I will visit Bangkok for new year I need your advise

Hi Winafrica! Your topic has been moved on the Bangkok forum.

Enjoy well your stay in Bangkok.
Christine

I'm Thai.u can talk with me.
I'm willing to give u advice.

Hello there:

I been living in Bangkok for, now, a year and a half. Enough to know a few things, but not all of it.

I have only rented condo's here - So i dont know much about hotels, but in any case..- ( 1 room, 1 bathroom + american kitchen style along with living room all furnished and with different amenities)

The low end condos can go from the ranges of 5000 bath a month to 15000 thb/m depending on the area you living. ( If you living somewhere close to Sukhumvit it will be quite expensive, far of your budget)

Good areas to live in are Hui kwan, Suthisarn, Phra Ram 9, Chong Nonsri,Phra Khanong, On Nut. All near the BTS & MRT. And no so damn expensive.

As for bills: Water around 500 thb/m, Electricity - Depends if you are going to use the Air con all night long- Around 1000 thb/m, Internet around 700 thb/month.

For food: Well thats your choice, you can choose the range of mobile food shops all over Bangkok that each "dish" costs around 20 thb, if you are a restaurant type, around 300 to 700 thb ( medium range restaurant ) or if Your condo has a fire plate you always can cook something at home. Now, there is two different kinds of supermarket here: The "national" range, such as Tesco's, with the vast majority of products from Thailand and Asia related, or the supermarkets aimed for ex-pats with a wide variety of imported European and American products. These last ones, are also the most expensive ones.

For transportation: Taxis, are well cheap ( the ones that got "meter" on top ) around a 100 thb per destination. Motorbike taxis might vary, but less than a taxy normally. And tuk Tuk's unless you are able to defend yourself with some thai, youll be ending up spending around 500 thb for a ride ( like most of the  tourists do )
As for Bts & Mrt - Skytrain and Underground - Depends where are you going, but around 35thb per ride. Then you can have some short of an "oyster" card that you can top up. ( never had one, so i cannot tell you the thb's)

As for mobile phone: Going to MBK you will be able to get a nice deal for around 500 thb new thai number and can top-up in any supermarket or minimarket such as 7/11 with a 100 thb or 300 thb.


Total per month:

- This is what i spend normally a month -
*Condo fully furnished+pool+gym+guards+garden=9500thb month
*Transport= ( because i dont live near a mrt or bts) 3400 thb month - need to take a taxi then a train then a bike and back-
*Bills= 2050
( thats if you dont cook much at home, cos the fireplates "fire up" your electricity bill for a few thousend)
*Food= - Got kitchen at home - 5000 (going to tescos)
*Going out =  5000 thb month. (depends how much you drink too)

Total:24950 thb/month ( this varies depending if im a bad boy or not on weekends big_smile )

Hope this helps you get an idea of what is going to be per month and the bit of advice here and there. If you have more questions please dont hesitate and ask.

Have a good one.

I don't know how you feel about organized tours but they are one good way to see Bangkok sites. They have various types of single day tours. The sites can be seen in 3-4 days in Bangkok if well planned.

If you prefer going it alone then taking in some the following if interested.


So many temples in Bangkok you can burn out but a few to see would be Wat Pho with Reclining Buddha, don't remember name but temple that has Gold Buddha, and another would be Jade Buddha temple complex.  Kings palace is also a site to visit.

Also in Bangkok is Chatuchak Weekend Market (known as JJ market to locals). Whatever you are looking for, this sprawling open-air market has it.

Traditional Thai massage. Vigorous in nature, Thai massage reaches deep into the muscle tissue, relieving tension and tightness in the body. Great after day of sightseeing but avoid the expensive spa places.

Day time river cruise gives you a very different view of city and is worth it.

Dinner at one of the several restaurants on taller buildings in Bangkok for nighttime view of city. Open air Vertigo in the Banyan Tree Hotel is one such place but they are more expensive and best done on clear night.

For cabaret shows I have been to Calypso Cabaret at Asia Hotel Bangkok and it was great.

This pretty well covers Bangkok.

Chang Mai and Chang Rai area's have many thing to see and do. A few things like...Elephant trek...one of the river rafting or boat tours....visit long neck hill tribe village...visit golden triangle area should be on your list.

If you like beaches then you can visit some of the islands.  I would suggest places like Krabi, Phuket and Phi Phi Island. Actually Phi Phi island is two islands Phi Phi Don and Phi Phi Leh. Maya Bay is on Phi Phi Leh which is the smaller island. One of the day speed boat tours does spend the morning and lunch on Phi Phi Don and afternoon on Phi Phi Leh. I hope the weather is nice because you will enjoy Phi Phi.

Hope this helps some.

this is a helpful forum. I am coming in december as well.

Cheers

Hi Matey

A very open question, would need to know how long you will stay and how far you will travel, and indeed what sort of things you would like to do.

I have lived here for just over 12 years and being in Real Estate and similar i know many hotels, condo buildings and such like to stay in, but the areas/districts vary so much, so again what do you want near you?

Cheers

Dave
(Moderated: No Free advertising, Thanks)

winafrica wrote:

Dear Friends,

would you pls. advise what to do what not to do ,your warnings, place to see?

thx.in advance.
Regards
Winafrica

i think the most important thing to find out is where and what you'd like to do in Thailand in the first place
if you're there for the beaches and sun shine, well one of the islands is a good start.  domestic traveling/flights are very cheap compared to other countries, you could go to two or three islands in a 2 to 3 weeks; avoid Phuket since its so expensive and honestly ain't worth it.  you could try Koh Chang or Koh Samet which aren't very far and pretty, if you want to take an hour flight to Koh Samui ( lots of young people and lots of drinking & beach parties, though very commercial ) is very beautiful and well equipped, at ticket from BKK will cost around USD 100 or 3000 Bht.

Remember that there is a double pricing system, n.b. foreigners are percieved as very rich therefore have to pay everything double or triple ( i.e. rent, utilities, shows, rides etc. )
They can also smell a new comer fresh from the plane a mile away so if anyone approaches you with a smile and speaks good english...keep walking.  Technicaly they're "shy' by nature, so coming up to you and engaging into conversation is not the norm.
don't trust bargirls, everywhere you walk infront of a bars etc. all you will hear is " hey, where you go sexy man ? go with you.."

don't take a tuc tuc as means of " local" tranportation, they are creepy characters who will rip you off, plus reckless driving, unbelievable noise and exhaust fumes coming out just beneath your seat.  don't trust any of them or taxi drivers.  keep your wits about you even if they seem kind and sympathetic etc.

Avoid eating from the street stalls/vendors.  i've seen the state of hygiene before and after the business starts of these stalls.  much safer and value for money to eat at the food courts in supermarkets, where they also serve thai food.

Needless to say...ALWAYS use a "party hat" ...the local durex tends to be small for us, although the 5.56 diameter at the bottom of the box is the european standard.  can be bought at any 7/11, usually the grey box with light blue and purple circles depicted on it...next to the KY jelly...safety first

Carry only the amount of money you'll need for the day/night plus a 1000 baht stashed somewhere, carry also lots of small change and try to give the exact amount in drinking places ( tipping is expected, but only if service was good, including taxis/housekeeping etc. )

As much as they look sexy and provocative STAY AWAY from
Ladyboys they're bad news across the country...and yes curiousity did kill the cat...
choose a reputable accommodation, risk of being ripped off is very high everywhere, usually in 90% of places you're allowed to bring a "guest" for the night at no extra charge, and an extra applies if there is 2 extra people in the room ... the mentality here is not that they want the customer to come again etc. no...they know no matter what people will always come to bang their buck overthere so if you leave dissapointed, well there's millions at the airport check-in waiting to come...60 years of non-stop tourism...so its not the land of hospitality it once "was".  watch out from the boys in brown, you could smoke a cigarette in the street and they will wait 'till you drop it to fine you with loitering, very common around Nana Plaza area, MBK mall etc. just to give you an idea...

don't look drunk around the streets, you will attract all sorts of punters, local and foreign.  don't flash expensive watch/cell phone etc. will only cause prices to rise around you keep valuables in hotel safe and also in there i heard some fishy stories...
and the list goes on buddy

a very good hotel to stay at in BKK and near the action at a very good price is the Dynasty Grand Inn in soi 4 just past Nana Plaza, 2000 baht ( about USD 65.00 a night, free in room net, kind staff and huge newly decorated rooms/bathrooms, beautiful pool etc. ) i would say as a tourist 4 to 5 nights in Bangkok are enough to party and some shopping.  Check-out the north, where the people are still sort of kind and simple, start off with Chiang Mai and move north till the golden triangle and the
Mae Hong Son ( river ) and a day trip across to Laos and Myanmar are very interesting to compare etc. i mean, in Myanmar its seems that the time has literally stopped...), very beautiful atmosphere, serene and quite.

i just got back from there, other wise i'd give you my mobile number since you're a mate from Tripoli
oh, you got to check Pattaya:D ..at least for a few nights, taxi from BKK 1000 baht, bus from Ekamai station 123 baht...the town is a freak show !!! western decadence at its Best !!!
  ...but i love it ENJOY !!!

as they say, let us know your interests so we could tell you more on what to avoid here hehehe around Minburi area is safe to live as compare to City life.

If you're going to drive your own vehicle please be mindful of motorcycles and reckless drivers (most of them are locals).. expect the heavy traffic ahead and do not expect proper traffic rules in some areas like in Bangkok where you can see people parking their vehicle right in front of you or the middle of the road

be careful of so pretty and sexy girls for you won't be able to tell the difference (between ladyboy & a real woman) )

spicy food is IN, the local food is cheap if u can bear the spiciness but there are fast food here too so worry NOT

I hope you enjoy your stay! Good luck

Elboh

This has been very informative.  Any other suggestions on what to do for New Years.

Well sirs, and ladies of course, a few of us regulars who have been here for quite some time will be out and about on the 30th in Sukhumvit Soi 4 in a nice beer garden environment......pop along if interested,

Cool.  I wouldnt be getting in until very late on the 30th, but if I get the change I will.