to 
TonyT's 10th Thailand blog
6 weeks in and around the country:
July - August 2026
Page 1
This tenth journal or blog was written whilst in Thailand throughout July and August 2026. Although it's called the "10th", 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.16.
We opted for this period to make full use of our youngest son's school holidays. As usual, we have 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 and into the mountains.
There's a LOT to pack into this trip to Thailand and a LOT of kilometers to drive in my ageing but trusty Toyota truck.
My original 3-month visit in 2013 around Thailand can be viewed here:-
TonyT's 1st 3-month Thailand blog
Additionally, there are lots 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
TonyT's 8th Thailand blog, 2025
TonyT's 9th Thailand blog, Christmas 2025
OK, here comes the blog.....
BANGKOK
SUNDAY 19th JULY:
Touch down at Suvarnabhumi Airport at 07:00. Both flights on time and uneventful. Paying a little extra for extra legroom seats paid off as it made sleep that much easier. The stopover at Abu Dhabi was a bit of a rush; we'd no sooner left the first flight than the information screens informed us that the second flight was already boarding, so no time to chill and take in a coffee.
A surreal experience: as I came out passport control/immigration and stepped up the baggage carousel and there where our three case all together right in front of me. What a stroke of luck!
Usual banter getting a firm price for the taxi to our apartment with the driver whingeing about how hard up he is and how difficult it is for him to make ends meet.... same the world over mate; heard it all before.
As usual we arrived at check-in too early to get to our apartment which would be available at 11am.
No problem; dumped the cases and off to nearby Soi8 off the Sukhumvit Road, in Khlong Toei for a very leisurely breakfast.
Time to exchange some cash. Exchange rate slightly up so I proffered up a large wad of £50 notes to change into THB. Using larger denomination notes (£50) usually gets a better exchange rate.
Spent 2-3 hours catching up on some sleep and after showering we were up to getting out and about.
Did a bit of a bar crawl up and down Soi4 but ended up in our local Soi6 at a quieter and very friendly bar. Had a bite to eat here but ended up in the cheap and cheerful Swan for some Thai dinner.
MONDAY 20th:
Good night's sleep and down for breakfast at 09:30. Later found Aom & I crossing Sukhumvit to find a beauty products place in Soi3. Found the place but it opens at 3pm, so no use at all.
Stopped off at the Morning Night bar in Soi4 for several iced sodas... yes sodas; no beers. Back to our apartment for a spell then out for a looong foot massage session.
My nearest and dearest was set to meet up with an old friend of hers dating back to her school days. Her name is Meow (yes, as in cat) and I know her quite well too. She married an American guy and lives in San Diego and by chance was back visiting her family at the same time as us.
The girls went out on a late night spree until 4am... me? I just left them to and stayed back with my young son.
Panoramic view of the city from our apartment
TUESDAY 21st:
Latish breakfast largely down to my wife's late night/early hours session with her friends.
Madam asked for more sleep so 3 hours later we were finally on the move.
Idea was to get to a place showing VR movies so we took the Skytrain to Siam station and into the Paragon Centre. Alas they had IMAX but no VR but down at Sea World they did have a small VR section. We opted for a short sharks video. It was OK but not that spectacular.
Back onto the Skytrain back to Nana and left Madam to go for her 2-hour body massage whilst we kept out of the 37°C heat in the apartment.
Photos above: A Bangkok sunset and photos of the BTS Skytrain
WEDNESDAY 22nd:
A visit to Siam Water Park; now called Siam Amazing Park. So, a large part of the day spent travelling on the BTS Skytrain from Nana station on the blue line and change trains onto the pink line at Wat Phra Sri Mahathat then a taxi from Nopparat station to the park; a long trip.
A hot and incredibly humid day which I found very hard going. It spoiled part of the day for me as it was so uncomfortable. But went on a few rides; the flume was a hoot and ended up poolside.
To be honest the place was a bit rundown compared with the last time we came here in 2012. Entry worked out cheaper for me with my Thai I.D. Card.
Entering the water was little help as it was in excess of 30°C; like swimming in a hot bath.
The intense humidity persisted and I said to my wife there's going to be storm later. I was right! The clouds grew darker and darker and on the Skytrain back I could see ink black storm clouds over the city centre. As we neared the blue line again the heavens opened with intense rain and loads of crackling lightning. It had eased off a touch by the time we got back to Nana station.
Back in the apartment for showers to freshen up followed by a couple of beers and some food. The latter, almost next door to the apartment was most unimpressive; won't be going there again.
THURSDAY 23rd:
Fairly slow and relaxed start to the day after breakfast.
Jumped a taxi to the huge MBK Centre; the aim was to top-up my young son’s wardrobe of summer wear. Mission accomplished and after my wife had done her bit by spending shed loads of Baht on cosmetics we were back in a taxi heading back.
This our last full day in the capital so packing suitcases was on order…. But on hold ‘til later.
After a quick freshen up we strolled into Soi 8 for a 1½ hour foot massage apiece. This was followed by a spot of street-food in the form of bowls of tasty noodles.
Final change of some currency and buy a decent capacity SIM-card for my air-card so’s I can continue blogging and the like whilst away from wi-fi areas.
An alcohol free night (actually 1 pint of Chang) to help with a clear head in the morning for the 6+ hour drive up to Surin. Minibus pick up due at 09:30.
FRIDAY 24th:
All ran smoothly this morning. Leisurely breakfast and final check and zipping up the luggage and we were off on the road at 09:30.
Made excellent time on the run that usually takes 6 hours and arrived home at 15:45. First look and the farm’s looking good; lots more plantations of banana, casava, papaya, rubber and yams. Living in the slow lane now but it’s as equally intoxicating as back in the capital albeit for different reasons.
New air-con in our bedroom is an absolute boon. Previously, the room was like an oven because it faced thge afternoon and evening sun; it rarely dropped below 30°C even in the middle of the night.
Good to be with the family again!
My youngest son had a great surprise in store in the form of a new electric scooter. This had him zooming about the farm until nightfall.
Quick bite to eat then it was just a case of relaxing until it was bedtime.
Page 1
This tenth journal or blog was written whilst in Thailand throughout July and August 2026. Although it's called the "10th", 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.16.
We opted for this period to make full use of our youngest son's school holidays. As usual, we have 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 and into the mountains.
There's a LOT to pack into this trip to Thailand and a LOT of kilometers to drive in my ageing but trusty Toyota truck.
My original 3-month visit in 2013 around Thailand can be viewed here:-
OK, here comes the blog.....
SUNDAY 19th JULY: Panoramic view of the city from our apartment
TUESDAY 21st:
Photos above: A Bangkok sunset and photos of the BTS Skytrain
TonyT's 1st 3-month Thailand blog
Additionally, there are lots 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
TonyT's 8th Thailand blog, 2025
TonyT's 9th Thailand blog, Christmas 2025
BANGKOK
Touch down at Suvarnabhumi Airport at 07:00. Both flights on time and uneventful. Paying a little extra for extra legroom seats paid off as it made sleep that much easier. The stopover at Abu Dhabi was a bit of a rush; we'd no sooner left the first flight than the information screens informed us that the second flight was already boarding, so no time to chill and take in a coffee.
A surreal experience: as I came out passport control/immigration and stepped up the baggage carousel and there where our three case all together right in front of me. What a stroke of luck!
Usual banter getting a firm price for the taxi to our apartment with the driver whingeing about how hard up he is and how difficult it is for him to make ends meet.... same the world over mate; heard it all before.
As usual we arrived at check-in too early to get to our apartment which would be available at 11am.
No problem; dumped the cases and off to nearby Soi8 off the Sukhumvit Road, in Khlong Toei for a very leisurely breakfast.
Time to exchange some cash. Exchange rate slightly up so I proffered up a large wad of £50 notes to change into THB. Using larger denomination notes (£50) usually gets a better exchange rate.
Spent 2-3 hours catching up on some sleep and after showering we were up to getting out and about.
Did a bit of a bar crawl up and down Soi4 but ended up in our local Soi6 at a quieter and very friendly bar. Had a bite to eat here but ended up in the cheap and cheerful Swan for some Thai dinner.
MONDAY 20th:
Good night's sleep and down for breakfast at 09:30. Later found Aom & I crossing Sukhumvit to find a beauty products place in Soi3. Found the place but it opens at 3pm, so no use at all.
Stopped off at the Morning Night bar in Soi4 for several iced sodas... yes sodas; no beers. Back to our apartment for a spell then out for a looong foot massage session.
My nearest and dearest was set to meet up with an old friend of hers dating back to her school days. Her name is Meow (yes, as in cat) and I know her quite well too. She married an American guy and lives in San Diego and by chance was back visiting her family at the same time as us.
The girls went out on a late night spree until 4am... me? I just left them to and stayed back with my young son.
Latish breakfast largely down to my wife's late night/early hours session with her friends.
Madam asked for more sleep so 3 hours later we were finally on the move.
Idea was to get to a place showing VR movies so we took the Skytrain to Siam station and into the Paragon Centre. Alas they had IMAX but no VR but down at Sea World they did have a small VR section. We opted for a short sharks video. It was OK but not that spectacular.
Back onto the Skytrain back to Nana and left Madam to go for her 2-hour body massage whilst we kept out of the 37°C heat in the apartment.
WEDNESDAY 22nd:
A visit to Siam Water Park; now called Siam Amazing Park. So, a large part of the day spent travelling on the BTS Skytrain from Nana station on the blue line and change trains onto the pink line at Wat Phra Sri Mahathat then a taxi from Nopparat station to the park; a long trip.
A hot and incredibly humid day which I found very hard going. It spoiled part of the day for me as it was so uncomfortable. But went on a few rides; the flume was a hoot and ended up poolside.
To be honest the place was a bit rundown compared with the last time we came here in 2012. Entry worked out cheaper for me with my Thai I.D. Card.
Entering the water was little help as it was in excess of 30°C; like swimming in a hot bath.
The intense humidity persisted and I said to my wife there's going to be storm later. I was right! The clouds grew darker and darker and on the Skytrain back I could see ink black storm clouds over the city centre. As we neared the blue line again the heavens opened with intense rain and loads of crackling lightning. It had eased off a touch by the time we got back to Nana station.
Back in the apartment for showers to freshen up followed by a couple of beers and some food. The latter, almost next door to the apartment was most unimpressive; won't be going there again.
THURSDAY 23rd:
Fairly slow and relaxed start to the day after breakfast.
Jumped a taxi to the huge MBK Centre; the aim was to top-up my young son’s wardrobe of summer wear. Mission accomplished and after my wife had done her bit by spending shed loads of Baht on cosmetics we were back in a taxi heading back.
This our last full day in the capital so packing suitcases was on order…. But on hold ‘til later.
After a quick freshen up we strolled into Soi 8 for a 1½ hour foot massage apiece. This was followed by a spot of street-food in the form of bowls of tasty noodles.
Final change of some currency and buy a decent capacity SIM-card for my air-card so’s I can continue blogging and the like whilst away from wi-fi areas.
An alcohol free night (actually 1 pint of Chang) to help with a clear head in the morning for the 6+ hour drive up to Surin. Minibus pick up due at 09:30.
FRIDAY 24th:
All ran smoothly this morning. Leisurely breakfast and final check and zipping up the luggage and we were off on the road at 09:30.
Made excellent time on the run that usually takes 6 hours and arrived home at 15:45. First look and the farm’s looking good; lots more plantations of banana, casava, papaya, rubber and yams. Living in the slow lane now but it’s as equally intoxicating as back in the capital albeit for different reasons.
New air-con in our bedroom is an absolute boon. Previously, the room was like an oven because it faced thge afternoon and evening sun; it rarely dropped below 30°C even in the middle of the night.
Good to be with the family again!
My youngest son had a great surprise in store in the form of a new electric scooter. This had him zooming about the farm until nightfall.
Quick bite to eat then it was just a case of relaxing until it was bedtime.