Thailand advice needed!!

catsup

Im off to Thailand for 3 weeks next month and am looking for advice on what to do, what to bring etc. Looking to travel light, but cant decide what stuff is essential and what isnt. Any help is appreciated. Thanks

Rcuomo

for starters make sure you have plenty of mosquito repelent, with a high concentration of deet. sun cream, after sun cream, maybe some diarrhea pills and malaria tablets (i didnt bring these but might be useful) a guide book would be helpful too, lonely planet's my choice. other then money and passport i think that'd be about it...dont even bring much clothes, t-shirts and shorts afre really cheap over there and you'll probably wear sandals most of the time, they're cheap too...you definitely want to travel light if you plan to move around in thailand. you'll be kicking yourself if you bring too much stuff....i cant think of anything else right now

PunyHuman

I would advise you not to buy mosquito repellent, sun cream or malaria pills here. They are readily available in Bangkok pharmacies for a fraction of the Irish price.

And as Rcuomo said, bring as few clothes as possible and buy them there as well.

drunkenfool

PunyHuman wrote:

I would advise you not to buy mosquito repellent, sun cream or malaria pills here. They are readily available in Bangkok pharmacies for a fraction of the Irish price.

And as Rcuomo said, bring as few clothes as possible and buy them there as well.

Im going to thailand in about 2 weeks, and I know that its the height of rainy season(september is supposed to be the rainiest), and Im wondering has anyone experience the weather in thailand in september, will rain alot????

jamiecake

yo! u will have a ball, i was there for aug/sep 2002

when u are approching bkk, they stuart/ess will give u a form to fill in, fill this is right away, and and it back.. it avoids compliacted confusion in customs..

get your bag, leave, dont mind the dogs and military presence, its just tourist police. you can get acab from the main enterance. the walk out leads you right to it, have some batts ready..

get a cab to the ka san road, this is the most friendlyiest street in bkk, well, most tourist go there, and u can get a room, hotel without booking anything, its full of travelors and all sorts so u will feel at home, have a beer, buy some cheap cloths, they wont last too long tho..DONT BUY PRESENTS TILL YOUR COMING HOME...

you can also get a ticket to anywhere in thailand from here, there are lots of sales shops that offer bus rides everywhere.. my advise is head to the islands, ignore the north, there is no need unless ur into walking...

get a bus to ko samui, its the biggest of the three eastern islands. you will get accom at a bus stop in Suratami, (port before u get boat to island) people approch u, they are here to rent rooms in there huts, take offer there they will drive u from port... very handy and if u dont like it, u can always move to next..

stay in lami on samui.. (i recoment new hut) this is the second largest town on samui, cha wang is very busy and is prob not what u are going to thailand for

ye can get cabs or hire a motor bike to see the island, its the size of dublin//

go to the full moon party on Koh Phangan, u will know when it is on, casue everyone will be on about it, and u can get boats to and from no problem its deadly fun and full of drink and whatever else you may want to try out

mess about these islands for a week or so, then head to krabi.. this is where it gets cool, like what u see on tv, paradise, tall stacks etc.. u can get boats to phi phi from here, it is a must see, although it was hit in that floods, i would say its still amazing to see..

u can gets boats and buses to just about anywhere in thailand from anywhere, the locals all speak english and want to help you...

where else are u thinking of going? i spent 2 months on that side of world, i know allot about it, u will be grand anyways..

dont take too many tings with u, like get a belt wallet, take passport woth u, there are safes in most huts and rooms, so its safe, just dont forget it..

its cheap, have a credit card, there are atms almost everywhere, always try and find out this first, like small islands like phangan and phi phi wont have atms.. people tell u this on boats anyways..

not sure what esle....

u are going over in they monsoon season, its warmer during morning, it gets dark at 630pm by they way... alsmot all year round.. early mornings do pay off??

drink lots of buckets!!! these are brillient way to get plastured

have fun dude!!

jamiecake

it can rain for a long time.. u can see it coming tho when u are on a beach, clouds move quickly that close to equator..

there is shealter near by most places, can stay cloudy for day at time... make most of sun!!

BizMaker

yo! u will have a ball, i was there for aug/sep 2002

when u are approching bkk, they stuart/ess will give u a form to fill in, fill this is right away, and and it back.. it avoids compliacted confusion in customs..

---

stay in lami on samui.. (i recoment new hut) this is the second largest town on samui, cha wang is very busy and is prob not what u are going to thailand for

I'm curious: Is above written in Thai because I can't understand most of it?

catsup

good work jamiecake. prob gonna end up going over with an empty rucksack and get everything over there.

is there any truth in the theory that mosquitos dont like the taste of garlic and vitamin b in the blood, so taking supplements keep the feckers away?

Culchie

Honeymooned in Thailand in September 1999 :eek:

Great Spot, one other thing that above posters didn't mention about Rainy season, is that the sea can get alot of Jellyfish close to shore and washed up.... kinda takes the edge of things.

Will go out again, but not September. Mighty spot !!

cee_jay

jamiecake wrote:

you can also get a ticket to anywhere in thailand from here, there are lots of sales shops that offer bus rides everywhere.. my advise is head to the islands, ignore the north, there is no need unless ur into walking...

On the Khao San Road, the D&D Inn is a nice place to stay (with a swimming pool on the roof!). It is a bit more expensive than other places around - but hey a girl has to have a few luxuries!

As for ignoring the North - I really don't agree. We headed up North for a week, and I am not really into walking, and thought it was beautiful

As for going South - do you really want to do the same tried and tested route that everyone does?

Try going over to the East to Koh Chang, its 6 hours from Bangkok, and its a beautiful island, not as touristy as all the other islands in the South (but unfortunately its getting there :mad: ).
And from there it is so accessible to travel to Cambodia as well

maccarthy

First of all, what to bring.

Some essentials:


A good small torch.
2 pad locks medium size for locking your room, bags etc...
Travel sheets are nice - silk is best but pricy
Penknife.
Duct tape and Some twine is always handy.

cAr0l wrote:

Try going over to the East to Koh Chang, its 6 hours from Bangkok, and its a beautiful island, not as touristy as all the other islands in the South (but unfortunately its getting there :mad: ).
And from there it is so accessible to travel to Cambodia as well

Koh Chang is nice to chill out and the treehouse is a lovely place to stay, on Loney Beach.
The Tree house is going to close at the end of the year so its your last chance.. €1.60 for a hut on the ocean..

cee_jay

Forgot to say it - but it really is essential in Thailand - carry toilet paper with you EVERYWHERE!

And for the mozzie bites (no matter what I used I still got bitten) buy Tiger Balm in a chemist over there

maccarthy

cAr0l wrote:

Forgot to say it - but it really is essential in Thailand - carry toilet paper with you EVERYWHERE!

or use water like the locals do.

PunyHuman

cAr0l wrote:

Try going over to the East to Koh Chang [...] its a beautiful island [...] and from there it is so accessible to travel to Cambodia as well

I can second this.

maccarthy wrote:

the treehouse is a lovely place [...] on Loney Beach.

And this.

jamiecake

bog roll will be the most important ingredient… how could I forget.. lol prob because I put it out of my mind….

About mosquitoes, they are only attracted to certain types… well, I didn’t get much hassle from them, u will find out tho… just go to a chemist and pick up some repellent.. don’t worry too much about this tho, there is more things to be doing..

And in reply to some previous comment about is this in thai, sorry for the abbreviations, BKK is Bangkok, the rest are actual places in Thailand.. excuse me spelling..

Insert name____

Yeah Jamiecake is right, you might be lucky with the mossies, I was in se asia for 3 months and only got 2 tiny bites, and they both happened in the last wk. My mates got covered in them tho, I felt rejected at times! A few of theres totally swelled up though and got massive blisters on them, which the local chemist guy just burst with his hand and handed them some mad strong anti biotics after!
Im so jealous of your trip! I'd go again tonight if I could!

Alpha505

Has anyone on Boards ever tried Thailand on thier own?

nj23

was in thailand at end of august/beginning of september and had a great time. there is so much to do. I went with boyf but wouldnt worry too much about travelling on your own. its seems pretty safe and we met a few people on their own. Its a very friendly country and there are lots of people travelling so i wouldnt think it would be too bad.

Benny_Cake

Spent a few months over there on my own back in 2003,teaching English and travelling around.Had a ball,I found it fairly easy to meet people.From a safety point of view I had no concerns whatsoever.

Rcuomo

did you find it easy to get english teaching jobs over there? if so, where?
im interested in doing that myself, fund the travels around asia, if only some of my mates would be up for it, they're too busy about careers at 23! ah no, each to their own, i'll have to go on my own...

el diablo

and lots of condoms for the "love you long time" girls

Benny_Cake

Rcuomo,I did volunteer teaching,went through i-to-i .It was all a bit of a rip off really,as you should find it easy enough to get English teaching work over there.Taught in a town called Nong Khai on the border with Laos,it was a great experience.You can do placements in the same place now without going through i-to-i,and its a lot cheaper to do it directly,if you're interested I can pass the details on to you.For paid English teaching,its probably easier to find work in South Korea,Taiwan or China,and probably a lot more lucrative.Thailand is much cheaper though!