Vacation Tips Thread- Bangkok

Darlan

So, in a little less than a month I will be traveling to Bangkok for vacation, and I'm interested in any tips on things I shouldn't miss and things I ought to look out for. I'm farily inexperienced in international travel, and don't speak much Thai, but will have a friend there who has been living there for a few months.

I'm interested in any sights, cultural landmarks, customs to look for for (for example, tipping?) and gift ideas for the folks back home, and anything else you'd care to mention about such a trip--any thoughts?

Thanks!

finral

The good news is not only is Thailand totally awesome, you can get by without knowing the language pretty well. Tourism is one of the largest industries in the country, and a lot of that comes from English speaking nations. There will be plenty of cab drivers, waiters, hotel staff, and others who speak English.

If you're looking for a cheap place to stay, Khao San Road is the major backpacker tourist hub in Bangkok. Its super touristy, but kind of fun at the same time. Cheap hostels, cheap food, lots of people, cheap wares, lots of fun. I've always like hostelworld.com for booking rooms. For major stuff to do, its almost easier just to say take a look at some guidebooks or on the internet. Can't go wrong with a Lonely Planet. There are tons of statues, temples, and other cultural landmarks to go check out, as well as plenty of things a short distance out from the city. The Grand Palace is definitely one of the must sees, and its not too far from Khao San Road. Another idea would be to go watch a Muay Thai fight if you're into martial arts at all.

Depending on how long you are there, you should get outside of the city. Two weeks is probably too long of a time for just Bangkok. You can take a bus into Laos or Cambodia, or if you're feeling like the beach, head down to Koh Phi Phi (gorgeous) or one of the other beach island destinations.

For general advice, no tipping, most nations in the world don't tip. Also, don't ever say anything negative about the Thai monarchy, Thais take that super seriously, and I believe its actually illegal. Keep your wallet close, there are a lot of thieves in Asia in general. Don't be afraid to haggle for things in street markets. I've found the best approach in Thailand is to keep the haggling light and friendly. Anyway, that some stuff that comes to mind at the moment. Have fun, its a great place for a trip!

Dracil

If you can, learn the Thai numerals. One thing you may not know as a tourist (but is known to those who've lived there a while) is that they practice price discrimination against foreigners. Ex. the parking ticket a department store will say like 20Baht/hour in Thai, but the price will be 40Baht/hour in English. Though I haven't been back in many years so this may or may not have gotten better.

Also, you may be able to get some of the VAT (basically sales tax) back at the airport if you keep your receipts.

Jinn

Yes to all that ^^^

One note: crossing the land border between Thailand and Cambodia was one of the biggest pains in my ass I've ever experienced in my travels. I got swindled and scammed at every turn and the line to go through customs took 4 hours. Just be careful how you arrange your crossing. Siem Reap was really cool and of course Angkor Wat is simply awesome so it's worth it, but just be careful. DO NOT convert any hard currency into Cambodian riel. It's literally next to worthless and even the Cambodians don't want it (they prefer USD) and if you accidentally get back to Thailand with 900,000 riel (roughly $220) reputable banks won't change it and you'll have to hunt the seedy sections of Sukhumvit to find someone to buy the currency off you at a ridiculous rate (this is what I did, it was not fun). You will get swindled or scammed at some point (as noted tourism is more like THE industry and at times it can feel like the entire native population is conspiring to wring as many greenbacks out of you as possible). Just be smart and if it sounds too good to be true, it certainly is. Most transactions are less than $20 USD though, so at worst a cab driver might get an extra fiver off you if you're not on your toes (insist they turn on the meter, or agree on a fixed price ahead of time), it's dealing in larger transactions and especially making travel arrangements through any sort of 'agency' when you really need to watch it.

Oh and when you're walking around Bangkok and you see the little drink carts selling unmarked bottles of orange juice, BUY THAT SHIT. Fucking delicious.

finral

Yeah, very good point on the scams. It didn't take too long for me to get across the border to Cambodia, but I sure did get swindled on the way across. It might also be worth pointing out, only drink bottled water! Tap water will probably make you sick. Many people also advise to not drink anything with ice in it, or at least not at cheaper places, because the ice is probably made with tap water.

Darlan

Yeah, pretty much everyone I've talked to about the trip has warned about various scams or another, it's a shame. Thankfully I have a friend there who has an apartment, so I'll be sleeping on the couch instead of a hotel I think. Thanks for all of the tips so far, much appreciated!

LaPuzza

Bangkok is the best, easiest trip ever, not counting the flight. Everyone but the cabbies speak English (take a card with your address to get back safe), and the water is so bad that not even the locals would drink it. They are also, in my limited experience, the nicest people on earth.

As for customs, the biggest one is don't say anything bad about the king. Not even a joke. They love the King in a way that is amazing to see, but that means that its bad news to say his glasses look funny. Just don't. The language is to difficult to learn any of it other than a few words, and even that is hard. And I think patting someone's head is bad.

Look at the tours run by Destination Asia, even if you just go on your own. The Grand Palace was incredible. The big thing I regret not doing was going to Jim Thompson's house.

Silk stuff is cheap and cool there. Silk scarves and accessories are good gifts. Spend a couple bucks and you can get a custom suit in 24 hours, which is awesome.

If you are looking for something outside the city for a second leg of the trip, Phuket is really beautiful. Pi-Pi Island is the mot beautiful place on Earth, and there's great diving nearby.

You're going to love it. Enjoy.

Darlan

Thanks again for all of the advice! I really enjoyed the trip, it's a beautiful place with refreshingly laid back people on the whole, and I didn't get scammed except for a guy short changing me on a water bottle purchase and then continually playing dumb while I insisted on my change, but it was like 5 bhat difference so I eventually let it go. It's certainly good to be able to drink from water from the sink again!

Some unfortunately oversized pics I took for those interested:


Even the dogs just want to lounge in a chair that's in front of fan in this heat!




All taken on my old iPhone 4! Man, phone cameras are defiantly adequate for non-professional stuff these days.

Pantshandshake

I really enjoy that dog that thinks he's people. Nice pictures.