Anyone been to Thailand?

[nolanfan34]

So my wife is graduating from school this June, and we've been planning on taking a vacation once she finishes up. Somewhere sunny, with a nice beach.

I had been thinking of Mexico or a cruise or something, but at a Christmas party this past weekend one of my friends from college suggested that we think about Thailand. He stayed over there after law school for about a month, on an island called Ko Samui.

He said the flight is the expensive part, but once you're there, everything is dirt cheap.

I'll admit I never would have even considered Southeast Asia as a beach destination, but I think it sounds interesting. Has anyone been there before? Any thoughts on the experience?

[The Dude]

To quote a Riverside County Sheriff I know who recently spoke about Thailand:

That's where all the pedophiles go to have their man-boy sex.

[1800GAMBLER]

I spent 3 weeks in Ko Samui and if i ever get my ass in gear i'd get an apartment with dsl set up over there and move back there for a few months.

It's a great place, very very nice beaches, good night life, not too many thai owned bars in samui (all thai owned bars mean either go-go bars (strippers) or the waitress will be flirting/asking you to pay for sex) and lots of actives.

A few things to do. When you fly into bangkok spend 2 nights there, hotels are dirt cheap in bangkok (cheaper than samui, we paid $30/night at saumi for a decent hotel and $20/night in bangkok for a 5 star hotel) either have two great meals - ask the hotel or the hotel's taxi driver for the best places - or visit the markets or the sex shows (patpong) whichever. Heh, the sexshows in bangkok aren't your average sex shows either so if you are planning to 'nip in' one with the wife make sure she expects to see everything on the list the 'reps' are showing you, balloon shooting, goldfish, harmonica playing, etc. Doing a 3 day buddist medication course in bangkok is a great too. Also, get a legit thai massage, i.e. one from the hotel.

In the gulf of thailand. Firstly Samui. You have two options with Samui either stay on a none touristy beach (big budha and a few others) in which there will be a few hotels and places to eat but other than that just old people and the beach, or go to othe touristy night life beach, Chaweng, in which the Green Mango is the most popular club which is just off the main street. Go to the jimi hendrix bar if you want to try a magic mushroom shake. Rent a scooter and lap the island in 30 minutes while visiting the waterfalls and offroading on the hills.

From samui you should visit a few islands, visit Ko Tao if you want to try some diving, you are best to book it from Samui and have the diving instructor arrange accomodation. Visit Koh Phangan for the Full moon party, the whole island is just full of people partying with about 20 bars. Get a bucket of thai whiskey with red bull and coke; avoid drugs here; Book early.

I'll upload a few pictures and link them in a second.

[Allan]

You should send off a pm to KJS. He lived or maybe still lives there. He'd be a great source of info.

Allan

[1800GAMBLER]

Morning after the full moon party:

http://djsava.canalblog.com/FullMoonParty2004.jpg

Go Go bar:

http://www.thai-visit.com/clients/Dreamgirls/images/layout/dreamgirls.jpg

Tuk Tuk (taxi):

http://www.travelsinparadise.com/thailand/bangkok/pictures/pb260091-tuk-tuk.jpg

Big Buddha beach:

http://www.davesag.com/shambala2002/Images/1.jpg

Ko Tao:

http://www.e-biz-travel.com/sight_seeing/images/samui_sight/ko_tao.jpg

[jakethebake]

[ QUOTE ]
To quote a Riverside County Sheriff I know who recently spoke about Thailand:

That's where all the pedophiles go to have their man-boy sex.

[/ QUOTE ]
Very true, but there's lots of Man-Little Girl sex too. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[nolanfan34]

Thanks for the info and pictures. That Full Moon party is about the exact opposite of what we're looking for. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif Seriously, we want a quiet vacation, just reading and lounging on the beach most of the time, and then grabbing a drink or two at night.

And I don't think we're going to be going to any sex shows either.

But, sounds like you concur what my friend said about the cost of things there. He had said a good meal is only about $2 or so, and that he'd get a massage each day for $5.

[Iceman]

[ QUOTE ]
Thanks for the info and pictures. That Full Moon party is about the exact opposite of what we're looking for. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif Seriously, we want a quiet vacation, just reading and lounging on the beach most of the time, and then grabbing a drink or two at night.

[/ QUOTE ]

Look into Ko Chang or Ko Samet.

While you're in Southeast Asia, consider seeing Angkor Wat, one of the most incredible ruins in the world. It's just a one-hour flight from Bangkok.

[ QUOTE ]
And I don't think we're going to be going to any sex shows either.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thailand has a bad reputation for prostitution, but the sex industry there is easily avoided if you don't actively seek it out.

[ QUOTE ]
But, sounds like you concur what my friend said about the cost of things there. He had said a good meal is only about $2 or so, and that he'd get a massage each day for $5.

[/ QUOTE ]

It's one of the cheapest countries in the world for travellers, and $15 per day would probably cover accomodation in a beach hut, food, and drinks. Of course, if you stay in a resort or go diving it's going to be much more expensive.

[KJS]

I lived in Thailand from 11/02 to 5/04, but in the Northern capital of Chiang Mai, far from the beach. I but I travelled there with my wife for 6 months before getting work in CM, so I know the beaches.

I would rate Ko Samui low in terms of the quality of beaches in Thailand. Overall, all the beaches on the Andaman sea are much better than those on the Gulf of Thailand. The water is cleaner and the diving/snorkelling are way way better in the Andaman. So if you decide to go, I would pick that side of the country. Some spots I loved are Ko (pronounced Gaw, not Koh) Bulon, Ko Lipe, and Ko Hai (aka Ko Ngai). The last on that list is gorgeous and very unihabited. Just 3 small resorts, no roads and limited electricity via generators. Incredible snorkelling and beachcombing, but bring books because there is not much to do. It is about 45 minutes off the coast of Trang if you find a map. The others (Bulon and Lipe) are in Satun province, the Southernmost on the country's east side. To get to them you take the ferry from near Satun. Lipe takes 6 hours to get to, its straddles the border with Malaysia, Bulon maybe 4.5. Both have white sand beaches and are the most beautiful islands I have ever seen. Both pretty small, but bigger than Ko Hai. Still, not a raging bar scene or anything. Swimming, snorkeling, eating, reading books. A few bars on Lipe, right on the beach for when you do want to get buzzed.

I also like Phuket, and if you are going for a short time you might try that. Its a big island with a bit of everything. Most people know only the semi-sleezy Patong area, but my wife and I toured nearly the whole island on motorbike and found an incredible pretty deserted beach with great waves, called Naithon. There is also some beautiful national park areas on Phuket.

Ko Samui will give you the experience that most tourists get in Thailand. You will find a nice room in a crowded resort, sit on a crowded beach with hucksters trolling up and down offer you a massage. You will eat shitty Thai food for triple what a Thai would pay or you can eat Burger King and KFC. And you can get totally shitfaced on Red Bull and Vodka, or Sangsom whisky with hundreds of other tourists. You can visit girly bars and transvestite shows and talk with real live prostitutes. Imagine going to Spring Break in Florida but in another country. If that's what you are looking for, then go for Samui. But the beaches are not all that.

Your friend is right, getting there is the major expense. When I left it was 40baht = 1 dollar. Here's what you might pay in Samui. Room=$8, Beer $1.50-$2. Coffee and breakfast= $2. Motorbike $8/day. Thai meal $1-$2 (find a local noodle stand $.50).

Thailand is a wonderful country and I encourage anyone to go there. Very different from the West, if you make the effort to dig around and expose yourself to local people and culture, which isn't that hard. Go for it.

KJS

[KJS]

Look into the islands near Trang and Satun then.

There are 3 resorts on Ko Hai, one shitty one run by a bitch lady, one really high end (Ko Hai Fantasy Resort)? and one between those two, that is pretty high end but affordable and not super snobby. I forget the name; a travel agent in Trang would know. The problem is all 3 resorts there have roughly the same English name (Ko Hai resort or the like). Tell them its the one with the pier and the row house in addition to the bungalows. We spent a week there on our honeymoon. All we did was eat, sleep, snorkel, read books, get massages, drink beers, play scrabble and have sex. Great spot.

If you go the Satun route, there are numerous islands en route to Lipe, which is the furthest. You could try a couple or three of those, just jumping a boat when you want to try a new one.

KJS

[daryn]

now i am really interested in this.

did you have to get any special shots or anything?

[jakethebake]

[ QUOTE ]
now i am really interested in this.

did you have to get any special shots or anything?

[/ QUOTE ]

As far as i know an AIDS vaccine is not yet available.

[stabn]

There are still probably some reccomended shots to take before going. like these (http://www.mdtravelhealth.com/destinations/asia/thailand.html)

My cousin went last year for the scuba diving there. He caught some type of stomache bug and wanted to leave early, however, they didn't want to let him leave the country. He did anyway, and it took a couple of doctor trips, several perscriptions and a couple of weeks to clear up whatever it was.

[wacki]

[ QUOTE ]
To quote a Riverside County Sheriff I know who recently spoke about Thailand:

That's where all the pedophiles go to have their man-boy sex.

[/ QUOTE ]

It's also where scientists/doctors go to experiment with the newly developed vaccines.

[AngryCola]

My ex-girlfriend is Thai. She always enthusiastically (oddly) informed me that Thailand is the prostitution capital of the world.

That is the extent of my knowledge. /images/graemlins/grin.gif

[Leo99]

All I know is people go to Thighland to Bangcocks. Seriously though, I used to work with a guy that had a condo there. He loved it and wanted to retire there.

[partygirluk]

Spent a month there. Things are stupidly cheap there. I flew out with only a change of underwear and the clothes I was wearing. Clothes out there are extremely affordable, and high quality.
If your wife sees a nice $5K designer dress that J~Lo wore to the Oscars and wants one, then she could find a good tailor, take along a photo, and he will knock up a replica for <$100.

$2 will get you a nice meal. I got food poisoning only twice during my stay, and that was from the two most expensive meals! The vast majority of the time I was eating from street stalls. They cook it in front of your eyes, so you know it is safe. The posh restaurant we ate in on Christmas and the sleeper train meal were both cooked in kitchens, hence the hygiene standard was sadly below average. Also, try and be adventurous with the foods you eat. Deep fried grasshoppers and bamboo worms taste darn good.

A legitimate Thai Massage should cost $5 an hour, whilst your wife (or you) could get beauty therapy for a similar price.

I much preferred the North of Thailand as there was more to do. The Hill Tribe Trek I did was probably the best 4 days of my life. I would unreservedly recommend it.

The South has some amazing national parks and beautiful islands. If you just want to sit on paradise island doing sweet FA then you will be spoilt for choice. AFAIK the islands are safe, but the Southern mainland, which is majority Muslim, suffered political unrest a few months back. It might all be OK now.

Feel free to PM me with any more qs.

[PokerCat69]

This guy I used to know made a living by advertising affiliate programs online.
He only earned $1200-$1500 USD /month.
He decided to move to Thailand because the cost of living was so low it would allow him to live like a King, instead of being a broke ass Canadian.

Lost touch with him now, but from what he told me Thailand is a blast. He mainly talked about how cheap beer was in a bar, women and beautiful beaches.