Overview of Thailand

Thailand 2012:

Here is a list of vendors I used in Thailand and some helpful information you should know prior to going to Thailand.

Airfare:  

Eva Air - SFO-TPE/TPE-SFO.  This was my second time flying Eva Air and I would highly recommend it to anyone traveling to Asia.  

• Hub is located in Taiwan.
• Organized check-in and boarding.
• Coach has a lot of leg room.  
• Blanket, socks, personal TV come with the coach seat.  
• Food is good for airplane food and can be customized to your dietary needs for no additional charge. I get the Chinese vegetarian.  

Air Asia - TPE-HKT/HKT-CNX/CNX-DMK/BKK-TPE.  This was my first time flying Air Asia.  It is similar to Southwest in the USA. 

Pro's

• Cheap airfare. 
• Flies to most Asian airports.
• Offers multiple times per day.
• Comfortable seating. 

Con's

• Carry on baggage cannot be more the 7kg.  (They are very strict on this policy!  If you are going to check a bag pre-pay the baggage fee online.  If you wait till the airport they will charge a high rate.  For example: TPE - HKT was close to 200 US Dollars for 2 bags because they were over carry on weight.)
• No food or drinks are complimentary on the flight. 
• Charge to pre-select your seats with your group.  
• No TV's or movies shown. 
• Depending on the airport - the check in counter can be a mess.  For example: In TPE the check in counter was very unorganized and the line was over an hour long. 

I would fly with Air Asia again - however - just beware of the few cons flying with a budget airline.

Hotel Bookings + Reviews:

Agoda:  http://www.agoda.com/

We booked all our hotels through this website.  They are reliable and provide reviews and pictures of each hotel.  

TripAdvisor: http://www.tripadvisor.com/

Always a good source of information for hotels, attractions and useful information in forums. 

Railay:

Hotel: Railay Village Resort (544 Moo 2 Ao Nang, Muang, Krabi 81000 Thailand)

• http://www.railayvillagekrabi.com

• http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g1597036-d781689-Reviews-Railay_Village_Resort-Railay_Beach_Krabi_Town_Krabi_Province.html
• http://www.agoda.com/asia/thailand/krabi/railay_village_resort.html?type=1&cid=1410012&url=http://www.agoda.com/asia/thailand/krabi/railay_village_resort.html&tag=285abb96-2c67-4f5a-9cf3-8d4cb0b07b21&gclid=CKHnp8Ti9LECFYPrKgodDmEAiA&cklg=1

Car Service: http://www.krabishuttle.com/

• Used from Phuket Airport (HKT) to Ao Nang

Ferry Service: Ao Nang Princess Ferry

• http://www.globaltravelmate.com/asia/thailand/krabi/krabi-transport/2623-ao-nang-princess.html

Purchase tickets through your hotel or on the beach at the boat stand.

Long Boat Services:

• Railay to Ton Sai Beach - 50baht
• Railay to Ao Nang Beach - 100baht

Phuket:

Hotel: Blue Ocean Resort and Spa Phuket (273 Rat-U-Thit Road, Patong, Kathu, Phuket 83150 Thailand)

• http://www.blueoceanresort-phuket.com
• http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g297930-d1837952-Reviews-Blue_Ocean_Resort-Patong_Phuket.html

Tour: Phi Phi Island Full day - Speed boat

• http://phukettour.com/phi_phi_similan_snorkeling.php

Chiang Mai:

Hotel: Shangri-La Chiang Mai (89/8 Chang Klan Road, Muang, Chiang Mai, 50100, Thailand)

• http://www.shangri-la.com/chiangmai/shangrila?mkwid=szdIbL5Xf&pcrid=17797700105&WT.srch=1&utm_source=google&utm_medium=ppc&utm_term=shangri-la+chiang+mai&utm_campaign=North+America+-+Brand
• http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g293917-d816502-Reviews-Shangri_La_Hotel_Chiang_Mai-Chiang_Mai.html

Transportation to hotel: Taxis can be found on the ground floor of the domestic and international arrival halls.

• Hotel is 10 mins by car to/from the airport (about 120BHT)

Tiger Kingdom:

• http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g293917-d1151436-Reviews-Tiger_Kingdom-Chiang_Mai.html

Thai Elephant Home:

• http://thaielephanthome.com/
• http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g293917-d1422414-Reviews-Thai_Elephant_Home-Chiang_Mai.html

Jungle Flight:

• http://www.jungleflightchiangmai.com/
• http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g1308496-d1739040-Reviews-Jungle_Flight-Chiang_Mai_Province.html

Siam Rice Thai Cookery School:

• http://www.siamricethaicookery.com/about-us.php
• http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g293917-d1066025-Reviews-Siam_Rice_Thai_Cookery_School-Chiang_Mai.html

Bangkok:

Hotel: Hansar (3 Soi Mahadlekluang 2, Rajdamri Road, Bangkok 10330)

• http://www.hansarbangkok.com/
• http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g293916-d1958185-Reviews-Hansar_Bangkok-Bangkok.html

Packing Recommendations:

Medical Kit:

• Antihistamine
• Pill (Allergies)
• Hydrocortisone
• steroid cream for allergic
• Stomach Issues
• Pepto
• Mylanta
• Deet Bug repellent (Spray and wipes)
• First Aid
• Cream
• Bandaids
• Wraps
• Nail clippers
• Scissors
• Advil
• Sunscreen

Clothing:

• Beaches:
• Very humid weather. Bathing suits, light clothing is a must.
• Note: Cotton does not dry fast due to humid weather.
• Water shoes! Rocky areas are common on the beaches and in the water.

• Temples:
• Never enter a temple topless, or in shorts, sleeveless shirts, or other unsuitable attire. (Most temples will offer you free clothing to use during your visit)
• It is acceptable to wear shoes when walking around the compound of a Buddhist temple but not inside where the Buddha image is kept.

No-No's:

Seashells:

• Collecting seashells is illegal.

Littering:

• A fine will be imposed on a person who litters or spits in public areas.

Drugs:

• Penalties are VERY harsh in Thailand

Support of wild animal abuse:

• Do not purchase any product or souvenirs made from wild animals - such as snake skin, ivory etc. Avoid restaurants that serve wild animal delicacies as it is against the law to kill wildlife for food in Thailand.

Touching a Monk:

• Buddhist monks are forbidden to touch or be touched by a woman or to accept anything from the hands of one.

• If a woman has to give something to a monk she should first hand it to a man who can then present it to the monk.

Helpful Numbers to have:

Police: Tourist Police - 1155

Visitor's needing assistance for safety or other matters should call the police.

Credit Card:

• American Express Tel : 66(0)2-273 5100 or 66(0)81-559-5888
• Master Card Tel : 66(0)2-256 7326 to 7
• Visa Tel : 66(0)2-256 7326 to 7

Helpful Websites:

• http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thailand
• http://www.travelandleisure.com/search?query=thailand&search_cat=all
• http://www.railay.com/railay/intro/activities.shtml
• http://wikitravel.org/en/Thailand
• http://www.tourismthailand.org/
• http://www.frommers.com/destinations/thailand/

Bangkok, Thailand

November 27 - 29, 2012

Multiple people we met throughout the trip mention one of the low points of their vacation was spending time in Bangkok.  Some people didn't like the crowds, others mentioned they didn't feel safe with all the beggars on the streets.  This freaked me out since I disliked our time in Phuket, but off we went to Bangkok.

Our flight information to Bangkok. 

After a wonderful time in Chiang Mai, we caught a 1 hour flight to Bangkok's Don Mueang Airport.  We arrived about 4:30pm on Tuesday.  After grabbing our bags we waited about 10 minutes in the taxi line.  Once you get to the front of the taxi counter - the workers, who all speak English - ask you where you are going and then write out the location - in Thai - to give to the cab drivers.  Since not many of the cab drivers speak English this helps avoid any confusion for the tourists.  We had a 45min ride to our hotel in Bangkok.  The scenery was similar to any other big city with high rises and smog.

After driving past the Grand Hyatt, St Regis and Four Seasons in Bangkok, we saw a mini sign that says Hansar Hotel with an arrow pointing down an alley way.  That was our destination.  I picked this hotel because of the area - it was near well known American hotels, the mall and sky train.  The highly rated (via TripAdvisor and Agoda) hotel had a modern decor - very nice and swanky.  The staff was friendly and took us and our bags up to our room.  We were on the 15th floor and all the amenities in the room were newer and clean.  We even got a free mini bar!  Similar to the Shangri-La, the bath tub in the room was AMAZING!  And I wish I had brought bath bombs.

View from our room. 

Bathroom and closet.

We dropped our stuff off and decided to head out and check the local area.  Since it was the end of November - all of the shops were getting ready for Christmas and had an amazing light display.  Around the Central Shopping Center - about a 3min walk from our hotel - there were bands playing sponsored by Chang Beer.  The mall was an upper scale mall which included many high end brands.  Walking around everyone seemed to be extremely trendy - they had cute clothes, really high heels and perfectly dyed hair.  The area was really clean - and nothing like what other visitors mentioned.  Police monitored the streets - so there was no beggars, no homeless people sleeping, and very few food stalls in unauthorized areas.  I would imagine the hotels around this area put alot of money towards keeping the streets nice and friendly to not scare visitors away.

Central World.

Decoration for Xmas and the new year. 

Chang beer + David. 

Across the street was a mini night market with people selling food and Thailand trinkets.  There I had the best fried chicken!!!  I was anxious to try the fried chicken and it was worth it!  It was everything I imagined it to be and more -- and as most of you know...this is saying a lot since I don't eat chicken on bone.

Getting fried chicken.  

The next day we woke up early and went down to the free breakfast provided by the hotel.  The Hansar hotel offered the best breakfast of the whole trip.  Similar to the other places - they had a mix of Asian and American cuisine.  Everything was very fresh and tasty.   The first stop of the day was via taxi, we went over to the Grand Palace.  The concierge warned us to not listen to anyone outside of the Grand Palace as they will try to scam you.  They might tell you it is closed or that you can't wear what you are wearing etc - DON'T BELIEVE THEM.  They also mentioned to not get in any un-metered cabs on the way back as they will charge up the bill extensively.

The Grand Palace is one of the main landmarks of Thailand - so as you can imagine there was a large crowd.  At the entrance the guards will tell you if what you are wearing is appropriate or not.  If it is not they will ask you to go get a sarong or pants provided by the Grand Palace.  You place 200baht down per the number of items you borrow and when you are done - you return the items and get your money back.  After getting the clothes you can head over to the ticket counter and purchase tickets into the Grand Palace.  Near the ticket counter are some souvenir shops, a money exchange center (which offers a really good exchange rate) and a counter where you can purchase a headset guide and map of the Palace.  We opted out of the headset as it was pretty expensive and we had the free map provided from the ticket counter.  It was extremely muggy outside and there was a lot of people around - bumping into you and trying to take pictures - however the grounds were amazing.  The intricate handwork that went into building the Palace was amazing. Similar to the temple we visited in Chiang Mai - I wish we had a tour guide to tell us facts about the different areas and what we were looking at.  There were many tour guides speaking all different languages, however, they seemed like multi - day tours not just temple tours.  I would highly recommend this as a must do when in Bangkok.

Grand Palace.

Grand Palace.

Grand Palace.

Grand Palace.

Grand Palace.

Grand Palace.

Grand Palace.

After spending over an hour at the Grand Palace - we went across the street to ABP (yes - the same ABP in Boston!) to have a drink (cool off) and eat a bagel.  The next stop was the Wat Pho - this location is the home of the 15m high and 43m long reclining Buddha.  The fee to enter the Wat Pho is 100baht and the temple was a lot less busy than Grand Palace.  Right before going in to see the reclining Buddha - anyone wearing a tank top or short shorts had to put on a neon green robe to wear.  The reclining Buddha was an amazing site to see.  It was so large and the detailing was something special - esp on the bottom of the feet.  There were 108 hanging bowls in the corridor - which we dropped 1baht coins in each of these bowls to bring us good fortune.  (They have an attendant working there to exchange Baht  into coins).  Outside of the Wat Pho were vendors selling fruit and toys - however - unlike any where else I had seen, multiple vendors were selling fresh pomegranate juice.  They cut the fresh pomegranate in half - took out the inside - and squeeze it through a hand juicer right into the container.  It cost 40baht and was delish!  No sweetener added - just fresh juice.

Wat Pho.

Wat Pho.

Wat Pho.

Wat Pho.

Wat Pho.

Wat Pho.

Wat Pho.

Pomegranate juice outside Wat Pho.

From here we walked over to the river to catch the public transportation boat to take us to the Sky Train.  It was extremely easy to find and close by - maybe a 3 minute walk from the Wat Pho.  From here we took the train to the MBK.  The Mahboonkrong (MBK) is and 8 floor shopping mall.  It is very similar to the night market only indoors - stall after stall selling everything from scarves to elephant incense holders.  On the 5th and 6th floors there are restaurants stalls to eat at which serve everything from Greek to Thai food.  We ate on the 5th floor at a cafeteria style restaurant.  When you walk in you are given a card and when you order a meal they scan your card, add it to your itemized bill and cook your food.  After you eat you take the card to the front where it is scanned and you pay.

View of Wat Arun from the boat.

Khao Soi for lunch from the MBK - fifth floor.

Crispy chicken for lunch from the MBK - fifth floor.

Six scarves and multiple trinkets later - we caught the Sky Train back to our hotel.  At the hotel, we decided to go to the light festival at AsiaTique.  AsiaTique is on the riverfront and offers multiple restaurants and upper end stall shopping.  This time of the year - they put on a huge fireworks show, have tons of lights and a huge ferris wheel.  AsiaTique offers a free shuttle boat from the Sky Train station - so we took that.  However - it took about an hour in an intense crowd to get on the boat.  There when we got to AsiaTique the crowds were unbelievable.  People were pushing and shoving, the humidity was strong, the party hadn't even started yet.  From the people we talked it appeared that the festivities wouldn't kick off until 11pm.  So after about an hour we decided to head back to the Central shopping center and eat dinner at the stalls outside which were BBQ'ing fish.  We waited about 45mins to get back on a boat to take us to the sky train and went to eat.  I would recommend going to AsiaTique as it appeared to be a trendy up and coming area with cute shops and good food - I just would not recommend it during any festival time frame.

Asiatique.

Light show at Asiatique.

So busy @ Asiatique.

Night view of Bangkok from Asiatique.

Dinner was amazing.  We ordered seafood fried rice -- which was just okay, not like the fried rice we had in Chiang Mai and we order the BBQ'ed fish.  The fish was covered in a salt and bread crumbs and was very crispy.  It came with a spicy dipping sauce - which was light but had a ton of flavor.

BBQ fish.

Outdoor restaurant next to Central.  

BBQ fish.

The next day we packed up our things, ate breakfast and headed to the airport via taxi.  From there we took an Air Asia flight back to TPE and then onto EVA air from TPE to SFO.

Unfortunately this was the end of our Thailand trip.  It went by way to fast and I was so sad to leave!  I can't wait to come back and explore more of Thailand.

Me in my elephant pants @ the TPE airport.  

Highlights of my trip:
- Fried chicken from the food stall outside of Central Mall.
- Grand Palace
- Wat Pho
- MBK

On my to do list next time:
- I would only come back to do some shopping and use Bangkok as a layover location.