Somebody please make a "we're slaves to the thought of terrorism" so you can keep the terrorism discussion out of this. Terrorism is statistically insignificant. More people die from lightning, flu, peanuts, hippos, etc. Nobody is going to Yala or Songkhla so it's an asinine topic. Thank you.

PS- I've been given permission to write of the adventures I had with my friends in Hua Hin, so I'll post that story tomorrow.

death by peanut sounds awful

spiv is a nervous nellie plus he tends to exaggerate.

lol...

This is a good way to describe it. For me, I've been to tons of places where I thought the danger level was a lot higher. Deep South ranks very low on my worry list. The whole place is crawling with military which makes me feel safer. Some desolate roads had soldiers every 100 feet guarding it.

Regardless, the big reason why I personally checked out that area is because I wanted to circumvent the country, hit the Southern most point, follow the beaches. Most people won't care and there is little reason for them to visit, though. It's pretty far out of the way for anyone that is not crossing the border.

Good point about travel insurance. I'm not sure who gets travel insurance anyway. It seems like every damn thing is either excluded or has super-low payout restrictions.

wow you never get travel insurance?

Maybe not. However I was replying to a guy who falsely claimed that "you can go anywhere in Thailand safely". I know we're all tough guys here but the fact remains that there are plenty of places in Thailand that are definitely not safe for foreigners. For this reason they are usually avoided.

Not all tough guys spiv, D2k himself openly admits he is scared of rats and even places he visted

Still loving u tho

you have rat jump in your bed and try to not scream like a baby, i was like 20 feet from the water buffalo today and for the first time insulted his mother, once again he didnt do nothin

and please dont call me D2k it makes you sound like the new name every day troll


tbh, with how man pretty ezyano is he should be much more worried about getting kidnapped and being made a sex slave than anything else, of course he may hit the slavemaster jack pot and be led to a beautiful hi-so girl so it might be worth the risk

Hua Hin -

I'm going to take the bus to Hua Hin but first I need to get to the bus station. I hail a cab and tell them the name of the bus station. "300 baht"

"You're a meter cab, I'll pay the meter"

"No, no, 300 baht."

I'm aware that it's a 100 baht taxi fare to the bus station, so I tell him kindly "**** off, please."

Eventually I find a metered cab that will accept the meter. He takes me to the bus station and I hop on the bus from BKK to Hua Hin, a 3 hour tour.

I'm excited to see my friends Jake and Dmetri, my university friends who I met up with in Chiang Rai. They attend an international university in Hua Hin. Jake and I actually go back about a year when I met him playing cards at the Wynn in Las Vegas. He was on a badass winning streak in the 20s at the time and if I'm not mistaken kept it up until he left Vegas in the summer '11. He's an infinitely interesting individual, who's former military, former (and current?)poker pro, current student and entrepreneur and fitness guru. His roomate Dmetri is similarly awesome, with badass military background, is a martial arts expert, does Parkour and is a Yoga Master. Or sensei. Whatever teachers are called in yoga. I was introduced to Dmetri in Chiang Mai and

One of the most important things about vacations for me eating new foods. I simply love trying new tastes and eating the foods that are native to certain areas and cultures. Perhaps the only thing more important than that for me is meeting new and interesting people. I try to learn as much as I can from people with different ideas about the world, food, fitness, etc.

Arriving at the bus stop in Hua Hin near the night market, Jake tells me to meet him at his place. I hop on a moto taxi and get to his neighborhood. I wander around trying to find his house and he meets me outside. They tell me they were just about to start their Insanity (which is a fitness regimen they are on) and I'm welcome to join them. Today's focus is on plyometrics. I decline for several reasons, not the least of which is I'm in "vacation mode" and heavy exercise like that, while not expressly forbidden in vacation mode, is usually not happening.

After they're done getting even more cut than they already are we head to a student BBQ. University orientation begins the next day and some of the more senior students are meeting for drinks and meats, the latter of which will be charcoaled to perfection.

These university students come from a range of backgrounds. It's really refreshing to speak to people who can communicate fluently in English and also speak with intelligence. This was one of those great times with interesting people. I met many interesting people that night, including T, a beautiful amazonian alpha take charge kind of lady. She controlled that grill like none other. Besides being a full time student she also owns a business. I also met a lovely Thai girl Joy who was unfortunately the victim of a hit and run while she was on her scooter and was sporting a cast to compliment her rocking body. Though she's from Bangkok, she spoke English fluently and her accent was like none other I've ever heard in my life. It was sexy as hell, to be sure.

With all the interesting conversations to be had I unfortunately check out early when I decided to partake in the blunts that are being passed around. Make no mistake, this Thai weed was strong and made me instantly less sociable, as strong weed often does. My brain gets all paranoid and doesn't want to talk to anyone about anything, and it gives my body instructions "EAT! EAT! EAT!" So after smoking I became an eating machine, just crushing BBQ chickens. But I'm never satiated when I have the munchies so I even walked to get a sleeve of Oreos to eat by myself. DISGUSTING.

At this point I realize it's time to go back and get some rest, which I do. I'd be meeting up with many in that crew the following night for fun, though.

Next Chapter - Friday, Hua Hin edition

These have been really great trip reports. Don't let any troll posts or derailments stop you from keeping them going your entire trip.

No never. I have health insurance and emergency evacuation insurance (medjet assist). I plan to get a personal article rider with State Farm (ridiculously cheap) but I'm having trouble getting an answer from them as to whether my stuff is covered abroad. I don't see the point of anything else.

What would be considered a bad/dangerous neighborhood in Bangkok or CM?

Can you list some places aside from Deep South that are considered sketchy?

I'm really curious to know. As you know, I don't live in Thailand.

Enjoying the TR's, need pics though.

+1

I don't know what the bad neighborhoods of BKK or CM are - never been to CM. I'm sure they are there though.

Apart from the deep south, the northwest border with Myanmar is a very sketchy place - also listed as "Do Not Travel" by the .au govt and probably many others. Burma is currently undergoing a mini civil war between buddhists and muslims, and the border areas have always been dangerous due to the high numbers of drug and people smugglers that operate in the golden triangle.

The conflict with Buddhist and Mulsims is mostly in Western Burma near the Bangladesh border. There has been conflict for years along the Thai border with the Karen. I have many friends who work with NGOs in both Mae Sot and Chiang Mai.

I have probably never felt safer in a country than in Burma and people should have no issues visiting NW Thailand or the golden triangle, an area I spent several months in. I've used a combination of motorbike and hitchhiking to travel much of Northern Thailand.

I'm not a tough guy, far from it, just a rational thinker. Like DC said, Deep South of Thailand is pretty low on my list of places to worry about. My fears of Northern Thailand are pretty much non existent

Interesting. They must be talking about deep jungle away from the roads, not just Mae Hong Son loop... I know that's how drugs get smuggled into Thailand and also there are Shan insurgents and their supporters sneaking in and out through that area.

I think next time I'm in BKK I will do some research to figure out what the worst BKK ghetto is and check it out. hehe

***

Back to the topic, Hua Hin is a pretty cool little town. I wonder how many western tourists go there. Lots of Thai tourists but I didn't see that many westerners there when I was passing through.

Those insurgents and their supporters don't have issues with foreigners...Foreigners are their supporters

travel.state.gov (US government) currently has no travel warnings for Thailand or Burma

There are a lot of expats in Hua Hin but it doesn't get much tourist traffic mainly because of location I guess.

would you guys plz quit ruining my mancrushes thread with this unimportant terrorist talk

lol

Hua Hin -

My amigos were off to school orientation, so I took the day to explore the city. I went to go for a walk when a moto-taxi approached me. I didn't have any idea where I was going so decided that taking a moto-taxi to anywhere is faster than walking to anywhere.

"Where you go?"

To which I replied, "Just go, man. Just go."

He drove me south parallel to the beach for several miles and would every so often ask me where I'm going. Just keep going man, I would say, though I doubt he understood what I was talking about. He was looking for me to say "Night Market" or "Hilton"

Eventually, at the southern point of Hua Hin beach I reached a place that was renting moto-bikes. I got dropped off there, paid him the 100 baht fine for the tour, and decided to have that walk that I was thinking about. So I walked to the beach and found the most amazing sight. The mountain at the southern end of Hua Hin with a golden Buddha statue. My words do it no justice. I didn't bring my camera either. But I did draw a picture. But the picture is terrible. Sigh.

So I'm walking along the beach and strike up a conversation with a Canadian couple. There's probably no friendlier people in the world than Canadians, to be sure. This couple is visiting their son Aaron who married a Thai girl and is having trouble getting his girlfriend residency in Canada. We talk for a bit then separate when I stop to get lunch as they continue on their walk along the beach. I order the green curry spicy at a beach grill called "Club Smor". Though the curry was good, the view of the fishing boats dotting the water, and the mountain to the right hit the spot.

The Canadian couple come to the restaurant to order some fries just as I'm finishing my meal, so I ask if they mind if I sit with them for a bit to chat. They seem delighted to meet someone new, as am I. They tell me about the charity work they do and the town their daughter-in-law is from. They describe the lavish wedding and the abundance of food that is made for the reception. "Every single person at that wedding took food home" they tell me.

I don't remember ever taking anything from any of the weddings I've been to.

After having a couple Chang's with them, we part ways and I walk some more, this time not along the beach but along the road. I stop at a coffee shop and strike up a conversation with the young barista who looks pretty bored. She's happy enough to practice some English. She tells me this is her family run coffee shop, and she's seems really proud of it. She did brew a mean cup of joe, that's for sure. I opt for the iced coffee as I always do when the temperature is above 31 degrees Celsius (ninety something).

I continue on my way and rent a motor scooter. A Honda Scooty, or iScooty, or Scoopy or something like that. I was really surprised when the scooter rental guy gives it to me without asking to see any ID or pay any money. He just has me fill out a form. I probably could have written my name as "Captain America" and my address as "None of your business Ln" and he wouldn't have been the wiser. Seven dollars a night is the going rate, and I'd rent it for two days. (Later, when I go to return the bike, he forgets that I didn't pay and keeps saying "Ok, thank you, that's all" after I return it. I have to try to convince him to look at the receipt to see that it didn't say paid on it. I ended up paying him the money, and I'd filled up the tank for him as well, though he didn't check that either I think).

So now I have a scooter and it's time to ride around town. I love the feeling of riding around on these things. It's very liberating and free. Even when it starts raining that almost adds to the effect. It began pouring very heavily and I kept driving, first north, then going back south again. I eventually stopped near the night market to walk around. I saw shops that sell really neat sculptures of Aliens and Predators and Transformers made of nuts and bolts. I saw foot cleaning places where they have fish feed off of stuff from your foot. I guess that's supposed to be good for you or relaxing or something to that effect, maybe like a massage? I don't know didn't really feel like going from being wet to having fish lick my toes. Not something I'm dying to try, tbh.

I dicked around the night market, then found an internet cafe to dick around some more on 2p2, reddit, gmail, fb, the usual. Then I go home to shower up and get into some dry clothes for the evening. Tonight we're going dancing.

Next chapter - Dancing, Partying, Failing.

There are quite a few western tourists although they skew older than other tourist spots in Thailand. Very popular with Scandinavians for some reason.

I asked my GF and after thinking about it for a minute, she said ThonBuri, take that with a grain of salt though. I asked her what's so dangerous about it, and she didn't offer much of an answer...

another area she didn't like is the area around Baiyoke sky tower because of all the low class foreigners.. (not ones from North America, Asia, or Europe)