Road to Steemfest #5: The Thai Life and What to Expect!

in #roadtosteemfest5 years ago (edited)

It's as if Steemit Inc. and @roelandp chose this years Steemfest destination just for me. I've been traveling and living internationally for over 16 years now, I've been to a lot of countries and experienced so much! When I look back on all I've seen and done, and think to myself which country I enjoy the most, Thailand always is the obvious answer. I love the country so much that I've spent over two years of my life there and this will be my third consecutive winter.

So to get to the meat of the topic. "The Thai Life and What to Expect", they say a picture is worth a thousand words, so let me share some with you right now and let these photos do the talking.

AND SOME THAI FOOD PORN FOR YOU AS WELL!

Thai Penang Curry

Thai Red Curry

Fresh Young Thai Coconut

Kao Soi Noodles in Yellow Curry with Chicken

Pad Thai

Stirfried Red Curry with Rice

Stirfried Morning Glory

Thai Herbal Soup

Thick Vegitable Noodle Soup

Need I Say More?

As much as I am a travel blogger, I'm probably even better described as a lifestyle blogger. As you can see in these photos, Thailand offers one hell of a great lifestyle. These photos are probably less than 1% I have on my computer from Thailand, but they give you a good idea of how I enjoy this country.

But here is the kicker. Including 3 to 5 massages a week. I usually spend on average about 800 dollars a month in this country! By far Thailand is one of the best "Pay Less Get More" countries in the world. @anomadsoul has mentioned to write about where to go after steemfest. If anyone on the steemit platform is qualified to answer this, it would be yours truly. I think it would be almost shameful for me not to share more with you about this.

I could easily write a book about many different places you could go in Thailand and why, but instead I'll give you a very specific location in the country that would make for a beyond incredible Steemfest four part 2 and tell you why. Before I do that I'll mention that many of the photos above were taken on this island.

The Island of Koh Phagnan, Coral Bungalow's Beach Front Resort with pool, bar, restaurant, looking out over the gulf of Thailand with incredible sunsets every night, in Haad Rin. Private rooms with AC are about 10 USD per night, and fan rooms are about 7. They have enough rooms for everyone especially if booked in advance. Those on a very tight budget could share three or four people per room, bringing your nightly stay all the way down to under 3 dollars! I spent about a month living here for each of the last two winters. They have 4.50 cent massages on the property and motor bike rentals starting at about 4 dollars a day. The place is well run, and here is a post I did about this place two years ago.

https://steemit.com/travel/@world-travel-pro/coral-bungalows-koh-pha-ngan-thailand-come-for-a-week-stay-for-a-month-17-photos-and-detailed-review

So, Koh Phagnan is home of the full moon party, but I don't recommend this island for that at all! This is one of the most beautiful islands I've ever been to in my entire life. Filled with waterfalls, gorgeous beaches, traditional markets, fun people, great restaurants, and much much more. Each beach has it's own vibe, and that goes for each part of the island as well; offering something completely perfect for everyone.

For some reason this island has not changed much since the early 90s and 2000s. It's held onto the style and affordability of the Thailand Backpacker Golden Years. It's way more affordable and way less touristy than the neighboring island of Koh Samui and the somewhat isolated Island near the Cambodia border of Koh Chang which is already planned for the steemfest after party. If you want to do things right, take it from Steemit's "World Travel Pro" and meet me in Koh Phagnan after Steemfest and I'll show you the absolute best Thailand has to offer!

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Looks awesome! I’ve got a one way flight to Bangkok right now and I was also looking for a good place to go after . Koh Phagnan sounds like the place to be. I will keep that in mind for sure... hope to see ya in Bangkok dude!

Posted using Partiko iOS

Awesome, lets go. Definitely find me at steemfest. Would love to meet you.

Can't wait to see you both again @jeffjagoe and @world-travel-pro! It'll be AMAZING!!!

Yes it will be amazing!

👍
~Smartsteem Curation Team

Awesome! Thank you guys so much!

I would be so awesome to meet you there.

do it! ... voluntarily

I love to be at this year STEEMFEST God willing!

Posted using Partiko Android

God willing indeed!

YES!!! Koh Phagnan for SURE!!! I love Koh Samui too though, but things may have changed drastically since I was there. They used to call it Little Amsterdam, so that's why it got my attention at the time hehehe.

Roelandp Didn't just do this for you, he definitely had my thoughts in mind too LOL ;) Out of all the Steemfests, this has to be the best spot for the event. (Although renting an island in Malaysia was also an awesome idea). I was planning to stay in SE Asia for three months, but will have to shorten this down to just one month due to a new job I'm starting, so it will be just Thailand and maybe one more country (I hate to choose that one). But it's OK, because this job (self-employed) will bring the freedom I crave to travel more once I've worked there for a bit. I'll just have to take a one month vacation every 3-4 months or so ;)

I remember Koh Samui about 15 years ago, it's still very nice, just over crowded, over developed and over priced.......but that's just my opinion. Koh Phagnan is now my favorite spot in the country. But I need to do some more exploring this year of SEA in general. Then I'll report back once again ;)

Congrats on the new job, and the new freedom it will give you. Have a great day! -Dan

Yeah, Koh Samui was more than 20 years ago for me, so I'd say it has changed a lot. I believe the Steemians are planning for trip to Koh Chang after Steemfest, but I'm really up for anything as long as it means that I get to hang out with Steemians longer :) Thanks for the well wishes. The job is on a self-employed basis, but with more securities in place than just that, so it will be good. And I'm sure it will open up other doors as well. I wasn't planning to hang around Ireland much longer, but this gave me a new perspective, so I'll take it with both hands!

Looking forward to your 'reports' ;)

Sounds good. I love hangin with Steemians. I'll be playing it by ear, where I go after steemfest, depending on who is going where and so on. Koh Chang isn't bad but Koh Phagnan I prefer. Thanks for the kind words. Have a great day!

I've never been to Koh Chang, but I think I'd prefer Koh Phagnan too. Yes, playing it by ear makes a lot of sense. I really don't mind, as long as there are Steemians, we'll be fine anywhere! especially in the tropics!

LOL having morning glory again is also on my list!

Morning glory is the best!

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