Thailand

By: Julia James and Mya Jackson

Luggage

Shirts SwimsuitShorts Hats/CapsUnderwear/socks Rain gearSunscreen MapsSunglasses BackpackToothbrushes/toothpaste SandalsPersonal hygiene kit PassportsBrush/combEntertainment(books, technology, etc.)CameraMoney (Baht)Travel GuideBug Spray

Dangers of Travelling/ General Safety

Some dangers of travelling are rabies, schistosomiasis, malaria, dengue fever, and many other diseases. That’s why when travelling out of the continent, it’s a good idea to get vaccines to lower risks for some of these fatal diseases.

We ourselves can be dangers. There are many ways we can die without some fatal disease killing us. Some examples include, drowning, falling, bungee jumping, and climbing. Some ways we can lower our risks of dying are by, knowing how to swim in water, wearing life jackets when we’re in any kind of boat or raft, looking where we’re going, following rules, and having proper equipment.

Currency Thailand’s currency is Thai Baht. 1 U.S. dollar is equal to about 32.9 Bahts.

Visa Requirements U.S. citizens carrying a tourist passport

and have airline tickets do not require a visa to enter Thailand. The passport must be at least up to 6 months valid.

Key phrases Mai pen rai is Thailand’s unofficial

philosophy meaning, never mind or It’s okay. This means that we should take things lightheartedly and not stress out about things.

Hello: sà-wàt-dee Thank you: kòp kun Do you speak English: kun pôot paa-săa ang-grìt

rĕu bplào? Help: chûay dûay

Customs• Taking off shoes is expected when entering

religious places, homes, and sometimes shops.• In Buddhism, the head of a person is considered the

most valued part of a human, while the feet are considered the least of value. So, it would be highly offensive if you were to touch someone’s head, or point at someone with your toes.

• In Thailand, wearing exposing clothes such as tank tops, short skirts/shorts, flip flops, etc. is offensive in temples and shrines.

• Thais are considered one of the most friendliest people you’ll ever encounter. So, getting angry, annoyed, or raising your voice will be frowned upon in any situation, and will show what lack of self control you have.

Bangkok Travel: Departure from Toronto, Canada to

Bangkok, Thailand. Hotel: 2 nights in a 2 star economy hotel. Attractions: A tour of the Bangkok Palace,

Koh Samet Beach, and Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC).

Day 1At breakfast we eat at a place called Breizh Crepes.

Besides crepes, it also sells Galettes, and ice cream. We had the Original crepe, which was made of butter, sugar, and almonds. After breakfast, we go on a tour to Bangkok’s Grand Palace. The Grand Palace was once a home for the kings of Thailand and is a big tourist destination. After the tour, we decided get on a bus to Koh Samet beach. From there we spend the rest of the day and head back on the bus back to our hotel.

Day 2We spend the morning walking around the city areas of

Bangkok. By noon we decided to head down to a restaurant called Cozy House Restaurant for lunch. We decide to go with some Thai food so we got Tom Yam (fried noodles). After lunch, we take a bus to the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC). The BACC is museum with contemporary art, design, music, and films. It’s evening and we head back on a bus to go for dinner at the Hemlock, which makes Thai food. After all that, we went back to our hotel.

Patong Travel: From Bangkok, Thailand to Patong,

Phuket, Thailand. Hotel: 2 nights in 2 star economy hotel. Attractions: Freedom Beach, Jungceylon, and

Patong Beach.

Day 3For breakfast, we ate at Café Siam. We had breakfast

and coffee there and quickly head on a boat for Freedom Beach. We spend the rest of the morning and afternoon there. At 3:00 p.m. we head back on the boat to Patong and we decide to eat dinner at a place called Austrian Garden Restaurant, despite the name they do sell modern Thai food. After that, we go to a place called Jungceylon. It’s basically like a downtown but all within a few buildings, you can find theaters, stores, and restaurants. By night, we go back to the hotel.

Day 4We wake up, and eat breakfast at the same place we

did yesterday. After that, we decide to go to Patong Beach, since we realized that it was closer to us. Also, we wanted to compare it to Freedom Beach. Patong Beach was a lot more crowded, that’s probably because Freedom Beach is one of the least accessible beaches in Phuket. We ended up leaving Patong Beach in the afternoon, and settling on a place called Bread. We decided to take a little break from Thai food, so instead we had pizza. We walked around Patong for a little bit, but there wasn’t that much to see so by evening we went back to our hotel room.

Phang Nga Bay Travel: From Patong, Thailand to Phang Nga

Bay. Hotel: 3 nights in 3 star Quality hotel. Attractions: Ao Bang Thao, Phuket Racing

Kart, and Ban Nam Khem Tsunami Memorial Park, Krungsri IMAX Theatre.

Day 5We leave the hotel at about noon, and we head out

to Phuket Racing Kart. It’s a place where you can go to play extreme sports and to go Go- kart racing on a 700 meter long course. We decided to go elephant trekking, which is riding on an elephant. We also decide to do monkey school, which is where you train monkeys to do tricks. Also, we decided to go Go-kart racing. We ended up staying there for the whole day. At night, we went back to the hotel.

Day 6We leave to go eat breakfast. At about noon, we

leave for Ao Bang Thao, which is a beach in Phuket. Actually, it’s one of the longest beaches in Phuket. We first went swimming, then we decide to go to Café Java and have duck confit. Duck confit is a French dish that contains the leg of a duck. We ended up spending the entire day at the beach, swimming and exploring the beach. Afterwards, we head back to the hotel. We were ready for bed at 9:00p.m.

Day 7We wake up and eat breakfast at Stempfer Café, and

quickly head out to use up our last day. We decided to first visit Ban Nam Khem Tsunami Memorial Park. We spend about an hour there looking around and we bought two souvenirs. After that, we go to Krungsri IMAX Theatre for a movie. We watch a foreign movie. After the movie, we go back to our hotel and pack up our stuff and get ready for our flight back home tomorrow.

New Friend Name: Lalana Occupation: None Favorite Food: Cow Pad

We met Lalana at Freedom beach, while we were sitting there Lalana happened to be sitting next to us. We struck up a conversation and that’s how we found out about her. We found out that she likes to visit beaches and draw and write. Lalana told us that she didn’t like the hot and dry seasons of Thailand. However, she liked living in a place that was known to be called The land of smiles.