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Just came back home from my own trip bicycling down south from Bangkok to Chumphon, which took me about 10 awesome days of intense riding. I stopped over 3 nights to do some kite surfing in Pak Nam Pran (the beach town east of Pranburi) and passed my open water course in Koh Tao before returning. After getting a traditional Thai massage at Wat Pho I got very interested in following their lessons. Takes 5 days, 6 hours a day; 8000 baht - they have advanced courses on reflexology & medical massages after you graduate for about the same fares. Has anyone done this? Probably not but as I said, I'm back home now and I would love to go back to Thailand for countless reasons and this is a major one I need to look into. Very sorry to read about BigSuave. That loving sucks and makes me realise I got lucky on my bicycle myself. Riding goons please stay safe.
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Apr 27, 2011 06:33
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White Rabbit posted:
You could probably pay some old pro thai massage lady half that for the same amount of hours to teach you all that she knows and it will probably be far superior to whatever they are offering.
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Apr 27, 2011 06:52
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Modus Operandi posted:You could probably pay some old pro thai massage lady half that for the same amount of hours to teach you all that she knows and it will probably be far superior to whatever they are offering. Gotta find one who speaks decent English though. I'd check around just the same, it sounds like a decent deal (probably something I'd do if I had the time/money), but doesn't hurt to see what other places are offering. Do some Googling and see if other travelers have posted reviews of Wat Pho or similar type schools.
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Apr 27, 2011 12:29
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Whats the best way to meet people over there. I have never been the most outgoing person when it comes to starting up conversation with random strangers, and one of my biggest concerns is getting kind of bored of just roaming around myself after a few weeks. Also (and I am sure this has been answered 80 times), what is the best "off the plane" accommodation in Bangkok for someone in my situation (see above)? Assuming somewhere near Khao San?
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Apr 28, 2011 17:26
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Even though they can be kind of ghetto, stay in backpacker areas until you meet people. Everyone tends to be very open. Book typical backpacker tours and such. Snorkeling, diving, booze cruises and so on. If you stay at nice hotels and just sit around the pool you won't meet anyone. I'm American too, I know how it is. Just go with the flow here and you'll meet tons of people, some of them annoying! The best "off the plane" accommodation on Khao San is Buddy Lodge probably. It's very normal hotel-ish, but still in the thick of things. Go to the Irish bar and tell Khun Tan that you're Khun Kevin's friend from Irish Exchange, heh.
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Apr 28, 2011 18:31
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ReindeerF posted:Even though they can be kind of ghetto, stay in backpacker areas until you meet people. Everyone tends to be very open. Book typical backpacker tours and such. Snorkeling, diving, booze cruises and so on. If you stay at nice hotels and just sit around the pool you won't meet anyone. I'm American too, I know how it is. Just go with the flow here and you'll meet tons of people, some of them annoying!
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Apr 28, 2011 19:00
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ReindeerF posted:Even though they can be kind of ghetto, stay in backpacker areas until you meet people. Everyone tends to be very open. Book typical backpacker tours and such. Snorkeling, diving, booze cruises and so on. If you stay at nice hotels and just sit around the pool you won't meet anyone. I'm American too, I know how it is. Just go with the flow here and you'll meet tons of people, some of them annoying! These are good recommendations. I'll also add in getting a campy t-shirt from your hometown and/or one from your old college (provided you didn't go to Hitler University or something), seemed to be a pretty common way of people introducing themselves or starting conversations with me when I was on my own. A weird looking vintage camera does wonders too, but if that's not your thing don't lug one around :p Cheesemaster200 posted:Any other recommendations in the 1000baht range for later in the trip? I am planning to spend 2-3 days in Bangkok, and I will have a few nights there on travel days. I've stayed at A-One Inn near Siam Square, IIRC it was like 750/night. Nothing special as far as service or amenities (clean but charmless rooms with hot water and AC, wifi available), but convenient to the Skytrain and a lot of dining options.
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Apr 28, 2011 19:06
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Pompous Rhombus posted:These are good recommendations. I'll also add in getting a campy t-shirt from your hometown and/or one from your old college (provided you didn't go to Hitler University or something), seemed to be a pretty common way of people introducing themselves or starting conversations with me when I was on my own. A weird looking vintage camera does wonders too, but if that's not your thing don't lug one around :p http://www.ratczar.bigcartel.com/product/black-i-rat-baltimore-shirt Anything decent in or around Khao San in the 1000 baht range? Thats a good location though before I take the train to Chiang Mai or Surat Thani.
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Apr 28, 2011 19:29
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Cheesemaster200 posted:Any other recommendations in the 1000baht range for later in the trip? I am planning to spend 2-3 days in Bangkok, and I will have a few nights there on travel days. I stayed here: http://www.travelfish.org/accommodation_profile/thailand/bangkok_and_surrounds/bangkok/khao_san_road/all/3866 Close to khao san. But far enough from it to not have the noise. I loved it. Also very nice down to earth bars in the neighborhood. As opposed to khao san itself. http://www.suk11.com/2008/index.html stayed here, soi on sukhumvit road. Very nice. It all depends what neighborhood you like to hang out in. The nice thing here is the skytrain station almost next to it. At home, I have problems meeting people, but in thailand that doesn't seem to be much of a problem. In a bar/street restaurant, etc... somebody will usually start talking to you.
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Apr 28, 2011 19:38
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Cheesemaster200 posted:Whats the best way to meet people over there. When around Khao San, find Soi Rambutri (cross the busy street at the end of rambutri road and you're on soi rambutri). Follow this long alley until you find some street bars at the end. They're very basic wooden setups, with some benches and stools. One of 'm is called "My bar". Run by a Thai guy who calls himself Crazy. He employs two other younger (Indian and Burmese?) dudes who will annoy you by asking if you want a beer when you walk past his bar. Anyway, Mr. Crazy has the excellent habit of either forcing or heavily suggesting you to sit with other people who also came to his bar alone (almost everybody). This is what happened to me my first night in Bangkok and it was a great way to meet fellow travelers. "hey guys, seems like I'm being forced to sit here, how are you?". Also this: mrfart posted:At home, I have problems meeting people, but in thailand that doesn't seem to be much of a problem. This was very true for me as well, it was so easy to find people to talk to it was amazing and I miss it very much now that I'm back :'(
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Apr 28, 2011 20:11
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White Rabbit posted:Riding goons please stay safe. Yes please. I plan to go back and do some more riding myself... but I now feel so incredibly lucky for having survived all those near-accidents I can recall so well. Be safe everyone <3
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Apr 28, 2011 22:00
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Figured I'd drop this in here for all of the non dorkroomers. Some photos from my recent three week vaca in Thailand and Cambodia: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3408448. We did the touristy stuff for the most part, but everyone must spend at least one day at Angkor Wat, Ta Prohm, and Bayon.
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Apr 29, 2011 16:14
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spf3million posted:Figured I'd drop this in here for all of the non dorkroomers. Some photos from my recent three week vaca in Thailand and Cambodia: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3408448. We did the touristy stuff for the most part, but everyone must spend at least one day at Angkor Wat, Ta Prohm, and Bayon. those aerial photos of cambodia and angkor are awewsome. Thanks for sharing
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Apr 29, 2011 17:31
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From the tropical paradise thread:ReindeerF posted:Some names to check out (islands) and Koh Kret. Just kidding on Koh Kret. Hey! I went to Koh Kret last month and it was kind of interesting. Then again, the taxi fare was ridiculously cheap since I'm living in Rangsit! (I'm sure I'll get mocked for my choice of location, but I'm one of those goofs training muay thai in thailand living in a gym for no particular career goal or purpose) I am wondering though if any goons could be so kind to recommend a great relaxation spot (and so I can get a tan so when I go back to Vancouver I don't get mocked endlessly) I will have a few (3-5) days at the end of my stay to find a beach or island and sit there, relax on the beach with a bungalow in near or immediate proximity. Budget isn't too much of a concern (more interested in value ), bonus if it's not full of aggressive farang-harassing Thais like Ayutthaya and parts of Bangkok have been in my experience). Places I've heard floating about are Koh Tao, Koh Samet (close to Bangkok and fair amounts of Thais actually go here?), and Railay Beach/Krabi. Definitely planning to avoid Phuket and Pattaya like the plague. Not interested in diving or anything but drinking some Singha or something while laying in the sand, maybe hanging out in a bar in the evening... Also would prefer somewhere fast/straightforward (take train or bus to ferry, get on ferry that no idiot could ever miss or get mixed up, arrive at destination) coming from the Bangkok metro without flying.
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Apr 29, 2011 22:12
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I like Koh Phangan for what you described. The more remote beaches, anyway. The more remote beaches there have got enough foreigners to give you people to hang out with, but not so many that you'll be overwhelmed. You can do all the usual beach stuff, even booze cruises and the like, during the day and then the whole beach gets together and hangs out at the same bar all night. You kinda get to know the neighborhood, heh. Anyway, that's been my experience on Koh Phangan, but if you stay down in Thong Sala or Haad Rin or the areas that are heavily populated you'll probably think it's just Khao San Road on a beach (which it is).
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Apr 30, 2011 04:59
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Tonsai is awesome, especially if you have any interest in rock climbing or watching other people rock climbing from a bar on the beach as you drink your beer. Relaxing climber/hippie-ish vibe, less mainstream touristy than neighboring Railey. Ao Nang near Krabi is also nice, the beach at Krabi itself is somewhat forgettable.
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May 1, 2011 17:53
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I spent a couple of days in Ao Nang and I found it nice, but nothing remarkable. It's just a small village for tourists with a decent beach. At night it has a few bars that close early and that's it. Speaking about closing early, as someone recommended here, I went to RCA in Bangkok and I had a good time. The clubs were great and there were a couple of nice live bands, but they shut down at 2:00, when the place was starting to get full. People took their bottles out and said they were going home. Is that a normal thing in Bangkok? What's the point of a club that closes so early? Also I read that there are no hookers in RCA... well, that's far from the truth. There are no prostitutes that cater to farangs and pester you constantly, sure, but there were plenty of them any way. Some random things from my last trip: - I'm coming back to Ko Phangan for sure. I went there for the Full Moon Party and I stayed on the Northwest of the island, far away from Haad Rin. Initially I was only going to be there for a day, but I ended up staying a couple more and had to take the night boat to reunite with my friends again in Surat Thani. The Full Moon Party itself was okay, but way too full of drunk Aussie hooligans trying hard to ruin the party. I ended up almost being punched by one who wanted to pay one of the bucket vendors to go home with him and when she told him to go gently caress himself he somehow inferred it was my fault and came straight to me trying to fight. - Because of Qatar Airways cancelling my flight, I could only stay three days in Cambodia. I tried to see everything, even waking up at 4:00 to see the sunrise over the Angkor Wat, and got way too tired. If I could go back in time, I'd only visit the three big temples and chill a lot more around Siem Reap. I'm going back to Cambodia for sure though: beautiful place, great food and extra nice people. I just need to find some place to go that's not Siem Reap or Phnom Penh :P - Doha's airport is terrible, even worse than Kuala Lumpur's LCCT, and on par with Qatar itself (I have no idea how are they going to organise a decent WC in that shithole of a country). I hope I find other connections next time, because on my way back I had to stay the longest five hours of my life in there. - Kuala Lumpur's Chinatown is dirty. Way too dirty with rats and everything. - Khanom was completely empty of foreign tourists and with only a few Thais around. The most relaxing part of my trip by far. - I stayed a couple of nights in Patong, because I have a friend living there. Last time I went to Phuket I was far away from it and I thought it wasn't as bad as people say, but being three days straight in Patong was too much for me. Not going back if I can help it. - Next time I go back to SE Asia I'm staying, at least, for a month. Trying to see lots of things in 17 days made the whole thing much less enjoyable just because of how tired I was the whole time. My plan is to go there without any plans or reservations (maybe some plane tickets for long trips and that's it). Edit: drat, I just read about BigSuave 
tzz fucked around with this message at 23:01 on May 1, 2011 |
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May 1, 2011 22:52
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tzz posted:Speaking about closing early, as someone recommended here, I went to RCA in Bangkok and I had a good time. The clubs were great and there were a couple of nice live bands, but they shut down at 2:00, when the place was starting to get full. People took their bottles out and said they were going home. Is that a normal thing in Bangkok? What's the point of a club that closes so early? Yeah, Bangkok has a curfew, although how much it's enforced depends on who's running the police at the time, and whether the owner of the establishment has paid off the local police station. There are some reliable after hours bars/clubs though, Spicy Disco is the most notorious. Tuk-tuk and taxi drivers will take you gratis (get a kickback from the owner), there's a 300 baht cover that gets you one free drink (if you want to get hosed up for the least amount of money, Long Island Iced Tea). It's pretty much tourists and freelance hookers, so not a great venue by objective standards, but pretty great for people-watching. My favorite afterhours place was Gazebo on Sukuvit Soi 1 (open area with seating to chill, hookah, and sometimes live music, with a separate dancefloor area), but I just checked their Facebook page and from the comments it looks like it's been demolished :-( For non-Siam Reap, non-Phnom Penh Cambodia, I always recommend Kampot and Bokor Hill Station. Sihanoukville is okay, but not really as nice as most of the beaches in Thailand. And yep, that's the best way to do it!
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May 1, 2011 23:21
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quote:- Next time I go back to SE Asia I'm staying, at least, for a month. Trying to see lots of things in 17 days made the whole thing much less enjoyable just because of how tired I was the whole time. My plan is to go there without any plans or reservations (maybe some plane tickets for long trips and that's it). When I got back in August for 26 days, I am going to try to ad hoc as much as possible, though have vague ideas of what I want to do.
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May 2, 2011 00:21
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I went to SE Asia for 2 months, and still felt like I missed out on a bunch. :/ Then again, that just means that there is more for next time. I think I'll take a stab at traveling alone next time and picking a couple of spots as home bases and branching out from there... Instead of the standard Lonely Planet beaten tourist path. I definitely tried to fit way too many places into my trip. Got a bit of everything, but was ALWAYS on the move. It was good for a first trip, but I think hiking and eating until I explode sounds like a better option. Maybe a scuba dive or two. moflika fucked around with this message at 17:40 on May 2, 2011 |
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May 2, 2011 17:37
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so Its not too long before I head to southern laos/cambodia for a month (next fri). I'm starting to overthink the whole malaria prophylaxis pros and cons.. I do want to go on a jungle trek of some sort (had my eye on the bolaven plataeu in Laos or Virachey in cambodia), so I do need some sort of protection for that part of my trip im assuming. My Doc in Korea has recommended Lariam. This seems to have an awful rep. I'm going to try it tomorrow and if I have any adverse side affects what are the alternatives? Any advice? dont go on a trek and chance taking no prophylaxis? anyone been to these places I mention? worth going? Apart from the places I mention Im not going to be far off the beaten track. Also, since I'm travelling on my own I don't like the idea of having to stay sober for a month. would be nice to have a beer or two with ppl I meet..anyway, would appreciate any advice people have
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May 2, 2011 17:47
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papac posted:so Its not too long before I head to southern laos/cambodia for a month (next fri). I'm starting to overthink the whole malaria prophylaxis pros and cons.. I do want to go on a jungle trek of some sort (had my eye on the bolaven plataeu in Laos or Virachey in cambodia), so I do need some sort of protection for that part of my trip im assuming. My Doc in Korea has recommended Lariam. This seems to have an awful rep. I'm going to try it tomorrow and if I have any adverse side affects what are the alternatives? Any advice? dont go on a trek and chance taking no prophylaxis? anyone been to these places I mention? worth going? I was on Doxyclycline or whatever, which gave me pretty bad photosensitivity side effects, so I quit taking it after a few days. I was there in the cool/dry season, so I don't think I saw/heard more than a handful of mosquitoes the whole 3 month trip. Even if you're taking antimalarials you can still get dengue fever from a mosquito bite (happened to me one summer), which isn't usually fatal but is pretty unpleasant. Nowadays I just tend to wear long pants, spritz myself with DEET, and at night sleep under the sheet with the fan turned up to max (mosquitoes are lovely fliers and hate wind), to me it makes sense to just take better mosquito precautions and get blanket protection from everything, rather than take expensive (in the US) antimalarials with annoying side effects to guard against the relatively tiny chance of getting malaria. That's just my philosophy and practice though, not an actual recommendation because I'm not a tropical medicine expert or anything. I've been to both... it's a day's hike to get into Virachey itself. This may have changed (I was there in January of 2005), but it was cheaper to go directly through the ranger station for your trek rather than book in town. We didn't know this and booked through the Ratanak; the feisty Cambodian dude who ran it was this hilarious faux-Godfather type that was almost worth the price of admission in of itself. I think we paid $15 or 20 a day which included food and everything, although he didn't include blankets and it got pretty cold at night. Be sure to tip the guides/rangers at the end, they could really use it. I dunno how much jungle trekking there is on the Bolaven plateau (although I wager there's some), but it's a pretty great area for touring on a motorcycle. You can rent XR250's out of the biggish hotel in Pakse for around $20/day, the roads are lovely enough in places for them to be pretty clearly worth it over a scooter.
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May 2, 2011 18:25
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The dokter in the bangkok tropical medicine clinic told me that malaria is becoming resistant to most prophylactic drugs anyway, but I dunno how right he is. It was part of his don't use prophylactic anti malaria drugs in Thailand routine.
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May 2, 2011 18:37
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For a week trek malaria prophylaxis is almost certainly not worth the associated hassles. Mosquitoes in SE Asia act differently than those in the US. They're slower, louder, bigger, and almost never fly more than a foot off of the floor. These low altitude habits plus the fact that they avoid going near your head (probably because they're so noisy) means pants and socks provide a ridiculous amount of protection there compared to what you would get going that route in the woods at home. raton fucked around with this message at 20:35 on May 2, 2011 |
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May 2, 2011 19:17
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Pompous Rhombus posted:Yeah, Bangkok has a curfew, although how much it's enforced depends on who's running the police at the time, and whether the owner of the establishment has paid off the local police station. There are some reliable after hours bars/clubs though, Spicy Disco is the most notorious. Tuk-tuk and taxi drivers will take you gratis (get a kickback from the owner), there's a 300 baht cover that gets you one free drink (if you want to get hosed up for the least amount of money, Long Island Iced Tea). It's pretty much tourists and freelance hookers, so not a great venue by objective standards, but pretty great for people-watching. lol Spicy Sigh, just got back from a week in Bangkok. Pre-election crackdown on clubs and bars, all the usual places in RCA, Thong Lo, Ekkamai etc that typically stay open till after 2, closing at like midnight or a bit after, and none of the after hours clubs open at all. Except, of course, Shock 39 on Petchaburi 39, which is owned by the police. Absolutely packed to poo poo every night the past week. แต่อาจจะชอบนี่   brendanwor fucked around with this message at 14:35 on May 3, 2011 |
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May 3, 2011 09:41
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brendanwor posted:We really need a :thailand: for this thread.
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May 3, 2011 12:32
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Pompous Rhombus posted:We really need a :thailand: for this thread. With a crying what? Krut or kwai I guess. Maybe a crying Big Suave avatar (too soon!  ).
raton fucked around with this message at 12:38 on May 3, 2011 |
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May 3, 2011 12:35
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Sheep-Goats posted:With a crying what? Krut or kwai I guess. Maybe a crying Big Suave avatar (too soon! I was thinking He Who Must Not Be Named, but that might get SA banned and then Ringo R and ReindeerF would have nothing to do on lonely nights.
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May 3, 2011 12:41
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Crying kwai wrapped in Thai flag IMO. e: or maybe just a picture of the King, no crying involved brendanwor fucked around with this message at 14:39 on May 3, 2011 |
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May 3, 2011 14:36
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Or an elephant I guess hurrrr
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May 3, 2011 14:53
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If anyone actually finds out any more information regarding BigSuave, please email me at myusername@gmail.com. After traveling with him for a while I really would like to know what exactly happened.
i81icu812 fucked around with this message at 07:21 on May 11, 2011 |
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May 3, 2011 15:22
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Kampot was a bit of detour and hassle to go unless you plan accordingly. My trip from Kampot ---> Phnom Phen ---> Siem Reap was a rushed trip and wasted a whole day I loved going there to snap photos of the hill station at Bokor Hill. But not everyone likes it. 
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May 3, 2011 17:22
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caberham posted:Kampot was a bit of detour and hassle to go unless you plan accordingly. My trip from Kampot ---> Phnom Phen ---> Siem Reap was a rushed trip and wasted a whole day lol yea you gotta plan like a week for Bhodi Villa.. that place has a way of keeping you around.
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May 3, 2011 18:16
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Sheep-Goats posted:Or an elephant I guess hurrrr Ladyboy riding an elephant.
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May 3, 2011 18:18
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brendanwor posted:Crying kwai wrapped in Thai flag IMO. A sick buffalo would be great.
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May 3, 2011 18:36
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Recently got back from a 3 and a half month trip through Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Bali. Unfortunately I brought back some bacteria with me, I caught Campylobacter jejuni which totally sucked as I had intense abdominal pains and was making GBS threads over 10 times a day for a week. Thank god I had the aisle seat on my plane back home! Anyway, I'm back in Canada now and my shits are back to normal. What a trip! I had the time of my life travelling SEA and would love to go back there again some day.
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May 4, 2011 19:53
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Tell you what, based on a the folks I've met on the road so far the thread title ain't far wrong. Been in Bangkok, figured I'd finish up the Thailand part of my trip playing backpacker on Khao San Road and.....ugh. I was not a fan. Shooing off the endless scammers and tuk tuk drivers gets real old, real quick and most of the folks I met there seemed more interested in the fact that they can buy a Chang for 50 baht than, yknow, the fact that they're in the middle of a major city on the other side of the world with a completely different culture to explore. Most seem to be on their way to the Island and beaches. Its like they're managing to 'do' Thailand without at any point encountering Thailand. At least some of them were pretty, I guess. When did just dropping into casual conversation your recent exploits with prostitutes become ok!? Like, is it a timezone thing? Do you get to GMT +5 and suddenly buying sexual services becomes socially acceptable and not a bit pathetic? I was chatting to 3 separate people the other evening, who all just dropped their exploits casually into conversation. No wonder Isaans whole local economy seems to rely on working girls sending money home. Laos next. Does anyone know how easy getting money is over there? Wikitravel seems to indicate that its basically 'get all your money in vientaine cause there ain't no ATMs anywhere else', and I'm really not that keen on lugging more than a few days worth of cash with me.
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May 5, 2011 09:11
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There are also ATMs in Vang Vieng and Luang Prubang, if for any reason they don't work just wait a few hours and try again.
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May 5, 2011 09:15
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the_cow_fan posted:There are also ATMs in Vang Vieng and Luang Prubang, if for any reason they don't work just wait a few hours and try again. When I was in Vang Vieng winter of last year the ATMs ran out of cash a few times, it was sometimes a bitch to find cash.
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May 5, 2011 19:34
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Go go gadget Baht! Hopefully the dollar gains some strength against it before I go in July, though I am not holding my breath Also, I booked my flight (first class on Cathay Pacific in, coach and two layovers on AA going out). Will be there from the end of July til the 22nd of August. Anyone going to be around then?
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May 5, 2011 21:24
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