Thailand - budget

kraggy

Hi folks,

going to Thailand in summer and was wondering how much i would need a week to live comfortably.

Not looking at 4/5 star hotels but am looking at few beers every night and eating thai food all the time.

anyone there at the moment?

thanks a lot!

tinkerbell

There are a few Thailand threads on here already - I remember reading them before. Do a search and you may find one of them. As far as I know, it's dirt cheap over there for food and stuff. Hotels are cheap as well. Two friends of mine went to Phuket a year ago and stayed in a 4 or 5 star place (it was a honeymoon resort even though they weren't on a honeymoon, so you can imagine the place was fab!), and it was insanely cheap.

I am MAN

What does "going for the summer" mean? How many weeks exactly?

I spent 1500 last year in a month and stayed in very nice accomadation plus drank/ate out and smoked weed every night/had a motorbike most days/was not restricted at all.

Give me some more details on your journey and i'll be happy to answer any questions you have...

Mark.

kraggy

arriving July 17th, leaving August 18th.

5 full weeks in all. starting in Bangkok for the first two nights, then flying down for Full Moon Party. Staying in Ko Phangan for 7 nights then haven't a clue after that.

booking accomodation for FMP and have paid for internal flight already.

would €300 a week be enough?

would like to rent motorbike the occasional day but not every single day.

how much are weed and other things over there, especially for the Full Moon Party?

thanks man,

k

I am MAN

kraggy wrote:

arriving July 17th, leaving August 18th.

5 full weeks in all. starting in Bangkok for the first two nights, then flying down for Full Moon Party. Staying in Ko Phangan for 7 nights then haven't a clue after that.

booking accomodation for FMP and have paid for internal flight already.

would €300 a week be enough?

would like to rent motorbike the occasional day but not every single day.

how much are weed and other things over there, especially for the Full Moon Party?

thanks man,

k

300 a week should be fine although you may spend more some weeks. I would not recommend starting your trip in Thailand by staying in Koh Phangan for a full week because 3-4 days is more than enough time to spend in Phangan. There isn't a whole lot to see on the Island and you won't get the same taste for Thailand off it, like ya would in Koh Samui. Alot of people just go over to Koh Phangan for the night from Koh Samui.
I'm guessing the flights are costing you about 60-80 euro altogether?. It is possible to get over night bus/train with connecting boat for under 20 euro. You will be arriving at your destination by the crack of dawn if you get the train/boat ticket and the train has sleeping beds. Travelling through Thailand isn't a problem because you can get anything out of the pharmacy to help you sleep(xanax/valium)
Most people don't drink beer or bottles while in Thailand and especially at the full moon party. In Thailand you get buckets of whiskey that contain a shoulder(350ml) of Thai whiskey, redbull(Thai redbull has amphetamine type stuff in it and comes in a medicine like bottle) and a can of coke with a load of ice. The first night I drank the buckets I was up all night and swimming the next morning but don't drink too much because they will make you crazy!. On Phangan there are a few bars that sell Mushroom shakes but my favourite one was at the end of the beach in this bar that's kind of at the edge of a cliff and looks like Santa's grotto(you can't miss it), they sell mushroom shakes for 500bht(tenner) that taste lovely. I don't know any set locations to buy weed but you just come across it while talking to other backpackers so I wouldn't worry about that at all.
You have 5 weeks so that's plenty of time to see alot. The places most people visit and backpackers go are Bangkok(obviously), Chang Mai, Pattaya, Phuket, Krabi, Koh Samui, Koh Tao, Koh Phi Phi, Laos(country up top), Cambodia(Siem Reap, Angkor) and Vietnam. I would recommend going to Koh Samui, Koh Tao, Phi Phi, Laos, Cambodia, Phangan, pattaya, Phuket. Motorbike rental should be no problem in any of the locations mentioned above except for Phi Phi which has no roads(never had roads) and is damaged at the moment but still worth checking out. Bikes with gears cost 150bht(3 euro) a day to rent and automatic cost 200bht(4 euro), their is a lot of different bikes available for rent but the standard that most people rent is the "Honda wave 115cc". Great little things

If you have anymore questions just ask. I'll be in Phangan for the full moon party in July so I might cya there

Mark

kraggy

Deadly!

thanks so much for all that info.

was just thinking bout staying 7 nights cause the accommodation we've been checking out have been saying that 7 night stay is minimum to guarantee booking. but i'm thinking now bout just heading over from samui for the night and going back on the boat next morning wired.

can you recommend anywhere to stay on samui?

thanks again man.

I am MAN

kraggy wrote:

Deadly!

thanks so much for all that info.

was just thinking bout staying 7 nights cause the accommodation we've been checking out have been saying that 7 night stay is minimum to guarantee booking. but i'm thinking now bout just heading over from samui for the night and going back on the boat next morning wired.

can you recommend anywhere to stay on samui?

thanks again man.

Well most hotels/huts on Phangan that say stay 2 days before full moon and 2 days after it are just trying to ensure they get business but rumour has it if you just arrive anytime, you will find accomadation no problem. The type of places that want these type of bookings are generally the places to avoid that are right beside the action, Do you want to hear and feel bass lines through the bed when you're trying to sleep at 10 the next morning?. There are plenty of place's just outside of Haad Rin that will accomadate you no problem and when I say just outside of Haad Rin I mean a 10 min drive so it's nothing really.
As for Samui, I would recommend staying in Lamai because it's a nicer area for during the day and the beaches are nicer. Chaweng is a more built and more westernised part of Samui. Don't get me wrong though, Lamai has plenty to do during the day with a huge stretch of road with shops/restraunts/mcdonalds/bars/clubs and even thai boxing on it. I always found the nightlife in Lamai excellent and Chaweng is only a 15 minute "Tuk Tuk" or taxi ride away anyway so once again it's not a problem. You get the best of both worlds staying in Lamai.

Take a look at the map below, it is a map of Lamai. I would recommend staying in the Bill Resort because the service is excellent and the huts are absolutely gorgeous(satelite tv too). The rooms are 16 euro per night so thats 8 euro each and it's well worth it in my opinion but you can get cheaper.

http://www.samui.org/map/map-c3.html

Try choose accomadation on the map anywhere between "Green Canyon" to the Police station listed at the top of the road. That is the area you want to be in and not much further away.

Don't hesitate to ask anymore, I get excited thinking about going in a few weeks and having to remember it all.

Mark

The Free Man

hey guys, me and some friends will be heading over at the same time, will be our first time there, so maybe we could sort something out and meet up over there.

kraggy

yeah, sure we can think about it...

i'm sure we'll spot eachother over there anyway being the pink paddy's that we are, even though there'll be thousands dancing away.

can't feckin wait...

I am MAN

Sounds good,

I'll meet up no problem around Samui/Phangan or if our paths cross anywhere else.

Mark.

The Free Man

i just found out i wont be there for the july full moon party, but i mite bump into yall anyway.
u cant miss me, a 6'6'' pink skinned freak with a red afro!


btw could you tell me about visas, how much do they cost?

and wat about vaccinations?

I am MAN

The Free Man wrote:

i just found out i wont be there for the july full moon party, but i mite bump into yall anyway.
u cant miss me, a 6'6'' pink skinned freak with a red afro!


btw could you tell me about visas, how much do they cost?

and wat about vaccinations?

When you go to the country you are automatically given a 30 day tourist visa. If you are leaving Thailand during the first month of travel to go to Cambodia/Laos/Vietnam...etc, then you will not need to apply for any additional visa.
If you do not intend on leaving the country at all then you can apply for a visa in the Thai embassy located in London but I don't have the contact details for that unfortunately.
The injections vary depending on where you plan on going so the best bet is to just visit the doctor and he/she will be able to determine which ones you need. My injections last year cost 113 euro altogether if I remember correctly and don't make the mistake and say "ah f/uckit I won't bother getting them".

Also I forgot to mention above you can renew your visa in Thailand if you don't want to send away to the Thai embassy in London but may cost a few euro extra. I believe the visa is 25 euro.

Mark.

The Free Man

thanks for the info, this is going to be the best summer ever :cool:

I am MAN

The Free Man wrote:

thanks for the info, this is going to be the best summer ever :cool:

Yep it certainly will and I can guarantee it won't be your last time visiting Thailand.

Mark

embraer170

Avoid getting involved in a motorbike accident.
Too many people come home with broken arms/legs/worse every year.

Rcuomo

what an amazing country thailand is, really beautiful & of course the best night life i've ever experienced. i was there a couple of years ago and im itching to get back and really do it properly this time...as last time my mate was locked and fell off a pier and broke his hip! so i stayed in the hospital with him til he went home then went off south to the islands on my own but didnt have much time...

I am MAN

Where did he fall and break his hip?

ferdi

when exactly are the full moon parties on the islands?

me and my buddy are arriving in bangkok on the 10th of july....

I am MAN

Fullmoon party schedule :

2005
Jan 24
Feb 23
Mar 24
Apr 23
May 22
Jun 21
Jul 21
Aug 20
Sep 18
Oct 18
Nov 16
Dec 16

Rcuomo

we were in hua hin, its sort of halfway along the inside coast from bangkok to that port where you take the ferry to koh tao or koh phangnan...
we were out drinking one night, decided to head down and do some pier hoping. it seemed like a good idea at the the time...but my mate slipped in a small gap between 2 of the piers and fell bout 10 feet into hard sand...

I am MAN

lol, I found myself doing alot of stupid things also with chang and buckets of whiksey in me.

The Free Man

i just found out i'm going from the 26th july to 4th september, so i'll miss the july full moon. if anybody will be there sept 1st, party hard as it will be my 21st!

The Free Man

i just have a few more q's to ask

how did you handle money over there, credit card? is there many bank machines? would it be safe to bring cash?

also, would you think that hotels would be booked out in bangkok? would i be able to get a hotel without booking(in bangkok and other places)?

thanks guys, i feel like a n00b :rolleyes:

Standard Toaster

I'm heading over to Singapore for 6weeks at the end of the month. Very useful thread lads.

Has anyone looked into getting a tattoo while in Thailand?
Good/bad idea?

Also, I am MAN touched on it....you get a 30day visa when you enter the country. I'm staying that bit longer. Is it just a case of paying the 25 quid to extend the visa?

kraggy

i'm going for just over the 30 days too.

according to lonely planet, you can pay something like 200 baht per day over the allowed 30.

the visa, which is got from the embassy in london costs something like £25/€40 so think it's better to just pay when one is over there....

bty, does anyone know if aib banklink cards are accepted there? rang my branch and they said they are but last time they told me that i got stranded abroad and had to get money sent over....and how much is it per transaction?

Standard Toaster

Bought The Lonely Planet book today in Easons....worth every cent.

Visas
Whichever type of visa you have, be sure to check your passport immediately after stamping. Overworked officials sometimes stamp it for 30days, even though you hold a longer visa; if you point out the error before you've left the immigration area at your port of entry, officials will make the necessary corrections. If you don't notice this until you've left the port of entry, go to Bangkok and plead your case at the Immigration Bureau.
Once a visa is issued, it must be used (ie, you must enter Thailand) within 90 days. The Royle Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs enumerates its visa policies at its website www.mfa.go.th/web/12.php.

Tourist Visa Exemptions
The Thai government allows people of 57 different nationalities, including most European countries, Aus, N.Z & USA, to enter the country for tourism purposes without a visa for 30 days at no charge.

Tourist Visas
If you plan to stay in Thailand for more that a month, you should apply for the 60-day Tourist Visa. This visa costs US$15. One passport photo must accompany all applications. You can buy more than one Tourist Visa at a time, each for US$15, and thus extend your stay in multiples of two monthes for a maximum of eight months in one passport. This works out less expensive, and keeps you in the country longer, than buying extensions.

Hope that's helpful for someone.
Not s sure about the ATM. Again Lonely Planet says it should be ok in most banks and ATMs. I'll bring mine just in case I think.

Knifey_Spoony

The_Edge wrote:

I'm heading over to Singapore for 6weeks at the end of the month. Very useful thread lads.

Has anyone looked into getting a tattoo while in Thailand?
Good/bad idea?

Also, I am MAN touched on it....you get a 30day visa when you enter the country. I'm staying that bit longer. Is it just a case of paying the 25 quid to extend the visa?

I got a bamboo tattoo on Kho Phi Phi last year. Its about 2 or 3 inches wide and long and cost about 20 euros. It wasnt that painfull either, but its my only one so I dont know how it would compare to ones you get done over here. The guy who did it has heap loads of photos of other ones he has done. He's super talented. it healed super quick and ive had no problems with it, although a few bits have faded slightly already, but they arent too noticeable unless you look really closely.

gerire

kraggy wrote:

bty, does anyone know if aib banklink cards are accepted there?

If your card has the Cirrus logo on the back it will work over there, expect to pay 2-3 Euro for each transaction you make tho.

The Free Man wrote:

how did you handle money over there, credit card? is there many bank machines? would it be safe to bring cash?

also, would you think that hotels would be booked out in bangkok? would i be able to get a hotel without booking(in bangkok and other places)?

There are loads of Bank Machines on Ko Phanang. If you are worried about accomodation in Bangkok or anywhere for that matter just book your first nights accomodation in the city via the net and then go search around the next/same day for cheaper or better accomodation. I used hostelworld.com for all my stays.

As for your time in Thailand make sure you take time to go up north to Chang Mai and if you have time head further up to the weed capital of Thailand, "hippy commune" in Pai

Enjoy yourself over there I would love to be going back. Buy as much cheap clothing as you can afford as you will regret it afterwards when you are saying: "why didn't I buy more"

dsab

Kraggy,

big MISTAKE. Whatever you do, do NOT ( I REPEAT: DO NOT) overstay the 30 days. Yes, if you overstay, and get back to the Airport you have to pay 200 Baht for every day, that`s right. But if they stop you in thailand with an overstayed Visa you won`t get off like that. You will get to prison, and you will get deported, be it only for one friggin day overstay. The thais don`t know any fun with people overstaying their visa.

Another thing is to always carry your Passport with you these days. At the moment police is controlling loads of nightspot destinations, with pisschecks and Passport Control. If you can`t produce your passport, they will take you with them, and only let you go if someone comes to the station to produce your passport, which can take up to a day.

If you stay longer then 30 days, geta Visa from the Thai Consulate in Dublin. Can be done via Post and costs something like 25 Euro...and no it is not free in the UK either.

Another option is to go in BKK, or any other bigger city for that matter, to the local immigration department BEFORE the 30 days are over, and get them extended by 10 days for 1500 Baht.

Hope that helps.

Cheers,
DSAB

P.S. Living in THailand, been there on holidays 28 times, and married to a thai.

Eurorunner

dsab wrote:

Another thing is to always carry your Passport with you these days. At the moment police is controlling loads of nightspot destinations, with pisschecks and Passport Control.

pisschecks?? jesus, thats a bit extreme. To what extent is that happening? If you fail a piss test, what do they do with you?

dsab

Thailand is trying to clean up it`s image at the moment, the so called NSO (New Social Order). Less obvious prostitution, very restrictive closing times on nightpsots (1am), etc.

Drugs are taken very seriously there, incl. the so called "harmless" stuff. Normally they take one of the better known Bars or clubs, which are oftehn frequzented by tourists and the so called "HiSo", raid it witha whole commando, turn on the light, and nobody is allowed to leave. Checking the passports, and then doing a pisscheck for everyone in there (one of these instant result ones). If yours is ok, you are free to leave, and if not, then you will be taken in.

Some of the spots to be aware of in this regard in BKK are Club Mistique, Bed Superclub, Nana Disco etc.

Ps. not only restricted to BKK, as the same currently happens in Phuket and Pattaya (just got a the old liberal Police Chief replaced by a new hardline Police Chief).

Standard Toaster

Cheers for the info dsab. Very helpful mate.
Sounds a tad extreme alright.

Blinky1 wrote:

I got a bamboo tattoo on Kho Phi Phi last year. Its about 2 or 3 inches wide and long and cost about 20 euros. It wasnt that painfull either, but its my only one so I dont know how it would compare to ones you get done over here. The guy who did it has heap loads of photos of other ones he has done. He's super talented. it healed super quick and ive had no problems with it, although a few bits have faded slightly already, but they arent too noticeable unless you look really closely.

Right, that's made my mind up. I'll see about getting one while I'm over.
Where abouts did ye get that done Blinky?

Knifey_Spoony

The_Edge wrote:

Cheers for the info dsab. Very helpful mate.
Sounds a tad extreme alright.



Right, that's made my mind up. I'll see about getting one while I'm over.
Where abouts did ye get that done Blinky?

I got it done on Kho Phi Phi. Cant remember the exact name of the place but as you come off the boat and turn right and walk along the main st its the first tattoo parlour you reach. Its close to the 7/11. There are loadsa places all over Thailand though, especially Bangkok, Kho Phanang (spelt wrong, sorry) etc. Just pop you head in when someone else is getting one done and have a peek first, and look through their pics of previous ones. Enjoy your hols man! Im hoping to head back sometime early next year myself

The Free Man

thanks for the advice dsab, there seems to be a lot of people heading over there this year!

kraggy

thanks dsab

empirix

Blinky 1 - i have it on good authority from my Swedish mate(used to work in IBM) working in Carlito's bar during and after the Tsunami that that whole strip of shops got it 7/11 is back open but he says a lot of the businesses have relocated to different places on the island and also nearby Islands - he said that there a still amny tattoo joints on the island but not that one unless he relocated

I can let you know too at the end of August

empirix

Dsab - thats a bit extreme, more than likely a copper won't even look at you, anyway if your into the herb the islands are the best places for it(Careful during full moon though, an undercover might be watching you - big big fine)

Standard Toaster

Right, I need to get my shots.
Doctor says to me today:
"Ah sure and long as you don't drink the water and use packaged ice you'll be grand."




Doc has MS so he doesn't/can't give injections also.
Ok, so where would I go, in Dublin, to get these shots?
How much can I expect to pay?

I'm heading to Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Laos. (sp?)

Cheers.

Selik

I am MAN wrote:

300 a week should be fine although you may spend more some weeks. I would not recommend starting your trip in Thailand by staying in Koh Phangan for a full week because 3-4 days is more than enough time to spend in Phangan. There isn't a whole lot to see on the Island and you won't get the same taste for Thailand off it, like ya would in Koh Samui. Alot of people just go over to Koh Phangan for the night from Koh Samui.
I'm guessing the flights are costing you about 60-80 euro altogether?. It is possible to get over night bus/train with connecting boat for under 20 euro. You will be arriving at your destination by the crack of dawn if you get the train/boat ticket and the train has sleeping beds. Travelling through Thailand isn't a problem because you can get anything out of the pharmacy to help you sleep(xanax/valium)
Most people don't drink beer or bottles while in Thailand and especially at the full moon party. In Thailand you get buckets of whiskey that contain a shoulder(350ml) of Thai whiskey, redbull(Thai redbull has amphetamine type stuff in it and comes in a medicine like bottle) and a can of coke with a load of ice. The first night I drank the buckets I was up all night and swimming the next morning but don't drink too much because they will make you crazy!. On Phangan there are a few bars that sell Mushroom shakes but my favourite one was at the end of the beach in this bar that's kind of at the edge of a cliff and looks like Santa's grotto(you can't miss it), they sell mushroom shakes for 500bht(tenner) that taste lovely. I don't know any set locations to buy weed but you just come across it while talking to other backpackers so I wouldn't worry about that at all.
You have 5 weeks so that's plenty of time to see alot. The places most people visit and backpackers go are Bangkok(obviously), Chang Mai, Pattaya, Phuket, Krabi, Koh Samui, Koh Tao, Koh Phi Phi, Laos(country up top), Cambodia(Siem Reap, Angkor) and Vietnam. I would recommend going to Koh Samui, Koh Tao, Phi Phi, Laos, Cambodia, Phangan, pattaya, Phuket. Motorbike rental should be no problem in any of the locations mentioned above except for Phi Phi which has no roads(never had roads) and is damaged at the moment but still worth checking out. Bikes with gears cost 150bht(3 euro) a day to rent and automatic cost 200bht(4 euro), their is a lot of different bikes available for rent but the standard that most people rent is the "Honda wave 115cc". Great little things

If you have anymore questions just ask. I'll be in Phangan for the full moon party in July so I might cya there

Mark

Sorry dude no offence but some of the stuff that you said about Koh Phangan is absolute bull...

Selik

dsab wrote:

Kraggy,



Another thing is to always carry your Passport with you these days. At the moment police is controlling loads of nightspot destinations, with pisschecks and Passport Control. If you can`t produce your passport, they will take you with them, and only let you go if someone comes to the station to produce your passport, which can take up to a day.
.

Pisschecks? Jaysus are you sure you haven't been overdoing it on the old shroomshakes - I've been to Thailand a few times and I've never heard of this happening or had it happen to me... More scaremongering tripe I suspect.

dsab

I can give you at least ten references from other boards and websites about these pisschecks, esp. in Bangkok and Pattaya at the moment.

As I said, I am living in Thailand most of the year, and the last time it happened to me and my wife was about 3 weeks ago, when we went out with friends to one of the mentioned clubs.

Just use your common sense, and be careful. That`s all. And don`t forget to carry your passport, esp. in BKK.

Have fun.