Thailand through young eyes
12 year old Ben and his family visited Thailand and had a fantastic time on our Thailand Discovery - Family Adventure
Day 1
I was really tired after a long flight and I didn’t get any sleep as I was so excited. When we finally got our bags in the airport we were meet by a Thai lady who would be our guide for the rest of our time in Bangkok, her name was Gib, which is like her nickname. Her full name was Parichart. She spoke really good English and she even tried to teach me some Thai, but I don’t think I did it very well!
Bangkok is really busy, really hot and smells a bit funny but I think I will like it. Our guide said lots of Thai women would like me as I have blonde hair and they really like that.
I had a really nice swim once we got to the hotel and then we went out to eat something. I tried some Thai food at first but I don’t really like hot food and it was too hot for me, so I just had a burger and chips!
Day 2
We had breakfast at the hotel which was really nice, they had loads of fruit which we don’t have back in England so I tried some of that with some cereal. Mum and Dad told me to eat lots because it was a busy day today.
The Grand Palace was the first place that we stopped in the day. It is really big with lots of different rooms that each had a different thing happen in them. There was a really big Buddha statue that we got to see, it was good to hear the guide speak about how important Buddha is and I was really careful not too do anything to upset people, as so many people were there.
We then went on something called a Tuk-Tuk, which is like a little three wheeled car with no doors. It was hot when stuck in traffic but we only had to go a short way so it was ok.
There was a long boat waiting for us, which looked really good and it was fun to ride along the river. It was amazing to see all of these cars go past all the time and we got to see lots of interesting places along the rivers and canals.
In the night we went out for a bit of shopping to a big market. There were lots of things there and it was really busy. I got the new England shirt for £5, I cannot wait to show everyone back home!
Day 3
After breakfast we were driven to a place called Kanchanaburi where there is the famous river where lots of people died in the war. My mum was really upset because granddad died whilst he was here; he was a prisoner of war after being captured. It was a really interesting place to visit and when we study it in school it is useful to know some of the things that I learnt.
We had a hotel that was right on the river and you even had to get a little boat over to it from the other side of the river. It was the same type of boat that we had been on in Bangkok but not as big.
Day 4
In the morning we went to a big temple, it was really old and was great to climb around. It was not like some of the churches and things I have seen at home, here you can touch everything and get really close.
After lunch we went to a really cool temple where they have lots of tigers and take care of them until they are better. Monks live here with them and we got to see them walking the tigers to try and make them better.
In the afternoon we then went on an elephant ride along the river. The elephants are so big! To see one and then get up that high was amazing, really amazing. Then we went on a raft made out of bamboo along the river.
I was really tired when we finished and had something to eat and went straight to bed!
Day 5
I had to pack my swimming shorts and a towel today as we would have a chance to go swimming later. We went to a big national park, it was full of jungles and a nice easy walk. I wouldn’t want to walk too far as it is so hot! It was nice though as we got to go swimming in a waterfall which was really great and just what I needed after the walk.
Later we went back to Bangkok. We stayed in the same hotel that we were in before so I knew exactly where the pool was!
Day 6
We didn’t really have anything planned for today and it rained a lot so we just went shopping. I took a look around a big shopping centre that only sold computers and phones. It was really cool and I got some DVD’s in there as well
Day 7
We meet our guide in the morning, it was a man this time and he was really cool. He laughed with me when I tried to speak the Thai that Gib had taught me, but said I was doing well. We spent the journey talking about where we were going, Ayuthaya. It is a really old city and used to be the capital. When we arrived there were lots of old ruins and buildings. We were shown some paintings that showed us what it looked like when it was the main city. It looked really great with lots of gold on the temples and things.
Overnight was in a small town that had a really big fish market. I looked around for a bit but it really was really smelly so could not stay too long!
Day 8
Today we were out on a boat on the river, it was really cool. We visited a big fish market, a smaller market that sold lots of different things and some places where they made what they sell out of wood.
We arrived in Sukhothai early in the afternoon and had a tour around there. It was another place that was really old but the people there had taken really good care of it meaning that it still looked brand new.
The hotel we stayed at was really small; they only had 5 rooms but still had a swimming pool which was nice.
Day 9
We had one last look at Sukhothai again and some of the smaller temples around. None are as big as the ones we saw in Bangkok but still really nice.
Later we went to the airport so that we could fly to Phuket. We got there late in the afternoon and went straight to the hotel for something to eat.
We took a walk down the beach before it got too dark. I cannot wait to go and swim in the sea tomorrow. It looks really pretty and the sand is so fine and yellow.
Day 10
We went out to the beach in the morning, it was really nice and the sea was really warm. It was quite busy but you have lots of people walking around selling ice creams and sticks of corn which is good, as you don’t have to go far to eat!
I played some football on the beach later with some Thai boys and two brothers from America. It was really good to have the sea next to us as after running around playing football you need to cool down quickly!
I had some fish for dinner tonight. It was really tasty and I had rice with it and it tasted of lemon and some herbs. Mum says I’ll turn into a Thai person if I carry on eating so much food!
Day 11
Dad and me went fishing today as mum just stayed in the spa near the hotel. We caught only some small fish although me and dad lied to mum and said we caught lots! It was a fun day but one of the other people on the boat was sick as I think it was too rough for them.
The Thai people on the boat took the fish that they caught home and said that there wives would cook them for dinner tonight or they would take them to sell them.
Day 12
We flew home today so had to be up quite early to go to the airport. It was really sad to leave as I had such a great holiday although I cannot wait to tell all my friends in school. I think I am the first person in my form to go to Thailand so there will be lots of pictures to show and lots of stories to tell!
I cannot wait to go back, I know that mum and dad both said that they will go back soon as we had such a great holiday.
Back to top