I’m going to start this post by giving a breakdown of costs for a single day. People see the pictures and assume I’m rich for traveling so much, but I just know how to do it cheap! My one way plane ticket here was about $330 so even air fare isn’t to terribly bad. Once you get past that, you get to enjoy the power of the conversion rate! The daily budget is for a day out enjoying the beaches in AO Nang near Krabi, Thailand.

First thing is waking up in a hostel. I spent the US equivalent of $3.36 on a night there. I know what you’re thinkjng, “Only $3!!” That’s the beauty of hostels and luckily in South East Asia hostels are cheaper than anywhere else in the world! I haven’t spent over $6 a night yet, and probably never will.

Next, I raid 7/11. For whatever reason 7/11s are everywhere in Thailand and they have some really great deals! I stopped here to buy snacks and water since I was going to be taking a boat to some more remote beaches we’re I assumed the prices would be higher. This is another important aspect of travel cheap: plan ahead! So for 81 baht which is the equivalent of $2.45 USD I got everything in the picture below. Two tuna sandwiches, two dessert cakes, two bottles of water, a banana, and a package of crackers.

Next thing was spending 50 baht ($1.51) on a meal for breakfast while I was still on the mainland. I forgot to take a picture, but you can see the empty plate below. It was a full portion and delicious!

Next was 200 baht for my boat shuttle to the secluded beaches. It was 100 baht there, so $3.02 for my ride there!

While there I got to sit and relax and enjoy the beautiful clear waters and surrounding cliffs. I also got to wander off and get lost in the jungle! I was walking to another beach in the area when I saw a sign for a hike up to a viewpoint. I saw a couple tourist attempting it in flip-flops and me being in sandals I figured if they could do it so could I!

It ended up being a pretty easy hike to the viewpoint, but unbeknownst to me there was also a lagoon hidden down in the jungle there. So a German traveler I met and I decided to conquer that as well. That was not nearly as easy. There was water dripping everywhere and the mud made every super slippery. We got to a point where we had to decend three tall bamboo latter’s to lower ourselves closer to the entrance of the lagoon. The ladders were caked with mud from the previous hikers and oh so slick!
Luckily, we made it down and as soon as we got there I was in awe! I just wanted to explore and see all what all there was to this hidden gem. Immediately as I began walking around the edge of the lagoon past the major rocks I snuck knee deep into mud. I lost my sandals pulling my feet out and had to retrieve them by hand. After getting my hands clean I had my German traveling companion take a photo. Close to everyone who sees this picture draws a resemblance to Tarzan. Which I kind of like! It’s the wild nature in me!

After that excursion I went and swam in the ocean on another beach and enjoyed the summer set before catching the last boat back to the mainland. That boat was the other half of the 200 baht so another $3.02. all in all I spent about from 9am to 5pm on the beach.

On my boat back I randomly met up with my Danish friends I had met on the bus the day before. We decided to get some dinner together and we enjoyed some delicious Phad Thai for 50 baht ($1.51). After that I grabbed another 5 baht snack more 7/11 and enjoyed a banana spring roll from a street vendor for 10 baht (15 baht = 45¢).

For a grand total of $15.32 I had a day of beach fun and jungle trekking that I will never forget!

Stay tuned for my island adventures! 

I got a van to the border of Cambodia and Thailand. To get the van I went to about 4 different tourist companies asking if they had a vans going that afternoon. All four said no. I decided to give it one last go at another shop and the guy at the counter made a phone call to who knows, but he told me they would be there at 2:10pm.

At about 2:50pm the van shows up and I get in. It was just a standard mini van nothing special. I am surveying the other passengers and it’s a weird mix. I’m the only white person, but there is a couple with a kid and then a teenager and two grandparent aged people as well. As we are riding it occurred to me that this wasn’t a tourist company, but that tour salesman had actually just hooked me up on a ride with some local family headed that way.

We made a couple stops a long the way and at one rode side stop everyone in the family bought a bunch of dinner-type food. The grandpa of the family even offered me some food! My best guess was that it was pork blood wrapped in bacon. It was delicious!

At the border I walked acrossed and went into imigration. I had my passport open with the 2 month visa showing. The border agent ignored it and stamped me in for a month anyways. So I guess that visa is still valid. When I do my first border run I’ll make sure to have them use it when I re-enter.

Then got on a bus to Bangkok! Arrived in Bangkok around midnight. I walked probably an hour and a half in a down pour to the cheapest hostel. There I found out I had no money… I hadn’t yet gotten the local currency. Luckily, the lady let me pay her in the morning!

That day was the only day I spent in Bangkok so I made a speed tour of the sights and got on my bus for Krabi so I could do some beach relaxing and island hopping.

Next after my 15 hour bus journey I’ll fill you in on my beach bumming!