Thailand DIY Travel 2024. Exploring Pattaya, Koh Larn, and Bangkok
Thailand is one of Southeast Asia's tourism magnates. Apart from its stunning cultural landmarks, ornate temples, irresistible beaches, and bustling shopping hubs, the country has the world's most vibrant street food culture and night markets.
So whether you are a foodie, a beach person, a city person, or a cultural buff, Thailand has something to offer to every type of traveler. It's also a tourist-friendly country as most goods, food, and transportation are cheaper.
Thailand has been on my bucket list for years now because I am fascinated with the magnificent world-famous beaches in Phuket and Phi Phi islands, finally in October this year, I was able to visit the country with my sister and a former colleague, Reyn. Dreams do really come true if we are determined to fulfill it!
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| Our dinner at The Oxygen Beachfront Oasis in Pattaya |
We are both first-time travelers to the Land of Smiles, and on a DIY trip! But unlike my previous travel experiences in Hong Kong, Macau, Vietnam, and Cambodia, my Thailand travel was seamless, easy, hassle-free, and smooth!
Thailand, I just discovered is an amiable country for tourists, everything is so easy there, from transportation, going around, to exploring its beautiful landmarks, everything is seamless.
Preparation
A day before our departure (October 25), Typhoon Kristine ran havoc in Northern Luzon, thank God our flight was not canceled or adjusted, we took off just as scheduled.
Our trip was only a DIY (do-it-yourself) travel and three months before our scheduled trip, I did tons of research on how to explore Thailand on our own, the do's and don'ts, the best spots to visit, especially for first-time visitors like us. It was my first out-of-the-country trip since 2015, so I was excited to plan the trip! 😄
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| At NAIA, Philippines |
Exploring the Land of Smiles!
We began our Thailand adventure in Pattaya, a popular tourist destination in Thailand, it's a coastal city just two hours by bus from Bangkok. From Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok, we traveled directly to Pattaya.
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| Arrival. Suvarnabhumi Airport, Thailand |
The bus ticketing booth for Pattaya is on the first floor, near Gate 8, at Suvarnabhumi International Airport. You won't get lost getting there because the arrival area is on the second floor, so you just go down via the escalator, and you'll see immediately the ticketing booth.
Here's our actual itinerary for this trip:
Day One (October 25, Friday):
1. Time of Departure, NAIA Manila via Cebu Pacific: 8:40AM
2. Time of Arrival, Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok: 10:30AM (Bangkok is one hour behind the Philippine Standard Time)
3. Immigration Check
4. Money Exchange. We exchanged our Philippine money for Thai Baht at the Happy Rich and Super Rich outlet located at the basement (lower ground) of Suvarnabhumi Airport.
5. We bought a bus ticket for Pattaya at the ticketing booth near Gate 8 (first floor/upper ground). Fare: 143baht
6. We availed an e-sim (dtac) unlimited data for 5 days just beside the Pattaya Ticketing booth. Price: 399 baht. If your phone has no e-sim feature, you may buy a physical card at AIS. 299baht for 15GB.
7. We spent lunch at the MAGIC food point (food court) near the Pattaya ticketing booth.
8. We went back to the Pattaya ticketing booth at 1:45PM. The staff guided us to the bus for our 2:00PM trip to Pattaya. It's just outside the Gate 8.
9. Bound for Pattaya. We left the Suvarnabhumi Airport at exactly 2:00PM. Buses in Thailand have an assigned seat number reflected in the ticket, so you have to locate your seat number upon boarding the bus.
10. Knowing the three stops. Buses going to Pattaya from the airport have three stops in Pattaya: North Pattaya, South Pattaya, and Jomtien. You need to know the exact address of your hotel in Pattaya so that you will know where to disembark. In our case, we booked our stay at Diamond City Place, which is located around South Pattaya.
11. Entering Pattaya. The bus arrived in Pattaya at 4:00 in the afternoon. We disembarked at the second bus stop (South Pattaya) because our hotel was just around this area.
12. Bolt car app. A day before our trip, I downloaded the Bolt app from the app store, it's a car-hailing service similar to Grab, so that we can compare the ride rates when traveling around Thailand. But during our stay in Pattaya, we booked all our rides through the Bolt app only.
13. Going to our hotel. We booked a ride to the hotel through the Bolt app after taking our luggage from the bus compartment. Within 10 seconds, the 4-seater car arrived. So fast!😄 Rate: 58baht
14. Arrival at the Diamond City Place. The time travel from the bus stop to the hotel was only 20 minutes! The car driver was kind enough to take us straight to the hotel's reception area! 😄
15. After checking in, we went to our room (5th floor) and fixed ourselves immediately to go to our first destination. In our original itinerary, the first destination was the Sanctuary of Truth but it was already 5:00 in the afternoon (closing time: 6PM) so we skipped it and went directly to the second destination: Big Buddha Hill.
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| Our room at the Diamond City Place in Pattaya |
The reason for the delay in arriving in Pattaya: Cebu Pacific took off late in Manila (supposed to be 7:40AM but we took off at 8:40AM) so we arrived in Bangkok very late from our estimated time of arrival.
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| Diamond City Place, South Pattaya |
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| Diamond City Place |
16. Big Buddha Hill and The Oxygen Beachfront Oasis. Our first destination was Big Buddha Hill or Wat Phra Yai Buddhist temple located on top of the hill, overlooking the city of Pattaya. The sight was breathtaking since it was already sunset. Entrance is free!
Big Buddha Hill is open even at night time. There's no one checking what's your attire, but to show our respect for Thai culture, please dress modestly. When visiting temples in Thailand, visitors are expected to cover their shoulders and knees.
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| Big Buddha Hill |
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| Big Buddha Hill |
Second stop: Dinner at The Oxygen Beachfront Oasis. This restaurant is highly recommended! The ideal time to come here is at 5:00PM to catch up watching the stunning sunset while taking your early dinner. It can be crowded at dinnertime so you need to come early. We arrived at 7:00PM but luckily we still secured a spot fronting the beach. It was such a relaxing dinner!
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| Dinner at The Oxygen Beachfront Oasis |
The prices of food and drinks at The Oxygen Beachfront Oasis are so reasonable and affordable. We just spent 500 baht each! Oh, wow! Considering the elegance of the place. The ambiance of this restaurant is worth every baht you spend. It's just so amazing, so romantic, so magnificent! Plus the dishes are delicious and flavorful! There's a live band playing in the background. Chill!
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| The Oxygen Beachfront Oasis |
17. Pattaya Night Bazaar. After dinner, we booked a ride to Pattaya Night Bazaar, which is located near the Central Festival Pattaya. Bolt car ride rate: 106baht
We bought slippers and a shirt for our Koh Larn adventure the next day. The Pattaya Night Bazaar is a must-visit night market in Pattaya. There are more than 250 shops to choose from. So you have many options of the things you want to shop plus you can haggle.
18. We went back to our hotel (Bolt car ride again) at almost 10:00 in the evening. Ride rate: 75baht. The Diamond City Place is just along the roadside of South Pattaya so it's safe and convenient to return from a late-night hopping.
Day Two (October 26, 2024) Pattaya and Koh Larn
1. We woke up at 5:00AM for our Koh Larn adventure. It's a beautiful island located in the Gulf of Thailand. It's a popular beach destination in the Chon Buri region due to its beautiful beaches, white powdery sands, sparkling aquamarine water, and delicious food, mostly seafood. We just consumed bread (breakfast is not included in our accommodation).
2. Arrival at Bali Hai Pier. We left the hotel at 6:40 in the morning for Bali Hai Pier. We arrived there at 7:10! So early haha! Bali Hai Pier is just 15 minutes from our hotel. Bolt car ride rate: 60baht.
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| Bali Hai Pier |
Ferry boats going to Koh Larn do not have a ticketing office at Bali Hai Pier, so we walked to the end of the pier. We approached the boatmen about how to buy a ticket. They told us to wait. The first trip of the ferry boat going to Tawaen beach, Koh Larn is at 8:00 in the morning.
There are two destinations for ferry boats going to Koh Larn: Tawaen Beach (where day trippers from Bangkok and Pattaya often go) and Naban Port (where the town of Koh Larn is located). Since we are only exploring the island for a half-day, we chose the Tawaen beach. Ferry boat one-way fare: 30 baht
Travelers have the option to ride a speed boat going to Koh Larn it will only take less than 45 minutes but the fare is quite expensive, around 200 baht to 300 baht.
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| Aboard the ferry boat |
3. At 7:30AM, the crew of the ferry boat began calling passengers to start boarding. They collected the 30 baht fare as soon as we hopped on board. We left at 7:45AM! It was a dizzying ride going to Koh Larn haha! Big waves shook the ferry boat as we navigated the Gulf of Thailand, nonetheless, we arrived on the island pretty safe and okay.
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| Ferry boat ride |
4. Arrival at Tawaen Beach. We arrived at 8:30 in the morning at Tawaen Beach in Koh Larn! A magnificent beach indeed, giving us a relaxing tropical vibe! Visitors can occupy the sunbed area (all secured with beach umbrellas) facing the beach. We paid 100 baht for each sunbed and this rent is good for the whole day.
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| Tawaen beach, Koh Larn |
We also ordered food and all items on the menu are mostly seafood, so flavorful, so refreshing, and cheaper than what we expected, considering that it's a popular beach!
Everything is so affordable in Thailand, from transportation, and hotel accommodation, to food! 😄 The rent we paid for the sunbed is free of use of the comfort room.
5. Exploring Tawaen Beach. Koh Larn is a must visit island for tourists coming to Pattaya and Bangkok. It's just so magnificent! White powdery sand, sparkling crystal water, so many watersport activities, delicious food options, refreshing drinks. It's so amazing! We explored the beach for four hours!
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| Tawaen beach in Koh Larn, Thailand |
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| Tawaen beach in Koh Larn, Thailand |
6. Going back to Bali Hai Pier. We went back to the pier at 12:30PM and boarded the ferry boat back to Bali Hai Pier at 1:00PM. The fare is also 30baht. At 1:45PM, we traveled back to the hotel. Bolt car ride rate: 65baht.
7. Going to Fairy Sweet Village. After resting a while we continued our Pattaya adventure to Fairy Sweet Village at 3:00PM. It's a dessert cafe but it is more ideal for children than for adults haha! Entrance fee: 200baht consumable.
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| Sweet Fairy Village, Pattaya |
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| Fairy Sweet Village |
Inclusion on 200baht entrance fee: one piece of a cake or a cupcake. The voucher included a 20baht discount on the drink of your choice.
8. Terminal 21 Mall. After spending less than an hour at the Fairy Sweet Village, we proceeded to the Terminal 21 Mall, which is along the beach road. It's a shopping mall whose theme is world travel. There's also a lively food market on the ground floor with Thai street food, fruits in season, and other products on display.
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| Terminal 21 Mall |
9. Pattaya Beach! At 5:00 in the afternoon we proceeded to the beach road in time for sunset viewing. Pattaya Beach is just a walking distance from Terminal 21 mall but for the experience, we tried riding a songthaew! Fare: 10baht.
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| Pattaya beach |
A songthaew is a pick-up converted public utility vehicle (almost similar to jeepneys in the Philippines). It has no sign board, you need to know the route of your destination by numbers. We disembarked along the beach road. It was a funny experience haha!
10. Exploring Pattaya beach road. It's a famous spot in Pattaya among tourists due to its breezy atmosphere, super wide beachfront, and so many dining options, and hotel accommodations. The area offers a stunning view of sunset.
The beautiful beach atmosphere and crisp breeze coming from the ocean are so relaxing. It's just a chill place and I love it so much!
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| Pattaya at sunset |
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| Pattaya beach |
It is a must-visit for tourists who do not like the hustle and bustle life of the urban area. Pattaya Beach is a blend of city life and beach life. It has several dining options, souvenir shops, and hotels. Accommodations vary from luxury to affordable.
After enjoying the sunset and chilling along the wide beachfront, we spent dinner at one of the food stalls in the beach area. Then went back to Pattaya Night Bazaar for another shopping trip!
Reminder: When you book a car ride along the Pattaya beach road, the pin location is Charming Inn (hotel), so be sure you have to cross the street to be at this hotel.
11. Walking around the busy streets of Pattay. Teemed with night bars, night markets, and vibrant night life, Pattaya is so alive at night time! After our shopping at the Pattaya Night Bazaar, we decided to walk around haha!
We discovered how lively Pattaya at nighttime is! Everywhere, streets are filled with night bars, and there are also night markets. It was not scary to walk around Pattaya at night because the streets were busy and people were everywhere. We arrived at 10:00 in the evening in our hotel. What a night!
Day Three. October 27. Leaving Pattaya for Bangkok!
We needed to be in Bangkok before 12:00 noon to do some shopping at the Chatuchak weekend market. It's only open on Saturday and Sunday so we should be there by noon time. Because we still need to go to Bubble in the Forest Cafe in the afternoon.
1. From Diamond City Place, we traveled to the Pattaya Air-conditioned Bus Terminal (via a Bolt ride) to catch a bus going to Bangkok. It's just 15 minutes from our hotel.
We arrived at the Bus Terminal at 8:45AM in time for the 9:00AM trip to Bangkok. Car ride rate: 60baht. Bus fare going to Bangkok: 140baht
There are two destinations in Bangkok: Ekkamai Bus Terminal and Morchit Chatuchak Bus Terminal. We chose Morchit because it's just around Chatuchak Weekend Market. We need to shop for souvenirs first before going to our hotel so that we can save time.
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| Mango Sticky Rice, Chatuchak weekend market |
2. Bangkok at last! We left Pattaya at 9:00AM (reminder: seat number is indicated in the bus ticket) and arrived in Morchit Chatuchak bus terminal at 11:00AM. After spending lunch inside Chatuchak Market, we started exploring this famous bazaar. And it was surreal due to the hundreds of shops to check items. At 2:00 in the afternoon, we left Chatuchak and traveled to Floral Shire Hotel where we booked our two nights stay.
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| Chatuchak weekend market |
3. Check-in at Floral Shire Hotel. This hotel is soooo far from Bangkok proper, and so very far also from the main road. I would not recommend this to travelers who will visit Bangkok unless they have an early morning flight back home.
But it is a decent place with clean rooms, the room rates are also cheap! Only that the location is very far from Bangkok proper. However, it is near to Suvarnabhumi Airport, just 15 minutes away, which is my reason for booking this hotel so that we would not cram on the day of our departure back home. But it is easy to book a ride there. We did not encounter any problem booking for a ride.
4. Bubble in the Forest Cafe. At 4:00 in the afternoon, we booked a Grab ride going to Bubble in the Forest, which is located outside Bangkok. Since our hotel is along Lat Krabang district and not from Bangkok proper, the travel time is one hour and 15 minutes! Grab ride fare: 350 baht.
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| Bubble in the Forest Cafe Thailand |
By the time we arrived, the sun was setting, creating a magnificent backdrop to the stunning environment of Bubble in the Forest Cafe. This is a must-visit cafe in Thailand for tourists!
The ideal time to visit is from 4:00 in the afternoon to 8:00 in the evening. The warm lighting, cool atmosphere, and soothing music create a fantastic relaxing vibe.
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| Pad Thai and Matcha Fresh Coconut Juice |
Surprisingly, all the dishes and drinks at this cafe are super affordable! Just around 500 baht per person for dinner time. If you go there for snacks, you can just spend less than 500 baht. We ordered a plate of Pad Thai worth 179 baht and Coconut fresh juice at 89 baht. I ordered a Matcha Fresh Coconut Juice at 159 baht.
Bubble in the Forest Cafe gives you a Maldives vibe due to its cottages and tables floating above the water which looks like a man-made pond. It is an instagrammable place that tourists should not miss visiting, plus the food options are flavorful and delicious!
To secure a spot at the floating cottages and tables, you need to make a reservation at the reception area but it will take hours depending on the volume of diners. During our visit, it was Sunday so there was a long queue at the reception area for the floating cottages. We did not wait, we just went inside and took our sit inside the cafe and enjoyed the outdoor scenes after eating. 😄
We returned to our hotel at almost 8:00 in the evening. We did not experience any difficulty booking a ride. It was easy and convenient! The cafe is open from 10:00 in the morning to 9:00 in the evening.
Day Four. October 28, Monday. Exploring Thai Cultural Landmarks
1. We woke up at 6:00 in the morning. Our hotel booking has no breakfast inclusion but coffee, bottles of water, and tea are included so we just bought a loaf of bread.
2. Going to The Ancient City in Samut Prakan province. We booked a Grab ride going to The Ancient City, a stunning cultural landmark in Thailand. It's considered the world's largest outdoor museum! Grab ride rate from our hotel: 390baht
We left our hotel (grab ride) at 8:00AM and arrived at The Ancient City at 8:35AM. We booked our ticket via Klook! Upon arrival we proceeded to the counter to exchange our online voucher for a physical ticket.
3. Exploring The Ancient City. It's so huge!😄 We're stubborn because we explored the place on our own and didn't avail the free shuttle haha!
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| Ancient City, Thailand 2024 |
It's also known as Muang Boran Museum. There are more than 100 cultural structures in the huge area spreading across 200 acres of land. These structures are scaled models or replicas of ancient ruins, monuments, buildings, and structures that sum up the ethnic and cultural heritage of Thailand.
It's impossible to explore the area in four hours. You need an entire day to visit all the cultural structures. It's opening time is 9AM and closing time at 7PM.
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| Ancient City, Thailand 2024 |
We explored the area from 9AM to 12:30Noon on foot and managed to visit 25 structures only 😠Unlike those who opted to ride the shuttle, we were able to visit each area and paid attention to intricate details than just passing by haha!
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| Ancient City, Thailand 2024 |
We took our lunch at 12:40PM and hurried to our next destination: The Grand Palace in Bangkok. We booked a Grab ride: 350baht rate. We left The Ancient City at 2:00PM
4. Unable to enter The Grand Palace 😠Bangkok has a heavy volume of traffic! The Grand Palace's operating hours is from 8:00AM to 5:00PM but the ticketing hours is until 3:30PM only. We arrived there at 3:50PM due to heavy traffic so we were unable to enter the place. We only took a picture near the gate!
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| The Grand Palace outside haha! |
Lesson learned: Don't put together The Ancient City and The Grand Palace in one day. These two Thailand's cultural wonders should be separated. One day for The Ancient City and another day for The Grand Palace.
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| Outside the gate of the Grand Palace 😂 |
5. Jodd Fairs Rama 9. After our failed Grand Palace excursion 😆 we proceeded to Jodd Fairs in Central Rama 9. It's a popular food night market in Bangkok.
We hired a Grab ride from The Grand Palace. Rate: 250baht. We arrived at Jodd Fairs at 5:00PM just in time for the opening hours! If you're a foodie, Jodd Fairs Night Market in Bangkok is a perfect place for you to visit.
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| Mango Sticky Rice we bought at Jodd Fairs |
So many food and drink options! Thailand truly has a vibrant food culture in Asia. We enjoyed our visit to Jodd Fairs. We were amazed at the food varieties we saw! Fruits, drinks, street food, flavorful cuisine, ahhh the best!
Other than food and drinks, Jodd Fairs has also stalls for clothing, apparel, fashion items, souvenirs, and gifts, so it's a perfect place for tourists to visit for last-minute shopping like what we did.
We heard that its operation would cease in December 2024 as its contract won't be renewed due to a new tower to be constructed in the area. But Jodd Fairs moved to a new location along Ratchadaphisek road.
Day 5, October 29, 2024, Tuesday. Going back home!
Back to reality lol. We left the hotel at 8:15AM via Grab for Suvarnabhumi Airport. Rate for the ride: 190baht only. We arrived at the airport at 8:30AM.
Our flight back home was at 11:30AM and it took off just as scheduled! We arrived in Manila at 3:00PM. Thailand is one hour behind the Philippine Standard Time.
You can watch the full vlog of our Thailand Trip on our Youtube channel:
Here are seven reasons why I love Thailand as a first-time visitor, visit: Why I LOVE THAILAND
Highly recommended:
- Pattaya City in Chon Buri province is a must-visit. It's just a chill city, not yet highly urbanized. If you don't like the hustle and bustle of city life, Pattaya is a perfect place for you. It's a coastal city so the atmosphere is super relaxed with a tropical vibe. You can chill the whole day at the beach side for free! Go to the beach road, it has a breezy atmosphere, and you can just relax there as long as you like Getting around is super easy too plus the transportation there is cheap. Just download the Bolt or Grab app.
- If you are a beach person, take a day trip to Koh Larn! It's just less than an hour from Pattaya. Just go to Bali Hai Pier. A Ferry boat ride is just 30 baht.
- The Oxygen Beachfront Oasis is a highly recommended dining destination in Pattaya. Go there at 5:00PM to catch the magnificent sunset while having your meal.
- Don't miss visiting the Pattaya Night Bazaar. It's one of the biggest night markets in Pattaya with cheap goods and souvenir items.
- Bubble in the Forest Cafe near Bangkok is another must-visit place for first-time visitors to Bangkok. It's a picturesque cafe with a gorgeous outdoor view and delicious food!
- The Ancient City is my top favorite spot in Thailand so far. It's a stunning cultural wonder with so many fascinating structures to see. It is where you will learn the history of Thailand, getting to know the old Siam and the structures of its ancient kingdoms.
- Visit The Old Market Town within Ancient City. It's a quaint village with so many souvenir items to shop and Thai delicacies.
Actual Expenses (individual:
1. Roundtrip ticket (we booked in July 2024) Cebu Pacific: Php7, 980.00
2. Travel Tax at NAIA, Manila: Php1,620
3. Diamond City Place (our hotel in Pattaya for 2 nights Php3,541.74): Php590 per night
4. Floral Shire Hotel (in Bangkok for 2 nights Php2,670): Php445 per night
3. Bus going to Pattaya from Suvarnabhumi Airport: 143baht
4. Dinner at The Oxygen Beachfront Oasis: 500baht each
5. Ferry boat going to Koh Larn from Bali Hai Pier: 30baht
6. Sunbed rent in Tawaen beach: 100baht
7. Lunch in Tawaen beach: 400baht
8. Ferry boat back to Bali Hai Pier: 30baht
9. Entrance fee, Fairy Sweet Village: 200baht
10. Drinks at Fairy Sweet Village: 145baht
11. Shopping, Pattaya Night Bazaar: 500baht
12. Bus for Bangkok: 140baht
13. Chatuchak lunch: 120baht
14. Shopping, Chatuchak: 600baht
15. Bubble in the Forest dinner: 350baht
16. Entrance Fee, The Ancient City: 700baht
17. Shopping, The Ancient City: 250baht
18. Lunch, The Ancient City: 170baht
19. Shopping, Jodd Fairs: 300baht
20. Dinner, Jodd Fairs: 200baht
I already mentioned the transportation expenses in the above itinerary.
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