[SAMUT PRAKAN] Budget and Itinerary

SATURDAY: October 18, 2025

Sukhumvit Line (Saphan Khwai - Chang Erawan) - 62.00

Erawan Museum (Fried Rice + Coke) - 100.00

Admission Fee (The Ancient City + Erawan Museum) - 600.00

Sukhumvit Line (Chang Erawan - Kheha) - 15.00

E-Bike (3 hours) - 250.00

Van (The Ancient City - Kheha) - 25.00

Sukhumvit Line (Kheha - Phra Khanong) - 31.00

THB1,083.00

Estimate of THB1 = PhP1.80

TOTAL - PhP1,949.40

[SAMUT PRAKAN] Erawan Museum + The Ancient City

Technically, you have been to Samut Prakan. If you have landed in or taken off from Suvarnabhumi International airport, that is. Although tagged as Bangkok’s airport, it really is located in neighboring Samut Prakan province. If you want to legit land in Bangkok, you should book a flight to Don Mueang instead. But is the airport all there is to it for tourism in Samut Prakan province? Going back to Bangkok for the nth time just to chill, I decided to check out possible daytrips easily accessible from the capital. Erawan Museum and The Ancient City, both attractions being from the same developer, topped the list.

[PRACHUAP KHIRI KHAN] Budget and Itinerary

SATURDAY: October 19, 2024

Ora Hostel Bangkok (1 Night) - 355.00

THB355.00

[SAM ROI YOT] Phraya Nakhon Cave

The first time I came across the name Hua Hin was when I booked a Bell Travel Services bus from Suvarnabhumi to Pattaya. I noticed that they also had a bus headed to the other side of the Gulf of Thailand. If you look at a map of the country, you will notice that there is some sort of a huge cove south of Bangkok. Pattaya and Hua Hin share that opening into the sea with the capital, to the east and to the west respectively. And so I decided then that a future trip to the kingdom will include Hua Hin. We are all about convenient transport links, you know.

[CHIANG MAI] Budget and Itinerary

TUESDAY: October 15, 2024

Cebu Pacific (Manila - Don Mueang) - 1,050.00

Space Station Hostel (1 Night) - 450.00

THB1,500.00

[SATUN] Budget and Itinerary

MONDAY: November 13, 2023

Satun Pakbara Speed Boat (Hat Yai - Satun - Koh Lipe) - 800.00

Satun Pier (Terminal Fee) - 20.00

Environmental Fee (Koh Tarutao/7 Days) - 200.00

Bakery (Donut) - 20.00

Papaya Mama (Fried Rice w/ Coke + Mango Shake) - 180.00

Chic Lipe (2 Nights) - 1,600.00

7 Eleven (Groceries) - 301.00

THB3,121.00

[SATUN] Thailand's Andaman Islands

The original plan was to check out the north from Bangkok, so possibly Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai. However, as travel dates loomed and airfare changed, I was left with a cheap Bangkok - Hat Yai flight ticket and no exit point. And so I explored some land border options heading to Malaysia when I remembered the draft itinerary I had of the Koh Lipe - Langkawi ferry route. Perhaps, it’s time to turn this draft into reality, eh? And so we did. But first, how do you get to Koh Lipe from Hat Yai?

[SONGKHLA] Budget and Itinerary

SATURDAY: November 11, 2023

Thai Air Asia (Bangkok - Hat Yai) - 1,325.00

Grab (Airport - Hat Yai) - 175.00

Hotel Icon (2 Nights) - 1,145.00

Store (Groceries) - 80.00

THB2,725.00

[HAT YAI] Two Buddhas for Your Pit Stop

Hat Yai has always been on my radar as far as gateways to Southern Thailand are concerned. It wouldn’t be my first time to the south. After all, I’ve already visited Phuket eons ago. However, I was still on the hunt for southern airports to explore other areas, and Hat Yai filled that gap. I thought this would be nothing more than a glorified pitstop en route to neighboring Satun, and so I was surprised when Hat Yai, apparently, has its own tourist attractions in store.

[CHONBURI] Budget and Itinerary

FRIDAY: October 20, 2023

VietJet (Phu Quoc - Bangkok) - 2,110.00

Bell Travel Service (Suvarnabhumi - Pattaya) - 325.00

Nonze Hostel (2 Nights) - 825.00

McDonalds (Nuggets Meal + Sundae) - 295.00

Two Brothers (Seafood Fried Rice + Coke) - 330.00

THB3,885.00

[PATTAYA] A Golden Buddha and a Wooden Temple

Once upon a time I thought Pattaya was part of Bangkok, and always wondered in which Soi I could find it. Later on I found out that Pattaya was actually in a separate province called Chonburi down east forming a horseshoe with Bangkok and Hua Hin along the bay that flows out to the Gulf of Thailand. And we know what that means. BEACH! But how do you get to Pattay from Bangkok? Easy. Bus it. Book online via this website: https://pattayabus.com/. You can pay there directly and screenshot your ticket.

[BANGKOK] Budget and Itinerary (2)

WEDNESDAY: October 5, 2022

Cebu Pacific (Manila - Bangkok) - 4,278.25

Grab (Suvarnabhumi - Sukhumvit) - 484.00

Fusion Suites Hotel (3 Nights) - 4,475.00

Big Mama Pizzeria (Salami Pizza + Coke) - 250.00

Madam Saranair (Salted Fish Fried Rice + Hot Milo) - 192.00

THB9,679.25

[AYUTTHAYA] Budget and Itinerary

THURSDAY: October 6, 2022

Win Ayutthaya 91 (Bangkok - Ayutthaya - Bangkok) - 230.00

Wat Mahathat (Admission) - 50.00

Boran (Fried Rice w/ Coke + Strawberry Shake) - 220.00

THB500.00

Estimate of THB1 = PhP1.60

TOTAL - PhP800.00

[AYUTTHAYA] Sukhotai Lite

I haven’t really been to Sukhotai yet, so what right have I to compare, huh? In any case, some people I know who have been to both always tend to say that Sukhotai is more immense as compared to Ayutthaya, so let’s just call Ayutthaya as Sukhotai Lite for the time being. When I get to visit Sukhotai, we will confirm if this assumption is true. Anyway, Ayutthaya is defo the place to go for a daytrip if you want to get out of Bangkok and get back in quickly as you left.

[PHUKET] Budget and Itinerary

THURSDAY: 27 June 2013

Tuktuk (Udon Thani Bus Terminal 1 - Udon Thani Airport) - 75.00
Air Asia (Udon Thani  - Phuket) - 1,375.60
Air Asia (Chicken Rice w/Pepsi) - 190.00
Mini Van (Phuket Aiport - Patong) - 180.00
Balcony Hostel Patong (1 Bunk in 4-Bed Dorm/2 Nights) - 600.00
Burger King (Bacon Cheeseburger w/Fries & Coke + Brownie Choco Fudge) - 315.00
THB2,735.00

[KRABI] Budget and Itinerary

SATURDAY: 29 June 2013

Ko Phi Phi Day Tour (Phuket Serenity) - 1,300.00
Blueberry Cheese Cake (Ton Sai) - 160.00
Toilet (Chalong Pier) - 10.00
Toilet (Khai Nai) - 40.00

SUBTOTAL – THB1,510.00
Estimate of THB1 = PhP1.40

TOTAL – PhP2,114.00

[KRABI] That Beach in The Beach

My one-day Krabi island hopping tour was not something I really enjoyed. You see, when it comes to this activity, the less people the better. Of course you'll need more people to drive down the cost of the boat and other miscellaneous expenses but when it reaches the point when you could no longer snap a photo of something natural without a camwhore blocking the view, you'll know that the attraction has fallen prey to too much tourism. If they could pin themselves on a cliff, they probably would. You cannot blame them, though. Being a stopover where you spend barely half an hour, all you could really do is seize every opportunity for a photograph and pretend that everybody else is just part of the attraction.

[BANGKOK] Budget and Itinerary

WEDNESDAY: October 17, 2012

Taxi (Makati - NAIA 3) - 147.50

Travel Tax (NAIA 3) - 1,620.00

Terminal Fee (NAIA 3) - 550.00

Cebu Pacific (Manila - Bangkok) - 963.00

PhP3,280.50

[BANGKOK] Reach for the Sky at Wat Arun

Last day in Bangkok. Instead of going to Ayutthaya on a day tour as originally planned, I just split the Rattanakosin temple run into two days. Today is day two, time for Wat Pho and Wat Arun. Instead of getting off at Tha Tien because that is where Wat Pho is, I decided to just go down at Tha Chang so I could eat at Royal Navy Club 77 again. Yesterday, my main destination was Wat Phra Kaew but I disembarked at Tha Tien. I guess I mixed up my piers! A little bit of walking after lunch and I arrived at Wat Pho, home of the giant reclining Buddha. Entrance fee is 100 pesos.

[BANGKOK] Gold Overload at Wat Phra Kaew

Thailand’s temples, you just have to see them. When I cancelled Ayutthaya, it was because I was confident that I would be seeing something similar in Bangkok. I think Ayutthaya is more on ruins. For Bangkok, they drown you with colors. Aside from the concentration of palaces and temples in one area (the touristy ones at Rattanakosin, at least), you can also marvel on their variety in terms of color and design. If you have been to several temple and palace complexes in China and South Korea, this is probably the first main difference that you would point out. While the Chinese and Koreans do know the definition of grand, they seem to have stuck with some sort of template which makes the designs look similar: an influx of red and gold for the Chinese; a mix of red, green, and brown for the Koreans. For the Thai, being floral and reaching for the heavens seem to be the norm.