Thailand

[sonnyt111]

Thailand is a very popular tourist destination among many Filipinos and other nationalities. It would be nice to hear about your experiences regarding this fascinating country.

Edited April 15, 2013 by sonnyt111

[gyros]

Phuket is great - been there a couple of times

 

affordable naman at daming daytime or nigh-time activities

 

word of warning - it she's too beautiful then she must be a HE

[sambalpedas]

Thailand foods also great and good taste.

[Jetthro1980]

You should also consider the north. Places like Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai. Excellent places for an affordable holiday

[Sevenshot]

Bangkok if you are into shopping.

 

Phuket if you are into beaches and partying.

 

Just be cautious kasi maraming ladyboys. They look like women pero pag nagsalita na, alam na.

[abcedexyz]

Will be here next week for a visit.

[MrChase]

Well, to here will go my first post.

 

A week in Bangkok and here are the things to note:

 

-It's hot lately (37 d C on average during the daytime). Dress accordingly (but not scandalously) and don't forget to bring a towel for your sweat.

-When crossing the street, please do look right first before left. It's a right-hand drive country, I almost visited the Pearly Gates a couple of times.

-Plan out your trips around BKK a day head (transit and local transportation is quite expensive). Take the Tuktuk only if you have to, or if you want to, as usually they charged me higher than taxis, and always a fixed price (a ride equivalent to going from Megamall to Robinsons can take as much as 100 Baht per head depending on the driver, but usually fifty Baht per head fixed). The train gets you to most, if not all, interesting shopping places quickly.

-Avoid visiting places of interest on weekends if you'd like to avoid too much human traffic.

-For the places of interest (Royal Palace, Wat Phra Kaew/the Emerald Buddha, the Reclining Buddha, etc.) as they're in the older part of town with little to no train lines, best options are to taxi (try to get them to meter the trip, as most taxis I've dealt with usually charge a fixed price). The best way to get to the good places, though, would be by the river ferry boats, it's inexpensive and scenic at the same time. As with PH buses, it would be best if you got onto a boat from the furthest terminals, as the boats can get pretty crowded on the middle trips. If you want that seat or that spot by the railing, by all means, get on the boat from the first terminal.

-Walk when you can, every Baht counts.

-I think they've got this service that shuttles you around close places on the back of a public motorcycle. I've heard it's 10 Baht a ride, so it should be a good alternative. I haven't tried it though.

-I've noticed that the things that pique my interest (i.e. hobby and motoring stuff, etc) are quite tough to find among the malls, but that's just me. On my own opinion the main malls I visited, and a first impression of them would be:

 

-Siam Center / Paragon / Central World: Ayala Malls/BGC-esque malls

-MBK: Greenhills

-Emporium: Uber-Ayala

-Terminal 21: Ayala with a touch of Tiendesitas somewhere..

-Chatuchak Park Market: Divi/Quiapo/GH

 

-Do try the local food, it's less expensive, healthy and tasty at the same time. I suggest their street food.

-You can exchange most currencies in Bangkok, but if ever you have the Pesos and you need to get them changed, there's a money changer near Sukhumvit Line - Asok Station (some distance after the Lexus showroom), where they gave the best exchange rate for PhP 1000 bills. On average you can find exchanges for PhP 1 = 0.5x Baht, but there it's a good PhP 1 = 0.72 Baht (as of my visit). I saw no other Forex that offered that rate.

-Do remember the Thai greetings. 'Sawatdee kha (as a lady) / krap (as a guy)' (I usually pronounce it 'khap' to save the awkwardness) for good day and 'khap khun kha/krap' can get you a long way even if you do go broken or Berlitz English in between.

-Smile. It gets to people, and it gets you people (if you know what I mean).

 

-If you've got the money, you can try your hand at shopping, although personally I think HK is a better shopping destination. Heck, in some areas even home has more choices.

-For hotels, well that's up to your budget and your taste for accommodation. On my book it's spend less on hotels, spend more time enjoying the place. Ibis hotels are great, although Novotels (esp. the one near Sukhumvit Line - Phloen Chit Station) have Filipino staff.

-Any hotel near Sukhumvit Line - Nana station up until the area around Asok station gets you nightly action (think Malate) Had a hand on it, and I didn't run into ladyboys in my ventures, so it might not be as common as other people might make it seem (at least during my visit). I did see some of them around, though, and if you'd like to know how to tell, as far as I know you can refer to the above posted vocal giveaways, or if the transition from male to female wasn't too perfect, try to note the jaw shape and shoulders. If the transition was perfect...just don't ask or don't try it at all.

 

On the overall, in many ways I found Bangkok to be actually similar to Manila. And yes, the above notes are mainly from my point of view and experience, it does not represent the whole or the experience of others, or maybe your future experiences. They're something to keep in mind, should I say. I'll admit there's a lot more to note that I haven't seen or listed, as I've been busy handling business and exploring the place during my stay. I'd like to try Pattaya next, then Phuket on my next visit.

 

And I'll see where in the forums I could post the other 'ventures'.

[niceNslow.2]

i will be in bangkok tommorrow, for a week. need inputs and recommendations guy and gals.

[MrChase]

i will be in bangkok tommorrow, for a week. need inputs and recommendations guy and gals.

I will go here on july. Any suggestion where to go

 

Are you going on a general tour? Or are you going there for something...else? If the former, the older part of town (the one with no tram system) is the place to be for a tourist - pretty much all of the cultural stuff is centered there (as well as all the other tourists): the Royal Palace (Wat Phra Kaew), Wat Arun, the Emerald Buddha, etc.

 

Shopping you can stick to the new city and its train lines, all the shopping centers for all income brackets are connected to one. Chatuchak and MBK for those looking for bargains, malls along the Sukhumvit line for those looking for a hefty credit card statement.

 

Foodtripping, gah, lots! Best really is to stick to the Thai street food for the most part if you're there for the experience (no, it's not the exotic cooked insects naman). Petchaburi Road (Soi 5 was it?) is a good one, although there's lots more I haven't tried that you can and should. Chinatown is another good one! For the upmarket, you can try the malls (the food court at the Paragon I believe is the biggest, or Asiatique. If you've got the time and moolah, try a river boat dining cruise. Do try their mangoes and sticky rice.

 

Relaxation, I would suggest you go elsewhere, Pattaya or Phuket for the well known places. (I gotta go there next). Bangkok's kinda busy in all kinds of ways, quite similar to Manila.

 

The 'other' relaxation, well...a Google search would *cough*Soi*cough*cowboy be best.

 

Well, there's lots more places though, and do keep an eye out for other people's reviews. The more, the more helpful.

Edited April 14, 2016 by MrChase

[niceNslow.2]

back in bangkok, ona budget nga lang

[baMbee🐝]

Sulit shopping talaga dito. Plus a lot of unique tourist spots.

[Alphalima]

Thailand

[Sakoh San]

In Bangkok, temples, elephant village, floating market and night market. Try also their exotic food.

[Sakoh San]

In Bangkok, temples, elephant village, floating market and night market. Try also their exotic food.

 

Also worth visiting is Bangkok's China town for jewelry and gold.

[Anowan]

Sinong nakapunta na sa pattaya? Hehehe