We’ve now been here for a whole week, and we’ve seen and learnt so much about the Thai culture. One of the first things we’ve noticed is that no matter where you are, you can always smell some kind of food cooking. It is normally rice boiling, but sometimes it’s curries and sweet treats. Here are a few other differences that we’ve noticed so far between the UK and Thailand:

Cables – We can’t believe the amount of cables that you see everywhere. There are hundreds of them hung up together, you will never just see one or two.

Money – There doesn’t seem to be a rich vs poor side of Thailand, it’s all mixed together. You will often find that a modern and expensive home is right beside a run down shak.

Respect and Spirituality – In Thailand, the Royal Family are incredibly respected. We’ve been told that to disrespect them, or even deceased members, can land you up to 35 years in prison. Portraits of the current King are on every road and outside large buildings, and always in a golden frame. The best way to describe it is to liken them to shrines. Our tour guide, Boom has explained all about Buddhism and how we should respect their culture. You never touch someone’s head, and you never put you feet up on a surface. If something goes wrong, you blame yourself before blaming someone else.

Stray Dogs – Unfortunately there are hundreds of stray dogs everywhere we’ve been to so far. We weren’t prepared to see the amount that we have.

Payments – However, the biggest difference so far has been that almost every shop, restaurant or bar, won’t accept card payments. We had some Thai money, but have had to get more out sooner than we would normally.

Here’s a breakdown of what we have done this week!

Arrival Day: After a long flight, we arrived early morning Thai time. We were checked into our hotel, and met a couple of people on our tour. A small group of us went out into Bangkok to explore the area, and had lunch at a restaurant with a fish pool.

In the evening we went back out into town for dinner with the whole group. We met Boom, who ended up taking us to dinner to the same place we had lunch. Later, we went to a bar down one of the busiest streets you’ll ever see, and had a couple of drinks.

Day 1: River boats down the River Kwai. All travel today was down the river, and on a traditional Thai river boat. These are long and thin, and sit so that you’re level with the water. Our first stop was to a war museum, and later a temple in a cave. We learnt how to pray to Buddha, which is in three steps: firstly, whilst kneeling, place your hands together in a prayer motion in front of your chest. Then bow your head so your forehead touches your finger tips. Next, bow to the ground and place your head and palms on the floor. You do this three times.

We then went to see the Bridge Over The River Kwai for sun set. As we were there, a train crossed over, which only happens 3 times a day. To finish the day, we had a swim in the hotel pool, and had dinner as a group.

Day 2: Trip to Erawan Waterfalls. After 7 tiers and a 45 minute walk, we made it to to the top. No photos will ever do these falls justice, but hopefully these will at least try. The water was freezing and contained small feet-eating fish, but it was certainly worth it. We even saw a monkey!

Once we were back at the bottom, Boom ordered us three different dishes for lunch, which was all home made and fresh. Dinner was at a restaurant on the River Kwai, and we later went to a bar with live music.

Day 3: Temple and Bike Tour around Ayutthaya, which is the ancient capital city of Thailand. The ride was around two hours, and we stopped at three different temples.

We then hopped onto the overnight train and headed to Chiang Mai.

Day 4: Chiang Mai. After the overnight train, we headed into Chiang Mai and checked into our hotel. After a few hours of time to ourselves, we hopped into a Tuk Tuk and headed up the mountain to the temple of Doi Suthep. Whilst there, Boom arranged for the Head Monk of the temple to bless the group and us individually. We received a Holy Bracelet and were splashed with Holy Water. We were also given a cylinder containing sticks with numbers on. You have to shake the cylinder until a stick falls out, and the number on the stick will tell you your fortune. In the evening we walked through Chiang Mai walking street, which is a famous street market.

Day 5: Jungle Trekking and Village Hill Tribe Stay. We went up the mountain and deep into the jungle before we started our trek. During the drive up we were able to see elephants relaxing by the road. The trek was challenging at times, but we stopped at 2 different waterfalls, so we were able to enjoy a quick swim to cool down.

When we got to the village we were told 45 people lived there and were shown around. They were in the process of building a new hut for a couple that were due to marry the week after our visit. The shower and toilet were in a small hut with a tin roof, and the shower comes out of something like a garden hose. We ate dinner, sat with music, and our hosts lit gas lamps and built a fire. All 10 of us slept in a wooden hut, equipped with a mosquito net and a mattress each on the floor.

Boom explained to us about Thai University, and how all tourist guide positions are kept for Thai people only. If you study tourism at University, you choose a Chinese programme, or an English programme. He also told us that he learnt English by music – if he liked a song, he would translate it to learn the original English lyrics.

Day 6: Elephants and Bamboo Rafting. We left the village and trekked down to Chang Mai Elephant Home, for half a day feeding and washing the elephants. We were lucky that one had a 4 month old baby elephant as well, which we were able to play with. To feed the elephants, we each made a ‘Vitamin Bowl’ and there are 5 ingredients in each one. The first is two lumps of brown sugar for the elephant’s teeth. Secondly, you add salt as this makes sure the elephants drink more water. Thirdly, you add rice seeds for fibre, followed by a whole banana. Lastly, you add a small lump of tamarind for detox. You wrap the paste up into a banana leaf, and the elephant will eat it whole. As you fed the elephant, you could hear the intake of breath through their trunks as they sucked the food and brought it to their mouth. We took hundreds of pictures, so here are a few of our favourites:

After the Elephant Home, we went bamboo rafting. The rafts are tied together with bike tyres and are driven in the same way a gondola is. Thai people were celebrating a national holiday, so we passed a lot of groups by the side of the river. After, we headed into town and most of us went clubbing with Boom.

Day 7: Zip lining through the jungle in Chiang Mai. We went to the Eagle Track Zip Line in the afternoon, and zip lined through the jungle. The route is finished with a 40 metre drop, where you are in a seated position and they drop you.

So, our first week is complete! Whilst we have been busy with all these activities, there has also been time to ourselves, which has given us a chance to enjoy the pool or to explore where we are. Lots more exciting things to come this week, including a trip to Pai, a cooking course, and a water playground! We can’t wait, and we look forward to updating you again next week ☺️

Caitlin and Luke