Thailand

This city is pretty close to Bangkok. I stayed here for around one and a half days. It’s a small city when compared with Bangkok but to look at the places of interest you would at least need a bike or a car.

The thing which first comes to mind is the River Kwai, inspired by the movie the bridge over the river kwai. The scene especially to watch is inspiring at evening time over the calm waters and if one needs to get away from all the hassles then I think this city is worth to go for a day or two. The colonial railway is a place of interest with a lot of Japanese tourists visiting it as well as the museum around it. Besides far from the city is the place where one can go to view the widest tree in the world; that’s what they say. The tree is very wide. I biked all over there and it was one long trip. Anyways there is also an elephant sanctuary to go to if one wants to see how they train these huge creatures but don’t get too near these behemoths, they can crumple you!!

The place I stayed in kanchanburi was the place where most of the small hotels are located and this area at night transforms into a great party place with a great jovial atmosphere as most of the travelers come here to escape the city life an laze till its night time.

Taking a ferry from phuket I came to phi phi islands. These are best kept islands if one wants to indulge in some scuba diving or snorkeling. The water is amazing as well as the white sandy beach. The best place to snorkel is not around the islands because most of the corals have been destroyed but rather in the middle of the sea. The ferry I was traveling on anchored in the middle for a few hours and this was the place which had amazing corals besides not a lot of people. The place was also close to Monkey beach which is a beach populated by who else but only monkeys. Don’t go too near to them they can attack people.

Furthermore I also took a tour to view the small caves around that region where one went on a bamboo canoe. The caves are truly amazing made of limestone because of accumulation of water which has made crystals thus we were not allowed to take cameras because the light of the flash breaks the crystals. Anyways what I saw inside left me speechless. There was a cavity inside the cave which had a whole elephant trunk on it. Our guide told us that this was a fossilized elephant. Don’t know much truth is it but anyways it looked stunning!!

Phi Phi is party place and accommodation over here is always tight because of the stream of people coming in. but I feel its becoming more and more commercialized which has somewhat affected the beauty of the place. Travelers whom I came into contact and who had been coming here regularly for the past 10 years or so told me that they really miss the former Phi Phi. At Phi Phi one can also go for a transparent glass boat ride though I didn’t go for it but I think it should be done especially for people who don’t like diving or snorkeling.

A word of advice. People wanting to spend a few days here to relax should better bring food, water and groceries with them because on the island all the things are pretty expensive. But if you want to splurge then what can I say? It’s your money!!!

Phuket is located in the South of Thailand. A lot better than Pattaya. Its got a lot to offer and one would never get bored in Phuket but only if you are high on Adrenaline.

Arriving from Kuala Lumpur into phuket through Air Asia. This was the second time I had been to Phuket and it had changed very little. Phuket is made up of primarily 3 beaches: Kata beach, Patong beach and Karon beach. The waters around Kata beach are a bit dangerous and the beach is very windy so most people don't recommend going there besides I feel the facilities with respect to all kinds of budgets are catered to in Patong beach so there was no need to change the place I was going to stay. Patong beach has a host of accommodation which ranges from the Holiday Inn to small Inn's lined on the road to the beach. The places as they get closer to the beach become expensive but in off seasons or anyways it's better to ask for some discount deal, you never know you might get a bargain.
Patong Beach

Patong beach has a host of activities which can be done by people of all ages and all tastes. The first thing that comes to mind is jump in the waters which at best can be described as tame. Then one can also do the Banana boat, Para gliding and Para sailing besides the ubiquitous Jet Ski's. One word of advice there is no bargaining here as the beach boys have an understanding that they don't undercut each other!! So tough luck for me and all of you who would look for bargains.
Shopping around the Beach

The area around the corniche is a place full of energy especially since it has a night bazaar or should we call it beach bazaar with nearly everything available from Thai crafted tables, wooden souvenirs to shirts, women's bags, shoes, watches with nearly everything being an imitation. Don't trust t what the shopkeepers say! That's my advice.

I would share my experience. I liked a wooden table which the shopkeeper started with 4000 BHATT and ended up at giving it to me for 300-400 BHATT. Don't remember the exact price. Furthermore never say half to what the shopkeepers ask because they would immediately sell the thing to you its better to start with 1/10th or 1/20th of the price but be prepared for some rough treatment. Man, I truly enjoy shopping!

Furthermore, the area around the beach one can also indulge in some extreme action. You guessed it!! Did you? One can go for bungee jumping here and as I was told it is operated by Kiwis and they have a great safety record. Although one never knows you might be the unlucky one!! Anyways no problems you would probably land in the water and not on the ground so just chill!!! The rates I feel were very competitive.

Other than that this area also has a lot of action at night. The place at night simply is irresistible with the biker boyz revving up their engines in the vicinity of the shopping malls. Mind you it's not the locals but rather the foreigners who just burn rubber with the Thai copies of Harleys. One of the shopping malls also has a bowling alley so one can always go for a game.

Moving away from the beach lets go to the main city. I forgot to tell you people that the best means of accommodation are the open air taxis which can take one to the city centre etc from the Patong beach. It would still not be a bad idea to rent a bike for a day as well if one wants to visit the city centre and stuff. Just one advice the road to the city centre is undulating and sometimes the hills get steep so drive that bike in only the first gear! Look out for the slight drizzle as well because the bikes tend to slip. Otherwise everything would be fine.

The places I went to was the Phuket Karting centre and mind you the place is truly of international class especially the tracks and their cars. Had a peach of the time but then ran out of money. Boy these karts are expensive. But don't forget you have got to bring your passport if you want to ride the cart because if you cause any harm to it then you would have to compensate these people.

People who are staying longer for a week or so should find it easier to buy their groceries, some tit bits etc from the Tesco Lotus Hyper market. The prices over there are ridiculously cheap and one can easily get the fresh fruit especially the award winning coconut, pine apples, mangosteen at good prices.

The main city I think doesn't have a lot to see. But if you are coming to phuket from a Bus then you would be dropped to the main city bus terminus. You could be hustled into getting an expensive taxi for the patong beach or wherever you want to go and there are people who have their private cars which double up as taxis but I feel these options are at best left alone and one just needs to find the open air taxis.

All said and done I guess you people would be hungry now. The places around the small inns on Patong Street offer good value for money. I particularly liked the food at Dubai restaurant which has good Shawarma. Other than that one can always get a boiled corn from the hawkers man they have such great taste. There are other hawkers who sell Thai food but you have to look out for the fact that the food could give you a bug because some of it is not fresh. The banana waffles are a treat to eat as well they are crispy and with honey added it just gets your taste buds.

There are a lot of islands around phuket the most famous being Phi Phi, James Bond, the Muslim fishermen village and one can easily get a tour from the ubiquitous travel agents around the area and it's a good tactic to get one agent against the other and thus get a good deal.

That was probably all I remember about Phuket.

The capital of Thailand is a magnetic city. It always attracts you and offers something new even for someone who would it visiting it the umpteenth time. Although it’s not a city one would fall in love because it’s very commercial but it still amazes you.

I have stayed in a lot of areas in Bangkok the most common being surawong road, silom road, khao san road. The silom area is famous for the fact that most of the south Asians live and work there. Khao San road on the other hand is a totally different spot. It’s the heart of backpackers visiting Bangkok. This is the place where all the cheap accommodation is available; don’t be surprised if you get your won room for one and half US dollars here! The place is also littered with a lot of bars and other hangout places but the activity starts only at night so if you are here in day time you would probably just doze off in the Bangkok humidity!

Aside from the accommodation places, the places to visit in Bangkok are quite a lot. Firstly there is the Floating Market which as the name conveys is a market on the river. The growers come to sell their stuff in long boats which are powered by small engines. They have tasty coconut juice here as well as some souvenir shops but you have to bargain a lot if you want it at the right price because the place is too touristy. Moreover there is area in the centre of Bangkok where all the temples are located but I didn’t go too much here because I am not too much of a history guy. Anyways these temples are worth visiting due to the intricate way in which they are built.

Besides there is the Safari World. This is the open Zoo and it’s got two parts. The first part comprises looking at the animals in the wild from special buses but one can only stay in the bus and look at the wild animals from giraffes to lions to hippos to a lot of other species. They are too much to name.

The other part is about special performances by the animals which have been domesticated. The shows include the dolphin show, the parrot show, Elephant and the snake show. Besides there are also some performances like the Wild West Show and a show inspired from the James Bond movie. The performers do a good job with the audience truly involved. You have to devote an entire day or at least half a day for the Safari World.

The crocodile farm • crockey farm for all those stevie fans- is also a treat where one can see live crocodiles playing with their handlers from close range though I got some goose bumps of the crocs being so close to the handlers!! Anyways this is a place to go if one wants to pass some time or see some real action.

The suan laum night bazaar is a place for the night. Here you can see a fight of MUAY THAI and enjoy the night as well as do some shopping and indulge in local Thai food. The atmosphere here is one of resigned friendliness but don’t come too close to the competitors you might get a punch or a kick you don’t know where! A lot of tourists come here through booked tours although I think this is a place where one can come without any hassle and save some money besides one can truly experience the local touch unlike what you had get when you come with a guide.

The chatuchak market, also called the weekend market, which is supposed to be the biggest of its kind is a place worth paying a visit to especially on a weekend. The sky train directly takes one there so its not such of a hassle to go there. The place is a shopper’s paradise especially for those people looking for some authentic Thai stuff to decorate their houses. The place has wooden goods whose quality is much better than what is generally available in the rest of the city and the things are cheap as well. Though don’t forget to do some bargaining; rather a lot of. There is also an animal market in close proximity to the furniture market but I wouldn’t recommend people going there especially after the bird flu scare.

These are some of the places I think Bangkok is famous for. I am writing this after a lag of 3 years since I last went to Bangkok so could have forgotten a place or two.

Now about the areas. The most famous or the most infamous area in Bangkok is the Pat pong area nowadays populated too a large extent by lady boys. Lady boys are Trans gender who most of them are guys but dress as girls and act like them as well. But other than that the small road side stalls in pat pong are one of the best places to get a bargain on shirts, shoes etc all of the stuff being fake though. From the most recent released CD to the perfume everything is fake. I would advise people to be on one’s toes because this is also a dangerous area as most of the people working here work for the mafia as well so its better to maintain a low profile and not to get into an argument with the stall owners which in no time can get into a full blown fight with police unable to do anything. This information is three years old so don’t know about what’s the scene right now.

Bangkok has got loads of shopping malls the most famous being MBK and adjacent to it is TOKYU. Again they can be reached via the sky train so not a problem in terms of transportation. MBK is the place where most of the stuff is copied or just own designer labels so it’s a bit cheap but the quality of the goods is a lot better than those bought form the street but TOKYU is the branded one. It’s a bit more expensive so all those rich people don’t go to MBK!!!!

Besides there is an area where most of the city’s best restaurants are located which is near these shopping malls though I seem to forget the areas name it starts with an S. the restaurants here offer local as well as European , Arabic and Indian cuisine though they seem to be priced on the higher side. This is also the area where most of the massage parlors read Spa’s are located so one could indulge in a bit of relaxing foot therapy here after a good dinner.

One thing one needs to be careful in Bangkok is the women. A lot of them I don’t want to sound biased but most of them all go after foreign men and you would find a great deal of old British men with two or three Thai girls. I think this is the worst part of life in Bangkok and its become a big problem. Besides I almost forgot if one would like to cover small distance I mean 5-10 Kilometers then one can hire the three wheeled tuk tuk. Though most of the drivers one would come into contact double up as pimps offering to take you to some “massage parlous” but please decline those overtures and be on the lookout that where the guy is taking you because a lot of times people have been mugged by some of these guys. You can also go with the biker boys, they also run motorbike taxis but I think there are still some security issues with them.

This I think is all I recall about Bangkok till now. I would be adding stuff if I recall later.