Has anyone been in Thailand?
By livvy
@livvy092002 (1033)
Philippines
June 12, 2007 4:28am CST
Me and my friends are planning to visit Thailand next month.. Anyone who has been there and could tell us what's in store for us in that country?? We're pretty excited and what we look forward to as of now are the few things we knew about Thailand. We knew it has a lot of temples, floating market, and the elephant! We will do anything just to ride the elephant!! We also heard that the country has a lot of beautiful beaches, we'll check that out altough we won't be able to go to the popular Phuket beach... We are a little concerned about the food there? I don't know if the food there blends to our taste buds.. I would love to know the stories of you guys who have been to Thailand or maybe tips on how to make our visit there memorable and hassle-free...
1 person likes this
6 responses
@Amstardam (1348)
• United States
15 Jun 07
I am so jealous of you right now! I love Thailand! I lived there for a few months in 2004 and went back to visit for a few weeks in 2005. It is such a wonderful country. Yes, check out the beaches if you can. I'm sorry you can't go see Phuket but I've heard it's far from the most beautiful beaches there anyway. You should also check out a Muay Thai (thai boxing) match. They are very exciting and fun to see...the kid ones aren't as violent, yet still cool to watch. All the night markets are well worth going to...the biggest and best ones are in Chiang Mai, but I can't offer any advice there...I didn't get a chance to go to Chiang Mai. Chiang Rai (the northern most part) has many opportunities to ride Elephants! They have very cheap one and two hour rides for you to choose from. It's in a very beautiful area too. From Chiang Rai you can also go to the famouse Golden Triangle where three different countries meet. Bangkok has the backpackers haven Khao San Rd which is always nice for a visit...especially if you're into getting braids or dreads put in for cheap. (the street is lined with them!!) But seriously, there are many other fun things to do at Khao San Rd. It's also very close to the Grand Palace which I'm sure you are planning on visiting. That is the home of the emerald buddha which is awesome! Be sure to get a Thai massage! You can't leave Thailand without getting one. The cheapest I found was in Chiang Rai...it was like 2 hours for 4 dollars. Well worth it!! Enjoy your trip to Thailand. You'll never forget it!
@livvy092002 (1033)
• Philippines
20 Jun 07
Thank you so much Amstardam! I got extra, super excited when i have read your post! These things you shared will be very helpful for me in preparation for my vacation in thailand.. Thanks again and hope you can come back there.
PS i am curious, what do you mean about "backpackers"?
@Amstardam (1348)
• United States
20 Jun 07
Oh sorry I didn't clarify that! A backpacker basically is just one who travels. BP's travel cheap and are usually there to experience rather than just see things. Usually the people with the giant bags carried on their back. People who seek to be less of a tourist and more of a cultural explorer...I guess, ha! (although they're still qualified as a tourist!)
Khao San Rd has cheap, cheap clothing. There are a lot of restaurants, bars, night clubs and tons of youth hostels. There are a few tattoo (tota tattoo is great!) and piercing shops as well. It has internet cafes. This is the place to buy cheap DVD's and CD's too. There's a few book shops as well. You can also watch movies that are in theaters at a cafe. They just play them on a big screen in the open air. They are usually free. Hostels are a very cheap way to travel...some hostels you sleep in big dormitory rooms but most that I found in Thailand you get your own room and shower for less than $10 a night. Check out www.sawasdee-hotels.com. I stayed in two different Sawasdee Hotels by Khao San Rd and loved them both. They were safe too. It's also a good place to meet people.
@Amstardam (1348)
• United States
15 Jun 07
Oh yeah, don't worry about the food - it's amazing! You can get Pad Thai from all the street vendors (and I never got sick!) Chicken and sticky rice is also common. Sticky rice is a staple of Northern Thailand...be sure to try it! Papaya Salad is a spicy salad dish that is worth trying. A lot of their food is spicy but they usually tone it down for tourists unless you ask them not to (and even they will) but you can always add your own spice or be firm when telling them you want it spicy. They don't think we can handle their spice! You can find tons of western dishes there too if you're not into Thai food but why wouldn't you be? It's awesome! They have tons of pizza places too.
@kevsgirlalways (5883)
• Malaysia
12 Jun 07
which part of thailand are you going to visit? that's awesome! i went to bangkok last year, but it was just a short trip..just a weekend getaway..i would love to go to phuket though! and visit bangkok again too. but with all the things that's happening in thailand it's pretty scary haha..but i hope i'll be able to visit that country again in the future. have a nice and safe trip, take care!^_^
@djmarion (4898)
• Philippines
23 Jun 07
thailand is a great palce to visit, i personally recommend going to the temples like wat po, wat arun, wat phra keo, and also to royal palace, you can also visit the snake farm, if you like sea foods then i advice you to see seafoods restaurant. the foods are great and absolutely no msg.
till here, have a safe trip.:)
@laowai (136)
• United States
12 Jun 07
I spent two weeks in Thailand in February. Summer is a bad idea there... it's going to be really hot and humid. I went through Bangkok, Ayutthaya, Chiang Mai, and Ko Samet. Everything was great except Ko Samet--it was disappointing for the money. The temples are really cool and many of the smaller ones that are of interest are not mentioned on the tourist maps. Just walk around and explore everywhere. Most Thais are very friendly and helpful. But be careful of the tuk-tuk drivers with offers that sound too good--many will try to rip you off. Be firm in bargaining and you can get what you want for a good price (and always bargain).
@livvy092002 (1033)
• Philippines
13 Jun 07
Wow, thanks for the tips! We plan to go on a package tour so i hope we'll not worry so much about the tuk-tuk drivers.. and yes, i've heard that there are lots of goods to buy there at a good bargain. I dont know if the month of July is still a summer month there but here in the Philippines, its already rainy season. I really am excited and looking much forward to my Thai trip!:)
@ackars (1942)
• India
12 Jun 07
I have never been to there.But one of my friend went there with family during his summer hols.His uncle is there for the past 16 years.They are settled there.He says its a fantastic place to be.His uncle infact has married a thailand gal!!!
@livvy092002 (1033)
• Philippines
13 Jun 07
Wow, thais i think are beautiful people. I think they look a lot more like Filipinos also. :)
@yuanchang (474)
• Philippines
20 Jun 07
i've been there twice when i was younger. i love their spicy noodle soup with peanuts. a lot of their food have peanuts in it :). i like their cheap clothes and i love feeding the holy catfishes in the river.
