Thailand: Krabi

Koh Lanta is located in Krabi, Southern Thailand. The best time to go there is between February and May. That means you may likely pay more in flights and accommodation. We went there when it was in March, so the price was not too expensive. We considered to go to Lanta Island. There are many places to go in Krabi. Another famous one that you should not miss is Railay. Railay and Koh Lanta are a bit far apart. I am not sure how long it takes but it will probably take about 1-2 hours by car. There are some tour agencies that could take you from place to place but the tour may be more expensive because these two places are not in the same area or nearby.

We chose to go to Koh Lanta because it's more quiet and pristine beaches than Railay area. In Koh Lanta, there are many nice and beautiful  beaches such as Kaw Kwang Beach, Klong Dao Beach, Pra Ae (Long Beach), Klong Khong Beach, Klong Nin Beach, Klong Jark Beach (Waterfall Beach) and Ba Kan Tiang Beach.

If you go to Ba Kan Tiang beach, you may be subject to national admission fee as it is a national park. It is sometimes included in the tour price or excluded, depending on the conditions of the tour agencies. This place you would see the nicest beaches in Koh Lanta and you could see dragon komodo if you are lucky! Make sure you should not feed them because you never know if you might be bitten accidentally. The tour normally ranges from $60 to $80 depending on where your hotel is. This is a one day tour but it gives you enough time to relax and enjoy the nice pristine beach in Ba Kan Tiang. Lunch is normally provided in the tour price, but it is better to check with the tour agency before you consider to buy it.

As mentioned above, there are many nice beaches in Koh Lanta, we stayed in Klong Klong beach because it is more quiet but the disadvantage is there are too many rocks close to the shore. That means you could not even swim but you could see the nice sunset. If you look for the cheaper price of hotel stay, this may be your choice.

After riding the motorcycle around the beaches, Pra Ae (Long Beach) is the best and beautiful beach after Ba Kan Tiang Beach. This is the good place for swimming. There are many hotels situated in this beach but the price may be higher.

If you know how to ride a motorcycle, I would suggest to rent a bike. We paid $12 per 3 days, so it is easy to get around the island.

To get there, if you depart either from Bangkok or from Phuket, you have to make sure you arrive in Krabi. Normally, it depends on the airlines. If you take Air Asia (low cost airline), it normally takes you to Krabi (Lanta) with the shuttle bus service with free of charge. If you take other airlines, you may have to take a bus, a van or hotel car. Normally, you will get this from the airport but it may be a bit confusing for some people. Unless you prefer paying $80-$100 from Krabi airport (if taken other airlines except Air Asia), someone will pick you up at the airport.

Tips: Koh Lanta may be a bit more quiet than Railay, so some areas may be conservative due to Muslim community. If you want them to respect you, please make sure you wear your pants at knee length (This is my observation!).

Thailand: Bangkok (Vachirabenjatas Park)

Vachirabenjatas Park or Rot Fai Park is situated in Chatujak district, Bangkok. There are many activities to do. This park is one of the nicest parks in Bangkok. This park allows you to rent a bike and a boat. When I went there, I rented a bike because I wanted to see many things around the park as much as possible. If I remember it right, I paid 20 Baht (around 5 cents). Price may remain unchanged or may be gone up a bit now.

This park has a butterfly park inside, so you could see all kinds of butterflies here. If you love cycling or running, this may be the place for you. It will be a great relaxation on the weekend for families and friends.

To get there, you can take either MRT or BTS and get off at Chatujak station. Do not get confused with Chatujak Park and Vachirabenjatas Park. They are nearby and they both are huge, so you have to make sure you walk further parallel with the traffic (same direction), you will find it. The easiest way is if you take MRT, there will be the sign to tell you which exist you need to take. Once you are out from MRT station, you will see a little entrance of Vachirabenjatas Park.

This park is open every day but will have a lot of people on the weekend because this park is close to Chatujak weekend market, where is the biggest outdoor weekend market in Southeast Asia.