Between nonexistent wifi, an awful weeklong cold, and still unresolved computer problems, I’m a bit behind on getting these recaps out. So you all get a 2-for-1 recap special!
Family Travel
May was a big change in my travel style as my dad came and met me in Thailand and we traveled together for three weeks.
In late April, my stepmom randomly texted me out of the blue, while I was hanging out in Bangkok, to see if we could surprise my dad with a trip to see me. We began plotting and decided he should join me on Koh Tao in the southern Gulf of Thailand.
It had been many years since he and I had a father-and-son-only trip and while we are quite close, we usually connect in the rare quiet moments in our crazy household. This trip was also his first time in Asia since my mom and he lived in India some 35 years prior.
I was so excited to show off Koh Tao and later Bangkok and introduce him to all the wonderful tastes, sights, and experiences I’d discovered since landing in Thailand. Sharing these things with friends you make on the road is one thing, but sharing them with family is another entirely. I was very impressed with his desire and eagerness to try new things even if I pushed him outside his comfort zone.
It was a big change of style for me too, as I’ve become so self-reliant over the past months that I had to remind myself to slow down and enjoy the little moments with the ones you care about. He also shared some of my fondest memories of my trip so far including an all-day Thai cooking class (story still to come) and visiting the pottery where my maternal grandfather worked 30 years ago.
Northern Thailand
Once dad and I had finished up our time on Koh Tao we flew north to stay in Chiang Mai for a week and explore that part of the country. The city is the largest and most well known of the far north and is the center of the tourist track.
Known for elephant sanctuaries, cooking classes, jungle treks, and ancient temples, you could spend months in Chiang Mai and still not see it all. My dad and I had just under one week to do as much as possible. We arrived in town right at the start of a festival commemorating the founding of the city and found our hotel one block away from the festivities. Being just a stone’s throw from near unlimited food options, live music, and daily parades was a wonderful surprise and great intro to the city.
Before I ventured out to try northern cuisine I did some research through the amazing Migrationology website written by Mark Wiens. He has informative, illustrated guides to food from all over Southeast Asia. We had a blast trying fantastic traditional food, then the next day, we took a full day cooking class out in the countryside learning how to make the dishes we had just been salivating over the night before.
We also made a point to wander the many merchant markets the city is well known for. My personal favorite was the Saturday market that bisects the old town district and stretches for 20+ city blocks. I wandered the stalls for hours with a big smile plastered across my face while taking as many sights, sounds, and smells as possible.
Cambodia
My 10 days in Cambodia felt like an alternate reality Thailand trapped 15 years in the past. I loved spending my days traveling through the ancient ruins of Siem Reap, but disliked the fragmented infrastructure, comparatively high prices, and the lack of a strong food culture like I’ve loved so much in Thailand.
Walking amongst the ancient temples in Angkor Archeological Park was a humbling experience. I sat on the steps of the Bayon temple imagining the civilization that built these towering structures while basking in the smile of Angkor crumbling around me.
I found it to be a moving, solitary, and spiritual few days focused solely on my experience. I didn’t seek out others in my time in Siem Reap. It didn’t feel right. I spent the quiet days with just my camera and tripod sweating under the baking sun.
After five days there, I traveled to Phnom Penh, the capital, to meet up with friends from Bangkok. The city is still reeling from the Khmer Rouge scourge and at first glance is dirty, downtrodden, and noisy. In my five days there I never felt comfortable and wished to be back in Bangkok. I know many people really enjoy their time in Cambodia, but she and I never clicked. Maybe next time.
Island Life
You would think that adjusting to the super laidback island routine would be easy, but I’ve found the opposite to be the case. I had been traveling nonstop for four months then all of a sudden put on the brakes to settle down for three months in one place. My routine became work from 8-6 diving 4 times a day then out partying with new friends until late and then repeat every day. Now I’m not complaining about that life, it’s been amazing, but I quickly wore out my immune system and got sick enough that I had to stop all diving for a week to recover.
Now I’ve established a slightly more manageable routine of going out 3 to 4 times a week while diving most days. I’ve taken a few off days to do some island exploring and have tried my hand at cliff jumping, rock climbing, and even flying trapeze!
I’m excited to cross off another experience from my personal todo list for this year by living in a foreign country for at least a month. It’s been really fun getting to know and become a part of the tightknit diving community here. The shop staff have all become good friends and I’m becoming a regular at some great cafes and local pubs. When I do move on in mid August it will be very tough – this place is starting to feel like home.
Countries Visited: 2
Thailand, Cambodia
Cities Visited: 6
Bangkok, Koh Tao, Koh Samui, Chiang Mai, Siem Reap, Phnom Penh
Budgeting
Accommodation:
May: $113.70 or $3.67 per day As mentioned above, I traveled with my dad for three weeks and he paid for the accommodation during that time. The remaining $112 comes from when I was on my own at the end of the month in Cambodia.
June: $236.42 or $7.88 per day I was lucky to find that one of the staffers at my dive shop had a spare bedroom open up right before I got back to Koh Tao. I ended up renting from her for the entirety of the month and paid $236.42 for a private room in a two-bedroom, one-bath house with a full kitchen!
Food:
May: $380.22 or $12.27 per day I made up for the lack of lodging spending in higher than normal food spending. I found that because we stayed in nicer places, we also ate in nicer restaurants than I would have traveling alone. As such I spent about 50% more on food than the month before.
June: $370.80 or $12.36 per day Well I thought that May was high, but my food bill stayed up there for a second month in a row. I blame being a regular and now having a bar tab at my dive shop restaurant for the higher expenditure. It’s just too damn easy to get another shake or opt for a Burmese curry when I don’t see a bill until the end of the month.
Transport:
May: $144.75 or $4.67 per day This accounts for ferries to and from Koh Tao to the mainland, as well as transportation in and around Chiang Mai and Bangkok. The biggest single expenses were tuk tuk rides around Siem Reap and a cross country bus to Phnom Penh.
June: $51.54 or $1.72 per day After three weeks of walking all over Koh Tao, I gave in and rented a motorbike from a friend. As I have very little experience on motorized two-wheeled vehicles, I had a friend give me some lessons before driving a semiautomatic moped. Turns out it’s just like riding a bike! With my newfound freedom, I have explored just about every part of the island.
Entertainment:
May: $252.95 or $8.16 per day Spent $56 on heritage and monument entry fees, $30 on an all day cooking class with my dad in Chiang Mai, and $80 on souvenirs for my family that I sent back home with my dad. I figured I wouldn’t have another opportunity to buy some nice things for people and not have to pay for shipping so I splashed out quite a bit. The rest of the spend for May in this category was on alcohol or nights out.
June: $203.08 or $6.77 per day Compared to prior month’s, June’s spending in this category was entirely money spent on drinking. Good thing I’m working out more! If you don’t drink, just completely remove this from your budget. But for me this place is just too easy to throw back a few beers every night with your friends. As I’ve found myself telling tourists, every day on Koh Tao is Friday night!
Miscellaneous:
May: $51.63 or $1.67 per day My Cambodian visa cost $30 and I spent $11 on SIM cards and data plans for the month.
June: $162.12 or $5.40 per day Much higher this month as I did some shopping in Bangkok before heading to a tiny island for 10 weeks. Spent $60 on board shorts, flip flops, sunglasses, and a better dry bag. Also spent $65 on a Thai visa while in Cambodia.
May *Diving* – $218 As I did last month, I took out the amount I spent on specialty diving courses from my total costs as not everyone would likely do the amount of diving I did. During May, I ended up pursuing and finishing five specializations in advanced techniques and logged another 15 dives.
June *Diving* – $1127 This month I began my divemaster training course and ended up spending a pretty penny on course fees and materials. The good news is that while I’m working on it, I can have unlimited diving. My goal is to rack up at least 50 dives which would work out to $25 a dive during my time here, not including the materials, lectures, and in-water instruction I’ll also get. That said, Koh Tao is the cheapest place in the world for this certification so either way I’m getting the best bang for my bucks.
Total
May: $943.26 or $30.43 per day Lowest total monthly spend yet! Between saving money by traveling with family and greatly slowing down my pace, I was able to cut out a lot of costs.
June: $1023.97 or $34.13 per day Spent a bit more than last month as it turns out Koh Tao is a great place to live it up on the entertainment side. But I am still spending so much less than my first couple months!
Next Month
As I mentioned in my Exciting Change of Plans post, I have been on the beautiful island of Koh Tao pursuing my Divemaster certification. I expect to be here until mid August when I’ll head to Scotland to meet up with friends for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
