Thailand for 4 weeks starting in Bangkok

aka_Ciaran

Hi all...I'm going to Thailand for approx 4 weeks next week. The plan is to spend a few days in Bangkok then to travel around. Would like to see some sights but also do a fair bit of socialising (ok drinking). I'm just starting to do my research now so would be good to get some feedback. Can anyone recommend:

a) good reasonably priced hostels in central Bangkok
b) things to do/see in Bangkok
c) islands/towns to visit that are fairly lively yet not too trashy or totally crawling with backpackers
d) reasonably priced hostels in above islands/towns

Any other tips/thoughts/ideas greatly appreciated...ta muchly.

breadmonkey

aka_Ciaran wrote:

Hi all...I'm going to Thailand for approx 4 weeks next week. The plan is to spend a few days in Bangkok then to travel around. Would like to see some sights but also do a fair bit of socialising (ok drinking). I'm just starting to do my research now so would be good to get some feedback. Can anyone recommend:

a) good reasonably priced hostels in central Bangkok
b) things to do/see in Bangkok
c) islands/towns to visit that are fairly lively yet not too trashy or totally crawling with backpackers
d) reasonably priced hostels in above islands/towns

Any other tips/thoughts/ideas greatly appreciated...ta muchly.

If you're looking for places without many backpackers you certainly won't find them on any of the islands I know of in Thailand but that's where the most hardcore drinking can be done! Tbh, I wouldn't bother researching hostels ages in advance except maybe for when you arrive in Bangkok. I can't really remember any offhand! Actually, there's a place called 'Soi 11' I THINK (defo something 11, I know soi means side road or similar), which looked really really cool but we were unable to get a room there at the time. It's off Th. Sukhumvit not Khao San so it depends what you mean by 'central'. Get a Lonely Planet and start reading!

empirix

Don't bother booking any rooms in advvance - get a taxi(buy a ticket from the taxi stand OUTSIDE (not inside) the airport and either ask for Khoa san rd(backpacker heaven - all budgets of accomodation around and easy to get a room) or ask to be taken to sukhumvit(central Bangkok i.e. the main city hub) you will pay more for basic accomodation in this area as its the main shopping area and all the top clubs are based here(bear in mind this is a damn big stretch) soi does indeed mean side road, so when getting around you would usually say Sukhumvit and then soi 17 etc, meaning side rd 17 (obviously say this if you know where your going etc).Might be a better idea to head to Khoa san rd for the first few nights as it will be much easier(less daunting!) to find somewhere to stay quickly and also to get used of Bangkok, its polluted, its smelly but its a damn cool(but a very big place) and then maybe move into Sukhumvit. Plus on Khoa san theres plenty of backpackers having beers and its handy to find out information.

As for where to go, in Bangkok, the grand paace(wasnt that impressed to be hionest), get a map with all the sights on it(free in guesthouses etc) and then a tuktuk and point towhere you want to go, will only cost you 100 baht for 3 or 4 hours provided you stop off in some of his places, tailors, jewellers etc - he will get free petrol vouchers off them for bringing you there - you doin't have to buy anything, just helping the tuk tuks out but be firm and don;t go everywhere he suggests, just one or two places is cool, yeah.

Some of my faves, Theres a hotel with i think its called the Sky bar(research this cant really remember name), basically its a bar with a view of the whole of Bangkok - pretty cool at nighttime but you need a shirt and shoes etc to get in. I enjoyed the snake museum, pretty old but the King Cobra show was damn cool what a beautiful creature, the weekend market is a must (katachuk market or something like that) for buying stuff and you'll need a good half day/day toget around it - tis huge. QBAR to meet some ladies - not bar girls. Patpong - to see lady boys and lots of prostitues in bars/whore houses, bar dancing and anything dirty - we found it safe, although the girls will try it on with or without the company of her indoors. Also just jump on a bus, it only costs 5c or something and hop off whereever you feel like, we done this for a day and ended up in some really cool places a lot of people don't see - felt safe. Chinatown is interesting and supposedly cheap for anything gold.

Outside Bangkok - Pattaya for the girlies if thats nyour thing, cover up and don't get too pissed etc around em.
Phuket for beaches and girlies again.

Outside Bangkok,Our personal faves were Chaing mai up north(do a jungle trek) and then Phi Phi island down sth, paradise for me, i loved it and so did the missus, we have been back already. Yeah theres a good few backpackers but not as many as most of the other islands but still a lot of em.

Anyways, enjoy!

aka_Ciaran

Nice one cheers to you both for that...some good tips there. One thing I forgot to mention is malaria. I got shots for typhoid and hep A, and got a prescription for malaria tablets. There were 2 types recommended, Doxycycline and Malarone. Doxycycline is older and has more side effects, needs to be taken for 4 weeks after exposure, but is cheaper. Malarone is newer with less side effects and only needs to be taken for a week after exposure, but is more expensive. I don't intend to do any trekking and will be spending most of my time is malaria free areas, but I may decide to venture into Laos or Vietnam which are not safe.

Does anyone have experience with malaria drugs? Is there a need to sleep with a mosquito net in non affected areas?

Thanx again.

killbillvol2

A few random thoughts. The hotel with the sky bar is the Baiyoke Sky. If you've got about €30 a night to spend on accomodation stay there. Breakfast on the 79th floor is worth it alone!

Definitely go to the Snake Museum.

While I hate the Khao San Road it's a good place to get your bearings for a couple of nights. Bangkok is overwhelming on a first visit.

Chatuchak market at the weekend is mind-boggling.

Personal favourites over 4 trips: Chiang Mai, Mae Hong Son (totally quiet, no foreigners, middle of nowhere, chiil out), Kanchanaburi (west of BKK, take a day trip to Erawan waterfall and death railway), Sangkhlaburi (further west, near Burma, really middle of nowhere!). Phi Phi is nice, Samui more developed but lively, plenty of info on smaller islands from other travellers. Krabi on west coast was lovely but haven't been since tsunami - it got hammered so don't know how they've recovered.

Personally preferred Rough Guide to Lonely Planet - one of them would be handy.

Malaria's not really an issue in most of Thailand or Vietnam. Can't remember about Laos. You can get Doxycycline over the counter in BKK for a lot less than here. I'm not sure if you can get malarone, someone else may have up-to-date info. I took Doxycycline on a trip about 6 years ago when I spent a lot of time off the beaten track. Only side effects were a very minor upset stomach and I believe it reduces your resistance to UV rays. (It pissed rain for about 3 weeks on end so I can't confirm this!).

Enjoy!

breadmonkey

This has been discussed in a few threads I think. (do a search if you haven't already done so).

If you're only going for 4 weeks get Malarone. Spending a week in a malarial zone and then taking Doxy for another month is ridiculous. DON'T buy your tablets in Thailand as there is a very high chance they will be counterfeit. (Malarone cannot be bought in SE Asia anyway).

breadmonkey

Taken from http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn9327

New Scientist wrote:

Trade in fake malaria drugs is booming

* 17:00 13 June 2006
* NewScientist.com news service
* Roxanne Khamsi

Counterfeit malaria drugs are increasing in number and will continue to claim lives unless more action is taken, say researchers.

The percentage of over-the-counter artesunate tablets containing no active ingredient increased from 38% to 52% in mainland Southeast Asia between 1999 and 2004, says Paul Newton at the University of Oxford, UK, whose team has been analysing the problem.

They used these counterfeit holograms (pdf file) attached to "artesunate" packaging to establish that there are now at least 12 different types of fake artesunate circulating in Southeast Asia.

Evidence suggests that criminals are using production on an industrial scale to make the counterfeit drugs. Newton says that one large pharmacy, for example, inadvertently sold 100,000 counterfeit artesunate tablets.
Murder for profit

“We make no apology for the use of the term manslaughter to describe this lethal criminal trade. Indeed, some might call it murder,” says Newton, in a policy analysis published this week in PLoS Medicine.

“The criminals are making these fakes in the full knowledge that their ineffective product might kill people who would otherwise survive their malaria infection.”

Newton points to the case of a 23-year-old Burmese man who died in February 2005 after being diagnosed with a straightforward case of malaria. Doctors prescribed him tablets thought to contain artesunate, but later tests revealed the medication as counterfeit.

A further investigation showed that the hospital’s entire stock of the drug, which it had purchased in good faith, was fake.

The push for combination drug treatments to fight malaria may create an even greater opportunity for criminals to profit from the sale of counterfeit drugs, warns Newton. Making legitimate combination treatments cheaper could be one way to stop this happening.

Since tourists visiting malaria-prone countries often buy anti-malaria tablets while they are out there, travel clinics should warn people visiting the tropics of the risks of fake tablets, Newton adds.

Journal reference: PLoS Medicine (DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.0030197.g001)

killbillvol2

You can buy 100% legit pills in BKK, for example in Boots (not known for counterfeit drugs unless breadmonkey knows something I don't). Not only that, but pharmacists in the major chains are highly qualified and speak excellent English. A great source of info.

breadmonkey

Did you actually read that article?

killbillvol2

breadmonkey wrote:

Did you read that article?

Yes. Do you understand the difference between the treatment and prevention of malaria? Artesunate tablets and injections are used to treat people after they have contracted malaria. Malarone and doxycyclene are prophylactics. (How effective they are is another issue).

Having travelled extensively in the area over many years I'm well aware of the dangers of counterfeiting in all areas of life. Dealing with large multinational companies is a simple precaution against counterfeiting.

breadmonkey

AFAIK malarone is also used as treatment.

Anyway, OP use your own judgement. Personally I don't think it's worth the risk.

And btw, I know what your saying about multinationals but if the hospitals are being supplied with fake drugs, it's hardly inconceivable that it could happen to boots.

killbillvol2

breadmonkey wrote:

AFAIK malarone is also used as treatment.

Correct. I never want to see it from that perspective though! :eek:

Afuera

breadmonkey wrote:

Tbh, I wouldn't bother researching hostels ages in advance except maybe for when you arrive in Bangkok. I can't really remember any offhand! Actually, there's a place called 'Soi 11' I THINK (defo something 11, I know soi means side road or similar), which looked really really cool but we were unable to get a room there at the time. It's off Th. Sukhumvit not Khao San so it depends what you mean by 'central'. Get a Lonely Planet and start reading!

Sounds like you're talking about Suk11. http://www.suk11.com/

I'd definately recommend this as an oasis in the midst of all the chaos in BKK. I've made it my home on a few ocassions when I was wandering through. You would definately need to book it in advance though as they don't take in people wandering off the street.

nj23

was in thailand twice in the last two years but only for about 2 weeks each time. One of the highlights was jungle trek in chiang mai.

Liked Phi Phi first time i went 2005 and went back there last year and thought it had changed a lot. the relaxed vibe just wasnt the same. i was there in july which is not a great time weather wise so maybe it'll be better when there are blue skies and sunshine. the place was still busy though, even though it was a cloudy most days.

went to a place called railay which is in krabi and loved it. small place, gorgeous beach on one side, the other side the beach is crap but that's where the bars are. only about 6 or 7 bars though.
You can only get to railay by longtail boat takes about 15-20 mins from what i remember.

koh samui is certainly commercialised but if you're looking for a week of nice beaches, lots of restauratns and bars and nice hotels, its a good place to go. I have to say i liked it. it can feel a bit like any other resort but beaches etc make up for it.

Thailand is also really cheap which is a great bonus.

Paid quick visit to Koh lanta but it was off season there in july, awful weather and nowhere open. we didnt stay long (i night and left next morn) so i cant comment what its like during high season in good weather.

The beach in phuket is nice but lots and lots of hookers in the bars at night. it was a quiet time when we were there so there were about 4 hookers to every person. i've seen men run from bars to get away from them. it might sound like some people's dream but walking into an empty bar with about 40 prostitues vying for your attention might not be everyone's thing.

breadmonkey

Afuera wrote:

Sounds like you're talking about Suk11. http://www.suk11.com/

I'd definately recommend this as an oasis in the midst of all the chaos in BKK. I've made it my home on a few ocassions when I was wandering through. You would definately need to book it in advance though as they don't take in people wandering off the street.

That's the one!