two: Bangkok and Chiangmai

Two of my favourites here - Bangkok was a ridiculously massive city, but had my favourite temple; and Chiangmai is still among my favourite stops so far, with nature and people adding up to an awesome experience.

I was used to booking everything online, so I was pretty anxious about finding transport between cities without the Internet. Ended up being too easy though - when I arrived in Koh Phangan, I booked a ticket to Bangkok for the next day at the ferry office, and I dropped by Bangkok's Hua Lamphong station a day early to buy my train ticket to Chiangmai. No mishaps, although there was an awkward moment on the way to Bangkok when we got off one bus and had no idea what was happening as we were shepherded to another office for an hour with no reassurances... It all worked out though!

Bangkok was a shock to the system, but also a pleasant surprise. I expected a mega-city like Shanghai, and while there was traffic at all hours (Saturday 3pm looks like Sydney's peak hour!), it was nowhere near as crazy as China. Despite the size and number of people, everyone actually seems to respect the rules of the road. Just a first indication of the lovely Thai people I would meet.

A beautiful temple, hidden in the side streets.

I stayed in Saipaiphae, a neat backpacker's where I met a couple of great German girls, accompanying them on a real Bangkok adventure. We saw the sights, including Bangkok from the top of the State Tower, a real tourist-less local market - seriously, we got lost - with more dried flowers than I've ever seen in one place, and Wat Phra Kao. This grand temple is part of the Grand Palace, but I was much more fascinated by its intricate decorations than the stately buildings. Dozens of identical Buddhas lining the side of one section; a wall covered in mosaic flowers; creatures made up of little mosaic mirror pieces. Definitely the highlight.

View of Bangkok from up high - this enormous city seems to extend beyond the horizon!

Look at all the shiny things! Just look!!

On the more luxurious side, I also visited Terminal 21, a giant shopping centre where each level is themed as a major destination. Just went spontaneously with the Chinese girl in the bunk above me - observing in hindsight that it seems like many East Asian backpackers tend to hit up mainly the shopping spots... Another (less expensive) shopping mall was MBK, where I picked up the second country shot glass of my travels.

What shopping mall is complete without the Golden Gate Bridge hitting the top floor?

Did some typical backpacker stuff too... I only visited Khao San Road briefly, although I had the pleasure of meeting another backpacker with the most extraordinary travel stories on the way. However I did end up on a pretty awesome night out in Bangkok as we went from the aptly named Bed Club to nearby Bash with a group of local Thai girls. Here we also met some friendly Americans and a girl who reminded me of Paris Hilton - if she was covered in golden glitter... Safe to say it was an unusual night, full of character. Thank goodness for the late night pad thai stall tucked in the alley!

Got excited about the 'Australian' bar - turns out I also accidentally snapped the club we went to later that night, which is worth a visit for the amazing drinks and potentially very unusual company ...

So from Bangkok I jumped on to a sleeper train to Chiangmai. Having never been on a sleeper before, I was pretty surprised when they turned all the seats into bunk beds! They were pretty comfy, with curtains in front of each bunk for privacy. At the other end, I used my newfound knowledge of tuk tuks to get to the city centre (about 50 baht) - but from there it was a more expensive and slightly confusing trip to my new home.

Accommodation and transport for the night.

Ob-oon Homestay, while a bit far from the main city and much more expensive (well, relatively, at AUD35 per night), was well worth it. I went on the Chinese girl's recommendation and was not disappointed. The owners are a family of 3 with a 10-year-old son, who the place is named after. They built the place from scratch, originally as a cafe and now as a homestay, inspired by the mother's experiences growing up in a family that often hosted exchange students. We had some lovely conversations and they eagerly shared family photos. My second night fell on a Buddhist holiday, so they took me to the 'Cave Temple' - a beautiful experience, even if I was offering my prayers to some other entity...

Their son is adorable! Taking photos outside the temple.

Although the tariff only says breakfast included, they also offered me their dinner each night - and every meal was delicious! Not to mention mango for dessert... The mother also kindly drove me at 6am to catch a bus. Free bike rental was also included, so I gladly jumped on to try and burn off all the delicious Thai food I'd been eating. Great idea but be prepared for a sore bum - it's about 7km into the city. Chiangmai is filled with temples - I saw 3 major ones just cycling around. Good timing also meant seeing the Saturday markets (which I accidentally parked my bike in before they set up). Here I picked up a few souvenirs and some unusual food - mushrooms wrapped in bacon, anyone? Biking was the perfect mode of transport, as I could easily stop and walk in to each of the temples along the way.

One last temple on the way home - I was tired of seeing the same stuff (it's all kind of overshadowed by Wat Phra Kao), but this one was still pretty stunning.

A real highlight of Chiangmai was the adventure stuff! I booked tours the day before - there's heaps of tour offices on the east side of the city's square outer road. I did Jungle Flight, a day of ziplining with some intense Chinese tourists and the funniest guides (one called a tourist a 'lady-boy' - the guy may not have understood the word, but he knew he was being poked fun at...)

One of our guides pulling a serious face - as if he's not a total monkey!

Unfortunately no action shots - hopefully this gives you an idea of its nature anyway! Go for the 300m zipline and look out for the incredible view on the right side.

Also had a one-day trekking tour, including a brief elephant ride, white water rafting (fun but not as crazy as I hoped) and bamboo rafting (sitting with our waists in the water, I think they might need new rafts...) The final 1hr trek was well worth it for the waterfall at the end!

The day was made even better by conversing with fellow international travellers, including this girl (one of three friends from Germany), a mother and daughter from Denmark, and a family of 5 from France holidaying overseas together for the first time.

Food, glorious food!

I met many different people on this trip and really have already highlighted my favourite - the family at Ob-oon Homestay - so instead, eat your heart out on these amazing foods I wish I was eating right now ... Thailand and China are in a major tie for best food in the world!

The best snack I've ever had, but unfortunately could only find it at one street vendor outside Surasak Metro Station in Bangkok - a crepe-y outside shell filled with condensed milk and a random piece of fruit, shallots, ham or plain.

Deep-fried bananas from the country that brought us deep-fried ice cream.

The aforementioned mushrooms in bacon, surprisingly good with spicy sauce.

The best breakfast I've had to date, à la Ob-oon.

And of course, staple pad thai, found thanks to a local in the markets with a conversation consisting solely of "pad thai?" "pad thai!"

The budget

Bangkok: Accommodation was about $8 a night at Saipaiphae, the best value so far - bathrooms were amazing, free wifi accessible in rooms. Shopping and food were cheap, food especially amazing. Transport cost about $10 to ferry, bus and bus from Koh Phangan.

Chiangmai: Accommodation was relatively expensive ($35/night) but worth it to stay at Ob-oon Homestay; cheaper places are available, and inner city locations recommended are better. Food same - cheap and delicious. Shopping was cheap, and Saturday markets were ideal to pick up a variety of souvenirs and less common postcards. Train was about $15 I think, not sure. Tours cost $100 in total - about $60 for a full ziplining package, and $40 for the one-day tour.

Overall Thailand cost me about $860, including Krabi and Koh Phangan.

Tips?

• Inflatable travel pillow - don't leave home without one!! This comfortably got me through the numerous bus and ferry trips, plus it doesn't take much space and can be tied onto a bag.
• Don't worry about booking overland trips on short notice! I've been using www.seat61.com as my go-to guide in every country.
• Book some adventures in Chiangmai! It's relatively cheap, but worth it to see the natural jungle within an hour's drive of the town. Easy to book in the offices on the east side of town.
• Say hi to your fellow backpackers - who knows where you'll end up adventuring together...