Thailand in April – Sightseeing in the Heat

Having spent many idyllic vacations in Thailand during our banking stint in Asia, we are often asked, “When’s the best time to go?”.

Our default answer is to avoid April when the temperatures get so hot that the Thai New Year festivities revolve around splashing cold water on others to help everyone cool off (and bless them too, of course).

Needless to say, sometimes we don’t take our own advice.

Our recent trip back fell squarely in high barometer territory. Add to the mix that we would be meeting up with Jimmy’s sister who would have a small toddler in tow as well as as the fact that we would be taking public transit (Skytrain) for the first time in Thailand, and we were setting ourselves up for a veritable comedy of errors, travel style.

As it turned out, we were blessed with a generous dollop of good travel karma – an unimaginably sweet toddler who braved the prickly heat with nary a tantrum and weather that, while hot, was not nearly as brutal as we had anticipated.

Our biggest pet peeve during the trip? Unscrupulous taxi drivers who would refuse to turn on the meter and feign ignorance when prompted. But that, I would say, is a small price to pay for an otherwise lovely and uneventful trip to our favorite city of angels.

Top Highlights:
1. Grand Palace and Temple of the Emerald Buddha –
2. Scrumptious, clean street stall style Thai food at Terminal 21 Food Court
3. Day Trip to the old capital of Ayutthaya via minibus
4. Massages at local and tourist favorite massage chain – Healthland

Top Pet Peeves:
1. Unscrupulous Taxi Drivers
2. Heat and Humidity reminiscent of a hot yoga studio