BeastMaster
Well-Known Member
Anything I must do while there? Any good beer to try?
Anyone been to Thailand?
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I haven't been, but I'm planning on it.
1) Get a bespoke suit
2) watch a muay thai fight
3) eat amazing food
4) I'd like to say that I won't, but I'd probably get a hooker
Stay away from the ladyboys. Unless that's your thing.
The beer there is "meh", but that's not why you go to Thailand. It's the food, people and other activities.
I lived in Bangkok for a summer in 1990 and then came back in 2000. Two different trips, in 1990, there was one week where I didn't see the sun, I partied, with local Thais, all night. Then again I was 19, in Bangkok for the summer.
In 2000, I was with my ex-wife and it was a whole other type of trip; more site seeing. Not as much partying.
Place to visit:
Bangkok. Get a guidebook and visit the sites. Go out in the night market, gogo-bars, Patpong streets, temples, day markets, floating markets, etc
Chang-mai: must visit Do-su-teep temple, old city and get a suit made
Koh Samui or Koh Panaga are cool beach islands in the south.
Pataya beach, I would avoid
I lived in Bangkok for a summer in 1990 and then came back in 2000. Two different trips, in 1990, there was one week where I didn't see the sun, I partied, with local Thais, all night. Then again I was 19, in Bangkok for the summer.
In 2000, I was with my ex-wife and it was a whole other type of trip; more site seeing. Not as much partying.
Place to visit:
Bangkok. Get a guidebook and visit the sites. Go out in the night market, gogo-bars, Patpong streets, temples, day markets, floating markets, etc
Chang-mai: must visit Do-su-teep temple, old city and get a suit made
Koh Samui or Koh Panaga are cool beach islands in the south.
Pataya beach, I would avoid
arturo7
Well-Known Member
Eat
I went to Bangkok for a long weekend and Phuket for a week, both with missus Marshman. We ate ourselves silly. We took a river dinner cruise, took in all the temples at night, and a daytime tour that involved some river cruising and some bussing, and included the 3 temple area (can't remember what it's called right now) as well as Temple of the Dawn. Some lite market touring and Missus Marshman disappeared into a mall for several hours. The royal longboats are pretty cool.
Spent the week in Phuket the summer after the Tsunami. The folks were pleasant and helpful. Took a cruise out to Phi Phi islands (which was very cool but a long boat ride both ways), but mostly we hung out on the beach and snorkeled. Saw my first live, untanked shark out at Phi Phi, but he was run off by a grouper a foot longer than he was.
The beer is virtually all of the Asian Pilsner Variety, none was particularly noteworthy except in it's ability to not interfere with your food flavors. I believe Singha is the national beer, but there are a few other options available, though I recall them all being pretty interchangeable.
Enjoy
Spent the week in Phuket the summer after the Tsunami. The folks were pleasant and helpful. Took a cruise out to Phi Phi islands (which was very cool but a long boat ride both ways), but mostly we hung out on the beach and snorkeled. Saw my first live, untanked shark out at Phi Phi, but he was run off by a grouper a foot longer than he was.
The beer is virtually all of the Asian Pilsner Variety, none was particularly noteworthy except in it's ability to not interfere with your food flavors. I believe Singha is the national beer, but there are a few other options available, though I recall them all being pretty interchangeable.
Enjoy
Nikkimaija
Well-Known Member
Snorkeling is amazing and there's lots really close to shore and close to the surface. Great scuba if that's your thing (not for me but hubby loves it!) We visited Koh Nangyuan and Koh Phangan, both on the South China Sea side.
In Chiang Mai the Sunday night market is great, better than the regular nightly tourist market, more locals, better prices. One of the temples has a Monk Chat night where you can go and visit with the monks, guys from all over SE Asia. They practice their English and you get to hear about their daily lives - their form of Buddhism is very relaxed and being a monk is something most young men do for a few months, not necessarily a lifetime commitment.
Eat from food carts and streetside stands...be willing to try anything. I had some smoky sausage on a stick with some kind of rice noodle in it that was awesome, as well as mysterious vegetables that looked like giant capers in green sauce. The vendor claimed I'd hate it. It was weird but good!
Massages are fantastic, cheap and generally are actually massages not anything more, uh, exotic. It's like a form of passive yoga where the masseuse not only kneads but twists and manipulates your spine and body. They're painful in the moment but you feel great afterwards.
+1 to everyone who says the beer is not notable. It is, however, plentiful.
In Chiang Mai the Sunday night market is great, better than the regular nightly tourist market, more locals, better prices. One of the temples has a Monk Chat night where you can go and visit with the monks, guys from all over SE Asia. They practice their English and you get to hear about their daily lives - their form of Buddhism is very relaxed and being a monk is something most young men do for a few months, not necessarily a lifetime commitment.
Eat from food carts and streetside stands...be willing to try anything. I had some smoky sausage on a stick with some kind of rice noodle in it that was awesome, as well as mysterious vegetables that looked like giant capers in green sauce. The vendor claimed I'd hate it. It was weird but good!
Massages are fantastic, cheap and generally are actually massages not anything more, uh, exotic. It's like a form of passive yoga where the masseuse not only kneads but twists and manipulates your spine and body. They're painful in the moment but you feel great afterwards.
+1 to everyone who says the beer is not notable. It is, however, plentiful.
Captain_Bigelow
Well-Known Member
I am going for the first time in March. Spending a week on Phi Phi Island then finish off in Bangkok for a couple of days.
The beer is all garbage, but it doesn't much matter in a paradise like that. Incredible food at every turn for cheap (beer actually costs more than the food sometimes). Find some off-the beaten path places and you'll love it. Oh, and you can get all kinds of "substances" there, but be careful, The police do random spot checks on the roads, and if you do get caught doing something you shouldn't, pay your way out of it on the spot.
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BeastMaster
Well-Known Member
Sambuca is no ones friend.
Other than that it was the best 3 days of my life.
Other than that it was the best 3 days of my life.
droopy77
Member
spent time in phuket years ago. it is sin city but soooooo much fun! was suprised to meet a guy that his entire job was to clean up road kill... of any kind. lots of people, lots of booze, lots of ....sociable women bringing you booze, all adds up to needing a road kill guy. a very enjoyable city to spend some time in but not a place for the righteous minded
kjung
Well-Known Member
Slightly 
...
I just worked with a guy for three days (the longest month of my career!) who told me about how he met a Thai woman on-line, and flew to Bangkok to marry her. (She insisted on getting married there, instead of flying back to Chicago to do it.) Then he brought her back here to live.
Can anyone guess how this story ends??? (And yes, it actually WAS a woman.)
...I just worked with a guy for three days (the longest month of my career!) who told me about how he met a Thai woman on-line, and flew to Bangkok to marry her. (She insisted on getting married there, instead of flying back to Chicago to do it.) Then he brought her back here to live.
Can anyone guess how this story ends??? (And yes, it actually WAS a woman.)
