We’re goin to Thailand on Saturday…
Planning to hit BKK, Samui, Chang, and Samet…If we’re feeling really adventurous we’ll head out to Ko Tao and Phanagn
I was wondering, has anyone been to Thailand?
What were the highs ? and what were the lowes :? ?
could go on quite a bit about that one stevie! thailand is my home away from home away from home. haven’t been to chang or samet, maybe next year. samui has gotten too touristed for me, though if you stay away from the main beaches it can be quieter. went to koh tao once, very nice especially the small island of nang yuan right off it, unbelievable for snorkeling. a definite high. only been to the party beach of haat riin in phangan. count one boat trip back from there among the few lows :) another boat trip was truly terrifying as we were on a speedboat in an insane storm between koh tao and phangan, no land in sight. when the cocunut palm fronds are swaying, stay off the boats
Not sure what Chang is like now. I was there in 92. No electricity, only a small number of bungelows. Quite, no tourists (about 25 of us on the whole island) we rented motorcycles and went into the mountains and found a waterfall. Played all day, jumping off cliffs… Oh it was sweet. Afraid it is all gone now.
Only reason to go to Phangan is for the full moon festival. If you go, be prepared to sleep on the beach (no room at the bungelows so I have heard) or be prepared not to sleep at all!
Koh Tao is great for diving. 2 buddies of mine (4 years ago) spent 7 days on tao diving. Highlighted the last day by swiming with a Whale Shark for over 2 hours. Said it was perfect.
But it’s been built up a lot over the last 2-3 years and there’s a lot of litter etc. Still, you can still wander down the beach in the moonlight, stopping at candlelit bars to talk scuba diving.
Also, there are boat trips to/from the full moon party. The place gets overwhelmed with exhausted party-goers looking for somewhere to chill for a few days immediately afterwards. I was planning to get away from the main beach (SaiRee) next time - I’ve heard that the other beaches are much quieter but never seem to get my act together enough to go find out.
Ask the taxi drivers in Bangkok where to go to the special shows if you have never been to one, they’re interesting! (Probably should get a translation in Thai before you get in a taxi though, most of them do not speak English.) We were lucky and found a crazy guy that could speak basic English and he took us all over the place, but he tried to get us to pay for him to enter one of the ladyboy shows. Also you must try Thai massage at least once if you don’t have any back problems or anything.
Samui has lots of copied products, CD’s. watches, wallets, bags, shirts, etc. Cheaper than in Taiwan. Most of the shops are around Chaweng Beach. Not sure which hotel you are staying at there, but there will be much more choice for food and shopping in that area, but it is a big more noisy. Stay away from full body massages in Samui, it is much better in Bangkok. Although I do recommend you have a foot massage daily!
If you are staying in a very good hotel in Bangkok do not expect the same in Samui. I found Samui hotels to be rather unattractive. Depending on where you stay you won’t be spending much time in the hotel anyway, you’ll be enjoying the beach and sites around and away from the island!
Enjoy yourself, if you have any specific questions about the stuff I mentioned just drop me an email.
But it’s been built up a lot over the last 2-3 years and there’s a lot of litter etc. Still, you can still wander down the beach in the moonlight, stopping at candlelit bars to talk scuba diving.
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Figures, it’s been about 6 years for me, was quiet then.
Want to try lanta or khao lak next year, off to phuket and krabi on Sunday, first time for my youngest youngun.
Tanote Bay: Far side of Ko Tao (East) Baht400 for a bungalow overlooking the bay; 2 hours by boat to Samui
Great Diving-Trigger Fish, Whale sharks etc; laid back, hippies 4/5
Phuket: 3 km off the east coast off Phuket is Coral Island
AC Bungalows (very nice) on the beach for Baht2000
Only resort on the island, honeymooners, couples; i hour from Phi Phi
4/5
Hua Hin: Small Town, not much to do, beach is not that great, but the seafood is pretty good and there are places to stay for all budgets
older Nothern European tourists, sex tourists
2 hours by road from Bangkok
2/5
If you like camping, hiking and nature, old temples and hill tribes, and want to experience the REAL Thailand, I’d recommend visiting the cities of the north: Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Lampang, Pai, Mae Hong Song. Of these, Chiang Mai is the most “touristy.”
If you want to see hilltribes, please read this article from Welcome to Chiangmai & Chiangrai magazine first:
It’s a good overview of how the people have been exploited for tourist dollars and how to choose a responsible hilltribe guide.
For the beach thing, Ko Samet is fairly easy to reach from Bangkok (3 hour bus, 30 min. ferry). You’ll encounter crowds and annoying peddlers if you stay on the northern part of the island. The best beaches on Ko Samet are further south–I stayed at a resort on Ao Wai beach. You can get straight to Aoi Wai by a ferry from Rayong, otherwise prepare yourself for an expensive songtheaw ride over an extremely bumpy unpaved road. Gorgeous beach, lots of sand and shady trees, MUCH quieter than the other beaches at the northern end, excellent food at the restaurant. It cost about 900 baht a night, but of course that changes with the season. One sad thing you’ll find on Ko Samet (and in Thailand in general) is a lot of littering. You’ll find a lot of little trash-filled crags along the rocky parts of the shoreline that would otherwise make good picnic spots.