Going to Thailand, advice?

[mosport]

Hope you'll also get a chance to experience Thailand for the local festivals and events Ian! Richard Barrow (ex-pat Brit) writes an excellent blog on Thai life and culture, providing insight and information that won't necessarily be covered by popular travel books.

www.richardbarrow.com

www.thai-blogs.com

Well at least not this Temple Festival, missed it by just a week last time I was in Thailand. You'll see food carts and stalls everywhere, round the clock especially in Bangkok. Don't be shy and try and taste everything available, it's all safe and I've never gotten sick eating Thai street food!

The best Thai food only costs 35-40 Baht

BTW, how far south are you planning on travelling?

Derek

 

[Glen C]

...oh yes...

...also, drinking water, would you take a filter or will bottled be readily available?

Ian

Ian, bottled water is readily available everywhere and is the only water drank by farangs (foreigners). You wont be the first tourist they have ever seen, you should find everything you want available, just maybe not in the same manner as home.

 

[Somy Nex]

For bug repellant, they now have patches, which you can stick to your clothing (like on your sleeve or something) which will keep the bugs and mosquitoes away for a number of hours. These should be useful as an added deterrent when sleeping.

In terms of drinking water, things should be pretty ok as bottled water should be freely available in most places. In terms of non-bottled water, I haven't been to North Thailand but in the south, things should be generally ok as it's quite urbanized & relatively safe. If you are uncertain or in some dodgy place, try and request hot drinks or boiled water and avoid ice and you should be fine =) it's not so much the water is not safe, but that you may not be 'conditioned' to the local bacteria in the non-boiled water, and it might give you stomach problems. oh and bringing some imodium or smecta might not be a bad idea either, just in case.

When exactly will you be there? Songkhran, a big [water] festival, will take place April 13-15 I think. that'd be something not to miss if you're in the area at that time.

 

[B@rt]

If you are going on a trekking around Chiang Mai, 2 days is enough for most.
If you are going to visit hilltribes it can be nice to bring some small things like pencils etc. for the kids.

Some pics to get you in the mood...

And of course souvenir shopping at the night market in Chiang Mai...

Hmm, now I want to be there again.... :sigh:

 

[cy]

excellent advice!

don't forget imodium for stomach upset or you will be sorry.
simple over the counter meds become impossible to find.

don't eat anything unless it's been boiled (cooked) or peeled.
have not been to Thailand, but have been all over china.

For bug repellent, they now have patches, which you can stick to your clothing (like on your sleeve or something) which will keep the bugs and mosquitoes away for a number of hours. These should be useful as an added deterrent when sleeping.

In terms of drinking water, things should be pretty ok as bottled water should be freely available in most places. In terms of non-bottled water, I haven't been to North Thailand but in the south, things should be generally ok as it's quite urbanized & relatively safe. If you are uncertain or in some dodgy place, try and request hot drinks or boiled water and avoid ice and you should be fine =) it's not so much the water is not safe, but that you may not be 'conditioned' to the local bacteria in the non-boiled water, and it might give you stomach problems. oh and bringing some imodium or smecta might not be a bad idea either, just in case.

When exactly will you be there? Songkhran, a big [water] festival, will take place April 13-15 I think. that'd be something not to miss if you're in the area at that time.

 

[roadie]

oh remember that not all thai gals are generic gals

 

[ianb]

Wow, thanks everyone:-

mosport - (thanks for the digikey, havne't got a chance to use it yet ) I am hoping to catch the Water festival as Somy said its 13-15 and I go home from Bankok the evening of the 16th so should be able to enjoy it :thumbsup:
I'm not sure how far south I'll be going, only that my friend I'm meeting is taking us south to some beaches
Those blogs look great, I'm glad I've got a couple of weeks to peruse them.

Glenc - Excellent I hoped that was the case, but damn no excuse for another expensive gadget

Somy Nex - Good to hear from you! If you're right I hope that I'll catch Songkhran as I'm there until the 16th. I think I'm splitting time a week/week split north/south. Yes Imodium is something that will be crammed into my bags a good reminder though!

Bart - the friend I'm staying with is a keen climber so I think they'll want to find some real rock , though I am also taking my 4 yr old so she'll be our limiting factor. Good advice, I will get some gifts as I hope we will make it into the hills. Those photos look brilliant :thumbsup:

cy - yes I will take enough for 5 servings for 2 weeks

roadie - I hope not to find too many, now you and DaFABRICATA have warned me well


thanks everyone, Ian

 

[desmondpun]

Condom..........don't leave home without it.

 

[mzzj]

If you're right I hope that I'll catch Songkhran as I'm there until the 16th. I think I'm splitting time a week/week split north/south. Yes Imodium is something that will be crammed into my bags a good reminder though!

Try to survive Songkran Alive :laughing:
It can be rather wild party from time to time.

What places you have planned on south?
Krabi? Phuket? Koh Lanta? Phi Phi?

Damn, I want to go also, I want to go...
Been backpacking there twice, totalling about 6 months

 

[bruddamoke]

Songkram is a big event in Bangkok as well, proved by the spike in traffic fatalities at that time. Thais are notorious scoff-laws, so keep all eyes peeled while dealing with traffic while on foot.

Actually, the ladyboys were far more dangerous during Songkram...they recently started a new "tradition" of grabbing at male "private parts" during the celebrations. You will get wet while walking at this time, don't be offended.

Just in case, the local term for ladyboys is "katooey" should a local provide a warning.

 

[Somy Nex]

Ian, it should be a great time then, with your impending visit to my part of the world penang isn't too far from thailand =)

anyway, as mentioned, i don't know about the north apart from that it is generally more rural, but once in the south and especially Bangkok, you'll have nothing to worry about as far as urban conveniences go =)

I haven't been to songkhran myself, but have seen pictures and it looks to be pretty wild. Since you mention you have a 4-yr old daughter, she should enjoy it, but at the same time, perhaps investing in some sort of swimming goggles for her might be a good idea. don't know if they still do it, but some of the pictures i got from a friend of mine working in the bangkok post showed soapy water being flung around. the mosquito patches will also be great for your daughter, i have a cousin with kids around that age and it works great for them.

 

[ianb]

Thanks Somy, hey I'd love to make it to malaysia, peruse your collection but sadly too much for one trip.

Excellent, I hadn't thought of goggles I'll bring hers.

Okay I've been warned of ladyboys a couple of times now, what am I being warned about? just that they aren't women or more?
I have no issue with it as I won't be seeking 'company' or an 'escort' but just want to clarify

Ian

 

[Somy Nex]

Ian, haha =) well, there's always a next time, when we can get together and.. 'scientifically test' our instruments of illumination!

when i was in phuket for a high school "retreat-type trip" about 13 years ago, our teachers unwittingly brought us into the middle of the red light district for dinner. pretty funny, as all the males in our class were getting hit on by these tall, beautiful ladies! it was only after they started speaking that we realized they were actually ladyboys

Anyway, Thailand's well known for its 'ladyboys', which, put simply, can be among the most beautiful looking women you'll ever meet, only they have--or had--dangly bits at one time or another there's almost no way you can tell them apart. it used to be (they said) you could check out their throats or wait for them to speak, but some types of surgery has made great strides since then i hear

i doubt they'll trouble you much if you're with friends & family, but well, there you go.

oh, and while you are there, i'm sure you'll be trying a lot of local food. here're a few that (IMHO) i think you shouldn't miss

1. definitly try both the clear and the 'regular' tom yam soups. the regular tom yam (opaque red) is quite common to non-thais, but the clear one is less well known but very good and definitely something to try. i tried one that was clear like water only with an orange tinge, and it was like drinking liquid fire! absolutely delicious! but in general, tom yam ranges from mildly spicy to insanely spicy
2. also try their minced chicken/pork with basel. that's a pretty tasty dish too. spiciness depends on how much chillies they put in it (none = not spicy)
3. pandan leaf wrapped chicken. basically some marinated chicken meat wrapped in a leaf, then grilled/bbq-ed. this isn't spicy at all, and you dip it into the thai sweet chilli sauce =)

 

[ianb]

Hey you're making me hungry

thanks for the advice :thumbsup: especially the ladyboy clarification

I'm looking forward to seeing what real Thai food is like, if its anything like the restaurants here :thinking:

Ian

 

[chesterqw]

don't ever visit shops and ask for price unless you really want to buy that thing!!!!

my cousin got "scammed" into buying a light for me which cost A LOT A LOT A lot more because her friend asked for the price.
(the light was one of those cheapie 5x5mm LEDs 1AA light)

she could have not buy it but when the shop keeper also sells guns and knife and was holding a knife in his hand, would you not buy it?

 

[Somy Nex]

i dunno Chester =) i'm not sure if i would ever approach a shop if the owner was playing with a knife _and_ looked like he would use it against a customer =P

anyway, i've found a general rule of thumb if you're shopping at those outside markets (not in a mall of course), to start your bargaining position at 40-50% of what the person asks (with reason, but especially when they show you a 'price tag' on the item). usually you should be able to end up at a price around 50-60% of the original asking price after bargaining.

generally, always stay friendly & 'casual/light'. don't look too serious, and never express a concrete interest in anything unless you intend to end up buying it. if you express a solid desire for an item and bargain in earnest, then some shopkeepers almost expect you to buy that item.

probably your local friend could give you some good advice too.

 

[Somy Nex]

thailand's got some great food true, some of it may be quite spicy, others might take a bit of getting used to, but a good deal of it is just good food that anyone can enjoy

see also if your friend can take you to a good restaurant with some good quality thai fragrant rice. you can even eat that rice alone, it's so tasty =) although, of course, YMMV

 

[tanasit]

As for the insect repellant, at any 7/11 all over Thailand you can get a pack with 10 or so pre-threated patches that you can rub on your body that will protect you up to 15 hours. You can get 2 packs for like a dollar (US).

If you are in Bangkok, try walking through Klong Thom, which is like a giant free market where you can find anything from watches, tools, flashlights, DVD, auto-accessories, T-shirt, food, stereo components, etc. On Saturday night, after midnight there will be "other" kind of merchandises some are from gray markets, somr are stolen stuffs....interesting in deed. I'll bet you'll get yourself some cheapo flashlights that you can't resist, for example a dozen of keychain multi-led flashlights for a few dallars. Oh, btw 99.999999% of the brand name watches are FAKE. Fake Rolex comes in 3 or more grades though!

 

[ianb]

Just a quick one to say thanks all for the advice and help :thumbsup:
I had a very nice time with my family. We didn't do loads of travelling, but with a 4 yr old its a bit too hectic to really get around in 100 dgree heat

We made it to Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pai ( sadly not as far as Soppong, but I has the details ready Nobody, thanks), then back down to Bangkok, Krabi and then stayed for the last few days Hat Rai Leh.

We took malarone anti-malarial tablets, but my daughter got a fever (103!) half way through the holiday and we stopped taking them. With a strong DEET repellant my daughter never got a bite and my wife and I only a couple.

After my daughter got into the spirit, Songkran was fun and a welcome cooling off in the heat, although iced water was just plain sneeky

I took 36 sachets of re-hydration powders for Diahoerea treatment and didn't use any

And as you all said drinking water or mineral was available everywhere I went, although I did use my water filter a couple of times, just to help justify having bought it

All in all I would definately go back, the people were in general polite, helpful and fascinated by blonde hair, my daughter helped gain favour many times

thanks all for your help, Ian

 

[B@rt]

Hmm, Rai Leh beach.... :rock:

Good to hear you had a good time!