Sawadee Krup TBF
Travelers!
I hope everyone is doing well and
that your excitement is building about our trips to Thailand . For those of you
making payments on your trip please send in the balance due this week. Also send
over any questions you may have about any aspect of the trips or Thailand .
One of the questions often asked is
what to pack as far as shoes and clothes for Thailand . A basic answer to this
question is: sandals and beach wear! Likely this is what you will be wearing the
majority of the time while we are not in Bangkok . And sandals will serve you
for Bangkok as well. Here are some tips on footwear and apparel for your
Thailand adventure.
Sandals – It is important to have a
pair of sandals that are comfortable on your feet. You will likely be wearing
them most of the time while you are in Thailand . If you are buying a new pair
for the trip, make sure to ‘break them in’ before you head to Thailand to allow
your feet to adjust to them. Sometimes travelers will find that the sandals they
purchased and tried on in the store back home look and feel good, but after
several hours of wearing them and walking in them they are surprised by
blisters. There is a big difference between walking around in the store with
them to touring the Royal Grand Palace for three hours or jungle trekking in
them. Try to find a pair that is comfortable and easy to take on and off – this
will help with the ‘shoe removal’ issue when visiting Buddhist temples or other
locations that require you to remove your shoes before entering. Besides a good
pair of sandals the other types of shoes I would recommend are a pair of
activity shoes such as running shoes or Keens, and a pair of ‘water shoes’ –
which can also be Keens. Water shoes are shoes that can get wet without getting
heavy or causing blisters and that will dry out quickly. There are activities
that will require you to be walking through water such as jungle trekking, cave
exploring, bamboo river rafting, snorkeling and sometimes just getting on and
off the longtail boats at Railay Bay requires you to step or walk through the
water a little bit. Your sandals – depending upon the type, may serve for both
your activity shoes and your water shoes.
Clothing – Thailand will be warm to
hot so there is really no need to bring any ‘warm clothes’ such as sweaters,
jackets, or even long sleeved shirts – with the exception of the plane ride
over. I generally bring one sweatshirt or fleece to wear on the plane ride and
then don’t wear it again until the plane ride home. As a general rule pack
light. You will be able to have your laundry done at each location we are
staying for a very low price and any additional clothing you may need can be
easily purchased there in Thailand . I like to recommend to our travelers that
they avoid cotton shirts, which in the hot weather tend to be not as comfortable
and easy to keep clean as tech-tee shirts. Men will need to have one pair of
long pants to wear for the tour of the Royal Grand Palace , and women can get by
with either a long skirt or a sarong for this tour. A pair of the ‘zip-off’
pants that converts to shorts is convenient for this purpose. It is also nice to
have a hat or visor handy to help shield your face from sun exposure. A light
rain jacket may be needed on Koh Samui, as there is a chance we could get some
rain on this island, but inexpensive rain ponchos are readily available on Koh
Samui if you choose not to bring one.
Since much of our time will be spent
at or near the beach on our trips I also wanted to provide some information and
tips regarding swimming and sunning in Thailand . Sunblock is definitely a
necessity for your trip – bring an ample amount with you as it tends to be more
expensive to purchase once you are there and you will need to apply it several
times each day for most of our outdoor activity days. While swimming in the
ocean in Thailand at some locations you may feel a light tingling at first,
which almost feels like something is biting you. These are not jellyfish – which
only appear when it rains, but rather tiny microbes which are ‘feeding’ on the
top layer of your skin, removing the dead skin cells. Sometimes the first time
you get in the water you may feel them, but after 15 minutes or so they will
stop and you will not feel them again. When swimming, the main two things to
watch out for are underwater rocks and coral which can be very sharp and
longtail boats. Make sure to stay out of the main ‘boat channels’ and stay aware
of your surroundings if you are doing a long swim in the ocean. If you are more
interested in lying on the beach rather than swimming in the ocean your only
concern will be putting on enough sunblock and ‘reserving’ your beach lounge
chair. Both beach lounge chairs and poolside lounge chairs are gobbled up
quickly on sunny days, so much so that many travelers will ‘reserve’ their
chairs by placing a towel and personal item, such as a book or article of
clothing on a chair early in the day for later usage. This is especially true at
Railay Bay around the beachside pool, which fills up fast on sunny days. Most of
the beaches will have beach vendors offering both food and drink items along
with other items for sale such as large beach sarongs, beach jewelry, henna
tattoos and assorted souvenir items. There will also be beach massage available
at many locations. Remember to stay hydrated while enjoying the beaches –
whether you are active or just tanning, as dehydration tends to occur much
quicker in the tropical climate.
For anyone that is PADI Scuba
certified and would like to go scuba diving this will be available in all three
locations: Khao Lak, Railay Bay , and Koh Samui. Khao Lak has some of the best
scuba diving in the world at the Similan and Surin islands and we can help
arrange a scuba trip for anyone that is interested. Railay Bay and Koh Samui
also have excellent dive sites. This activity can be arranged on your free day
and we will be glad to assist in setting up a dive trip for you once we arrive.
Sea kayaking will be available at Railay Bay , and while Jet Skis are available
on Koh Samui I would not recommend them. There are numerous ‘scams’ that occur
when renting the jet skis involving claims of “damage” to the craft upon
returning it, and the jet skis are responsible for polluting the waters with
their exhaust and residue. For anyone interested in deep sea fishing, this will
be an option also available at all three locations with day or night trips
available.
Our trips will take in some of the
most beautiful beaches in the world; Princess Beach at Railay Bay has been voted
the number one most beautiful beach in the world several times, and the ‘hidden
beach’ at Khao Lak is a treat that not many tourists discover. On Koh Samui our
hotel is situated on what we consider the prettiest beach on the whole island:
Chaweng Noi, with ultra-soft and white sand, and besides the popular tourist
beaches on Koh Samui there are several small and not-well-known beautiful
beaches that we can share with you to explore and enjoy. In addition to our
daytime activities we will engage in on the beaches there will also be
opportunities to visit beach bars which will have tropical cocktails and live
entertainment, including the ultimate beach party: the Full Moon Party on Koh
Phangan as part of the Beach Party Adventure. Day or night, Thailand is famous
for its beaches, and its beach parties – both of which will be featured on our
trips this fall.
Once again, please send over any
questions you have regarding the above information, and let me know if there is
something else you would like to know about and I can address it in one of the
upcoming emails regarding our trips.
Bill
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