Bangok-anyone been?

[LeslieandPaul]

Anyone been to Bangkok, Phuket or Krabi? What were the best/most fun things to do or see? I'm going at the end of February to meet up with DH and may be on my own quite a bit. Also, any tips about travelling here?

[fifibee]

Bankok -- it's fairly easy to navigate since there are so many foreign tourists there. Be sure to visit the major sites - palace, temples, and the night markets. Sorry I can't give you exact names right now as I don't remember what their exact names are. I'd suggest you doing some research online, or invest in a good guidebook. It's definitely NOT hard to go on your own in Bankok, even with the language barrier. If you have a strong stomache, I'd try the food there too. Soooo yummy!

Phuket-- It's more of a resort type area, I have to say. I'd suggest having your DH with you when you visit this area. Most popular things to do are golfing, joining a day-trip snorkeling tour, and visiting nearby islands. However, with the tsunami, I'd stay away from Phiphi island for now. What we did when we were there included: relaxing at the beautiful resorts, visiting Patong Beach, going out to visit Raya island (which is gorgeous, but not sure about its status since tsunami), trying different restaurants, and golfed.

I never went to Krabi so I can't help you on that one.

Sorry I can't be more specific for Bankok, but I can say that it's a fun and adventurous city to visit. :)

[Mrs. M.]

Bangkok is huge, but manageable. I explored a bit by myself and did not feel unsafe. You can read about it in my journal - post # 87. I just went again and will post about that as well when I have some time.

When in BKK - get a massage and manicure/pedicure. Sooo cheap and the massages are supposed to be great. Everybody I went with loved them.

[LeslieandPaul]

When in BKK - get a massage and manicure/pedicure. Sooo cheap and the massages are supposed to be great. Everybody I went with loved them.

I was doing some reading yesterday and found out that at the Temple of the Reclining Buddha there's a university and you can get massages there-120 Baht for a 1/2 hour or 200 for 1 hour. That's only about $5!!!

I'm not sure if we'll go to Phuket, but DH went to Krabi and wants to take me there. He went diving, but I was hoping to do something else as well.

[Secret_Squirrel]

I would def. get a massage at the Reclining Buddah Temple. I didn't, and I regretted it.

Also, I really enjoyed Jim Thompson's house. I only went b/c a friend I respected recommended it to me, but it was really beautiful.

BKK felt very safe. We stayed on Sukhumvit and I did some shopping on my own at the night stalls and felt fine. I was also on my own for a bit at the Patpong night market, no problem (just learn to say mai, khup kum ka/krup - means "no thank you" in Thai and the hawkers seemed to respond better to that than to english).

If you are there on a Sunday, visit the Erawan Shrine, next to the Grand Hyatt. It's considered a very holy place. As the story goes, there were lots of problems and accidents when building the hotel. When they build the shrine, they stopped. Now people will go there with offerings and incense and make prayer requests. There were dancers and musicians when we were there (The front desk clerk from our hotel happened to be there to pray and recognized us).

How much time do you have? You could take the train to Ayuttaya for the day, too. Third class is dirt cheap and better than second class if you don't have reservations (we just showed up at the train station and bought tickets for the next train out. Our fare was second class, but we had no specific seats and as the train made more stops it filled up and we had to stand. On return, our tickets said third class. It was first-come-first serve, so we got to keep our seats.)

Getting around was easy. We like to wander, so we walked a lot and took the skytrain and river taxis to get place to place.

As for restaurants, out of the guide-book recommended ones we visited, I enjoyed the food and atmosphere at Cabbages and Condoms (it's a restaurant that funds/promotes AIDS programs), but thought Lemongrass was overrated. But our favorite food just came from little cafes off our soi. There really was no bad food in the whole country.

Also - we splurged on the Traditional Thai Dinner and Dance at the Oriental Hotel. It's a beautiful hotel, feels very British Colonial (esp. in the Bamboo Room where we had pre-dinner drinks). That evening cost more than our entire hotel bill for the week, but it was really romantic and special. The costumes and dancing was beautiful and the food was amazing.

If you haven't already gotten a guide book, get one. I hear Lonely Planet is best, but ours was Frommer's and it was good. It'll keep you aprised of any scams going on - there's always someone trying to sell something to a farang, so it's good to know how things are supposed to be.

[emmjay]

A restaurant in Bangkok I really loved was Baan Kanitha on Sukumvit Soi 23. There are two locations but I only went to the Sukumvit one. And next door is a high-end store with beautiful handicrafts from all over Thailand - that is called Rasi Sayam.

Krabi is OK but nothing special - are you going out to the islands or were you going to use Krabi as a base? You might want to consider Koh Lanta or Trang for relaxing beaches.

It's easy to get around, especially in the places you mentioned. You will find people who speak English to help you but you should learn as many Thai phrases as you can - it really does go a long way.

ETA - above I was referring to the actual town of Krabi, not the province. The beaches in Krabi province are beautiful, as pocket says. I wasn't particularly impressed with the town itself.

[pocket]

I *heart* Bangkok.

Where are you staying?

Definitely go to the Reclining Buddha and get a massage. Don’t miss the Grand Palace and do go up to Chiang Mai if you have time. Do buy gemstones, household items, gifts and software. Copy watches and purses are great. Don’t miss the Night Market, Weekend Market or the Floating Market. In fact, get a guided tour that takes you to Ayuthaya, Sukkothai and the Floating Market. Do notice the architecture, do take a water-taxi tour. Check out Pat Pong, but get adjusted to the reality of prostitution first. It’s not at all under the radar screen.

Food – this is one of the best places in the world to eat. They have great Italian, Chinese, Thai food and also steak from New Zealand. I go for a Peking Duck dinner whenever I am in town. One of the best food courts is in the top of the World Trade Center shopping center.

Phukhet – Eh. I think Phukhet is kind of Cancun-y.

Krabi – Now Krabi is worth seeing. Do you dive? Great diving there – you can see whale sharks! The train ride down is gorgeous too.

[LeslieandPaul]

Krabi – Now Krabi is worth seeing. Do you dive? Great diving there – you can see whale sharks! The train ride down is gorgeous too.

Paul plans on taking me diving-he got his basic PADI certification well he was there and wants to go again. We'll fly down, it doesn't cost very much (and Paul doesn't have a lot of time off while he's there).

I think I'll give my friend a call and see if she can pick me a Thai guide book for cheap (she works at a bookstore). If not, I'll go buy one before I leave (more reading material for the plane!)

[pocket]

i took my basic certification on vacation too! it was great - there are tons of places to get certified in a few days and it's a great place to dive for the first time. you won't believe how incredible it is and how easy it is. they also have assisted dives if you don't want to get certified. an instructor comes along with you the whole time and helps you with the equipment. it's not very expensive either especially now.

[longislandlolita]

I loved Bangkok too! Jim Thompson's house was gorgeous. I stayed at the Hyatt Erawang, which was beautiful and not too pricy. If you're looking for a knockout spa experience, go to the spa at the Oriental. The best Thai food I've ever eaten was at the Thai restaurant at the Sukhothai hotel, which is also a GORGEOUS place to hang out. It's called the Celadon. Really great place for a celebration!

I agree with pocket on Phuket (wow, try saying that five times fast!): it's sort of overdone. I'd recommend Samui instead. Less developed but still lots of gorgeous hotels and restaurants. Have fun and good luck!

[LeslieandPaul]

i took my basic certification on vacation too! it was great - there are tons of places to get certified in a few days and it's a great place to dive for the first time. you won't believe how incredible it is and how easy it is. they also have assisted dives if you don't want to get certified. an instructor comes along with you the whole time and helps you with the equipment. it's not very expensive either especially now.

Yesterday Paul was telling me all about his diving experience. He saw tomato clowns (Nemo!) and Dominos (we have a couple, they've got mohawks), Lion Fish and an Octopus! Octopuses creep me out, but that's really cool!
Oh, and I realized yesterday that I'm going to spend my 22nd birthday on a beach in Krabi! That will be the BEST birthday ever!