A happy new year in Bangkok - week 3 in Thailand -

 ✨ New Year’s Eve Detour: From Koh Tao to Bangkok ✨

Our New Year’s plans came together at the very last minute. The idea was simple: reunite with my friends from Japan and escape the wild party scene of Koh Tao. Sometimes, the best travel decisions are the spontaneous ones.

We left Koh Tao on a speedboat bound for Chumphon, stayed there overnight, and planned to continue on to Bangkok the following morning. What we didn’t do was book our tickets in advance. When we had checked online earlier, all the trains to Bangkok were fully booked — but we still held onto a bit of hope that speaking to the station staff in person might magically solve everything.

Spoiler alert: it didn’t.
December 31st was completely sold out. No trains, nothing. The next available night was January 1st. Cue mild panic — because we had already locked in a non-refundable guesthouse in Bangkok starting from the 31st.

Just when things were looking grim, we struck gold at the bus terminal. Against all odds, we managed to get bus tickets for that very day. Relief doesn’t even begin to describe it. That little adventure taught us an important travel lesson: during New Year’s season in Thailand, online booking systems are painfully accurate, and moving between cities — by bus or train — is not for the faint-hearted.

We finally arrived in Bangkok and celebrated the start of the new year the best way possible: dinner at a rooftop restaurant, clinking glasses to our reunion while soaking in the glowing night view of Wat Arun.

And honestly… just look at the photo below.
It says everything.

We indulged in Thai cuisine at every opportunity, but the Pad Thai from a tiny street stall on Khao San Road was easily the best of the trip. There’s something magical about street food — I see it as a condensed portrait of a country, capturing its climate, culture, and people in a single dish. Maybe that’s why I’m so drawn to it. One plate, one moment, and suddenly you understand a place a little better.

Of course, not everything was for me. Some things clearly felt designed for adventurous tourists only — like the deep-fried scorpions. Yes… scorpions. A guy sitting near us bought one and confidently declared that it “tasted just like chips.”  Then he turned to me and offered me a bite.

Absolutely not. No!!! Hard pass! Some cultural experiences are better admired from a safe distance.

Back to New Year’s Eve — we headed to one of the famous countdown spots to watch the fireworks, and wow… it was absolutely packed. Shoulder to shoulder, barely moving, pure chaos. What should have been a magical moment turned into a two-hour journey just to get back to our accommodation.

Looking back now, we definitely should’ve stayed at a rooftop bar or restaurant in the city centre and watched the fireworks from above, drink in hand, no crowds, no stress.
Lesson number two of the trip.