Thailand: A Backpacker's Paradise.

You know what they say "you have not backpacked enough if you haven't been to Thailand". 

True to the gentleman who said that. 

How much ever you read about this country is less untill you visit them.

                                                          A day in the life of Patong.

One disclaimer you need to keep in mind, any city in Thailand looks different during the day and dramatically switches itself to be the nightlife capital of the world with the last setting ray of sunlight. Patong was one such glorious town. We got to know about that later on. we were on a mission to take the day as it comes and had not booked any accommodation beforehand. We hunted for a backpacker friendly accommodation suiting our pockets and settled for "Silverresortel" hotel for 700 Thai baht a day, an affordable and cosy property two minutes walk away from the beach. We were two hungry souls devoid of food from the past 12 hours, we decided to be little easy on our wallets and settled for the scrumptious breakfast buffet available at the hotel. Vegetarians travelling to this part of the world need not worry about the food habits as you will get numerous Indian restaurants offering the humble Daal-chawl, Aalo paratha or Masala Chai without robbing you off your bank accounts.

After cat-napping for a while, we headed out to refill our stomach for lunch at a roadside restaurant with the modest Pad Pak Bung Nam Man Hoy (stir fried morning glory), Pad See Eiu (wide rice noodles), Gai Pad King (ginger with Boneless chicken) served with white rice and few rounds of Long island and Cosmopolitan. Yeah, we had no intentions to wait till the evening to quench our thirst.

Though we were backpacking, it was extremely difficult to be in the shopping paradise of the world and do not shop! Our motto was not to shop but it became shop till you drop and then shop! There is so much to shop and such drop dead gorgeous prices! Bikinis, Maxi’s or accessories, you name it, they have it! Thailand is indeed a shopper paradise! Now, if you are in Patong or anywhere in Thailand for that matter, always bargain with the shopkeeper and quote one third of the offered price. Follow this golden rule and trust me, it works every single time.

After doing so much of hard work it was bound for us to head towards one of those tempting spas! We opted for a relaxing foot spa at one of the roadside massage parlours and if you remember the rules mentioned above, bargain on the rates. We got an hour of foot spa at just 200 Thai baht! It was such a steal!

 The sunset was enjoyed in full glory while lazing around on the beautiful beaches of Patong gorging on yummy chicken satay as a side dish was supplied by one of the beach side restaurant shacks. When you are in Thailand, eat like a local, drink like a local and make merry “like a local."

                                                                          Sunset.

We had our dinner at the Patong night market and the menu included delectable Por Pia Tord (Fried spring rolls), Gaeng Garee Gai (Yellow curry with chicken), Pla Pao (Grilled fish), basil fried chicken, Khao Phat (Fried rice) and Itim Kati (Coconut Ice cream) for deserts.

If you are thinking that we called it a day after dinner; Hell! No! We did not! Our Thai rendezvous had just begun! As we were impulsive in our travel plans, we didn't have the slightest clue what Patong nightlife was all about unless the walking street decided to amaze us. It was bright, loud and flashy everywhere, something for which Thailand is known for and shall always be!

Travelled from: Bangalore

Airlines: Airasia(cheap and best)

Currency: Thai Bhat

Travel time: Any time of the year.

Sightseeing: Mainly the beach and Islands nearby.

Must do: The road side pancake stalls and the street food.