I haven't touched my travel diary for a while. I wrote the previous page of my travel diary a few months ago. But so many things have been happening since then that there simply hasn't been time to write anything other than the topics I really wanted to share on my blogs.

But that's okay, since I don't really have a set schedule for my blogging. I want to write about so many interesting topics, and I will—eventually! But I am dedicating a lot of my efforts to moving Alonga Travel website to another provider with much better web building capabilities.

And for now, I basically have two websites to take care of: the older Alonga Travel layout (this), and the new one with a new interface and, finally, categorization and even a site search capability (fancy!). And I will even have a menu for all my different old Europeans buildings, how cool is that!:)

It’s a completely different builder and I am basically starting my website from scratch yet again! Oh well, this needs to be done soon, as I have been dragging this for a while, and I have not been able to be fully present for either of my websites.

But back to my travel diary.

As many of you know, I'm spending my winter of 2023 between Vietnam and Thailand.

Why visit Thailand in December?

I planned my trip to Thailand during the Christmas season once again. I did the same last year too. And I'm convinced it's the best time to visit Thailand – during the pre-Christmas season!

It's a perfect time to visit Thailand for many reasons.

December is the coldest time in Thailand: it’s a good thing!

So, firstly, it's the coldest season in Thailand, even though it is hard to call 34 degrees C in the evening - cold! :) In fact, it was almost unbearably hot for me some nights, and obviously even worse during some days.

But many evenings it was actually very nice and enjoyable. There is definitely something about the hot summer nights! :) Even when they happen in winter in some countries. :) You feel all your worries leave you completely and you become very happily relaxed.

I guess that is why most people take vacations in summer? Or is it because of the school kids and their summer break? Well, maybe both!

Anyways, back to the reasons why winter is the best time to visit Thailand.

December is the beginning of the dry season in Thailand!

When I came to Thailand at the end of September last year, it rained non-stop for 2 months. In fact, the Chao Praya River in Bangkok was constantly overflowing, flooding the surrounding areas.

And when I spent October of last year on Phuket, it also rained almost non-stop every day. Not ideal weather if you are a beach-goer and came there to sunbathe. I didn't mind, though, and enjoyed Phuket regardless. I don't think there is a bad time to visit Phuket! :)

But this time I was on Phuket since mid-November, and it only rained twice in 2 weeks.

So, I suggest going to Phuket starting from mid-November to get the sunshine and proper beach time. The water is nice and warm even in winter in Thailand, so no worries there!

Christmas decorations in Thailand are outstanding!

And here is another great reason to visit Thailand in December – outstanding Christmas decorations that will surely put you in a Christmassy mood.

I don’t think another country does Christmas decorations as well as the tourist areas of Bangkok. Especially, the modern and futuristic malls of Bangkok get dressed up for Christmas. But here are some other Christmas destinations in Europe to compare.

Now, I am not normally a person who goes crazy about Christmas decorations. But I find myself getting very excited about them for the second year in a row in Bangkok! :)

Here is a video about Christmas decorations 2022 in Iconsiam mall from the last year. It was so pretty and lovely! They were also by far the best decorations in Bangkok last year.

Last year Thailand was still a bit slow, recovering after the pandemic travel restrictions, and the tourist sector took a big hit. There were not as many tourists in Thailand as usual, and not all food and hospitality sector places had opened. It was both good and bad for me: the accommodation prices were unbelievably great, but it was a bit slow and boring.

But this year was a completely different picture! Thailand extended visa-free stays from a maximum of 30 days (in 2022) to 90 days for the citizens of many countries. That probably helped a lot, as Thailand was busy, busy!

The tourist board of Thailand also organized many more fun public events compared to last year. I especially enjoyed the Magical Balloon Wonderland show: Orchestra of the Skies in Siam Paragon. The balloons were a big hit with people of all ages and nationalities.

It’s impossible to show why the show was fun with a photo. This video on TikTok shows it much better (and it’s short, only 28 seconds long! :) But what’s up with TikTok URLs? Why are they so long? Oh, well. I have enough space on this page for it. :)

https://www.tiktok.com/@alonga.travel/video/7310914260840746283?_r=1&u_code=ebdm22mjmef1jc&preview_pb=0&sharer_language=en&_d=e30ebk45gkcjaf&share_item_id=7310914260840746283&source=h5_m&timestamp=1702996772&user_id=7310871682754184238&sec_user_id=MS4wLjABAAAAbrc7t3mftDd2MD90670zHntfZnge4lPnBRLXiaBH3ehkJ5kGtwc5PhgEEA7Wegeq&social_share_type=0&utm_source=copy&utm_campaign=client_share&utm_medium=android&share_iid=7313400510761289514&share_link_id=60e61db2-fe54-4f84-98bc-981c62fd8ed3&share_app_id=1180&ugbiz_name=MAIN&ug_btm=b8727%2CPublishPreviewDetailActivity

In fact, I liked the show so much, I went again the next day. And it was held right outside Siam Paragon & Central World mall, where an entire floor is dedicated to various food choices for those who got hungry after enjoying the balloons!

Look at some of the food choices! Don't they look very tempting? And if it's not your cup of tea, you have 50-100 more booths to choose from! 😊

Okay, all this talk about food made me hungry, so I decided I need to eat: I will finish my travel diary another day!

I hope you have a lovely day, talk to you soon!

Tatiana