Thailand

[JapanRebel]

Im going to thailand for xmas and new yrs and i was wondering if anyone knew any good spots to visit while there??

[Allergic!]

Unrelated I know, but what part of Japan are you in?

[mr m]

Depends on what you want to do. South for sun, sand and all the rest. Up north is really beautiful and relaxing. If you get a chance to go to Pai which is a 4 hour bus journey from Chiang Mai. Beautiful place. Great place to chill. Also got lots of quirky bars and pubs. Paradise.

[Superdave]

Im going to thailand for xmas and new yrs and i was wondering if anyone knew any good spots to visit while there??

you'll get hundreds of "do's" so here's a few "don'ts" - Ko Samui and Phucket are both very developed and pretty seedy. They are also surrounded by other islands that are 20 times better. For Samui read Tao (my fav) and Panyang (full moon party). Phucket - read Phi phi.

Bangkok is a love it or hate it scenario. i loved it.

Drink the buckets. Don't lose your patience with the locals.

[JapanRebel]

Cheers for the replies.
Do ye think i should stay in Bangkok for xmas day or get out of there.
Was hoping to go to one of the islands for new years, where can i find out which island is holding a party etc.
Should i book accomadation now or can i easily find it when i get there?

Allergic I am living in north Japan near Sendai city, do you know it??

[De Facto]

http://thorntree.lonelyplan et.com/categories.cfm?catid =51

This forum is handy if you have any qs about Thailand. There is no need to book accomodation if you are only going to stay in beach huts, dont know what the story is with hotels though.

[JapanRebel]

Cheers de facto,

One more thing, how easy is it get access to the islands for those that have been there, and do most people speak english??

[Superdave]

Cheers de facto,

One more thing, how easy is it get access to the islands for those that have been there, and do most people speak english??

dude, it's a piece of piss travelling around thailand. it's easier than anywhere i've ever been - the states and Europe included. everyone speaks english, no transport company will rip you off coz there's too much competition - tis capitalism in it's purest state! Ferries are multiple each day, ko samui to pang nang is about an hour, ko tao an hour beyond that. Getting from bangkok to the islands takes about a 12 hour bus ride and 2 hour ferry. fly if you can afford it, tis not expensive.

every island has a party every night! tis thailand like!

the only time you'd need to pre book accommodation is if you're taking in a full moon in pang nang. but every night there is like a full moon party anyway. and then they have half moons, dark moons, etc. any excuse. you can't go wrong in thailand........ well ye can like, but watch for the adams apple!

[Allergic!]

Allergic I am living in north Japan near Sendai city, do you know it??
In Tokyo myself, I only know where Sendai is. Who did ya get flights with, half thinkin of taking off for the crimbo myself

[diamond_dog]

I wouldn't bother booking any places unless you plan on staying in nice hotels. If you are book thru www.asiarooms.com , they are quite cheap. If you are staying in backpacker places just turn up. You will always get a room at any time Thailand except had Rin before the Full Moon Party. i would recommend the Samui area for travelling.
Samui is develpoed but it is a great island, just get a scooter and drive around the island, its really nice. Spend some time on Koh Phnagna as well, it is the backpacker island and its class, Had Rin is a good party place, the other beaches like Thong nai Pan are really beautifull as well. The third island, Koh Tao is really beautifull and if you want to do diving then this is the place to go. Don't do a diving course on Samui or Phangan as it is more expensive and the water is not as good. You should really do you open water course, it class. it only costs about 8,000 baht for 4 days classes and diving and 5 nights accomidation.
The best way to get to samui is to fly with bangkok airways. The first flight 06:00 is only 2,000 baht (40 euros) and only takes an hour. The bus and boat combination takes about 18 hours and costs around 500baht. Yes its cheaper but its hell as well.
Bangkok is worth a few days but i wouldn't make a point of staying there for christmas. If you are on a budget or want to be around the backpacker scene then stay on Khao Sahn Road but for the love of God don't justt stay around that area. Get into the city centre. Check out the river and the shopping disctricts and the great Bangkok nightclubs. Also check out Patpong, its worth a look anyway. If you are not staying on a budget then hotels in Thailand are really good value for money. Splash out in Bangkok, youll only be there a few days anyway.

Anyway enjoy, Thailand is great.

[Pez123]

The Pink pussycat...


http://sophia.smith.edu/~jhubbard/2001/JPG/Alic001.JPG

[thegillabbeygowl]

Is there a Monsoon over there at the moment?

[JapanRebel]

Cheers for all the help lads, thinking about bookin the first night in a hotel near Khao San road, looks like a good spot, after a day or two then head down to the islands.
What is the best way to carry money over there, i mean is there a high pick pocket level and all that.

Allergic i dont know who im flying with, one of my buddies booked the flights. How long you been in japan, what you doing here?? Know any of the irish lads down there.

[Allergic!]

Allergic i dont know who im flying with, one of my buddies booked the flights. How long you been in japan, what you doing here?? Know any of the irish lads down there.
sure I'll pm ya

[thegillabbeygowl]

Will be there in 2 weeks.
Is it still pissing from the heavens out there?

[ho chi feen]

Cheers for the replies.
Do ye think i should stay in Bangkok for xmas day or get out of there.
Was hoping to go to one of the islands for new years, where can i find out which island is holding a party etc.
Should i book accomadation now or can i easily find it when i get there?



Don't bother booking accomodation anywhere. Go to Koh Phagnan for New Year's Eve- just like the full moon party, only bigger! You won't be able to get accomodation in Hat Rin (where the party is) but this is no bad thing. Stay on the far side of the island (West coast) at Hat Salat (Salad) or Hat Yao (Yaou/Yow)- the beaches are much cleaner, and you get the sun right into the evening. The bungalows out that direction are dirt cheap, and it shouldn't take more than half an hour to get to Hat Rin by a chartered or shared Sawngthaew (pick-up truck taxi), or by bike (although you couldn't pay me to travel up and down the almost vertical hills on the road between Thong Sala and Hat Rin by motorcycle- you might feel braver though). The main beach is Hat Rin (Hat rin lek, sunrise beach) is beautiful but I wouldn't swim there. Not after seeing the amount of barf, piss, beer and god only knows what else ends up in there every night either side of the Full Moon (or New years). The other beach, Hat Rin Noi is very shallow, and, basically, pretty shite.

Don't think you'll feel very festive staying in Bangkok for Christmas day. No bad thing, as far as I'm concerned, but if you want to feel a bit more of the Christmas spirit head to one the more touristy resort areas, such as Koh Samui, or Phuket- plenty of Expats who'd be celebrating. If that's your bag...

As somebody mentioned- Pai in Mae Hong Son province, about three hours from Chiang Mai, is a bit special. Bring something along the lines of a light sweater or tracksuit top if you're heading that far north. It can get ever so slightly chilly at that altitude in the evening, although it still bakes by day. Chaing Mai itself is also a bit special (though I prefer Bangkok- I like big city adventures), and if you find yourself up there definitely try and go on a trek.

From a personal perspective, I can't rate Koh Samet (4 hours east of Bangkok, 2 1/2 hours from Pattaya) highly enough. It's a national park, you pay a fee for the upkeep upon landing, and the beaches, aside from being spotless, are the nicest I've ever seen. And, internet rates aside, it's very cheap.

Koh Tao is great for diving, great full stop in fact.

Don't visit any of the provinces on, or adjacent to, the Malaysian border. Islamic unrest.

Don't even dream of booking accomodation, tours, internal transport or anything like that before you arrive (unless, in the case of accomodation, you go direct) as you'll pay well over the odds. I wouldn't even bother with buying anti-malarials (which you won't need unless you visit the area around the Cambodian and Lao borders, and even then only if you intend on allowing youself to be bitten by a gazillion mozzies), insect repellant, sunscream or toiletries- pop into any major pharmacy (or the Boots on Khao San Road) once you arrive.

If you've any other questions, PM. I was there for a month in 2002 and 2005, and for the best part of a six month jaunt in the region in 2003/4.

[ho chi feen]

Will be there in 2 weeks.
Is it still pissing from the heavens out there?

It's now entering the dry season, but the weather has been awful for much of the last week.

www.weather.co.uk

Even when it's rainy and stormy, even when it's rainy seaon, it's rare to have a day with nothing but raning. Usually it's downpours last 30 mins to 3 hrs, and of course it varies from place to place as there are many micro-climates.

[ho chi feen]

Cheers for all the help lads, thinking about bookin the first night in a hotel near Khao San road, looks like a good spot, after a day or two then head down to the islands.
What is the best way to carry money over there, i mean is there a high pick pocket level and all that.


Don;t worry about money or pickpockets as long as you're not stupid. Only carry what you need, and leave the bank card (or a credit card) in the hotel where practicable. This is only as a precaution- it's nowhere near as bad as Spain or Italy for pickpockets.

Plenty of good accomodation near Khao San. One place, although I'm not as mad about it as some, is D&D inn. I mean it's fine, it's not too expensive, and the rooms are grand, but it's not my cup of tea due to one past experience. It does, however, have a swimming pool complete with bar on the roof, which is fucking class. Around 550 baht for a single and 700 baht for a double last time I was there. Most of my mates swear by the gaff.

[Reef]

If I may I'll recommend somewhere on Ko Phan Ngan...

www.thansadet.com

It's called Mai Pen Rai bungalows. Run by a Thai guy, Teep, and his Scottish wife, Fiona. It's a secluded, quiet beach, clean and beautiful. Nice to stay somewhere pretty and not overrun with beer louts like Than Sadet. The restaurant serves the best food I've eaten in Asia. The bungalows are a tiny bit pricey (500B a night) but well worth it. Get the ones on the beach. I'd book ahead on the net if you know what dates you'll be there, no worries about using the credit card for them, honest people.

You need to get a jeep out there on a ridiculously shit road, but you can get a boat to the full moon/new years party, arrive in in style like...

And to top it all off the good man Teep sells weed and mushies behind the bar for a fair enough price. Good quality too.

What more could you want!

[JapanRebel]

Cheers again lads, i got an idea of where i want to go now and i think that should be good enough, dont want too many plans.

Reef that spot looks fairly class alright, cheers for that.