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I'll look for Hells Kitchen and get back to you. It's funny, I've eaten more western food here in the last 2 days than I have in the rest of Thailand in the last month. So far I've eaten at Muigel's and Mike's as well as some great Thai places. Did my visa run to Mae Sai/Burma today. I have to say, I've been in Chiang Mai for three days now and I was really looking forward to it but so far I don't see what's so great other than how cheap accommodation is. Am I missing something? I could see it being a good 'home base' to check out cool places up north but the city itself seems kind of meh unless you're really into temple trampling. That said, I'll probably be here at least another day or two so if anyone has any recommendations I'm all ears. The lady at this awesome Thai restaurant I went to yesterday (where they grow their own organic veggies and make a yellow curry to die for) said she could see I needed a massage and knows this awesome place that doesn't advertise to farangs/in English but she said she could get me in so I'm looking forward to a 2-hour back massage tomorrow. Who am I to argue with that for ~$10? Since I renewed my visa I'm thinking of poking around Pai and Chiang Rai and a few off-the-beaten-track places recommended by this Dutch guy who has lived here for 5 years and then am going to take he train to BKK to meet a Thai friend from the states on/around the 20th and then †he train to Laos because I love that loving train and gently caress taking either boat down the Mekong. Yes, I know the bus to Udon Thani would be cheaper and faster but I want to meet my friend in BKK anyway and the 2nd class sleeper train has seriously been the best method of transport I've been on yet, including short-haul flights.
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Mar 13, 2011 19:18
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BigSuave posted:I have to say, I've been in Chiang Mai for three days now and I was really looking forward to it but so far I don't see what's so great other than how cheap accommodation is. Am I missing something? I could see it being a good 'home base' to check out cool places up north but the city itself seems kind of meh unless you're really into temple trampling. If you haven't gone up there already, rent a scooter and ride up to Doi Suthep. I also did the ride to Pai and stayed there for a day or two, takes about 4-5 hours each way if you aren't making lots of long stops. You can actually rent real motorcycle in Chiang Mai, if you want the baller option. I kinda hated 2nd class sleeper, although I wanted to like it. The ride wasn't that smooth so I might as well have been sleeping on a bus, and the food was lovely and way overpriced. It may have also had to do with getting stuck in the middle of three cars worth of French families and having nobody to talk to though :-\ Third class is a lot of fun, although I wouldn't do it for more than a couple of hours. Khon Kaen to the Lao border is fine though. mrfart posted:I think I would really do this. If it wasn't for the fact that I have a girlfriend now who is more looking into going back to japan (she was a JET for 4 years) than go to thailand. You guys can compromise and go to Bangkok and rent a place in Ekkamai (tons of Japanese up in there) 
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Mar 13, 2011 19:23
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The Chiang Mai Zoo is pretty cool. I went mountain biking one day and that was really fun. Also it is cool to rent a motorbike and ride around those roads for a few days. About the working anywhere, if I had a job where I could work anywhere I would move to Thailand immediately. There is no question in my mind.
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Mar 13, 2011 22:06
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BigSuave posted:I have to say, I've been in Chiang Mai for three days now and I was really looking forward to it but so far I don't see what's so great other than how cheap accommodation is. Am I missing something? I could see it being a good 'home base' to check out cool places up north but the city itself seems kind of meh unless you're really into temple trampling. Like Bangkok, Chiang Mai is a compromise place that comes out great on long term balance sheet but is a little hard to see the appeal of as a tourist. What's makes Chiang Mai special is mostly the hugely disproportionate volume of Thailand's fine arts types living in or near Chiang Mai and, of course, Chiang Mai is probably the most laid back city in the world. A lot of Thailand's more normal long term farang residents are up there as well, though they're a bit harder to find than they are in Bangkok thanks to Chiang Mai also being much more tourist dense than the capitol (everyone goes to Bangkok and Chiang Mai but Bangkok has millions of Thais to absorb the farang whereas Chiang Mai has, what, a few hundred thousand?). Personally I prefer the staggering volume of stuff to do that Bangkok offers but I could quite happily live in Chiang Mai for a decade or so as well, mostly because I love artsy poo poo -- keeping an interest in either city for that long of course requires getting into the Thai population, which is, of course, not hard to do. Bangkok: Pros: Variety on a truly international level, business options, nightlife, travel options, finger on the pulse of the nation. Cons: Traffic, heat and other hassles, have to constantly sift the good from the bad. Chiang Mai: Pros: The arts, a maximally laid back lifestyle, access to the comforts of home, affordability, pretty mountain landscape. Cons: A bit remote and disconnected (a pro for some), few business options, getting called a hippie for living there. Basically these two cities are huge magnets for long term expats -- this is largely because both offer really good access to the comforts of home and are populated, of course, by a bunch of always pleasant Thais. IMO neither one will offer the usual tourist through Thailand or SE Asia their greatest experience or favorite memory or whatever -- Bangkok is a bit too inconvenient and puzzling at first and Chiang Mai doesn't offer in extremes what other northwestern Thai towns or Lao locals do (Pai for hippies and acoustic guitar and that bullshit, Mae Hong Son for access to hilltribe peoples / the Shan states of Burma / relatively untrammeled Thailand, you know where in Laos for being a horrible beer swilling tube riding SE-Asia-Party-All-The-Time-For-Peanuts shithead). The other cities of the region don't offer the access to the comforts of home that these two do. If I had to name a runner up I'd say Phnom Phen is a really interesting city and a cool place to live, but when my options for bookstores are limited mostly to regionally related pulp and the occasional travel guide I don't think I could make a place a home for any longer than a few months (sorry Oklahoma). raton fucked around with this message at 22:41 on Mar 13, 2011 |
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Mar 13, 2011 22:36
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Sheep-Goats posted:
That's a pretty much dead-on assessment, Chiang Mai is sort of Thailand's "second city". BTW, if anyone's in Indonesia, Yogyakarta is similar as more of an art/cultural hub, but with a huge student population as well. Have you been to Phnom Penh/Cambodia recently? They seem to do a brisk trade in photocopied bootlegs of books, I picked up a couple of paperbacks (Haruki Murakami and Cormac McCarthy) that I didn't even realize weren't legit until I took off the plastic. (Otherwise perfectly readable/usable, seem to hold up well enough) Granted it's not Kinokuniya, but I probably wouldn't go nuts and Bangkok's like a $50 RT flight away. One of my friends BKK bought a Kindle last year and he says it's invaluable for getting pretty much whatever foreign books he wants.
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Mar 13, 2011 22:50
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Pompous Rhombus posted:Have you been to Phnom Penh/Cambodia recently? They seem to do a brisk trade in photocopied bootlegs of books, I picked up a couple of paperbacks (Haruki Murakami and Cormac McCarthy) that I didn't even realize weren't legit until I took off the plastic. (Otherwise perfectly readable/usable, seem to hold up well enough) Granted it's not Kinokuniya, but I probably wouldn't go nuts and Bangkok's like a $50 RT flight away. One of my friends BKK bought a Kindle last year and he says it's invaluable for getting pretty much whatever foreign books he wants. I wanted to go on my last trip but couldn't. E-readers are going to fix the whole book availability thing pretty soon, too, you're right -- but PP will still not be in the same comfort league as Thailand's first two cities are now for an awfully long time. Which is good, I kinda like it as it raton fucked around with this message at 23:37 on Mar 13, 2011 |
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Mar 13, 2011 23:31
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Chiang Mai is for people who don't have the balls to move all the way to Luang Prabang! S-G's assessment rings pretty true, yeah. As with most second cities, Bangkok and Chiang Mai have a friendly, but contentious relationship. For expats, there's a lot of back and forth about Bangkok being an overpopulated morass of traffic and noise where you will be robbed once a day versus Chiang Mai being a backwoods enclave of goofball hippies where you can't see 5 feet in front of your face several months out of the year due to the farmers and Burmese burning stuff. The local antipathy is a bit stronger and Thai people I know from CM will often say pretty rough things about Bangkok, heh. There's some red shirt/yellow shirt stuff tied up in that, but also some historical Lanna (Ranna?) Kingdom versus, err, help me out here Pompous - Central Thailand? Anyway, practically speaking, Chiang Mai is Portland and Bangkok is New York (though the relationship is definitely more of a Houston-Austin or Milwaukee-Madison or Atlanta-Athens kind of thing). I think a number of countries around here have this. Vientiane-Luang Prabang, Saigon-Dalat, Manila-Cebu(?). Not sure about Malaysia, I don't know if Penang qualifies, heh. You could make the Phnom Penh-Siem Reap comparison, but SR is so completely new as a city and dominated by hotels and bars that it doesn't have much culture at all. Phuket is technically Thailand's second largest "city" (Like Bangkok, it's a special administrative region like Washington DC or Manila NCR) and has a larger expat population and probably more commerce than Chiang Mai (all the big travel dot coms are out of Phuket - think Agoda), but it's also got a bit of a well-deserved rap due to its insanely corrupt tourist-driven local mafias. EDIT: I still love Phnom Penh, but it's technically "ruined" by the standards of what it was - especially if the NGO crowd bugs you. A friend calls the city "Cappuccinos By The Mekong" now. The amount of change in that city just since 2003 is staggering and it had already changed quite a bit by then compared to the 1990s. When I first went there wasn't a single traffic light and they had one ATM that didn't work with international cards, only the local bank. Now there are multi-story buildings, a nascent mall, hospitals and all the signs of development. This is good for the Khmer (especially the wealthy generals) so it's hard to begrudge anyone, but the side-effects are kind of obnoxious, heh. When I first went to Phnom Penh, the Heart of Darkness was already becoming a bit of a joke and had a small dance floor with a sort of cozy club vibe, which was already a bit of a departure from what apparently made it famous. These days it's a multistory club venue with light shows, smoke machines and catwalks. It parallels what's happening to Phnom Penh at large, heh. ReindeerF fucked around with this message at 01:18 on Mar 14, 2011 |
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Mar 14, 2011 01:12
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Thanks for the tips guys. I can understand why you didn't like the 2nd class sleeper. Maybe I lucked out but I shared my berth with a cool Thai couple and I had intel beforehand about how lovely and overpriced the food is so I brought my own snacks. The aforementioned Dutch guy told me to check out Doi Sutep, Doi Inthanon, Bo Sang, and one other place but I can't read his writing. Thinking about doing the Mae Hong Son loop (Chiang Mai, Pai, Mae Hong Son, Mae Sariang) since I have a few days to kill and it looks like that will put me in several smaller, quieter towns along the way and still let me visit Pai before ending back up in CM to take the train to BKK. Renting a scooter is tempting but I must admit that I've never driven a motorcycle and I'm not so sure this would be the place to learn (and I've heard 1095 is a bit treacherous). We'll see though. It looks like I can also just use the bus system to get to most of the same places although that brings its own set of disadvantages. drat it is tempting to do it on a bike though...
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Mar 14, 2011 08:06
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The first time I ever rode a scooter was in Chiang Mai, not counting my friend's moped when I was 15. If you can ride a bike you can handle it. I only almost paid the price once and that was because I forgot the traffic is on the other side from US, turn out, look up, and see a big rear end bus coming right at me. You couldn't have driven a nail through my rear end in a top hat with a jackhammer I was so scared! Aside from that, it was so much fun I actually bought a motorcycle when I came back to America just so I can go back and tour SE Asia on one (which I said I was going to do in 2006 and I am still stateside and have not done  )
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Mar 14, 2011 11:07
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ReindeerF posted:When I first went to Phnom Penh, the Heart of Darkness was already becoming a bit of a joke and had a small dance floor with a sort of cozy club vibe, which was already a bit of a departure from what apparently made it famous. These days it's a multistory club venue with light shows, smoke machines and catwalks. LMAO when I first when to Phnom Phen it was a single aircon room with about nine feet of bar in there. It was decorated and had lighting though! quote:Renting a scooter is tempting but I must admit that I've never driven a motorcycle and I'm not so sure this would be the place to learn (and I've heard 1095 is a bit treacherous). We'll see though. It looks like I can also just use the bus system to get to most of the same places although that brings its own set of disadvantages. Thai scooters are super easy to ride as you don't even have to worry about the clutch (usually isn't one). Most of the ones you can rent are semi-automatic -- they change gears for you and if they make the wrong choice you just stomp on a pedal and it switches back to the correct gear (for farang that usually means keeping it in third when you're going up a hill and it wants to go into fourth). The manual ones you just stomp on that pedal now and then while you twist the handle. It's no more complicated than riding a bicycle while someone else pedals for you. Keep well in your lane in the mountains and sound your horn as you approach any hairpin turns in the road -- Thai people don't respect lane markings when in the mountains when they don't see another car coming and, as such, you can expect oncoming cars and vans to be half into your lane as they swing around corners. Stay way to the left and go slow. If it's wet out don't take your bike anywhere with curves. Failure to follow either of these two critical rules as a newbie will result in you losing a lot of skin. Oh also be sure you get a 125cc one, not a 100cc one. 100cc's just isn't enough to handle a fat farang rear end, especially in the mountains. Keep a big bottle of water with you and save some of it for your bike in case it overheats. I wasn't crazy about Pai at all BTW and I'm sure it's gotten a lot worse since I was there last. Bunch of douchey Israelis pretending they're Bob Marely in a small Thai mountain town for stupidly long periods of time. raton fucked around with this message at 13:07 on Mar 14, 2011 |
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Mar 14, 2011 13:01
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ReindeerF - Mind telling me what Heart of Darkness used to be like? I was in PP last year and avoided Heart of Darkness since I met some travellers saying it was crap. Loud, filled with gangsters and wannabe-gangsters, hustlers and "ladies" were just a few of the complaints, so I stayed clear. Then in Siem Riep when having dinner one night I had the misfortune of sitting at a table next to a gigantic drunken englishman with 200 tattoos who was loudly complaining about "Cambodia going down the shitter" or something. He also mentionend that "They even managed to ruin Heart of darkness graaawrghhh" Who managed to ruin it? NGO:s? And in what way? What did it used to be? And what's the deal with the hate/dislike for NGO:s? Quite a few people mentioned that. At first I just thought it was about old men being angry because they (NGO:s) shut down brothels, but then I also heard sensible persons, female expats and travellers talking poo poo about the NGO:s, but I really never got the chance to ask why.
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Mar 14, 2011 13:26
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Morricone posted:And what's the deal with the hate/dislike for NGO:s? Quite a few people mentioned that. At first I just thought it was about old men being angry because they (NGO:s) shut down brothels, but then I also heard sensible persons, female expats and travellers talking poo poo about the NGO:s, but I really never got the chance to ask why. They eat up a shitload of aid money with their Western salaries that would probably be better off being directly applied to locally-run programs. For further reading
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Mar 14, 2011 13:58
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Morricone posted:ReindeerF - Mind telling me what Heart of Darkness used to be like? I was in PP last year and avoided Heart of Darkness since I met some travellers saying it was crap. Loud, filled with gangsters and wannabe-gangsters, hustlers and "ladies" were just a few of the complaints, so I stayed clear. There were tons of things that supposedly ruined the Heart. Going from a laid back bar where people smoked out to a more cosmopolitan bar to a dance clubby bar to a dance club and along the way becoming more and more of a Khao San-like joint. With a brief interlude where the Coconut Gang (the local generals' kids) terrorized tourists occasionally and shot people in the leg and such on different occasions for perceived slights. Mostly I gather the impression is like any other institution that changes its stripes. It'd be like finding out Laffitte's Blacksmith has Industrial Techno & House Night With DJ Dollar Sign or something I guess. Not sure if that explains it. So, you should read "ruined" with quotes around it. Though, to be fair, the place is lame in my opinion now regardless of history. The FCC, for me, is still a very cool bar by comparison even though it's gotten completely and ridiculously commercial with all these offshoot cafes and boutique modern guesthouses and such. The old school FCC is still my favorite bar (and hotel) in the world and I will find a way to live there as a writer in residence when I make my first million! Keep in mind I'm no old-timer, I've only gone since 2003. The old timers are the guys who were there decades ago. EDIT: The Riverside Cafe is maybe my second favorite. Man that place is like stepping back in time. ReindeerF fucked around with this message at 17:05 on Mar 14, 2011 |
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Mar 14, 2011 16:23
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Thanks for the advice Mr. Goats and others. I think I'm going to do it by bike in a day or two. Yeah, I'm definitely going to go with the 125cc Honda Wave. There's a company here that will rent you one for 100 baht a day and transport your luggage from CM to Pai and let you drop it at their office there or keep it for a while. That way I can check it out on the most treacherous road and decide if I want to keep riding or leave it in Pai and take the bus the rest of the loop. I figure worst case (other than a complete skid out) is I decide I'm crap at it and turn around back to CM and am out 100 baht for the experience but I'm pretty confident that I'll be okay as long as it doesn't rain. I also met an older kiwi guy I will likely be traveling with for a bit and he's a bit more experienced so that makes things a bit more comfortable for me. Regardless, I'll have a story to tell and let you guys know how it goes.
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Mar 14, 2011 20:23
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Until you've mastered the Isaan Moto Tow you're not allowed to get a license. That involves using your flip-flop clad foot to push your friend's motorsike at full speed via application of your foot to his rear passenger foot peg.
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Mar 14, 2011 20:35
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Bigsuave, it looks like I am in exactly your shoes down to the last minute plane tickets and 1 am arrival. What did you end up doing for lodging in BKK, and where can I find more about this sleeper train, that looks like a very civilized way to travel. Is it even worth getting the Hep A/B shots now or should I just do it in bkk? Anything in particular that you'd tell yourself one month ago? Eagerly awaiting the results of this bike learning experience. Thanks for the tips RE Tonsai. Looks awesome. How much of a chore would it be to bunk in Tonsai and hike over to Railey to climb? Good to know that climber parties at crags are lame EVERYWHERE.
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Mar 14, 2011 21:12
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ReindeerF posted:The old school FCC is still my favorite bar (and hotel) in the world and I will find a way to live there as a writer in residence when I make my first million! Don't forget to have a huge SA goon party there when it happens. I'm getting the feeling it's not easy to find good clubs in SE asia. Last time in bangkok I went to the RCA area and to clubs for thai people. I didn't like the music anywhere. And I had the feeling that the thai men in there didn't like us much. My best nights out where always sitting at one of the roadbars, talking to strangers until 6 in the friggin' morning when traffic started to pick up again. Good times. Although I have to say I went to a club in vientiane that was rather interesting. There is only one huge, tall building in the city, on the banks of the river. And because of the way it looks, I thought it was a commy party building or something. (Thanks to google I now found out it's 'Don Chan Palace', a hotel that was deliberately build on these banks to avoid building restrictions). Until everything in the city closed at eleven and some girl (don't judge me, she was cheaper than the tuktuk) drove me there and it turned out there's a big club in there at the top of the building. The music was still rather bad, but the location was a bit surreal.
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Mar 14, 2011 21:56
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mrfart posted:Don't forget to have a huge SA goon party there when it happens. Check out Facebook for the Club Soma / Trasher / Dudesweet (Dudesweet sucks IMO, but throwing it out there) parties in Bangkok. It's all twenty-something hipsters, Thai and foreign expat. It's pretty clique-y, but if you're an extrovert you should be able to make inroads. If you're concerned about getting the stink eye from Thai guys (never had that problem personally, most are pretty cool despite what Thai women say), stick to Khao San, as whitie basically has extraterritoriality there Lao clubs are a hoot, me and a Lao-Canadian goon hit them up a few times. I think Vientiane has one or two semi-real clubs (which it sounds like you went to), everywhere else it's delightfully low-rent, with a parking lot full of scooters, some dude managing a Winamp playlist of luuk thung/Western stuff on a laptop, and a big Beer Lao costing a whole $2. Lao people are a shitload of fun, I partied with a group of people my age in Vang Vieng a couple nights in a row. drat, typing that last paragraph made me hate my life right now 
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Mar 15, 2011 01:44
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drat, this is a long thread. I found the lonely planet post on buying suits/shirts again. http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?threadID=1207953 Someone should add this to the OP. Anyone here with experience getting suits/shirts made? i81icu812 fucked around with this message at 02:24 on Mar 15, 2011 |
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Mar 15, 2011 02:21
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i81icu812 posted:drat, this is a long thread. I found the lonely planet post on buying suits/shirts again. I got a suit made at Yaly Couture in Hoi An (only place I found with consistently good reviews, price reflects that but is still really good). Service was excellent if a bit impersonal, but whatever I'm there to buy a suit, not a friend. I showed them two photos of a Hugo Boss suit and they made a dead ringer for $215; wool/cashmere with silk lining (about middle of the line as far as fabrics, probably best value for money). Got a lot of complements on it back in the States. They can make you more stuff later if you want to order when you get back to your home country, but get a copy of your measurements to be safe. They had a flood a year or two ago and lost all their records, which sucked when my ex threw out my pants and I wanted to order a new pair Also, one of my biggest regrets was not going to one of the cheaper places and going hog wild with crazy poo poo. Sergeant Pepper suit, Colonel Sanders suit, 19th century plutocrat suit, etc. Would have been set for several years worth of Halloweens. Pompous Rhombus fucked around with this message at 03:05 on Mar 15, 2011 |
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Mar 15, 2011 03:03
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i81icu812 posted:Anyone here with experience getting suits/shirts made? Me. In the next few days I'm actually going to type up a post on "outer Silom" which was my old neighborhood in Bangkok. It also happens to be chock full of tailors including the one I used to use and the one I used this trip out. IMO that post on Lonely Planet is waaaaaaay too nitpicky and effete. A tailored suit in no way means "hand sewn only." Bespoke might mean that, but by no means are you getting a lesser suit just because someone used a loving sewing machine. You're getting a less fancy-lad suit, sure, but who gives a poo poo when they both look exactly the same way to everyone but a tailor from anywhere up to an inch away? The main thing I'll say right now about tailoring in Thailand is that it's dirt cheap and a great value. Most people get suits made which is a waste of time -- the way to go is to get a bunch of shirts made (unless you happen to be that one triangular shaped guy with the T-rex arms that apparently is the shirt model for every commercially available shirt in the US) plus maybe a couple versatile sports jackets (not a raw suit jacket, the kind of thing you can wear with several different pairs of pants from jeans to slacks) and then mix and match as you need to. The most important thing for getting good value in your tailoring in Thailand is to know what you want, to not look like a loving rube when you talk to the tailor (you don't need to be a halfassed expert either, but you should know what a french cuff is and a few other basics like that -- p.s.: you don't want a french cuff unless you're an old fat gay man), and to not under or overorder on any particular item (eg: if you're getting more than one vest made I hope you're a Liberace impersonator). The main thing you're paying for is a suit that fits. The next thing you pay for is materials and often here being spendy is unnecessary -- middle of the road stuff will far outshine any off the rack BS back in America and it'll last for years -- probably a lot longer than you'll keep your 24 year old body. That's good enough. The third thing that you pay for is personal touches like a hand sewn monogrammed pocket done with contrasting thread or something like that -- this is the kind of poo poo you need a tailor with a bit of taste (or taste yourself for) but can be worth it. The last thing and most totally unnesscary thing is all of the "oh look I'm a European prince" BS like a 100% pure handsown suit or insisting that all of your fabrics only be imported from the finest houses in London or something like this:  
raton fucked around with this message at 04:11 on Mar 15, 2011 |
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Mar 15, 2011 04:09
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BigSuave posted:Thanks for the advice Mr. Goats and others. I think I'm going to do it by bike in a day or two. BTW people like to ride motorcycles in the mountains because it's pretty fun to ride motorcycles in the mountains. Don't forget sunscreen for your arms / neck / face. edit: oops double post mrfart posted:I'm getting the feeling it's not easy to find good clubs in SE asia. Wait there's such a thing as a good club? Maybe it's just because I worked in one (fairly well known one) here in NYC for a couple years but I don't see the appeal in clubs really. Once you've had one blowjob in the corner while the bass thumps away at you you've pretty much done the club thing. A needlessly expensive version of a bar where I can't hear what people are saying? Techno music? Gee whiz Mr. Berlin sign me up... raton fucked around with this message at 04:18 on Mar 15, 2011 |
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Mar 15, 2011 04:13
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The Mubrarak suit is awesome, I don't care what anyone says.  You think the average farang backpacker knows what the hell they want? Or even the average tourist? The main reason for my interest is that I am a short super skinny Asian guy and nothing OTR ever fits (no one makes suit chests/waists that small, gently caress that TREX kid). That crazy OP literally outlined 90% what I want. And it is likely more or less the vast majority of the random people passing through probably want, even though they don't know it and therefore can't really talk intelligently to a tailor. He goes on to explain what all the options mean later, which is probably the biggest help for the clueless. So let's lend the goons here a hand and put the summary here: quote:Fifth, design sensibility. Most tailors in Asia have absolutely no design sensibility or if they have one, it is very different from your own. You simply cannot trust a tailor in Asia, as you can trust a tailor on Saville row or in Naples, to read your mind and produce the garment that you really want. Here, you have to ASK for EVERYTHING that you want. Now ask yourself, are you in a position to do so - to even know what you want? Well, if you can walk into a shop and say you want a "single breasted three button roll to two button double vented jacket with peak lapels, a natural shoulder, high small arm holes, high waist suppression, floating canvas, a patch left breast pocket, angled side flap side pockets, with a ticket pocket on the right", then you might be ok. If not, copy this and tell them, became it is probably what you want anyway. The problem is, if you don't know what it means and why and if your tailor does not speak perfect English, you still won't be able to communicate what you need to get a good suit. I prefer normal breast pockets, no ticket pocket, and notch lapels, but these are all fairly minor tweeks. This might not work for fatass goons, but it's a is a it is a reasonable starting point. Someone else does pants and maybe shirts, but I am not going though that thread again. Sheep-goats want to be the hero? Buy your own cloth and buttons if you know what you want. Use the burn test and tear test on small samples to see if it is synthetic or not and if you like the fabric (synthetic melts, wool and cotton do not). Suggested cloth broker from thread: quote:The shop does NOT carry the Giovani name, but the façade says "Wooltex" and it also carries the street nr. (161) so that should definitely help to pinpoint the shop. The easiest way to get there is probably to take the metro to the last stop called Hua Lamphong and then catch a tuk-túk to Sampeng Lane (don't pay more than 50 baht). When the driver drops you off, you should turn down the roofed part of the market, and there you will find Giovani. You can also call them, and they will pick you up at your hotel. After doing more research I am probably going the shirts/slacks/jackets/novelty linen/Halloween costume route and just get a suit from TaT or WW Chan later on... unless you can convince me otherwise! i81icu812 fucked around with this message at 06:26 on Mar 15, 2011 |
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Mar 15, 2011 05:45
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i81icu812 posted:The Mubrarak suit is awesome, I don't care what anyone says. I wholeheartedly agree. I just gained a whole new respect for that guy. I will respond to your earlier post in a bit, as I just woke up and realized it's loving 4:30 PM and I don't know where the day went so I should probably leave my guesthouse at some point while the sun is still up. But to answer your question about the vaccinations I'd say definitely wait until you get to BKK and go to the clinic mentioned a few pages back. ReindeerF recommended it and I gave directions to someone else who didn't have any trouble finding it and it seems to be a good place. I think it's https://www.thaitravelclinic.com but again, look a few pages back for more info. I will address the rest of your questions later tonight, which won't make much difference to you anyway since you're probably sleeping now anyway.
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Mar 15, 2011 10:32
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Another thing on the list of regrets: Mugatu sweater.
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Mar 15, 2011 12:10
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Why I went to Isaan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9280A32oFM
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Mar 15, 2011 14:39
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Sheep-Goats posted:Wait there's such a thing as a good club?
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Mar 15, 2011 19:12
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Thai clubs are particularly soul sucking because you are usually crowded around a tiny table with a bad selection of Johnny Walker or 100 Pipers/Benmore in a place that's also a fire hazard 99% of the time. It's twice as bad if you have the thai hip/hop, hi-so wannabes, or international school kids all there...which is like every club on Thonglor or RCA. Modus Operandi fucked around with this message at 02:54 on Mar 16, 2011 |
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Mar 16, 2011 02:51
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Modus Operandi posted:Thai clubs are particularly soul sucking because you are usually crowded around a tiny table with a bad selection of Johnny Walker or 100 Pipers/Benmore in a place that's also a fire hazard 99% of the time. It's twice as bad if you have the thai hip/hop, hi-so wannabes, or international school kids all there...which is like every club on Thonglor or RCA.
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Mar 16, 2011 04:24
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Ahahahahahaha http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/451792-male-foreigners-over-50-outlawed-from-marrying-cambodian-women/ I would love to see this happen in Thailand, just because of the chaos that would erupt.
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Mar 17, 2011 01:28
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Pompous Rhombus posted:Ahahahahahaha Entire cottage industries would fold and the Thai countryside would be helter skelter. edit: The weather has been freakish in Bangkok as of late.
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Mar 17, 2011 04:15
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Well it's 8 AM here and I got about 3 hours of fitful sleep because (and I never thought I'd say this in Thailand) it's so drat cold today. I've given up on trying to get back to sleep so I figure I'd take this time to answer your questions, i8licu812. Sorry for taking a day or two but when you see how long this is you'll understand why I haven't found the time until now. ReindeerF mocked me for bringing my light jacket and gore-tex hiking boots. Sheep Goats hated on my jeans. Well you can both lick my poop chute because it has been raining for a week and got down to 12 degrees (C) here in Chiang Mai last night and I was wearing all of the above and still freezing my balls off. Not even a 2-hour tiger balm massage could warm me up and since it's usually so hot here they don't exactly give you down comforters on the beds. What passes for a blanket is basically an over-sized terry cloth towel and that's if you're lucky and don't just get a sheet. Those of you who have been here must know what I'm talking about. i81icu812 posted:Bigsuave, it looks like I am in exactly your shoes down to the last minute plane tickets and 1 am arrival. What did you end up doing for lodging in BKK, and where can I find more about this sleeper train, that looks like a very civilized way to travel. Is it even worth getting the Hep A/B shots now or should I just do it in bkk? Anything in particular that you'd tell yourself one month ago? Okay this is going to be a bit long but you asked for it... A lot of my advice will just be echos of stuff already said in this thread but it's advice I didn't necessarily pay attention to and wish I had but you asked so here goes. All the above said, leave your denim at home. As Sheep Goats pointed out on the first page or two, it's heavy and takes ages to dry. I've been here a month and have only worn them this one time and honestly that was just to spite sheep goats for his mockery (which he was totally in the right for, by the way). In fact I would go synthetic as much as possible if you can afford it. I brought a couple cotton t-shirts but have only worn one and that was because I knew it was going to get trashed at the full moon party. Plus cotton will show just how much you are sweating your rear end off whereas the synthetic stuff looks the same wet as dry, which is a nice bonus. SmartWool socks are awesome. I brought two pairs but I wish I had doubled that, especially since I promptly ripped a hole on one on a loose nail head while out of my mind at the full moon party my first week in. Get the ultralight ones and you will never look back. As has been said before, they are the only socks you can wear two days in a row in Thailand and not have to cut your feet off. Those REI Adventures pants are probably the greatest thing ever. I brought a pair but wish I had brought two because I could wear those every day here. The aforementioned lightweight jacket is the ScotteVest Tropical Jacket/Vest and I've been glad I've had it a time or two and it's great fr holding all your stuff and if you're a bit of a nerd (and let's be honest you probably are) you will love it but it really depends on where you're going. We're heading into the hot season so if you're only going to be in BKK and down south you probably won't wear it much but if you're going to be up north or in the mountains definitely bring it or something like it. Like I said, it can get pretty cold and if all you have are t-shirts you are going to be an unhappy camper. Probably my favorite article of clothing I brought is the Patagonia (or more appropriately PataGucci when you see the price) Capiline 1 long-sleve crew. At $45 a pop they are pretty pricey so I only brought one but Capilene is amazing stuff and I've been wearing the poo poo out of mine. Long sleeves are nice for sun cover and keeping mosquitoes off the arms but they also make short-sleeve versions I'm sure are great too and are a 'bargain' at $30. I also picked up a couple cheap Adidas lightweight synthetic t-shirts at costco for like $15 a pop. I think they're made for running; they're very lightweight and advertise their wicking performance. They're not quite as good and comfy as the Capilene but they're plenty effective and way better than cotton. I'd bring a pair of longish board shorts for swimming, especially if you're heading to the islands, but leave your cotton shorts home for the aforementioned reasons. Even on the hottest days those REI pants are plenty cool and you'll blend in with the locals a bit more (especially since you're apparently some type of Asian). Okay, enough about clothing. Besides, I'm really not saying anything that hasn't been said before. The last thing I will say is cut down your packing list by half and then probably by half again. If you're bringing anything larger than a 40-liter bag (which should not be completely full since you'll be buying poo poo here) you are doing something wrong. Honestly I tried to pack pretty minimalistic and I still am probably going to send half my poo poo home. Last thing I'll say on the subject is the synthetic stuff and shoes over size 45 are tough to come by here so definitely bring those but anything else (like super-lightweight cotton t-shirts or whatever) can be bought here for half as much as you'd pay at home so if in doubt about bringing something just leave it home and you can get it here if you really need it but you probably won't. Speaking of which, unless you already have some flip-flops or tevas or something I'd wait to get those here since they can be had for $5 or less. Are you checking luggage or going carry-on only? If you have to check your bag you are probably doing something wrong. I don't know if you already have a bag picked out but I got the Patagonia MLC and I have nothing but good things to say about it other than the price but that's just how Patagonia rolls (at least they guarantee everything for life so you know you're getting good poo poo). It's the maximum legal carry-on size (hence the name) and is well organized, has a little toiletry kit which doubles as compression straps and two handles plus a padded shoulder strap and decent backpack straps which hide away in their own compartment when not in use. Now that I said you can get everything you need here there are a couple things I would be sure to bring from home. Sunscreen is ridiculously expensive here since they import it and only sell it to farangs. Plus half of the poo poo here also has built-in skin whitener. Same goes for bug spray. Some places it can be had for about the same as the states but down on the islands you'll be paying at least $10 for a orange can of OFF, which is only 15% DEET. It seems to work okay but I'd recommend getting something at least 25% DEET to be on the safe side. I think OFF Deep Woods does the trick but there are a bunch of varieties out there so take your pick. You probably won't need it in Bangkok but everywhere else you will be using it every day. I found on the island the mosquitoes mainly come out around sundown and in the evening (like they're supposed to) but up in Chiang Mai they don't play by the rules and are out 24/7 en masse. If you're some type of hippie and have some problem with covering your body with poison you can get citronella oil but I promise you all you'll be is a slightly less smelly hippie covered in bug bites so just get the DEET. These guys don't gently caress around and some of them leave welts the size of a quarter, I poo poo you not. Plus nobody wants Dengue Fever, just ask ReindeerF about his three weeks (!) enjoying that. The last thing I'd bring is deodorant. Actually bring antiperspirant. I'm usually just an old spice deodorant guy but I'm using AP here because you will sweat your rear end off and it will go a long way to keep you from being a stinky farang. Again, you can get it here but only foreigners buy it and I'm presuming they have to import it so it'll set you back like $10. Oh, and bring ear plugs. Good ones. The walls in most guesthouses are paper thin, there is inevitably construction going on next door to wherever you are, and Thais wake up far earlier than you do and aren't afraid to let the world know. I didn't being an eyeshade but if light really bothers you and you have a comfy one I'm sure it couldn't hurt. If you really want to treat yourself get some nice in-ear monitors (aka canalphones). I have a pair of Shure SE115, which are a steal on amazon for $60. I actually sprung for the SE115m+, which has an inline mic and remote control for your iphone (or mp3 player/cell phone of choice) but cost twice as much. Whichever you choose they are the best pair of headphones I've owned and they block outside sounds like a motherfucker and are comfortable enough to sleep in so you can doze off listening to your music of choice and be oblivious o the outside world. Highly recommended.`They're high-end and the cord is nice and thick so you don't get any noise from it hitting your body and it's also detachable so you can swap it out if you break it without having to buy a whole new set of phones. Note that the clear ones look cool but are made for studio use and so have a longer cord which isn't detachable so I'd stick with black or red or whatever you like. All that said, if you're not checking bags it can be tough to bring all that stuff with the liquid restrictions and I'm not even sure if you can bring aerosols so you may have to just bite the bullet and either check your bag or bring small quantities and buy more here. Not the end of the world either way I suppose. As I pointed out before, definitely wait to get your vaccinations until you get here. Go to the aforementioned clinic and look confused until someone helps you. It will cost you 10% of what you'd pay in the states. I've heard of some shadier places using expired vaccines so you may want to look at the label (they stick it in your little vaccination record card they give you) but neither I nor anyone I've talked to had any problems with that at that place -- they seem on the up-and-up. I already had my Hep B and half my Hep A (they're 3- and 2-shot series, respectively) before I came here but if you have neither they now have a combo vaccine called Twinrix. According to wikipedia it's a 3-part series like Hep B so you get your first shot, then another a month later and the third 6 months after the first but apparently you can do an accelerated schedule where you get your second shot a week after the first and the third 3-4 weeks after and then a booster after a year, which apparently is jsut as effective but of course I only play a doctor on TV so talk to your medical professional, etc. I only mention all this because you may want to get your first jab at home and then the follow-ups here, depending on how long you're going to be in Thailand. That said, even with just one shot you're 93.8% covered for Hep A (which is the food-borne one that's easy to catch). You're only 30% covered for Hep B though (which is blood/fluid-borne) so no unprotected sex with ladyboys until you finish your series. I guess I'm contradicting myself a bit here but all this is a roundabout way of saying you're probably fine to wait until you get here and maybe do the accelerated schedule but I just wanted you to have all the facts in case you're really worried. Again, Hep A is the most likely to catch if you're not banging hookers so you're probably fine to wait until you get here since even with only one jab you're pretty effectively covered. Okay, on to Bangkok accommodation. Honestly, I'm really not the best person to ask but I'll share my experience so hopefully you can learn from it. I'd recommend having at least your first night lined up somewhere just so you don't have to gently caress around with it in the middle of the night. I wanted a soft landing and thought I may be violently ill or at least jet lagged (turns out I was neither) so I booked my first night at a 5-star western hotel (Westin) and paid 6,000 baht for the privilege. To put things in perspective, that's about a month's rent at a decent apartment here or two months in a fan-room guesthouse. Plus, since I didn't get there until 2 AM I basically only had 12 hours in my room before I checked out. Do I regret it? Yes and no. It was definitely crazy expensive and I'm sure you can find a nice hotel for cheaper but it put my mind at ease and made for a very relaxing first night after 24 hours of travel so that was nice. After that I spent the next 4-5 days at Lub D Hostel in Silom. They also have one in Siam Square but it's more expensive and Silom has way better nightlife. Besides, they're both near by the awesome skytrain, which will take you anywhere you want to go except Khao San, which should be about a 60-80 baht taxi ride depending on where you are. Make sure they use the meter or just get out. Don't put up with the "300 baht for khao san" bullshit. Taxis are easier to catch than HIV around here. Anyway, Lub D was very nice but probably a bit pricey. If you're down for a dorm room it's about 350 baht, which isn't too bad, but I wanted a private room because that's how I roll, and that was about 1000 a night which is pretty pricey. That said, it was a great place and I would stay there again. Very modern, very secure, friendly staff, all rooms have A/C and the (shared) bathrooms are very clean and have real hot water (as opposed to the little in-line water heaters you'll see everywhere else which make it go from cold to tepid). The walls are all concrete which makes it very quiet and keeps things cool. If you do book a private room on their website don't be fooled by the prices. It says 475 for the railway twin but that's per bed, not per room and since there's two beds in the room you're actually paying 950 even if you're solo. As you can see I really enjoyed my time there and have no complaints other than the price being a bit high but not unreasonable considering the facilities and what a step-up it is from any of the guesthouses I've stayed at. Be sure to grab their business card, which has taxi directions written in Thai because most cabbies will have never heard of the small road it's on. You will probably want A/C until you get adjusted to the heat but honestly after that first week I had no problem with just a fan and fan rooms are generally way cheaper than A/C so that's something to keep in mind if you're on a budget. My second time in Bangkok (just passing through on my way up from the islands to catch the train to Chiang Mai) Sheep Goats helped my find a place near Khao San. That's definitely where the cheaper rooms are but when I first arrived I was still resisting being a tourist (this was before I realized I was a tourist whether I admitted it to myself or not) and Khao San seemed so cliche. Anyway, that's definitely where the action is if you want to meet other travelers and eat/sleep on the cheap. I really can't recommend any specific place but I'd say don't stay on Khao San itself if you plan on getting any sleep before the wee hours of the morning. Behind the temple on Soi Rambutri (not Thanon Ramburti, which is basically the same as Khao San these days) it gets a lot quieter and you're only a couple block walk away. I ended up staying on Phra Arthit which is another block away, right along the river. It was actually quite nice because it's very quiet and you can catch the express river boats for 14-18 baht and they'll take you down south to Silom, where you can catch the aforementioned skytrain (called BTS) or subway (MRT) to anywhere you want to go. The boats stop running at 6:30 though so you'll need to take a taxi in the evenings but I digress. I ended up staying at Phra Arthit Mansion and have no complaints. I was actually looking for just a basic fan room but all their rooms are A/C and so a bit more expensive than you might otherwise pay. Their website says 900 baht for a 2-person room but I was solo and paid 500/night and was very satisfied. A/C blew cool, the room was very clean and quiet and I had a very comfy king-size bed all to myself. They also have wifi but charge an extra 100 baht a day for the privilege but you may be able to negotiate that into your room price since we're heading out of the tourist season. They gave me a password for it but there wasn't any security on it so you might be able to be cheeky and just use it without paying but your mileage (and ethics) may vary. I'm sure you could find a cheaper place if you're willing to walk around looking for places and forgo A/C but again I have no complaints about this place. The owner was very friendly and seemed desperate for business so you may be able to negotiate an even cheaper rate or, as I mentioned, at the very least get them to throw in wifi for free. Other than that I would recommend looking at https://www.wikitravel.com for advice. It's been my main 'guidebook' since I got here (I didn't bring LP since everyone has a copy here and all those places fill up fast for just that reason) and it hasn't lead me wrong so far. According to them there are rooms to be had for as little as 150-200 baht but I can't speak to the quality. No matter where you stay, always insist on seeing the room before you check in/pay. Make sure the sheets are clean, the fan works, and the A/C blows cold (if applicable). If you do stay on/near Khao San I would definitely recommend a bar on Thanon Rambutri (which is one road north of KS and basically just an extension of it) called Barlampoo. It's near the temple/police station side right next door to a place with a huge green sign called The Green Door. Anyway, Barlampoo has decently priced beer and have great live music every night until 1 AM. The band is great and plays a bunch of western favorites from Hendrix to Marley to Oasis and do a great job of getting the crowd involved. They're pretty popular and later on will have tables and stools overflowing into the street but I thoroughly enjoyed myself there and met a lot of other solo travelers. If you're feeling extra saucy and/or have a buddy to share with get the 3 liter 'tower' of draught Chang and a bucket of ice and you'll be set all night. That said, if you do the math it's no cheaper than buying it by the bottle or pint on tap so it's really just for the novelty factor - you don't save any money by buying in bulk. Wherever you stay, one advantage of hooking up with a traveling buddy (if you're coming over solo) is you'll save on accommodation costs by splitting rooms and that's going to be your biggest cost over here so long as you don't go out getting super drunk every night, which will add up real fast. Okay, on to the train. Despite what Sheep Goats had to say about it I found it a great way to travel. Admittedly, the restaurant is crap and overpriced (so I hear, I got the heads up on that before I boarded so I brought my own dinner on board) but the 2nd class sleeper I thought was good fun and I had zero trouble sleeping and I'm a very light sleeper. http://www.seat61.com/Thailand.htm is a great resource and has all the info you'll ever need to know, including schedules, prices, and which trains have the newest cars and are the best to take but I'll give you a few highlights. As mentioned, 2nd class sleeper is perfectly fine; don't pay double for first class. Do pay the extra 90 baht for a lower bunk. Not only are they a bit bigger but you don't have to deal with climbing up and down the tiny ladder or rolling out of the entirely unsecured bunk. You'll meet (hopefully) interesting locals or other travelers and it's a beautiful journey. You may be saying "But BigSuave, if I take the night train it will be dark and I left my Russian surplus night vision goggles at home because you said to pack light". That's true but you get to see the sun rise over the hills in the morning and since it will inevitably be late you will have a few hours in the morning to see the countryside, which is plenty to get the feeling for it. The day train is also an option and is a bit cheaper but isn't as comfortable because you can't lay down and it's a 14 hour journey, which means you end up where you're going in the middle of the night and that's no fun. Plus the night train saves you a hotel room so the price works out pretty well in your favor at the end of the day. They say you can just walk up and book the same day and you probably can most days (maybe not weekends and definitely not holidays) but I would recommend going to the advance ticket counter a day or two ahead of time to make sure you get your choice of train and bunk, especially if you need to be somewhere on a certain day and can't just wait it out. They're pretty flexible if you want to change your date/train/seat or even get a refund so don't be reluctant to book in advance. I'd recommend a bunk near the middle of your car so you're not near the bathroom (noisy with people going in and out all night) nor the door to the next car. Either way, don't forget your ear plugs. People will be waking up early (I swear to god, the Thai couple I shared a car with went to sleep at 9 and were up by 5) and you will be glad to be able to blissfully sleep through the chatter. I don't know how long you plan on staying but if it's over a month I'd start planning your visa run at least a few days before yours expires and if you can it'll be a lot easier if you're in a city that's already semi-near a boarder. Depending on where you are it can be a bit of a bitch (and expensive) to get to a boarder and you need to book at least a day in advance because the 'visa run' minibusses tend to fill up. If that does happen though you can always take the state-run busses, which cost about half as much but you have to do everything yourself and take a bit more work because the travel agents won't (can't?) book them for you so you have to go to the bus station and book them yourself the day before, making sure to leave enough time before your return bus to deal with the border, which can take a while on busy days at certain crossings. It only took me about 15 minutes at the Mae Sai/Burma crossing but I've heard stories of up to 2 hours, which is when the visa run specific minibusses come in handy because they'll wait for you, unlike the state-run busses. Okay, that's all I can think of for now and I just spent three hours typing this up so I'm going to wrap this up but feel free to ask any more questions that come up and I'll do my best to answer them in a timely manner. I'm also happy to answer questions/give lodging suggestions for other cities but I don't know where you're going. Speaking of which, I have a few questions for you. When do you arrive? How long are you planning on being here for/when are you going back? Where do you plan on going in that time? Are you traveling solo or with someone? Are you bringing a laptop or netbook? Do you plan on getting a Thai SIM card (the correct answer is 'yes' if you plan on being here for more than a week)? I might have more later but those are the big ones for now. Feel free to PM me if you're not comfortable posting your itinerary in the thread. Feel free to call/text me when you get here. I don't know my number by heart and my phone is off at the moment but I posted it a few pages back or you can just search my posts. I think it's 083-821-3178 but definitely double check that against what I posted earlier. That said, I have zero signal up here in Chiang Mai for some reason (but I'm planning on leaving tomorrow) and will soon be heading to Laos where I hear the Thai signals are hit-and-miss so I may be unreachable and apparently they haven't developed voice mail technology here yet so the phone thing may be a bust depending on when you arrive. I'll be checking this thread when I can though. Should have consistent internet for the next few days but once I hit Laos I don't know how often I'll be online. I may even leave my laptop locked up at the train station just so it doesn't get stolen there, which I hear is a growing problem in the tourist cities. Oh, and I hate to disappoint but I think I'm going to put off the bike trip for a later date. As I said, it's been raining all week here and the road from here to Pai is literally the curviest road in Asia (possibly the world) and I've seen more than one person eat poo poo cornering in the rain already so that plus inexperienced rider just sounds like a recipe for a hospital trip. Besides, I don't want to ride 5 hours in the torrential rain, experienced or not. Plus the guy I'm traveling with at the moment has overstayed his visa a week already so I think I'm gonna pass on Pai for now and just head to Laos with him as soon as possible. I have plenty of time to come back and try it at a later date. I will definitely do it one of these days though and will let you know how it goes. I may rent a bike today to head up to Doi Suthep though and see how it goes. If you take nothing else from these 25,000+ characters just know to bring as little clothing as possible. You will find you wear the same couple outfits all the time and laundry is so cheap and available everywhere. I met a Irish guy who was literally traveling with the clothes on his back and nothing else. Had his cash and passport duct taped to his body. I wouldn't go that far but it's definitely possible. Don't worry about being prepared for 100% of situations or you'll definitely over pack. Just cover the basics and you'll be fine and again, you can always buy it here if you really need it. Okay, I promise I'm done for now. Get back to me with answers to my questions if you don't mind and I'll be able to get a bit more specific plus feel free to ask any more questions that come up and I'll try to answer them in 5,000 words or less. Get ready to have the time of your life and I hope our paths cross at some point. So far the goons I've met over here have been great people and the dry anal rape has been very minimal. E: I almost forgot -- get ready to haggle and get ready for taxi (and especially tuk-tuk) drivers to try to rip you off. I just avoided tuk-tuks all together and again just insist on the meter in a taxi always. Also, generally the ones sitting waiting for fares and offering you rides are more likely to rip you off. Just flag one down off the road. You know if they're free because there's a red sign in the corner of the windshield that lights up if they're for hire and turns off if they have a fare. Once you're in downtown Bangkok the skytrain is where it's at. It's easy to use, there are stops all over so everything is within walking distance once you get off. All the signs and announcements are in English and it's air conditioned, which will be welcome in Bangkok in April. Same goes for the subway. As far as haggling goes, it's kind of a learn as you go thing but just know that you're expected to haggle for everything except food for some reason. As an American we're not used to it so it's a bit awkward at first but keep a smile on your face and you'll get used to it. If you think you're being ripped off don't be afraid to walk out. Everybody has the same poo poo so you'll find anther store with what you're looking for just down the road. They know this too and will chase you down if they really want the sale. A good trick to use is always "the guy next door/down the street said he'd give it to me for X" and see if they'll beat it. You can usually get a discount for buying multiple of an item and the same goes for guesthouses (where you can also negotiate but to a lesser extent I've found), which usually have week and month discounts. In the mean time you'll overpay for most things but don't sweat it too much because it's probably going to be only a dollar or two. Oh, and don't necessarily book everything through your guesthouse. Sure, it's easy but there are multiple travel agencies on every block and if you shop around you can usually find a better deal for the exact same trip. For example, for my visa run I was quoted 650 at most places, one said 800, but I ended up finding a place that was only 550 and since the basic visa run trip was full they actually put me on a trip that included a little tour of the Chiang Rai area and some temples and whatnot along the way (which is usually 1,000+) for the same price. BigSuave fucked around with this message at 06:00 on Mar 17, 2011 |
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Mar 17, 2011 05:27
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BigSuave posted:When do you arrive? How long are you planning on being here for/when are you going back? Where do you plan on going in that time? Are you traveling solo or with someone? Are you bringing a laptop or netbook? Do you plan on getting a Thai SIM card (the correct answer is 'yes' if you plan on being here for more than a week)? I might have more later but those are the big ones for now. Feel free to PM me if you're not comfortable posting your itinerary in the thread. Wow, that was a much more detailed report that I was expecting. Thank you so much. Will defiantly keep this in mind as I pack and prepare. I'll be flying in to bkk on the 25th and out again roughly a month later. Will be visiting a friend for a few days before heading south solo to climb at Tonsai. After that... islands, back to bkk, and on to Chiang Mai? Something like that, still TBD. Debating bringing the netbook, may scrounge up an old gsm smartphone and use that instead. If you head back to Thailand and want to meet up (or learn how to rock climb, I need a belay partner!) I can post my phone number when I get it or can email you or something. Actually, that extends to pretty much anyone else, if you want to learn how to rock climb, or better yet know how and need a belay partner, I'll have a rope and draws and am planning on being in Tonsai and Crazy Horse for a week or so each. I'm sure trusting crazy internet strangers with my life is just as good as random Thai guides, right? At least I know my gear isn't crap that was rented out to stupid tourists. Hmm, anyone with thoughts on Chiang Mai vs BKK for Songkran as a tourist? Now that I'm thinking about my schedule, I guess I should nail that part down sooner rather than later before things all get booked. i81icu812 fucked around with this message at 12:37 on Mar 17, 2011 |
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Mar 17, 2011 12:19
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You know I was just going to ask the same question about Songkran. Anyone who has been here a while have a suggestion as to the best place to spend it? I want to get my tickets and accommodation sorted now since I know poo poo fills up fast. All I can tell you is my impression of Chiang Mai is it's kind of boring and kind of sucks, especially compared to the south. The only thing it seems to have going for it is the cheap accommodation, even for Thailand, but I don't think I'll be returning any time soon. Also, I know this isn't typical, but it's been cold and rainy the entire week I've been here so that certainly hasn't helped my view of the place. I should be back from Laos by the end of the month but like so many of my plans here things change all the time so who knows. I'll be in touch though. Have never rock climbed and at 220 lbs with nerdly upper body strength I don't know how good I'd be but I'd love to get back down to the coast so maybe I'll tag along and give it a shot. All depends on how our schedules line up. Oh, one thing I forgot to mention in my last post regarding things I wish I had brought. They aren't too hot on putting electrical outlets in rooms around here and more than once there has only been one in the entire room and that was for the fan. This means I'd have to choose between powering my laptop or powering the fan and in Bangkok that's worse than Sophie's choice. I would definitely bring a power splitter if I were you but make sure it's 2-prong or you have an adapter, as they aren't big on grounded outlets over here. A mini multi-outlet surge protector would probably be even better but I don't know if they make them small enough to travel with but I'd bet someone does. I may have spoke too soon about my phone. I recently made the mistake of allowing iTunes to update my carrier settings and ever since I have had no service. Has anyone else had this problem while using a foreign SIM? The standard google answer is just to get a new SIM card from AT&T but obviously that's not an option for me. I suppose I could get a new card here but that would require changing numbers and losing my prepaid minutes, which would be a minor pain in the rear end but not insurmountable. I don't know if I would also need to change networks or not though and I'm fond of TRUE since I can all the states for 1 baht per minute. I posted in much more detail in the jailbreak thread if anyone wants to read it and chime in. The direct link to my post is here. In the mean time I'm off to the local cell shop to see if they can help or at least let my test a new SIM card to see if that fixes the problem. I really don't want to have to restore and I'm not even sure if that would solve this problem. Edit: If anyone cares, I went to the local cell phone guy and he tried a new SIM and still no luck so he seems to think I just need to unlock it again. He wanted 400 baht but it's something I can do myself in two minutes so gently caress that. I figure it's a pretty low=risk proposition so I"m gonna give it a shot but I might wait and see what the tech heads in Inspect Your Gadgets have to say about it. Anyway, I'll be in touch one way or another in the coming week when I know a bit better where I'll be. I have a Thai friend from the states who is going to be in BKK from the 20th to the 4th and I'd like to make it back in time to meet up with her (probably closer to the end of March or first day or two of April so I'm not rushing through Laos) so depending on how long you spend in Bangkok I may be able to meet you there. Also, I know Tonsai is on the west coast but I have to say that, in my opinion, the islands on the east coast are far superior and half the cost for just about everything. Koh Phi Phi was beautiful but practically Phuket Jr. Koh Lanta and Krabi were actually not bad and relatively cheap but are also very quiet and not a lot of nightlife (which is actually what I was looking for after 4 days on Phi Phi). On the contrary, Koh Tao and Koh Phangnan (up north, away from Had Rin) are loving awesome. Samui isn't bad but definitely wasn't my favorite. I'd just stay there a night on my way to the other two but that's just me. BigSuave fucked around with this message at 13:13 on Mar 17, 2011 |
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Mar 17, 2011 12:41
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I wore jeans all the time in Thailand/SEA, and a light jacket is a good thing to have for keeping the sun off while motorbiking, or keeping warm on one of those cryogenic air-con night buses.
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Mar 17, 2011 12:44
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Hello everyone! Me and my girlfriend are going to Thailand/Laos/Vietnam from May until August and just had some questions because of visas. Our plan was to go into Thailand for 30 days (due to free 30 day visa), travel south and then fly up to Laos. Our first question is, which airport would be best to depart from in Southern Thailand and which would be best to arrive at in Laos? We then plan to travel across Laos into Vietnam for about another 30 days or so with about half our time spent in each of these. Do we need to arrange visas in advance for either of these countries? We have tried to look it up but it is very confusing! We then plan to fly out from Vietnam to probably Chiang Mai to travel down Thailand back to Bangkok for 30 days again. Once again, which airport would be best to depart from in Vietnam for this? Thank you very much in advance!
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Mar 17, 2011 14:39
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Smiley Face posted:Hello everyone! Me and my girlfriend are going to Thailand/Laos/Vietnam from May until August and just had some questions because of visas. Yes, you will need Lao and Vietnamese visas in advance. Actually you should be able to get a Lao visa at the border (Friendship Bridge) but IIRC it's only 15 days, might as well get it in advance. Have a travel company do them for a nominal fee while you're in Bangkok (although you will need to set an entry date for the Vietnam visa). You can do it yourself, but it's generally not that much more to have someone else do it for you, and you don't have to waste half a day + cab fare to and from the embassy/consulate. I think only Hanoi, Danang, and HCMC have international flights.
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Mar 17, 2011 15:41
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Pompous Rhombus posted:Ahahahahahaha BigSuave posted:ReindeerF mocked me for bringing my light jacket and gore-tex hiking boots. i81icu812 posted:Hmm, anyone with thoughts on Chiang Mai vs BKK for Songkran as a tourist? Now that I'm thinking about my schedule, I guess I should nail that part down sooner rather than later before things all get booked.
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Mar 17, 2011 15:58
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BigSuave - thank you. Very informative post! Esp about the bug spray - mosquitoes love me =(
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Mar 17, 2011 16:27
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BigSuave posted:
Koh Tao, Koh Phangnan, Phi Phi is where you go when you're young single and into outdoor adventure activities. Phuket is the place you go to pay European prices and get ripped off. I'd recommend Khao Lhak, Trang, Phang na (the coastal town) , and the small islands around Tarutao. Khao Lhak is kind of boring but there's great boat trips to the similan islands from there. The Trang coast has some great places to kayak and the beaches are unpolluted with few tourists. Modus Operandi fucked around with this message at 19:49 on Mar 17, 2011 |
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Mar 17, 2011 19:46
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