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TonyT's 8th Thailand blog:
A month in and around the country:
March - April 2025.
Page 1
This eighth journal or blog was written whilst in Thailand in March and April 2025 Although it's called the "8th", I've actually traveled Thailand firstly in 2007, twice in 2011 and three times in 2012 which are not documented on-line, so this is visit to Thailand No.13.
The main reason for my being in Thailand principally was to to give my Thai wife and our 10-year old son, an opportunity to catch up with her family (my in-laws) and for both of us to meet up with old friends as well as sneaking in a genuine holiday.
We need a minimum of 4 weeks in-country to make our visit worthwhile; lots of family members to go visit and old friends to catch up with as well as taking a genuine holiday somewhere; probably on one of Thailand's fantastic islands.
To anyone who has stumbled across my original blog pages they will note that the occasional photo may be repeated on these pages. This is purely because at times we have visited the same places again and I've seen fit to make use of some of the photos and movies again.
For anyone interested, the original 3-month visit in 2013 around Thailand can be viewed here:-
TonyT's 1st 3-month Thailand blog
Additionally, there are four more blogs which can be found via the links here:-
TonyT's 2nd Thailand blog, early 2015
TonyT's 3rd Thailand blog, late 2015
TonyT's 4th Thailand blog, 2017
TonyT's 5th Thailand blog, 2018
TonyT's 6th Thailand blog, 2022
TonyT's 7th Thailand blog, 2024
Anyway, here’s the journal/blog:-
Our mixed itinerary on this trip was:.....
22nd March: fly Emirates from Manchester, UK via Dubai to arrive in Bangkok on the morning of the 23rd.
Taxi from Suvarnabhumi Airport, BKK to our appartment in Khlong Toei off fthe Sukhumvit Road near Nana.
3 night stay in Bangkok.
6-hour drive up to ourn home in Surin in our family friend's mini-bus.
Remain on the farm for 6 days.
April 2nd: leave Surin and drive 450km down to Ao Thammachat Pier near Trat.
Stay on Koh Chang for 9 days.
April 11th; check out and catch the Ferry back to Ao Thammachat Pier.
Drive 450km back to Surin and to the Songkran festival celebrations.
3 days with our family in Surin.
Mini-bus to Pattaya.
6 days in Pattaya.
Taxi to Suvarnabhumi Airport, BKK for our return flight to UK.
BANGKOK
SUNDAY 23rd MARCH, 2025:
Both flights courtesy of Emirates on time and uneventful.
Arrived at Suvarnabhumi Airport at 07:30 and were in a rip-off SUV taxi into our apartment block off Sukhumvit Road at Asok.
We plan to stay in the capital for three days before traveling the 430km to our home in Surin province, during which we have several duties to perform.
Exchange GBP into THB. I tend to take a wad of cash into Thailand and change currencies at one of the many on-street change booths all over Bangkok. I usually get a far better exchange rate and you can opt for when the rates fluctuate to your advantage. It's also cheaper than using ATM's.
Buy Thai SIMM (single inline memory modules) cards for the phones; although this year I'm using an e-Sim for the first time. I need a separate SIMM for the aircard I use with my MacBook which allows me internet access where there's no wifi only a phone signal
Aom needs to get some shopping in (as usual). She didn't bring many summer clothes from UK so that's what she will be off to buy.
The new e-SIM was a bit of a pain to set up but once done appeared to work well. Although it became a problem when I needed to contact my bank back in UK. eSIMs are data only and you cannot make normal phone calls; only calls via the likes of WhatsApp. This resulted in having to use my O2 SIMM to make the expensive call.
Clearly so early in the morning meant we could not check-in and actually use our apartment; this is usually after 2pm. However, as we were frequent guests they said 11am would be fine.
So, we went a-wandering and bought some Thai SIMM cards and exchanged some cash. A late breakfast was in order which was, as ever, so easy to sort in Bangkok streets. My breakfast was a Thai Green Curry washed down with soda water..... you read correctly water, not beer.... yet.
We were all so spaced-out after the long flights that we crashed out for 3 hours and after showers and a change of clothes we were on the move again.
First off, seeing as it was 4pm was a few Chang beers over in Soi-4 followed by a stroll down the Sukhumvit Road and down to Soi-8 for one or two more beers. Completing the circle by having dinner in Hilary1 in Soi-4.
An early night thanks to a combination of beers and jetlag. We actually slept for 11 hours waking at 9am for breakfast.
MONDAY 24th:
As said, up and about at 9am and down for breakfast followed by a walk to Soi-8 to get Jack some of his favourite street food items namely pork-on-a-stick and sticky rice.
My wife, Aom, disappeared with Jack to get her hair "done" at her cousin's salon out in Silom district.... they'll be gone for several if not numerous hours leaving me to chill.
... well the hours she spent getting her hair done turned out to be indeed numerous. It was 7pm when she arrived back at the appartment with young Jack in tow. I was ravenous by then not having eaten since breakfast.
Quick showers all round and out on the town. Staying in Soi-8 all evening. After a few beers at the Monsoon Bar we decided to eat here. Years ago we used to stay at the Adelphi Suites the Monsoon being a part of it and we then found the food to be pretty good. Alas, on this occasion I was offered the worst, tasteless, unpleasant burger I've ever had. Totally lacking in any seasoning.
Popped into a few more bars and Aom & Jack getting a double helping of squid from a street food seller after which we decided we'd had enough by 11:45pm so it back to the apartment.
TOP LEFT & RIGHT: "Hilary 1", frequent visitors here. Not the cheapest in town, but good food and a bit classier than many Soi 4 bars.
BOTTOM LEFT: Taking an hour or so out to do a bit of the touristy stuff in Bangkok. You can just about make us out in the crowd.
BOTTOM RIGHT: The 3-headed elephant statue/monument near the Grand Palace. It was inaugurated in December 2011 to celebrate the 84th birthday of King Rama IX.
TUESDAY 25th:
Breakfast at 08:30.
After said breakfast Aom decided she wanted a full 2-hour oil massage. Normally, I'd go along for a foot massage but I had a minor injury to one foot so that was out.
I've been having problems with one of my credit cards caused by getting PIN numbers mixed up back in Dubai. Unfortunately all the ATM's I tried in Bangkok did not have the option of PIN Services preventing me from unlocking the card. I'll need to call the bank in UK to see if they can unblock the card; hence the need to phone my bank as mentioned earlier in this blog.
Whilst Aom was at the massage salon, I took Jack up to the roof-top pool and left him frolocking about for an hour until madam showed up.
Out for a spot of late lunch at around 3pm.
Very, very hot today with high temperature warning issued; actual temperature was around 37°C but with a feels-like temperature of 44°C. [see photo].
After a lengthy phone call to the credit card issuers in the UK the problem with my credit card is still not resolved. I find it incredible in this day and age of technology that a bank cannot unfreeze a card and the only way it can be done is to either order a new card/PIN (not an option in this case) to physically go to an ATM which has PIN services; I have yet to find one!
We trawled down the Sukhumvit Road looking for a bank which may have had a more sophisticated ATM with PIN services but, sadly, they were all closed for the day and we will be leaving the capital at 09:00 tomorrow to travel to Surin.
Now a touch pissed-off we popped into a bar in Soi-4 for a few then returned to the apartment for a shower and readying for going out for dinner.
After said dinner it was a case of packing bags for the relatively early start tomorrow.
High temperature warning... yep, it WAS hot.
TOP LEFT: Street food snack; squid in this case.
TOP RIGHT: Wife and Son having a (very) late lunch.
LOWER LEFT: The author and wife, Aom, enjoying a quiet drink whilst son, Jack, is playing games at the apartment. Anyone who has ventured along Soi-4 will recognise the bar.
LOWER RIGHT: The law on canabis use was relaxed a while back with numerous supply joints opening up as in this picture. However, the majority of bars forbid the use of it.
Page 1
This eighth journal or blog was written whilst in Thailand in March and April 2025 Although it's called the "8th", I've actually traveled Thailand firstly in 2007, twice in 2011 and three times in 2012 which are not documented on-line, so this is visit to Thailand No.13.
The main reason for my being in Thailand principally was to to give my Thai wife and our 10-year old son, an opportunity to catch up with her family (my in-laws) and for both of us to meet up with old friends as well as sneaking in a genuine holiday.
We need a minimum of 4 weeks in-country to make our visit worthwhile; lots of family members to go visit and old friends to catch up with as well as taking a genuine holiday somewhere; probably on one of Thailand's fantastic islands.
To anyone who has stumbled across my original blog pages they will note that the occasional photo may be repeated on these pages. This is purely because at times we have visited the same places again and I've seen fit to make use of some of the photos and movies again.
For anyone interested, the original 3-month visit in 2013 around Thailand can be viewed here:-
TonyT's 1st 3-month Thailand blog
Additionally, there are four more blogs which can be found via the links here:-
TonyT's 2nd Thailand blog, early 2015
TonyT's 3rd Thailand blog, late 2015
TonyT's 4th Thailand blog, 2017
TonyT's 5th Thailand blog, 2018
TonyT's 6th Thailand blog, 2022
TonyT's 7th Thailand blog, 2024
Anyway, here’s the journal/blog:- 22nd March: fly Emirates from Manchester, UK via Dubai to arrive in Bangkok on the morning of the 23rd. Taxi from Suvarnabhumi Airport, BKK to our appartment in Khlong Toei off fthe Sukhumvit Road near Nana. 3 night stay in Bangkok. 6-hour drive up to ourn home in Surin in our family friend's mini-bus. Remain on the farm for 6 days. April 2nd: leave Surin and drive 450km down to Ao Thammachat Pier near Trat. Stay on Koh Chang for 9 days. April 11th; check out and catch the Ferry back to Ao Thammachat Pier. Drive 450km back to Surin and to the Songkran festival celebrations. 3 days with our family in Surin. Mini-bus to Pattaya. 6 days in Pattaya. Taxi to Suvarnabhumi Airport, BKK for our return flight to UK.
SUNDAY 23rd MARCH, 2025: Exchange GBP into THB. I tend to take a wad of cash into Thailand and change currencies at one of the many on-street change booths all over Bangkok. I usually get a far better exchange rate and you can opt for when the rates fluctuate to your advantage. It's also cheaper than using ATM's. Buy Thai SIMM (single inline memory modules) cards for the phones; although this year I'm using an e-Sim for the first time. I need a separate SIMM for the aircard I use with my MacBook which allows me internet access where there's no wifi only a phone signal Aom needs to get some shopping in (as usual). She didn't bring many summer clothes from UK so that's what she will be off to buy. TOP LEFT & RIGHT: "Hilary 1", frequent visitors here. Not the cheapest in town, but good food and a bit classier than many Soi 4 bars. BOTTOM LEFT: Taking an hour or so out to do a bit of the touristy stuff in Bangkok. You can just about make us out in the crowd. BOTTOM RIGHT: The 3-headed elephant statue/monument near the Grand Palace. It was inaugurated in December 2011 to celebrate the 84th birthday of King Rama IX.
TUESDAY 25th: TOP LEFT: Street food snack; squid in this case. TOP RIGHT: Wife and Son having a (very) late lunch. LOWER LEFT: The author and wife, Aom, enjoying a quiet drink whilst son, Jack, is playing games at the apartment. Anyone who has ventured along Soi-4 will recognise the bar. LOWER RIGHT: The law on canabis use was relaxed a while back with numerous supply joints opening up as in this picture. However, the majority of bars forbid the use of it.
Our mixed itinerary on this trip was:.....
BANGKOK
Both flights courtesy of Emirates on time and uneventful.
Arrived at Suvarnabhumi Airport at 07:30 and were in a rip-off SUV taxi into our apartment block off Sukhumvit Road at Asok.
We plan to stay in the capital for three days before traveling the 430km to our home in Surin province, during which we have several duties to perform.
The new e-SIM was a bit of a pain to set up but once done appeared to work well. Although it became a problem when I needed to contact my bank back in UK. eSIMs are data only and you cannot make normal phone calls; only calls via the likes of WhatsApp. This resulted in having to use my O2 SIMM to make the expensive call.
Clearly so early in the morning meant we could not check-in and actually use our apartment; this is usually after 2pm. However, as we were frequent guests they said 11am would be fine.
So, we went a-wandering and bought some Thai SIMM cards and exchanged some cash. A late breakfast was in order which was, as ever, so easy to sort in Bangkok streets. My breakfast was a Thai Green Curry washed down with soda water..... you read correctly water, not beer.... yet.
We were all so spaced-out after the long flights that we crashed out for 3 hours and after showers and a change of clothes we were on the move again.
First off, seeing as it was 4pm was a few Chang beers over in Soi-4 followed by a stroll down the Sukhumvit Road and down to Soi-8 for one or two more beers. Completing the circle by having dinner in Hilary1 in Soi-4.
An early night thanks to a combination of beers and jetlag. We actually slept for 11 hours waking at 9am for breakfast.
MONDAY 24th:
As said, up and about at 9am and down for breakfast followed by a walk to Soi-8 to get Jack some of his favourite street food items namely pork-on-a-stick and sticky rice.
My wife, Aom, disappeared with Jack to get her hair "done" at her cousin's salon out in Silom district.... they'll be gone for several if not numerous hours leaving me to chill.
... well the hours she spent getting her hair done turned out to be indeed numerous. It was 7pm when she arrived back at the appartment with young Jack in tow. I was ravenous by then not having eaten since breakfast.
Quick showers all round and out on the town. Staying in Soi-8 all evening. After a few beers at the Monsoon Bar we decided to eat here. Years ago we used to stay at the Adelphi Suites the Monsoon being a part of it and we then found the food to be pretty good. Alas, on this occasion I was offered the worst, tasteless, unpleasant burger I've ever had. Totally lacking in any seasoning.
Popped into a few more bars and Aom & Jack getting a double helping of squid from a street food seller after which we decided we'd had enough by 11:45pm so it back to the apartment.
Breakfast at 08:30.
After said breakfast Aom decided she wanted a full 2-hour oil massage. Normally, I'd go along for a foot massage but I had a minor injury to one foot so that was out.
I've been having problems with one of my credit cards caused by getting PIN numbers mixed up back in Dubai. Unfortunately all the ATM's I tried in Bangkok did not have the option of PIN Services preventing me from unlocking the card. I'll need to call the bank in UK to see if they can unblock the card; hence the need to phone my bank as mentioned earlier in this blog.
Whilst Aom was at the massage salon, I took Jack up to the roof-top pool and left him frolocking about for an hour until madam showed up.
Out for a spot of late lunch at around 3pm.
Very, very hot today with high temperature warning issued; actual temperature was around 37°C but with a feels-like temperature of 44°C. [see photo].
After a lengthy phone call to the credit card issuers in the UK the problem with my credit card is still not resolved. I find it incredible in this day and age of technology that a bank cannot unfreeze a card and the only way it can be done is to either order a new card/PIN (not an option in this case) to physically go to an ATM which has PIN services; I have yet to find one!
We trawled down the Sukhumvit Road looking for a bank which may have had a more sophisticated ATM with PIN services but, sadly, they were all closed for the day and we will be leaving the capital at 09:00 tomorrow to travel to Surin.
Now a touch pissed-off we popped into a bar in Soi-4 for a few then returned to the apartment for a shower and readying for going out for dinner.
After said dinner it was a case of packing bags for the relatively early start tomorrow.
High temperature warning... yep, it WAS hot.