while I was there. One was devoted to the temple and another called the Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles was essentially devoted to the fashion worn by the queen mother. I enjoyed both, especially some time in the air conditioned buildings instead of the intense heat of the sun.
When I finished at the Grand Palace, I decided to walk over to Wat Pho, a nearby temple complex that houses the Temple of the Reclining Buddha.
I walked around a bit inside the complex, admiring the various parts of the temple especially the enormous reclining Buddha (pictures just don’t quite do it justice). The temperatures were definitely rising though, so I opted to get some ice cream and water for lunch before deciding I needed a longer break in air conditioning.
My ticket to the Grand Palace also included a show called the Khon Thai Masked Dance performance. It was only available in the afternoon, so I hadn’t worried about it earlier. But now it seemed like a good option.
So figuring I’d already paid for it anyway and could use a break inside, I hopped on one of their open air trolleys to get over to the theater. Unfortunately, I didn’t think to take my hat off and as we were driving it came flying off into the busy road. Of course, it wasn’t like I could easily ask the driver to stop so I could fetch it. So I just resigned myself to losing my hat. The good news was, I’d brought a backup one, not to mention I was sure I could find a cheap one elsewhere if I really needed.
At the theater, I headed inside and found a seat. For the next thirty minutes I watched various dancers perform. They did some dances showing the various time periods of Thai history, a couple showing off different regional dances, and also did a retelling of one of their traditional stories in dance form. All in all, very beautiful and enjoyable.
An example of what some of the costumes looked like
After the performance, I hopped back on the trolley to head back to the Grand Palace. They stopped to let some people out on the far corner of the palace, and I realized it was right near where I’d lost my hat. I figured it had probably been run over, but honestly, since I was in the area I figured I’d check.
As I scanned the road, I saw nothing, but when I happened to look off the road I saw a hat sitting on one of the posts that keeps vehicles off the curb. I ran over, and there was my hat in perfect condition.
A Thai man who had apparently either seen someone grab it and put it safely there or perhaps done so himself was delighted to see me get it. He smiled and said something in Thai, and I just grinned feeling so incredibly lucky.
The heat was only continuing to get more intense so I headed back to my hotel to enjoy the pool for a bit. I admired a few things along the way, but otherwise just went straight back. Definitely a good choice!
Government offices were decorated with white and purple ribbons for the Queen’s birthday, which was happening later in the week
That evening, I headed out to find dinner. I figured I’d venture down to Chinatown to do something different. I saw some good reviews for a fried noodle place not too far from Chinatown, so I headed there. The place was called Ann Guay Tiew Kua Gai, and it had a Michelin award.
I decided to try something different and chose the fried noodles and shrimp. I also had a coconut beverage which was delicious. The noodles came out and I was not impressed. The shrimp didn’t taste very fresh to me. The fried noodles had a weird slimy and gluey texture underneath the crispy exterior. (I actually did end up having these noodles again later in the trip and decided they just aren’t really for me texture-wise). They also brought some kind of a sour soup that was okay.
I left the restaurant, initially thinking maybe I could walk down to more of the real part of Chinatown and walk around. But I was pretty tired out from the day, so I opted to instead to just walk past The Giant Swing, a tall red structure outside of a temple that used to be used for ceremonies. It wasn’t very far out of the way on my way back to my hotel.
I actually ended up being very glad I didn’t go all the way down to Chinatown as it started raining really hard. I was thoroughly soaked by the time I got back to my hotel, even with an umbrella.
I’d hoped to swim again in the evening, but sadly the weather foiled those plans (also doing some thunder and lightning… never a great idea in an outdoor pool).
With all of those adventures behind me I headed to bed ready for more excitement the next day.
Another year, therefore it’s time for another vacation. And for the first time since 2020 I’m finally doing another solo trip!
For those who don’t know, I’m a huge fan of solo traveling. While there are definitely advantages to traveling with friends, family, significant others, etc. I find that solo travel truly is a magical experience that I hope everyone can experience at least once in a lifetime. Maybe I’ll write a whole post about it in the future, but for now just know this is a journey taken, planned, and experienced by me alone.
So this year’s destination is… Thailand! I’ve had a couple people scratch their heads about that one. But let me explain the factors that led me to decide Thailand was the perfect destination to head to this summer.
Something new: I have done a large amount of travel in Europe. And while I do hope to do more in Africa and South America, I’ve been uncertain about venturing to either by myself (if any other solo female travelers have experiences in either please give me your tips), and Australia is expensive, far away, and can require a huge amount of time to get around. Therefore, a country in Asia was the logical choice.
Safe: as hinted at above, I wanted a relatively safe country, especially one where women have expressed they feel they can travel alone without too many problems. Sure, all travel involves risks (I’m sure you’ll hear me tell a couple tales along the way), but I do try to minimize risks where I can. I found a website dedicated to solo female travel that uses a couple factors to rank countries on their safety for women (US travel advisory, UK travel advisory, Global Peace Index, and actual women’s experiences). For those who have been so worried when I’ve mentioned Thailand, take a look at where the US falls on that list in comparison (hint it’s certainly not at the top of the list).
Affordable: Australia was ruled out largely because plane tickets tend to be outrageous, and prices in the country itself are pretty high. Thailand on the other hand was in the off season, is a cheaper country as it is, and I was able to find a good deal flying out late on Memorial Day weekend and returning midweek in June. I’ve heard some people say “chase the deal not the destination” and I think that is the perfect representation of how I often plan trips. It’s less to do with my dream bucket list, and more to do with what is affordable for me to try something new.
Something important to me: one hobby I’ve gotten really into lately is the study of nature, birds in particular, but also plants, arthropods, mammals, reptiles, etc. A number of years ago my family took a trip to Costa Rica, and it was one of my favorite trips ever, namely because we much of the trip was dedicated to seeing the wonders of the natural world and the amazing biodiversity available there. So, I was eager to go somewhere that might also offer those opportunities. Tropical destinations tend to work well for this, but especially ones that have established some amount of eco-tourism (natural parks, protected animals, etc), I visited Colombia a number of years back, and while there certainly is the same amount of biodiversity there, animals had been hunted for years and were therefore extremely cautious around humans. So while I knew there were all kinds of amazing animals not too far away, we saw very few. One of my biggest hopes in Thailand was to visit some of the national parks and see some of their amazing wildlife and plants.
So with those factors in mind, Thailand was my pick. And sure enough I found a good enough deal to decide it was worth doing.
But you’re going by yourself? Aren’t you scared? I’ve had a few people question me, and had more wishes of “safe travels” than I normally do. But the reality is I’ve had people question me almost every place I’ve gone. France? Terrorism. Colombia? Rampant crime! Greece? Drug use! And no, I’m actually not kidding. The few countries I haven’t had people say anything about are probably just ones people know next to nothing about (IE Croatia…).
At this point I’ve traveled to thirty countries, and four continents. Sixteen of those countries I visited by myself. So the reality is I’m an experienced traveler, I know what I’m doing, and I know how to be cautious.
So, I’ve spent enough time hashing over why I chose Thailand. Let’s breakdown day one.
Well… technically it’s day three? Because the amount of flying it took to reach Thailand had me there two days later. I did look, but I found no direct flights to Bangkok from the United States (if someone finds one, let me know so I can grumble about it). This meant I had to fly to another destination closer to Thailand and then to Thailand itself. And the more layovers you add, the longer things take. Especially when one of your flights (Los Angeles to Taipei) is fourteen hours.
I flew China Airlines, a new airline for me. All in all I give them a solid B+. They served decent food, had some good in-flight entertainment options, and all in all got me where I needed to be with very little hassle.
Regardless, let’s start with day one of actual travel beyond just flying and hanging out in airports. I arrived in Bangkok around ten in the morning. Not my favorite time to get started on a day of traveling after being jet lagged, but nonetheless it was the time I was dealt.
I got through immigration, and while waiting for my bag, went to grab my debit card to withdraw some Thai Baht (money) to have on hand. I’d heard most places in Thailand didn’t take credit card (this definitely proved true– only used it a couple times). As I went to grab my card, suddenly I couldn’t find it. I had a brief panic thinking I’d left it home, only to find it had slipped inside my immunization records. Relieved I took out some cash to have on hand, picked up my bag, and headed on my way.
Now to get to my hotel.
So normally with big cities I’m good at using public transport. I’ve become pretty expert at metro systems, and even some bus lines I’ve been willing to tackle. But it turned out the hotel I’d chosen was pretty far from metro lines or the sky train, so it meant I’d have to make a couple transfers, some of which would involve buses. It sounded like it would take a while, not to mention possibly be confusing, and challenging with luggage. So I did what I normally don’t do when I travel and treated myself to a ride.
Initially, my instinct was to go with a taxi, but unfortunately I had pretty big bills, and wasn’t certain if a taxi would be able to change them. I really wasn’t familiar with the money yet. And besides, there was an option I knew might be a little more expensive but definitely easier.
So I went with another choice. Essentially it’s like the Asian version of Uber, called Grab. I started trying to call for a car, but for some reason my credit card decided it was a time to flake out and not work in the app. I stood outside fiddling with it for a few minutes, but finally had to give up and go back into the air conditioned building to figure it out because even a few minutes of standing still outside in the shade was unbearably warm.
I’d been warned Bangkok was hot and humid, but my goodness people were not kidding. Definitely felt the warmest of any place I’ve ever been before.
Thankfully I did get my card to work and my driver appeared a few minutes later. I’d just gotten in the car and we were pulling away, when suddenly police were pulling my driver over.
I sat there in confusion as they pulled my driver away to go fill out some kind of paperwork. As my driver spoke almost no English, and I unfortunately do not speak Thai (I tried to learn a little but it is a HARD language), I had no idea what was going on. He returned a few minutes later with a paper in his hands. Best I can figure he maybe broke some kind of rule about where the Grab cars are allowed to be or how long they can wait and got a ticket? I’m still not certain. But he was heading in the right direction and otherwise seemed to be doing what he was supposed to (he had a great rating on the app too). So I just sat back, keeping one eye on the route map and the other on the window to enjoy the new city around me.
I arrived at my hotel around noon. I was staying at Lamphu Treehouse Boutique Hotel. Sadly not actually a treehouse (I mean I knew that going in, but still). It was a ltitle early for check in, but I figured if nothing else maybe I could sit for a bit or store my bag and go walk around. Thankfully, my room was ready so I was led up to the fifth floor and shown inside.
My roomViews from the hotelMe jet-lagged but happy!Hotel exteriorThought this was a cute touch!
The AC felt amazing, even more so when I opened the balcony door to step out and take some pictures. I was quickly realizing the heat in Bangkok was no joke.
Nonetheless, I had a half a day to kill, and didn’t want to spend all of it in my hotel. Initially, my instinct was to try to find a place with AC, but on second thought, most of those museums and such were further afield. And I wasn’t sure I was down for that either. I was wiped out from the long trip. So I figured… keep it simple, go get some water and something to eat. Hopefully use it as a chance to change out some baht for smaller bills to use later.
I looked for “grocery stores near me” and there was a 7 Eleven just a couple blocks away. So I headed over to that.
I then got my first experience with the joys of crossing Thai city streets.
An example of a busy Thai street
The street I was on didn’t have a crosswalk sign. So I figured oh well, just follow traffic that should work. Except even when cars weren’t coming one way, they were turning from the other direction. And even when lights were red, motorbikes seemed to still come through the intersection regardless. I stood there for a few minutes just waiting for things to be clear, feeling insanely nervous. Finally I caught a small break and I got across and headed into the store.
My family has always had a tradition in hot and humid places of getting a bag of some kind of chips and a drink. Honestly my appetite disappears when it’s really hot, and those two things kind of help replenish what my body needs when it sweats.
I also added an ice cream bar for good measure.
Heading out I debated heading back to my hotel, but part of me was worried I’d just end up crashing there, possibly even falling asleep and messing up my new sleep schedule. Okay, well I’d find somewhere outside to sit. Sure it was hot, but if anything it might help me adjust?
I started walking, not seeing much. Thought about just eating the chips while I walked, but remembered reading somewhere that’s kind of uncouth. And sure, I know sometimes I’m going to look like a dumb tourist, but when it can be avoided I do try to be respectful of others’ cultural norms.
So I looked on my phone and saw there was a park not too far away.
I headed in a beeline for that, stopping to take a few pictures of various things I thought were pretty.
At the “park” I realized it was actually more of a temple grounds. And I had no idea if eating there would be disrespectful. If I pictured going into a church and eating, that seemed incredibly rude (at least in most people’s views), so I opted to not do that.
Definitely looked more like a temple than a park!
I saw a man just sitting on a curb eating. But I kept walking, thinking I’d find a bench or something. Just a couple blocks later I gave up and sat on a little curb beside a canal. It was kind of dirty, but it worked, and I was able to eat my ice cream before it was totally melted.
When I was finished I looked at my map again. I figured I’d go with one of my original plans and go to the Golden Mount, a nearby temple with some good views of the city. It was very close by, which I figured would be good on a day I was jetlagged. I’d also seen it in several guidebooks.
At the Golden Mount I paid for my ticket and began the ascent up the steps to the temple. It’s quite a climb, but was well worth it for beautiful views and more. Admired the architecture, the serenity of the temple, and Bangkok itself.
I used the bathroom there and had my first experience with being asked to remove my shoes for a bathroom! They provide flip flops for you, but still kind of weird to experience.
Though the climb was great, by the time I got back down, my body was soaked in sweat. I knew I needed water ASAP, and definitely more than the small bottle I’d had for “lunch”. My face was feeling like it was burning, which usually means I’m beet red and people start worrying I’m going to pass out (not usually the case I’m just very Northern European in my heritage and the slightest heat really shows). Regardless, I was feeling kind of dizzy, probably a combo of the jetlag and heat.
So, reluctantly, I headed back to the hotel to cool down. I grabbed two large bottles of water on the way to make sure I was really hydrated. Back at the hotel, I put on my swimsuit and headed to the pool.
I spent the remainder of the afternoon just relaxing. It was definitely what I needed. I have a tendency to overexert myself traveling, I very often end up coming home with some kind of bug because my body is just so tired it can’t fight off germs anymore. So, determined not to have that problem, I went ahead and gave myself some grace to relax a bit.
Dinner time soon rolled around. And right about that time it started pouring rain.
I’d looked a bit on Tripadvisor to see what was nearby restaurant-wise, but wasn’t seeing a lot of options. Under normal circumstances I’d probably walk around a bit, but with the fatigue and the rain I opted to keep things simple. Tripadvisor did say there was a restaurant connected to my hotel, and it actually had decent reviews. Downstairs, however, there was no indication a restaurant was there. And sure enough there were a few signs in the lobby saying the restaurant had moved and pointing a little down the road. I hesitated, but eventually decided it was worth just getting some food so I could get to bed early and finally sleep (the thing I really wanted to do after such a long day).
I headed down the road with my umbrella and found the restaurant. I ordered Pad Woon Sen, a dish of glass noodles, egg, herbs, vegetables, and a protein of my choice (I did chicken). It was actually really good and hit the spot. I also had a mango smoothie, which was so refreshing.
Finally I headed back to my hotel and allowed myself to crash. I definitely was ready for a good night’s sleep in hopes of more energy the following day. I admired the views of the Golden Temple lit up in the rainy night from my hotel room before turning in.
Well, hopefully you’ll stay tuned for future adventures. The first day definitely was less busy after all the travel, but there is so much more I’d love to share with you if you want to follow along!
Well I’ve reached the end of the road, and so has this series of blog posts. It was quite the adventure, but like all good things it had to come to an end.
I began my morning in Budapest with some breakfast at my hotel. The breakfast room had a beautiful view of the Parliament Building, which was amazing.
After breakfast, it was time for the one thing in Budapest I’d actually booked. A ticket to one of the Turkish Baths.
For any who aren’t aware, Budapest has natural thermal waters and as a result the city has multiple baths and spas that allow you to enjoy these hot springs.
The last time I was in Budapest I went to Szechenyi Baths which was amazing, but I’d also seen some pictures of the Gellert Baths, and decided with a second trip it would be fun to try those as well and compare.
So with my booking in hand I packed a day bag with a swimsuit, some water, flip flops, etc. and headed off to walk to the Gellert Spa.
I arrived and headed in to check in at the front desk. I received my wristband which would get me into the entrance and then connect to my cabin to allow me to get in and out. Cabins were only slightly more than a locker, so I definitely wanted that for the comfort of changing and storing my things.
And then I headed off to experience the baths in all their glory.
I’ll let my pictures do most of the talking. The beautiful historic decorations were very enjoyable, and the water felt amazing. I took a few photos before locking my phone back away, and just carrying my rented towel and a bottle of water around (important to stay hydrated in the heat).
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I spent maybe two or three hours enjoying the various pools, and the multiple saunas and steam rooms. Due to it being March, the outdoor wave pool was closed, but the small heated outdoor one was open at least. I also didn’t know the large swimming pool (the one with all the columns) required a cap to be in it, so I wasn’t able to experience that. But otherwise I enjoyed the whole place and made the most of my time there.
All in all I’d have to say if you want to pick one Spa, Szechenyi is probably a little better. They have more pools, and their outdoor area is incredible, and I believe open year round. However, Gellert is still beautiful and definitely is a good experience. Without anything to compare it to, I’d say it’s pretty amazing in its own right.
I turned my towel back in and headed out. I enjoyed the beautiful entrance area and took a few pictures before heading off.
It was getting a little bit stormy, unfortunately, so I headed across the river to the Great Market Hall. It’s an indoor market selling a large variety of different foods, produce, and goods.
I wandered a bit, glad to be out of the rain. After some window shopping, I headed to the basement of the market where there was a grocery store. The food stalls were all pretty crowded, so I opted to just pick up some grocery store pastries and a drink. By the time I came out, the bad weather had mostly passed so I sat in a nearby square and ate.
After that I headed off to explore the castle district. I started by wandering the Fisherman’s Bastion, which was free. I thought about going into Matthias Church, but it was getting close to closing time by the time I got up there, so I opted to skip it, and decided to head over to the Budapest History Museum in Buda Castle.
The museum was decent. Not anything extraordinary, but fun and a good way to spend some time.
After I was done there I walked back around the castle, enjoying the views as the sun set.
With the sun going down, I decided it was time to get some food. It was still pretty early, but being a Friday night, I figured getting there a little early couldn’t hurt. On top of that I had a 6:30 AM flight to catch the next morning, so I headed off to find food.
I ended up at a place called Kacsa Restaurant. I was the first one there, and also felt pretty under-dressed. But I went for it anyways since the reviews of the food were good.
My first course was a pastry with duck in it. It was amazing! Second course was a stuffed cabbage, which maybe wasn’t exactly my normal type of dish, but was something that sounded traditional and different. And then finished off with another traditional dessert. They also had live music with a violinist and pianist playing. It was a great way to end my trip.
I grabbed a tram back to bottom of the big hill my hotel was on and then caught a bus up to the top. From there it was just packing up and getting ready for another big day of travel.
I thankfully got back to the States with no problem, even with the travel restrictions in place. The good thing about it was the planes were relatively empty so I had lots of space to spread out. And after a full day of flying I arrived safely at home sweet home.
The timing of my trip really was pretty incredible. Less than a week after I was back, things pretty much completely locked down. I’m so glad I was able to experience the beauty of such amazing places as Croatia, Slovenia, and Budapest. It was a really incredible vacation.
With all this time on my hands with the quarantine I might write about some older trips on here as well. Please feel free to subscribe, comment, like, etc. And hopefully there will be more adventures to share with you in the future.
So if you read my last post, you’ll know I had some changes to my travel plans, meaning most of my time in Zagreb was lost. However, all that meant was I was getting on the road earlier, ready to head off to my next destination: Budapest.
I’d actually been there before, but I found decent tickets flying home and honestly loved my time there before. I also felt like, the last time I was there, I was overwhelmed and didn’t get to see as much as I wanted. So, I was determined to go there a second time. To read about my first adventure in Budapest see this post.
I took off early from Zagreb. I had to miss breakfast at my hostel, but I figured early was better than late, especially since the borders had been so congested the day before.
On the bus it was mostly the same old thing. Enjoying views of the Croatian countryside and listening to audiobooks. Until we arrived at the Hungarian border,
Thankfully, there were hardly any other people there, so I was hoping we might get through faster.
However, this time they collected our passports to take them to be scanned, then handed them back one by one and as we went to get on the bus they took our temperature. Nothing like a spontaneous temperature check to get you sweating.
Thankfully, I wasn’t running a fever (and as I’m writing this nearly a month after can confirm I didn’t have Covid 19). So I was allowed to enter the bus and take my seat again. Only one person was held back, but I guess they double checked his temperature and it was fine so he was eventually allowed to take his seat.
The rest of the trip was uneventful, and soon I was pulling into to the bus station in Budapest. From there it was just a quick tram ride and then a long climb up a hill to my hotel, mostly ending up taking stairs since I neglected to properly read directions.
I was staying at a bed and breakfast called Budavar Pension, right next to Fisherman’s Bastion, a famous landmark on the hill. I thought it would be fun to stay on the Buda side of the river since my first time I’d stayed on the Pest side (for those who don’t know they were originally two separate towns on opposite sides of the Danube).
After checking in at my hotel and dropping my luggage, I opted to head to the Hungarian parliament building and see if I could get a tour. I booked quickly online to ensure my spot before heading in that direction. On my walk over, I enjoyed some of the views of the Danube and the bridges there and then meandered towards the parliament building, enjoying the sunshine.
For any who love beautiful architecture, I highly recommend seeing this amazing building. It’s huge and ornate, and the tour was very fun.
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After that I wandered over to Margaret Island, a park in the middle of the Danube. It was very busy, but still a fun excursion.
Then it was back to the hotel to clean up for dinner. I especially enjoyed the view from my window as the lights of the Fisherman’s Bastion turned on.
I decided to go to Paris Budapest, a French Hungarian fusion restaurant. It sounded different and wasn’t too far of a walk from my hotel, just down the large hill and right across the river.
The lighting was a little strange, so apologies for the not so great pictures, but nonetheless here is what I can tell you about my meal. I started off with a beet soup, supposedly using local and seasonal products. I love beets, so I enjoyed it pretty well. For my second course I had the duck, which is another of my favorite foods I don’t get much in the United States. And to finish off I had some kind of a caramel nut dessert. I had asked for a different one but the waiter talked me out of it. Regardless the meal was delicious and I enjoyed it.
Finished with my meal, I took back off for my hotel. I walked up the large hill and stopped at the Fisherman’s Bastion to enjoy the view of the city. And then it was off to my hotel to get a good night’s sleep. I had one more day left in Europe and was determined to enjoy it.
I’d title this blogpost with my actual destination, but I feel like that would be false advertising as I actually spent pretty much no time in the place I ended up spending the night, and therefore don’t feel like I can give very good advice about it.
So, I may have already mentioned in past posts that my experiences with Croatian and Slovenian buses varied. However, the one company I had a very bad time with was Flixbus, which was a pity because I found their website probably the easiest to use and they seemed to have quite a few options.
One of the reasons I made this statement was because a few days before this particular bus ride, I was informed it was cancelled. Rather than simply refunding me, the company asked me to call them (which is always fun when you’re roaming internationally) and get things squared away. I had no luck getting through to anyone and decided to just book another ticket and hope maybe I’d be refunded another time. Tickets at least aren’t too pricey.
So, as a result of this change, I had to take a later bus to get to Zagreb, my next destination. I’ll admit I’d given myself minimal time to begin with, mostly because the guidebooks I’d looked at hadn’t mentioned anything particularly exciting about the city. Other than being Croatia’s capitol, there wasn’t much that really excited me, especially after seeing some amazing historical sites like Zagreb and Split, and beautiful towns like Bled and Ljubljana. The main reason I chose to go, was that it would cut down on my travel time to my final destination of Budapest, where I was schedule to fly back to the states due to good deals I found on tickets. However, the bus change did effectively cut off the minimal time I had even more so.
Travel does involve some flexibility. So I decided to simply enjoy the fact that I could have a more leisurely morning up at Lake Bled. I enjoyed breakfast at my hotel, and then walked around the lake a little bit in the sunshine.
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After a little bit of meandering I headed back to the bus stop. I had to make my way back down to Ljubljana before I could head to Zagreb.
Again I enjoyed the ride through the mountains with beautiful views on that particular sunny day.
Arriving in Ljubljana I was supposed to only have less than an hour to wait for my bus. I used the bathrooms in the train station (actually free–which in Europe is a bit of a novelty), and grabbed something to drink from a vending machine so I would be set for the bus.
However, the bus ended up being more than thirty minutes late. I boarded, heading up to the second story (as it was a double decker which I thought was fun). I had to shoo a lady out of my pre-booked seat, and felt a little bad, but as I had paid more I wasn’t going to be nice about it.
After that we set out. I listened to an audiobook and enjoyed the views out my window. And then we hit the border.
Now, this was March 11th. Coronavirus had just begun to spread worldwide and was beginning to create some panic. My mother in fact had messaged me mentioning that the US was shutting down borders, worried that I might not be able to get home (as I’m writing this at my house in the US I’ll go ahead and assure you that I did manage to get home safely).
And of course, this meant that in Europe borders were getting tighter as well.
At the border we sat there for maybe thirty minutes on the bus. They kept shutting off the engine to save energy, making it very stuffy on the top level. We got out of Slovenia no problem, but at the Croatian border, we were held up for a while.
Finally we were allowed off the bus to get in line to hand over our passports.
I watched in horror as five people ahead of me were pulled aside and told to wait. I could barely breathe as I handed over my passport, wondering if I too was somehow going to be pulled back. I hadn’t been to Italy or other places facing pretty extreme cases, but I wasn’t sure what their criteria were for pulling people.
Instead, I was waved through and headed over to wait with the rest of the passengers. We watched on as two of those held back were sent over to us, and then the other three were left standing awkwardly by the immigration booth. Two girls who looked maybe my age or younger, and then a young nun wearing a facemask. The three of them stood waiting for maybe fifteen or twenty minutes. I felt awful for the three of them, probably unsure what was happening. I was at least glad to be off the stuffy bus for the wait, even if I was watching the time and wondering when I’d be getting safely to Zagreb.
Sure enough, a few minutes later the girls came back over to join us and began to gather their bags from the bus. I eavesdropped a bit and heard that they had been told they needed to go into quarantine and could not pass the border. I guess both of them were from Germany, where the numbers of infections were higher at the moment, and for that reason weren’t being allowed into Croatia.
The bus driver, did at least kindly drive them (with all of the rest of us) back over the border and dropped them at a gas station and then did a loop to go back through.
The whole process was disconcerting and scary. I breathed a sigh of relief once we were through, but it put us more than an hour late on our schedule.
We arrived in Zagreb late in the afternoon, getting into evening time. Of course, the tram was packed with commuters, but I shoved my way on with my suitcase and paid for a ticket with the driver regardless.
Thankfully, a few minutes later we were in the commercial center and I was able to disembark and go find my hostel.
I was staying right across from the cathedral, which was beautiful. I did snap one picture of it before heading inside. Interestingly enough there was an earthquake there not long after my visit and I read that the cathedral suffered some damage. Even though it was a brief glance, I am glad I saw it before the quake.
I stayed in Kaptol Hostel, though I went ahead and paid for a private room rather than doing a dorm. I’d opted to treat myself on the trip and pay a little more for privacy and a good night’s sleep.
Once checked in I put on some clean clothes and headed out to find a nice dinner. As it was my final night in Croatia, I wanted to use up all my kuna before heading over the border yet again.
So I headed out to find food. I’d asked at my hostel for a recommendation, but unfortunately they owned a restaurant down below and would only recommend that one to me. So I set off to find my own. Which is how I ended up at Restoran Lanterna na Dolcu.
I was the only one there, but they had good reviews, and the food sounded good. I took a seat down in their fun old cellar and had a glass of Croatian wine.
For a starter I had baked štrukli which was delicious. It’s a traditional Croatian dish with pastry dough, cream, cheese, and bacon. Super decadent and delicious!
For my next course I ended up with steak, yet again with mushrooms and vegetables. The waiter for some reason recommended I get a side of potatoes with it, which ended up being way too much food. But it did effectively use up my kuna. Unfortunately that left me with not enough for dessert, and besides I was pretty stuffed anyways.
I paid my bill and then wandered around a little bit. I found a grocery store and picked up some lunch for the next day since I’d be on a bus about midday.
Then it was back to my hostel for a good night’s sleep, figuring at least in the morning I could maybe go see some things after breakfast.
Unfortunately, just as I was going to bed, I happened to check my email and sure enough had an email from Flixbus saying my ride the next day had been cancelled.
Less than 24 hours before I was scheduled to leave, they went ahead and cancelled my ride with no explanation. Again, I’m going to advocate based on my experiences with this company not to use them. They seem to be very unreliable, and they definitely messed up my time in Zagreb due to their unpredictable changes.
I looked over my options for alternate buses, and of course I could either leave very early in the morning, or late evening and get in after midnight. I was very disappointed about the prospect of literally getting no time in Zagreb, but knew arriving so late would be a bad idea. So I reluctantly booked a new ticket for 8 in the morning and rescheduled my alarm.
So as you can see, I cannot speak to Zagreb as a city. Due to unforeseen circumstances I didn’t end up getting to do anything more than walk around a bit, eat some good food, and sleep. Maybe one day I’ll get to go back, but that’s just part of travel. You can’t plan for everything and sometimes just have to go with the flow.
When doing “would you rather” questions you sometimes hear “would you rather visit the beach or the mountains?” I’ve always been torn on that question. Sure, the beach can be beautiful and amazing, but there’s something fun about escaping into the wilderness of the mountains (and to be honest as an Idaho girl I’m more used to it anyways). One of the beauties of my recent adventure was getting to see a variety of different landscapes in a short amount of time. And sure enough I made it to both the beach and the mountains.
After finishing my time in Ljubljana, I opted to head into the Julian Alps and stay a night at Lake Bled. With more time and a car I might have enjoyed getting to explore more in the area, but with limited time and relying on public transport, I opted to just hit the highlights.
If you’re like me and had never heard of Lake Bled before now, let me just mention it’s a beautiful lakeside town in the Julian Alps with one of the oldest castles in Slovenia and an island with a pilgrimage church surrounded by a crystalline lake. It sounded like the perfect place to visit while in Slovenia.
I rose and had breakfast at my hotel in Ljubljana before walking to the bus station. It was another 30 minute walk, but again the weather was good, and I figured I’d use the money I would otherwise spend on a cab on something fun elsewhere.
At the station I found my bus heading up to the lake. The bus was relatively empty, the ride only about an hour. I enjoyed the views driving before arriving in the town.
My hotel graciously let me check in on arrival around eleven AM. I had opted to stay at another bed and breakfast in the Old Parish House, located right next to the church of St. Martin. I’d splurged for a lakeside view from my room just for fun.
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After dropping my things, I decided I’d like to make sure I got out to the island first thing. I walked around the lake, enjoying some views and then headed down to an electric boat that could take me out to the island. You can rent little rowboats, usually more in summer, but this seemed efficient, warmer, and simpler (especially by myself).
The man running the boat dropped me and one other person, telling us he’d be back in an hour. I headed up the steps to the bell tower and church. I headed into the church of the Assumption of Mary first where I was able to ring the bell of wishes. It was pretty amazing, getting to tug on the big rope three times and then hear the bell ring out above me. Sadly as a solo traveler I couldn’t get a picture or video of me doing it very easily, but still a fun memory, and you can see the rope in the pictures at least.
After that I climbed the tower. The view wasn’t great because there was mesh on the windows, but, I still enjoyed getting to see the inside of the clock tower.
After that I headed to the cafe on the island. My ticket for the visit had included a freem slice of Potica, a traditional Slovenian dessert, with coffee. It was a little too dry for my taste, and not nearly sweet enough (I have a huge sweet tooth), but still fun to try.
With a little more time to kill before the boat came back, I wandered the gift shop, went to admire the views at the edge of the island, and then took some more pictures.
After that, the boat took me back to shore, and I headed up to the castle. It’s definitely a bit of a climb, but the views from there were amazing and I actually really enjoyed the castle itself too. It had an audioguide you could use on your phone, so I listened as I walked around.
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One area I really enjoyed in the castle, besides the fantastic views, was the museum. They had some fun artifacts from the area and good overview of the history.
After I finished exploring the castle, I headed back down the hill to the lakeside. I knew what I wanted to do next was walk all the way around the lake. It was a little over three miles, though I ended up having to take a quick detour when I hit construction midway around. The views were spectacular though, and well worth the walk.
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By the time I was back at my hotel, the sun was going down. I opted to head out to find food. Unfortunately, one of the first places I decided to go to was completely shut down. No indication if it was just seasonal or the restaurant had gone out of business, but either way it threw me for a loop.
I scrambled to find something else. The nearest restaurant to that one was both expensive and fancy looking. As I wasn’t dressed for it, and wasn’t sure I wanted to spend so much, I realized I’d have to search elsewhere.
One of the recommendations I’d had in my guidebook was Ostarija Peglez’n. I looked in, but not only saw pretty much no one in the restaurant, but also didn’t see a menu posted, and was therefore hesitant to just walk in.
I kept looking, but honestly wasn’t seeing much. Feeling very hungry and a little cold, I decided to just go with Ostarija Peglez’n and take a chance.
Unfortunately my waiter not only didn’t give me much time to look over the menu, but also had very unhelpful advice when I asked for recommendations, basically saying everything was good (which wasn’t the point– I just wanted to narrow down my choices). I knew I didn’t want steak, as I’d had that several days in a row, and I’m unfortunately not much of a seafood person, which were a lot of the other options.
I ordered a vegetable soup to start and then salmon for my second course, figuring it would be a healthy option and keep me away from red meat.
The soup was at least pretty good, the salmon kind of dry and not very interesting. I guess the place doesn’t do much in the way of creative cooking, just kind of traditional hearty food. Thankfully the dessert was homemade strudel with vanilla ice cream which was delicious!
After a fantastic day, I was ready to head to bed. I definitely felt like I’d made the most of my day at Lake Bled. Though I certainly wouldn’t have said no to staying another day, I was ready to explore more destinations.
To Roam the Roads of Lands Remote 