Next to impossible unless you're going to dish out a lot of cash. Do you really need to live on the beach though? Looking out the window and seeing a crowded beach seems pretty horrible to me. Living a few minutes away and having a decent view of the ocean seems better.

hey guys.
im probably going to bangkok for 1 or 2 months in august. im looking for a good place to play some pokerz. all i need is a decent internet connection because i multitable sngs.
im loosing like 400$ if the internet connection breaks down

i would prefer the asoke area and the maximum rent is 25000baht/month (dont need a kitchen and stuff)

cheers

internett breaking down wont really be a problem, you might get some disconnects now and then though.

This rocks. I had TOT and was barely acceptable. I'll consider going here if I come back. Pity the apartments are not bigger.

well, Malaysia is number 1 on the list of cheap countries for tourists, and Thailand is placed between 7-10 on the same list..

2 weeks left super excited!

-in an effort to not get ripped off as much as i did, how much should a taxi cost roughly from kamala beach to patong?

-taxi/motor bike from kata beach to patong?

also, i saw a really huge white statue of budda from kata beach, up on like a huge mountain. ne one know how to get that.

i remember i took a motor bike for 5 mins and the guy randomly charged 170 baht. i only gave him 120 and left, but then i met a 2+2er and he sad it should only have cost 40 baht. not that it matters all that much, but they try to nickel and dime you so much, just trying to not get ripped off as much as possible.

You should be able to get a 1BR / studio apartment in one of the high rises at asoke for that money, but only at a yearly contract.

At 1-2 months you're looking at a serviced apartment which will most likely be out of your price range in asoke unless you find someone that needs someone to cover the last 2 months of his rental contract.

Always ask for meter, and make sure they put it on, not sure if they accept it down there, but in BKK it works. If the driver won't accept, just get out and try the next one.

Motorbike guys usually have their fees listed in thai on some paper right where they hang out, which gives you a rough idea of the pricings, but generally shouldn't be more than 50.

no meters i saw in phuket, except from the airport. mostly just hondas, with a bunch of guys just shouting random amounts, once u told them the destination.

Ok. We've booked our tix to Thailand and want to pack a lot of stuff in. My friend has been reading lonelyplanet and came up with a very tentative itinerary. Would some of you be so nice as to go over it and make suggestions?

[quote]
We depart Minneapolis on June 24 (Lip, you would probably just book our flight) and arrive in BK on midnight June 25, we depart BK on July 21. Rough plan and day estimates are:

- BK 3 days, June 26-28

- Then Siem Reap/Angkor Wat for 2 days, June 29-30

- Then Hanoi/Halong Bay for 5 days, July 1-5

- Head back to BK and pick up Jasper, maybe spend one more day there if we like it?

- Then Chiang Mai for 5 days, July 6-10

- Then Tiger Temple for one day, July 11

- Then head South for beaches, Phuket first, two days, July 12-13

- Then Ko Phi Phi for two days, July 14-15 (Lip heads back to BK for flight to Mpls)

- Then Pha Ngan for two days, July 16-17

- Then Ko Tao for two days, July 18-19

- Return to BK, July 20 (Leaves Karbo and I an extra day throughout if something goes bad)

Obviously these are not set in stone. For the most part, we don’t want to book/reserve anything beforehand, just wing it when we get there. This worked real well in Peru. The things we need to do beforehand are:

Set dates, book flights for Hanoi. We need to get our Vietnamese visa before we leave U.S.
Set dates for Tiger Temple, reserve the morning routine for the Tiger Temple (limited number of people allowed)
Book a hostel for BK
Karbo/Lip, thoughts? Agree? Disagree?

Yellow = Need to do

White = Other possibilities

Bangkok:

Ko Ratanakosin Area (Historical Area):
Wat Phra Kaew
Wat Pho
Grand Palace
Wat Arun
Chinatown and Phahurat (shopping):
Thieves Market at night
Wat Traimit
Mae Nam Chao Phraya (river roads):
Riverboat ride, “Venice of the East”
Random:

Vimanmek Teak Mansion/Ananda Samakhom Throne Hall
Wat Benchamabophit
Meditation courses: Wat Mahathat (Chiang Mai courses are probably better?)
Muay Thai Lessons: Jitti’s Gym Thai Boxing and Homestay
Muay Thai Matches: Lumphini Boxing Stadium or Ratchadamnoen Boxing Stadium
Drinking:
Pub Crawl along Th Khao San
Sunset Street, has a beer garden
Vertigo, bar on the 59th floor rooftop
Chatuchak Market, largest market in city
Around Bangkok:

Damnoen Saduak Floating Market
Nakhon Pathom (56 km from BK), oldest Thai city
Kanchaburi - Sangkhlaburi:

Wat Pa Luangta Bua: Tiger Temple
Real close to Burma, could go there just to say we did
Chiang Mai:

Temples:
Wat Phra Singh
Wat Chiang Man
Wat Suan Dok – meditation courses
Chiang Mai Night Bazaar
Trekking: elephant rides, whitewater rafting, jungles
Meditation Courses: Wat Suan Dok, Northern Insight Meditation Center
Muay Thai Courses: Lanna Muay Thai
Drinking:
Pratu Tha Phae
Mae Nam Ping
Around Chiang Mai:

Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, panoramic hilltop for sunset
Doi Inthanon: National Park, highest peak in country
Wat Phra That Si Chom Thong – Looks pretty freaking cool
Lampang
Wat Phra Kaew Don Tao, supposedly the most beautiful in Northern Thailand
Thai Elephant Conservation Center: rides and shows
Chiang Rai:
Gateway to Golden Triangle
Get to Laos (from Chiang Kong) and Burma/Mayanmar (from Mae Sai) easily
Khao Yai National Park:

One of the best National Parks in the world
Lots of Trekking
Supposed to be one of the “must-see” places
Phuket:

Beaches:
Patong, Karon, Kata: touristy famous beaches
Hat Nai Han
Laem Singh: beautiful, not many people
Scuba diving or snorkeling
Ko Phi Phi:

Most beautiful beach in the world
Ko Tao:

Good scuba diving and snorkeling, lots of coral reef
Ko Smaui:

Lots of clubs/bars and strip malls, real clear water
Siem Reap (Angkor):

Angkor Wat
Hanoi:

Museum of Ethnology
Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Complex
Presidential Palace
Old Quarter:
Hoan Kiem Lake
Ngoc Son Temple
Apparently Hanoi has very good, cheap spas
Halong Bay
Around Hanoi
Tam Coc
Hoa Lu
Need Visa beforehand, looks pretty simple
Borobudur (Indonesia):

One of the best architecture sites, comparable to Angkor Wat and Bagan
In Indonesia, between Jakarta and Bali, could hit all three?
Bagan (Burma/Myanmar):

The other crazy good site, 4,400 temples
In Myanmar/Burma, middle of country
Looks better than Borobudur, think we should go here
Need Visa beforehand, looks pretty complicated
[/b]

For me that kind of trip sounds like hell, just come and relax man seriously. I've been in thailand for almost 3 years and seen about 3 % of that.

lippy,

Let me preface this by saying that I haven't been to Thailand, but I don't think I would ever want to go on a vacation that is that packed with things to do constantly. When are you supposed to relax and let loose if you are always on the go?? (Good time to point out that I'm only familiar with the geography on Phuket and near BKK, so those places might not be a big deal going to and from.) It seems the purpose of your journey is a little bit different than most of the 2p2ers in that you want to enjoy the culture and history of Thailand whereas most of these degens (I mean that in a nice way ) are there to party and have a good time.

ive seen less than 3% of that.

he got nana entertainment center on there? a must see. its what you call the real bangkok! you hear guys writing songs about bkk temples.....lol.

Lippy,

That's way too much dude. You're going to spend like half your trip traveling and visiting sites you wish you never saw and you won't have time for things like scuba diving. Cut down on the temples as once you've seen one you've seen them all. Visit the grand palace and emerald buddha in BKK and go on the river cruise. Probably see a Mauy Thai fight here too if you get a chance.

You are going to way too many beaches/islands. I'd suggest either going to Koh Samui/Koh Phangnan/Koh Tao or going to Phuket/Koh Phi Phi. Not both. Phi Phi has nice scuba diving, but prob not as good as Koh Tao. If I were you I'd check out climate data because one place is going to rain a bit more due to the monsoon lag time.

Don't be a ******. There's no way he's going to be able to squeeze all that in, or if he does, he's not going to enjoy his trip as much as he could.

He's visiting a million temples and a lot of the other things on his list (beaches and markets) are so similar there's no reason he needs to check them all out. He should visit a few temples, but he doesn't need to go out of his way to see all of them. Many of them are very similar (aside from angkor wat obv).

He should try to see as much as he can, but he's going to get worn out very quickly if he tries to do to much. It's nice to have some time just to kick back and relax. He needs some balance in his trip. If he frees up some time he can then decide to relax or go so some of the not-need-to-see items on his list instead of feeling like '**** i have to go to that'.

Lippy,

For drinking - BKK Khao Sarn Rd Pub Crawl should be fun but I'm not sure how often it runs. Definitely go to Vertigo for a meal and some pregame drinks. You should check out RCA, Ekkamai, Karafun (after RCA or Ekkamai) Shark Bar on Soi Cowboy and maybe Hollywood or a G club too.

I went to Chatuchak Market once and hated it. It's way too hot and congested and they sell the pretty much the same stuff (aside from monkeys and crocs apparently which i never saw) as any other major market in the city. It's also very dirty and only open on the weekends. I'd suggested going to Suan Lum Night Bazaar near Lumpini. It's the oldest market in the city and it's moderately clean and has all sorts of restaurants, open areas, an entertainment stage and a very nice beer garden.

i'd suggest simplifying it somewhat

bangkok for a few days
angkor wat

chiang mai for 5 days

that gives you about 2 weeks in phuket, you can take about 2-3 days while you are there to see koh phi phi

yeah exactly. packing/unpacking, trips to the airport, flying, checking in/out every few days is going to get extremely taxing.

i mean some people love super structured trips with a million stops, sooo if that's what lippy and his friend are into then sure... but ya the crowd in this thread (and myself included) look at that itinerary and think **** me...

people get so psyched about traveling like they're going to the moon or something. it's just thailand... relax... have a few chang!

honestly the only *must do* in thailand as far as i'm concerned is drinking a ****load of chang whereever you are and seeing what happens

sorry my mistake. i thought you were being sarcastic.

Anyone with an aircard tried it in Vientiane? Either Thai or Lao provider?

he was being sarcastic

he wAs

hard to tell on the internet. but thanks again for your endless contribution to this forum.