3 Packing Lists - Backpacking in Asia + Europe City Trips

I am such a fan of Lists. Grocery lists, to-do lists, packing lists. Writing lists and ticking them off makes me happy ;). Prior to every trip I take, I write a detailed packing list. Eventually I started to upgrade those lists from handwritten lists to computer typed Word files with cute frames and pictures.

So now I decided to share my packing lists here on my blog. Hopefully some of you might find them useful ;). The lists can of course be adjusted to your individual needs. 

Backpacking Thailand 4 Weeks

LINK: Dropbox - Thailand Packliste

City Trip - Cold climate

LINK: Dropbox - Packliste City Trip - Kaltes Klima

 City Trip - Warm climate

LINK: Dropbox - Packliste City Trip - Warmes Klima

Have fun packing :)

Beautiful Viewpoints in EDINBURGH - Princes Street Gardens, Calton Hill & Arthur's Seat

Edinburgh's cityscape is not only made up of historical buildings and castles, it also has a few very charming parks and viewpoints all around the city.

Edinburgh hat nicht nur historischen Altstadt-Charme sondern auch ein paar hübsche Aussichtspunkte und Grünflächen.

Personally, I think Edinburgh is a bit too dark and grey. But this might only be due to the fact that my first visit to the scottish capital was in March and March is the month that isn't winter anymore but it's also not quite spring yet. So naturally everything is a bit more dark-coloured than it usually is when the greens come out. The city's face is shaped by old stone-buildings and you automatically have to think of Charles Dickens stories. While this has it's very own charm, sometimes a little green in the city doesn't hurt either.

Ich persönlich finde die Stadt Edinburgh ein bisschen zu dunkel und zu grau. Das kann jetzt natürlich auch daran liegen, dass mein erster Besuch im März war und zu dieser Jahreszeit jede Stadt etwas farbloser wirkt, als sie eigentlich ist. Aber Edinburgh ist im allgemeinen eine gräuliche Stadt. Das Stadtbild wird von den alten Steingebäuden geprägt und erinnert stark an die Umgebungsbeschreibungen aus Charles Dickens Geschichten. Das hat seinen ganz eigenen Charme. Trotzdem braucht man ab und zu ein paar grüne Fleckchen in der Stadt. 

PRINCES STREET GARDENS


You'll find the Princes Street Gardens right in the center of the city, just below Edinburgh Castle. It is a elongated park that lies in the trench which used to be a great lake in the old days. In the summer time the park is the perfect location to take a break from the bustling city and enjoy nature. Unfortunately the gardens were still closed when I visited and I was only able to marvel at the big fountain in the center of the park from afar.

Im Zentrum der Stadt, direkt unter der Edinburgh Castle, liegen die Princes Street Gardens. Es ist ein länglicher Stadtpark, der in der Senke liegt, wo sich früher einmal ein großer See befand. Im Sommer ist es sicher der perfekte Ort um einmal Pause von der Stadt zu machen und die Natur zu genießen. Leider war der Park gesperrt als wir in Edinburgh waren und ich konnte den großen Brunnen zu Füßen der Castle nur von weitem bewundern. 

CALTON HILL

Calton Hill offers a really big green area and a nice city viewpoint at once! It is situated at the far end of Princes Street leading out of the city. Calton Hill is part of the Regent Gardens. From the top, you can enjoy the beautiful 360° degree view of the city. Princes Street, which is the main shopping street, opens up before your eyes and in the not so far distance you can spot Edinburgh Castle and the Old Town. You can even see as far as Edinburgh's fjord, the Firth of Forth, which leads right into the open Atlantic Ocean.

Grünfläche und Aussicht zugleich bietet der Calton Hill. Er befindet sich am Ende der Princes Street in den Regents Garden. Von oben hat man einen wunderschönen Blick auf die Einkaufsstraße Princes Street, auf die Edinburgh Castle und die Old Town und man kann sogar auf Edinburghs Fjord, den Firth of Forth hinaussehen.

On top of Calton Hill sits the Nelson Monument and the National Monument.

Funny Story: A friend of mine, who has been living in Edinburgh for a few years now, told me a little story about the National Monument. The National Monument is a scottish war memorial. Because of it's many pillars it reminds me very much of the greek acropolis. The building of the memorial has never been finished though. The reason? The Scots were running out of money. When England stepped up and offered to lend them the money to finish the memorial, the Scots refused immediately. "No thank you!" The Scots rather liked to have an unfinished war memorial than one that was built with English money. Can you believe it? The historical hate between Scotland and England still doesn't seem to be resolved. And the Scottish pride really is a serious thing! ;)


Auf dem Calton Hill befinden sich unter Anderem auch das Nelson Monument und das National Monument. 

Funny Story: Eine Freundin, die seit einigen Jahren in Edinburgh lebt, hat mir diese Geschichte erzählt. Das National Monument ist ein schottisches Kriegerdenkmal. Das Säulengebilde erinnert ein bisschen an die Griechische Akropolis. Das Denkmal wurde aber nie fertig gestellt. Der Grund dafür? Den Schotten ging beim Bau das Geld aus und als England ihnen das benötigte Geld zur Verfügung stellen wollte, hieß es in Schottland nur "No, thank you". So haben sie lieber ein unfertiges Kriegerdenkmal, als ein fertiges Denkmal, das mit Englischem Geld finanziert wurde. Die historische Kluft zwischen England und Schottland ist hier noch immer stark zu spüren. 

The scottish pride is a serious thing!

ARTHUR'S SEAT

One of Edinburgh's extinct vulcanoes is nowadays known as Arthur's Seat. It's curious shape rises 251 Meters above the city. Arthur's Seat is a small taste of what the Scottish Highlands are like, conveniently situated within Holyrood Park at the East end of the city center. The landscape around Arthur's Seat is incredible. Those lush green hills and the wild cliffs are real eye-catchers.

You can beginn your hike up the hills just behind the Palace of Holyrood House. Once you are at the top, you are rewarded with an amazing view over the whole city of Edinburgh and it's outskirts. The view is especially breathtaking if you hike up right in time for the "golden hour". Golden hour is what photographers and photography enthusiasts call the hour before the sun sets. This is when the sun creates a beautiful warm and soft light, that is perfect for taking awesome pictures.

Der Arthur's Seat ist einer der erloschenen Vulkan-Hügel Edinburghs. Seine kuriose Form erhebt sich 251 Meter über der Stadt. Vom Holyrood Palace aus kann man den "Aufstieg" beginnen. Der Arthur´s Seat ist ein kleiner Vorgeschmack auf die Schottischen Highlands, und das mitten in der Stadt. Die grünen Hügel und die wilden Klippen sind echt ein Hingucker.

Oben angekommen hat man einen tollen Blick über ganz Edinburgh. Besonders eindrucksvoll ist die Aussicht zur "golden hour". Das ist die Stunde bevor die Sonne untergeht und die Umgebung in ein besonders warmes, weiches Licht taucht. Die beste Gelegenheit für tolle Fotos.

Edinburgh Highlights Video

Have fun!

THAILAND | Our Travel route, Accommodations and Activities

Source: d-maps.com

This is our exact travel route through Thailand. I will be going into details for every location on this map. I will tell you where we stayed, what we payed and how many days we spent there. In addition I will add all the sights that we visited and what I would recommend for you to see :)

A few facts before we start:

• we travelled for exactly 4 weeks, arriving at the end of May and departing at the end of June
• We were 4 people travelling (2 couples) 
• the prices for the rooms we stayed in are all Off-Season prices!!! Prices may vary through different times of the year!!!
• all prices in this post are Euro € prices, since I live in Germany, but i will link a currency converter below

Link:

http://www.x-rates.com/CurrencyCalculator

(1) BANGKOK |5 Days|

|Accommodation| Airbnb Apartment

|Price| 123 € / Night (we all shared this apartment, since it had 2 bedrooms, so each of us paid about 31 € per night)

|Link| https://www.airbnb.de/rooms/858311?guests=4&s=aJjaIU9q

|What to do / see|

• Khao San Road
• Grand Palace
• Wat Pho
• Wat Saket
• Wat Arun
• MBK Shoppingcenter
• Pratunam Market
• Bang Nam Phueng Floating Market

You can find more details about the sights worth visiting in Bangkok on my blogpost:

Top 5 things to do in BANGKOK Blogpost (German; Engl version coming soon)

(2) KOH PHANGAN |3 Days| 

|Accommodation| Sea Sunset Resort (Beach Front Sea view Room, Double Room)

|Price| 1,600 baht / Night ( ~43€ / Night for 2 people -> 21,50€/ Night per person)

|Link| http://www.seasunsetresort-kohphangan.com/index.html

|What to do / see|

• Full Moon Party (once a month) Haadrin Beach
• rent a scooter to explore the island
• exploring the shore by kayak
• discover new beaches: Haad Salad, Haad Mae Haad

(3) KOH TAO |4 Days|

|Accommodation| Ban's Diving Resort (Superior Double Room - Diving Student)

|Price| 1500 Baht / Night (~40,50€ / Night -> 20,25€ / Night per person)

|Link| http://www.bansdivingresort.com/

|What to do / see|

• rent a scooter to explore the island (as on any other thai island)
• do a diving course (our friends did their Open-Water-Diver Course here on Koh Tao)
• Snorkelling Day-trip (Blogpost: Schnorcheln auf Koh Tao (German)) (Engl version coming soon!)
• get a massage! 
• highest viewpoint on Koh Tao: The View Bar
• beaches: Sairee Beach, Freedom Beach, Shark Bay
• visit Nangyuan Island (small island north of Koh Tao)

(4) KOH SAMUI |3 Days|

|Accommodation| Sundays Sanctuary Resort & Spa (Deluxe Cottage, Pool view)

|Price| 960 baht / Night (~26€ / Night -> 13€ / Night per Person)

|Link| http://www.thesundaysresort.com/

|What to do / see|

• be independent and rent a scooter (again ;) )
• visit Fisherman's Village (Shops, Restaurants, Bars, Beach)
• Big Buddha (huge, golden Buddha, Koh Samuis most popular landmark)
• Wat Plai Laem (Temple with 2 huge Buddhas)
• Grandfather Rock
• beaches: Lamai Beach, Chaweng Beach

(5) KOH PHI PHI |4 Days|

|Accommodation| 

• Charlie Hut Bungalows, Beach Bungalow (3 nights)
• Cobble Beach Resort, (1 night)

|Price| 

• Charlie Hut: 950 Baht  incl. breakfast (~26€ / Night -> 13€ /Night per person)
• Cobble Beach: 1200 Baht incl. breakfast (~32,50€ / Night ->16,25€ / Night per person)

|Links| 

http://en.directrooms.com/CharlieHutBungalows

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thailand/the-cobble-beach

|What to do / see|

• book a private Longtail Boot Tour (Maya Bay, Koh phi phi Le Bay, Viking Cave, Bamboo Island etc)
• explore Koh Phi Phi by foot! (there are absolutely no vehicles on the island)
• go to a Fish Spa
• our favorite restaurant & bar: The Sunflower Beach Bar

(6) KRABI |1 Day|

|Accommodation| Baan Andaman Hotel (Standard Room)

|Price| 650 Baht (~17,50€ / Night -> 8,75€ / Night per person)

|Link| http://www.krabi-baanandaman.com/eng/

|What to do/see|

• Krabi Town Night Market 

We only stayed one night in Krabi, before going to Chiang Mai by plane the next morning. That is why we didn't really get to see much of Krabi town itself but it is supposed to have a few very beautiful beaches. However we managed to visit the Krabi Night Market in the center of town in the evening.

(7) CHIANG MAI |6 Days|

|Accommodation| Thaphae Garden Guesthouse (Double / AC Room)

|Price| 700 Baht (~19€ / Night -> 9,50€ / Night per person)

|Link| http://www.thaphaegardenguesthouse.com/

|What to do/see|

• Sunday Walking Street at Thapae Gate (it's a night market that only takes place on sundays! There is also a Saturday Walking Street but at a different location)
• Chiang Mai Night Marktet (every night)
• Thapae Gate
• Wat Pan Tao (Temple completely made of teakwood)
• Wat Chedi Luang
• Wat Srisuphan (featuring a silber temple)
• Wat Pha Singh (featuring the marble buddha & the crystal buddha)
• Three Kings Monument
• Wat Chiang Man (oldest temple in Chiang Mai)
• Thai Cooking Class (Blogpost: Thai Cooking Class in Chiang Mai)
• visit Tiger Kingdom
• Wat Prahthat Doi Suthep (Very popular Temple situated on a hill overlooking all of Chiang Mai! Really great view!!!)
• Elephant Home (feed and bath elephants)
• visit Chiang Mai Zoo (it is huuuuge!)
• Maya Shoppingcenter Chiang Mai

(8) AYUTTHAYA |3 Days|

|Accommodation| Tony's Place Bed & Breakfast (Superior Double Room / AC)

|Price| ~750 Baht (~20,27€ / Night -> ~10€ / Night per person) 

|Link| http://www.booking.com/tonysplaceayutthaya

|What to do/see|

• rent a bike! not a motorbike, no, a bycicle! There are large Parks in Ayutthaya, that you can only enter by foot or by bike. All the important temple ruins are situated in those parks ;)
• Wat Mahatat (this is where you find the buddha head overgrown by roots)
• Wat Phra Sri Sanphet
• Wat Lokayasutharam (huge reclining Buddha) 
• Wat Yai Chai Mongkon (my absolute favourite temple in Thailand!!!)
• Wat Chai Watanam (it looks very similar to Angkor Wat in Cambodia but it is muuuuuuuuuch much smaller ;))
• Wat Ratchaburana

(9) Bangkok |2 Days|

|Accommodation| Airbnb Apartment

|Price| 62€ / Night (15,50€ per night, per person)

|Link| https://www.airbnb.de/rooms/1765918?guests=4&s=t3z8r3M9

We spent the last view days in Bangkok because our flight home was going to leave from here. We also saved a real Bangkok Highlight for those last few days: visiting the Lebua Hotels' popular Skybar! If you don't know it, you may have seen it in the movie "Hangover 2". Yep, that's the very one! And it's fabulous... and also fabulously expensive^^. I also mentioned the Skybar in my blogpost about my favourite Bangkoks sights, so check it out if you like! ;)

Top 5 things to do in BANGKOK Blogpost

This is it! The very end of our trip and we loved it! 
I hope this post was helpful for a few people who are planning a Thailand adventure right now. #havefuntravelling