| off to thailand!!
Posted: 5/30/2008 4:51:03 PM | | im going with my daughter to thailand ....in 15 weeks and 4 days lol ....just a little excited! she has been before so has some great ideas and knowledge but if anybody would like to add "must sees" or "must dos" that would be great! thanks | |
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| off to thailand!!
Posted: 5/30/2008 9:28:43 PM | Plenty to see and do in Thailand.
1. Take a taxi from Bangkok to Kanchanburi. It's about 2 hours west of Bangkok and will be about 2000 baht. If you can find a minibus they will charge 150 baht. Accommodation ranging from 150 baht per night to 5000 baht for the new accommodation. The Best accommodation is along the river. Just have the taxi driver drop into different guest houses and have a look around at each one. I personally love the "Blue Star" guest house. Great people and real atmospere there. http://www.bluestar-guesthouse.com/ So much to see and do with excellent food.
That is a start for you.
cheers, | |
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4rum
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Joined: 5/10/2008
Msg: 3 | |
| off to thailand!!
Posted: 5/31/2008 1:07:18 PM | Hi GuyInTSV
What time of year did you stay at the Blue Star and was it very crowded? | |
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Posted: 5/31/2008 7:38:27 PM | Hi , Blue Star is usually quite busy but it is not a party environment. I've stayed there in January and in August / September. Probably best to book in advance. High season in Thailand starts in September.
If you want a bit more piece and quiet you can stay at the Tarzan tree house resort which is right on the banks of the Kwai Noi. It is about 15 minutes from town, though so i would hire a scooter in town and head out there. http://www.tarzanresort.com/ The only issue is that they speak very little if any English at the resort. It is definitely a place enjoyed by the well to do Bangkokians for a weekend getaway.
Are you looking for beach or mountains? Other places I like are Chiang Rai in the north (the food is devine in the north), Surin to the East for some terrific Kymer ruins (not too much English spoken that way though).
Have a blast..
cheers, | |
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| off to thailand!!
Posted: 5/31/2008 10:46:27 PM | | thanks heaps - we are planning on a bit of time around bangkok - the tarzan houses sound interesting lol , visit some temples , stay at an elephant sanctuary- near chang mai, the river kwai....then find a beautiful piece of beach or an island .....lovely food is to be tracked down everywhere.....we love our food lol - english is helpful of course but we seem to manage in most places! | |
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Posted: 5/31/2008 11:12:40 PM | If you like seafood and are in Bangkok there is a great all you can eat seafood place on New Petchaburi Rd opposite the Amari Hotel. For about 250 baht you get fresh seafood (you catch it yourself in the tanks) and cook it back at your own table.
Heaps of other foods to choose from. I can't remember the exact name of the place but i think the suburb is still classed as Klong Toey. Just jump in a pink taxi with the I Love Farang sign on the window in Bangkok tell him to get you there.
The place is like a huge circus bigtop and seats a few hundred people easily.
There is also the Seafood Market near Asok BTS Station on Sukhumvit Rd.
If you are in Chiang Mai and want to do a cooking course I can highly recommend Classic Home Cooking. It's not the flashiest but is by far the best. There are no set menus, they will teach you what you want to learn to cook. The Owners are Vannnee and Meow.
I have to write a book on useless travel trivia hehe..
cheers, | |
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4rum
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Joined: 5/10/2008
Msg: 7 | |
| off to thailand!!
Posted: 6/1/2008 7:34:24 PM | I'm going to Thailand shortly and having previously been to Phuket, I'd like to see something different.
Where else can you recommend?
The River Kwai area is already on my list. I will stop in Bangkok for hardcore shopping, love to go north but where? and spend a couple of days near a pretty beach to swim lots and snorkel (Krabi or Koh Phi Phi sort of thing).
I don't mind traversing the country because that's what I love doing and I fly to save time unless there's a really great train ride.
Is Pattaya worth a stopover? | |
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Posted: 6/3/2008 7:22:56 PM | River Kwai was ok... good history but I enjoyed the Erawan Falls (in Kanchanaburi) more. I heard Phuket was waaay too touristy and stayed away from it... I hit Ko Phangan instead and loved it. Missed the Full Moon Party but still had a blast exploring the island and meeting new friends at my beach guesthouse.
If you want history hit Cambodia... flights from Bangkok to the Phenom Penn (capital of Cambodia... were like $75 or less. The history of the Killing Fields in Cambodia opened my eyes. Angkor Wat ruins as well are something you need to see in your lifetime if that stuff interests you.
gjay1: I loved Blue Star! Great food, cheap, and we met some cool friends there... there's so much to do in Thailand but the elephant trekking I wasn't too fond of after I did it. The place I went to didn't seem to treat the elephants with care. | |
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Posted: 6/4/2008 6:16:34 AM | | thanks heaps to you all!! we are getting our plans happening and the catch and eat seafood sounds like a must do!! im hoping we will have a great experience with the elephants - some operators arent that great- but the one we have chosen we have heard really good stuff about- so fingers crossed | |
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Posted: 6/5/2008 4:17:00 PM | Yes, Erawan and the other waterfalls around it are lovely.
Axim, did you head to Seuua Wat? It is a buddist temple where they keep tigers. You can wander with the tigers and other animals. From memory they are very strict on what colours you wear. You aren't allowed near the animals if you are wearing reds or "firey" colours.
Koh toa, pha nang, and samui are all lovely islands. Samui has changed out of site in the last 5 years. It has been attacked by the progress bug. Bo Put in the north of the Island would be my pick of places to stay on Samui. It is the old fisherman village.
Another Island I really enjoy is Koh Chang. It is about 4 hour bus ride east of Bangkok to the city of Trat. From Trat you take a 30 minute bus ride to the harbour and catch a ferry across to Trat. I usully stay in the south west of the island. Stop at the first major beach. I think it is called White Sands beach and hire a scooter then head south to find your own perfect beach bungalow. There is a floating village in the very south.
Chiang Mai is a lovely place and actually gets a little cool at times. Doi Suthep is a must see. I would personally stay inside the city walls and stay near the Tapae gates. There is some nice accomodatiuon at Moon Muang soi song. This will have you within walking distance to the night markets and other attractions.
About 3 hours north of Chiang Mai is Chiang Rai and the gateway to the Golden Triangle. stunning country and a lovely bus ride. Or you could catch a flight from Chiang Mai to Easan country, Udon Thani. From here is a short trip to the friendship bridge and a day trip to Laos. Udon has a reasonable shopping mall, a terrific night market. Good night market = excellent local food. I've stayed at a few places in Udon but bang for buck, Top Mansion was the best. A few hundred baht for a lovely clean room with a small balcony.
Axim was right about cambodia. Time permitting I'd think of going from Trat > Koh Chang > to Suhanukville(?) in the south of cambodia > Phenom Phen > catch a river boat to Seim Reap (Ankor region) > river boat to Battambang > Battambang to Palen > back into Chantaburi in Thailand > Bus to Bangkok.
The Seim Reap part is pretty adventurous but some lovely country. If you can find anyone in Palen speaking English you are doing well.
In Bangkok, you can catch the BTS skytrain to On Nut. It is nothing special but just a very nice place to wander around. On Nut is the last stop on the Asok line.
Have fun! | |
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Posted: 6/5/2008 7:06:54 PM | GuyInTSV - I read and heard about a Tiger Temple (think it's the same you're referring to)... but also read that originally it was only a 1-2 tigers being taken care by the monks since they were "orphans" but now it's more of a tourist spot now with lots of visitors and more tigers that they drug the tigers to keep them subdued. I've always been an animal person so this was a turn off for me and didn't go. I could be wrong though - I was just going by what I had read.
There is a place I think near Ayutthaya just north of Bangkok that has a bunch of monkeys that freely roam the area... these 4 girls I met showed me pix of their treehouse guestroom and there were monkeys everywhere outside! Just imaging staying a treehouse and on top of that little monkeys everywhere you turn!
We flew from Bangkok to Phenom Penn direct for $75 or so. It was the easiest method to get to Cambodia vs doing the road trip. Sihanoukville was ok (was nice to just lay on the beach though) but I learned and enjoyed the most in Phenom Penn and Siem Reap/Angkor.
Man I miss Thailand/Cambodia  - what I learned and experienced there can never be experienced in my regular life here at home... I really need to retire now and start living my life more! | |
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Posted: 6/5/2008 8:31:15 PM | thanks again - guyintsv - koh chang is one place that we have short-listed - we are also going to the tiger temples - my daughter has been there before and loved it - she found the monks to be utterly dedicated to the well being of the tigers - see how we go for time with ccambodia - if not this trip then next time!! and adventure is all good!!
we are not exactly the stay in the car type tourists lol
thanks for all ideas - im getting so impatient to go! | |
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Posted: 6/10/2008 3:00:36 PM | One of my favourite cities was Kanchanaburi (I was happy to see this place has already been mentioned!). If you get the chance, you should really stay at the River Kwai Jungle Rafts for a couple nights:
http://www.hotelthailand.com/kanchan/river-kwai-jungle-rafts/
It was so relaxing, the food and night-time entertainment was great, and during the day you can take long boats out to caves, or to shore to ride elephants, or even just swim off the dock. The water's not super clean, but it's still a lot of fun! | |
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Posted: 6/13/2008 4:38:41 AM | Where will you be?
If you're going to do water activities and don't own a waterproof camera, BUY DISPOSABLE ONES. For the rafting and such you can't take your camera with you lest you drop it in the drink, then you end up with a head full of memories and you're struggling to describe it to people. Like the bamboo rafting -- the rafts sit just below the surface of the water, so it looks like there are groups of people just standing there floating down the river. A strange and wonderous sight and something you really want a camera to capture. | |
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Posted: 6/13/2008 4:41:50 AM | The mountains and rivers around Chang Mai were spectacular.
Try the fruit -- mangosteen, langan, and rambutan. All three of them have an inedible rind covering sweet white flesh that is out of this world. The rambutan look like something you'd see Klingons eating in an episode of Star Trek, the langan look like a cross between a nut and a grape, and the mangosteen look like round, thick-skinned plums. Mangosteen are my favorite but all of them are delicious and in Thailand they're so cheap! I could buy a bagful at a roadside stand for about a quarter and just eat myself stupid. | |
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Posted: 6/13/2008 5:06:29 AM | Good call on the fruits EMS,
Lucky in Australia to get most of the great tropical fruits you can get in Thailand. One I haven't seen in Australia is Salak. Lovely fruit and like you mentioned it can be bought on the side of the road. It is the fruit of a salak swamp palm.
I'm thinking I need a holiday soon hehe..
cheers, | |
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| off to thailand!!
Posted: 6/14/2008 5:10:23 AM | Get your dental work done if you need it. Fast, inexpensive, and excellent quality. Then go and relax anywhere in Thailand. Southern Thailand beautiful. Koh Samui.  | |
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| off to thailand!!
Posted: 6/14/2008 12:44:53 PM | I've never been but I have a character of a friend who goes twice a year with the audience warm-up comedian from the old Johnny Carson Show. Like to be the proverbial fly on the wall. They go to Phuket. Someone from Phuket just put me on her fav list. thanks for the reminder, I need to check the profile.
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Posted: 6/16/2008 5:15:22 PM | | Personally I spent 4 days down in Pattaya Beach, it was AWESOME! It is only like $35 a night to stay in the Hard Rock 4 star hotel. Honestly I would go on an elephant ride through one of the jungles if I was you it was great we saw a lot of really cool stuff. | |
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Posted: 7/25/2008 10:05:24 AM | Re. elephants centres- the best of a number i've heard of is the 'Thai elephant conservation centre' called Fuk Luuk Chaang in Thai- on the road between Chiang Mai and Lampang.
It costs only 1500 THB per day (as of 2006) for all meals, accom etc. to stay there and learn to be an elephant handler- great experience! and such gorgeous animals!
If you have a chance and like to get off the beaten track i'd also recommend visiting the northeast of Thailand. Very friendly, relaxed atmosphere in that part of the country. Great if you like peace and quiet and some pleasant cities there too. An example is Nong Khai on the Mekhong river- stay in Mut Mee guesthouse in the centre of town by the river. | |
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Posted: 7/26/2008 3:30:52 PM | | thanks all for the ideas etc we are booked in at the elephant conservation centre and plan to spend a few days at chang mai then a island to snorkel and relax then back to bangkok to spen some time doing day trips from there- cant wait!! | |
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Posted: 7/31/2008 10:06:10 PM | The Jungle rafts FolkGirl recommends are a favourite of mine. A real getaway with no cars TV or anything except sightseeing, and a small Mon village. Really hospitable people.
Transprt is a tad more expensive now with higher fuel costs but I can post details of a really good driver with his own clean vehicle that runs on natural gas. He is very fair.
Places to visit. In Bangkok you must do a night-time dinner cruise. For an intimate evening go for the Loy Nava (they have a website, just google it). Otherwise the Wan Fah is good.
The seafood market on Soi 24 off Sukhumvit road is also a must... if you like seafood.
Chatuchak weekend market near Mo Chit BTS station has to be seen.
Shopping? Siam Paragon (Siam BTS) and MBK (National Stadium BTS)
The best restaurant in town is Ruen Mallika (in my opinion) at Soi 22 Sukhumvit road, [url]http://www.ruenmallika.com/[/url]
Why not see the katoey show "Cabaret" at the Asia Hotel? - every night. BTS Rachathewee. Just keep reminding yourself they are all men.
The nightmarket at Patpong Road is also worth seeing. Sala Daeng BTS. This is also the infamous red light area but you have a choice as to whether you just shop or whether you venture into a bar. At least you will know what all the fuss is about and maybe buy a DVD of next month's movie releases and a genuine immitation Rolex for $ 25.
Khao Yai is worth a visit. This is a large forest area with monkeys, reindeer, elephants and all manner of exotic birds, about three hours outside Bangkok. The driver I recommend to you later on here knows the place, and I can give clean accommodation info too at a good restaurant for under ThB 1,000 per night.
Down South, there are Krabi, the Pii Pii islands and Koh Chang that are worth visiting. Pattaya isn't worth bothering with unless you are Russian or into substance abuse, and I will reserve judgement over Phuket. | |
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Posted: 7/31/2008 11:07:44 PM | The taxi is 087 97 21534
or 02 883 6621
taxi drivers here are notorious for scams but this guy is genuine. | |
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| off to thailand!!
Posted: 8/1/2008 9:39:22 AM | The restaurant and rooms close to Khao Yai:
044-314236
The restaurant name is Baanmay chaynam | |
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