EPTThx
Bangkok
| Blogs > Tommie |
|
Tommie
China658 Posts
Thx | ||
|
mizU
United States12125 Posts
| ||
|
inReacH
Sweden1612 Posts
Hope you have a good trip! Traveling is really fun. | ||
|
Tommie
China658 Posts
On October 09 2011 18:37 mizU wrote: How old are you turning? 22 | ||
|
HereBeDragons
1429 Posts
Also, I'll try to give you a brief info on how to protect your own security. A lot of people get scammed/robbed in Bangkok if you don't know where you're going. | ||
|
Tommie
China658 Posts
| ||
|
HereBeDragons
1429 Posts
The locals will usually refer to you as a "Farang" (foreigner). The real name of the city is "Krungthep" if you hear these things don't get confused. The number for the tourist police is 1155. If you find yourself in trouble this number can help you (or 191 for the regular police). The main transport in the city will be the metros (the "BTS" skytrain and the "MRT" subway) and taxis. Try not to take buses because even I, myself, don't under stand them sometimes -.-. Metros are great, they're really clean, safe, and much easier to use. Be wary of taxis, I myself have never encountered one, but there's a small chance taxis will try to take you for a detour around the city then charge extra money for the meter or just straight up rob you if you're in a bad neighborhood. If the taxi doesn't press the meter, just leave. Tuk-Tuks (the 3wheeled taxis) are exotics that lots of foreigners like, but I find them rather expensive and often time, with crazy drivers(the thing has horrible balance). This is mostly me being paranoid, I make it sounds harsher than reality, but it's better to be safe than sorry. When shopping, if it's not a real shop (read=just a small stand with handwritten signs), you can usually negotiate for a lower price if you're charismatic enough ^_^. They'll often set a ridiculous price for tourists =\. A great place to shop would be either the downtown"Siam", or Chatuchak Market (it's called the weekend market with 15000+ shops from all over the country); take the metro to the Mo Chit station to get there. This is the map of the Bangkok metro network. Unlike in the Europe, you'll have to buy separate tickets for underground lines and "sky" lines. I forgot to mention that there's also an airport rail that'll take you to the city from the airport as well. This is quite new, and I left Bangkok before it was finished so I don't know much about it. People know tourists carry a lot of cash, so keep them secured to avoid baiting anyone. Don't bring out stacks of them at a time from you wallet. The 100 and 20 notes are the more commonly used ones. To explore the city in the cultural aspect, the must-see places would include obviously the Grand Palace and all the temples surrounding it. This is a virtual preview, and here are some photos (ignore the text). You'll notice there are clothing regulations for the palace as well (it's a culture thing, sorry!). If you'd like to see the whole of Thailand without actually traveling much, you could achieve that in one day (this is completely optional because it's gonna take up the whole day, it's actually quite far away from the city itself 1-2hrs depending on the traffic) by going to http://www.ancientcity.com/?q=/en/index. The entrance fee is about 10euros I think. I'll come back with more suggestions about places to visit later. The best part about Bangkok is actually the food! This one could go on forever so I'll post about this later specifically. I don't actually go clubbing that much in Bangkok. I felt that the atmosphere is not the same as in Europe (I currently live in France). However, I think this site has a decent list of suggestions. Before you walk into an alley, make sure you look around before stepping in. If it looks shady, don't go in. Avoid prostitutes, unless, well.... They're after one thing from you: money. This should be common sense, when in clubs/bars, because you're alone, don't get completely wasted. I'll finish this mini-guide later, but good luck and have fun with your travels! =) | ||
|
LoneWolf.Alpha-
123 Posts
| ||
|
Tommie
China658 Posts
I will remember 1155. I intend to visit bangkok for 5 days and then go to the area around Ko Chang to enjoy the scenery and relax. I heard about the floodings. I thought that usually monsoon season would be over by now but I guess I'm not lucky. But I hope it won't be too bad as I start in Bangkok, then go to Ko Chang and then I'll head north again, to Chang Mai. Maybe i'll take the train from bangkok to chang mai I'm not sure yet. Afterwards I'll head for cambodia. And then vietnam. | ||
|
HereBeDragons
1429 Posts
On October 09 2011 20:16 Tommie wrote: Wow, nice guide. Thank you so much man. I will remember 1155. I intend to visit bangkok for 5 days and then go to the area around Ko Chang to enjoy the scenery and relax. I heard about the floodings. I thought that usually monsoon season would be over by now but I guess I'm not lucky. But I hope it won't be too bad as I start in Bangkok, then go to Ko Chang and then I'll head north again, to Chang Mai. Maybe i'll take the train from bangkok to chang mai I'm not sure yet. Afterwards I'll head for cambodia. And then vietnam. I highly advise against taking the trains to Chaing Mai. It's going to take forever. Thai inter-city railways are vastly, vastly inferior to European rails. Taking a bus would be better, and even that is around 10hrs. If you don't have that much time then your best bet would be one of the low-costs airlines. I've flown with Nok Air before, it's not that bad, but don't expect any services. BKK-Chaing Mai is about 40 euro (1700 baht) round trips. if you book a few days in advance. I've been to Koh Chang before (literal translation: The Elephant Island). The beaches are nice, and the snorkeling trips are quite agreeable, but usually ends up with murky water due to the constant raining. I prefer snorkeling & scuba diving further down the south. | ||
|
Tommie
China658 Posts
 My mom took a train to chang mai last year and it was a ten hour trip. But a bus is fine too? I have about a month in thailand by the way. Is there a bus from bangkok to ko chang? | ||
|
HereBeDragons
1429 Posts
On October 09 2011 20:56 Tommie wrote: You mean on the peninsula? I dont wanna go snorkeling btw My mom took a train to chang mai last year and it was a ten hour trip. But a bus is fine too? I have about a month in thailand by the way. Is there a bus from bangkok to ko chang? A train from BKK-CM would be either 12, 14, or 15hrs depending on the type of the train, and a bus is 10 hours. The cost is relatively similar. Buses to the north usually departs from the Mo Chit bus station. There are several buses from Bangkok to the city of Trad, departs from the East Bus Station in Ekamai (Sukhumvit 63) every 2hrs or so, costs about ~250BHT (6 Euros) per trip, but it stops in the city and not the piers. If you think you can get your self to the pier take it. If not, there's exactly 2 bus from a company called "Bus 99" (รถบัส 99) that leaves at 7.45 and 9.45 everyday. It'll take you directly to the 4 piers. From one of the 4 piers, you can take a ferry across to Koh Chang. I usually go with the "Centre Point" Pier. The ferry is quite frequent (every hour) and costs about 160BHT (4 euros). Actually, I've never taken the bus to Koh Chang before, only roadtrips, so don't blame me if you get lost Edit: I almost for got this: the best thing I did in Koh Chang was to go watch fireflies at night! It was seaside restaurants that offers a service. I went kayaking in the canals, ate some nice food, and then once it was dark enough, they took us on a raft to go watch fireflies. It was really beautiful; you must be really, really quiet, and probably won't be able catch anything on an average camera unfortunately. I'm quite sure this depends on the mating season as well, but here are some photos I found online. | ||
|
Tommie
China658 Posts
 I would never blame you, you already helped me a lot Such detailed information xD. If you ever come to amsterdam will you make a blog post so I can help you out? I'm gonna pack the last few things now b bye | ||
|
HereBeDragons
1429 Posts
For the places I haven't mentioned in details: - if you like history the Bangkok National Museum is one of the largest museums in South-East Asia - Jim Thompson's house, a museum of its own about Thai silks. - The Vimanmek Palace, used to be a royal palace, but it now used as a museum and a place to hold royal events. Constructed exclusively from golden teakwood, and is more than a 100 years old. These 3 and the stuff I mentioned about are probably the highlights of Bangkok I can think off the top of my head. Have a nice trip! | ||
| ||
