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| Tony
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| Countries traveled: | 40 |
| US States Traveled: | 13 | |
| Essential item: | First Aid Kit |
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Place
South East Asia
Thailand
Bangkok |
Style Free Spirit | Budget $$ Champagne Backpacker |
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Sweat down the crack of your ass...
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| Info Source: This website, LP |
| Trip Costs | | In general, my costs in US$ were: |
| For the Whole Day: |
60 |
For a Night's Accommodation: |
40 |
| For a Meal: |
4 |
For a Beer/Cocktail: |
2 |
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| Activities & Experiences | Accommodation
We stayed at the Viengtai Hotel in Banglampu. It's probably the best hotel in the area. This area is backpacker central. You can get concrete boxes around here or dorm rooms for as little as 2USD a day but we splashed out for some comfort. Rooms have A/C and TV, the hotel has a pool, breaky is included (passable but not great - just avoid the coffee) and staff very friendly. I found a good deal on the internet for the hotel, the walk in rate is about 40% higher. You need to book in in high season as the place is usually packed (couldn't get a room last time i was here in Bangkok). In this area you can do all the tourist stuff, book tours, tickets, have banna pancakes, hang out with other weary travelers who have been on the road for months, drink plenty of beers, etc, etc. |
| Local Markets
The market areas in Banlumpu around Khao San Rd are full of the usually tourist trinkets (rip off T shirts, CDs, DVDs, handbags, shoes, ‘axe pillows’, incense, wooden plates/bowls etc) but at price in other places in Bangkok – however this sort of stuff is much harder to find in Bangkok so paying a little extra is probably worth it instead of having to set out on an expedition to find it. The markets In Chinatown (Yaowarat) – Kao Market, Sampeng Market: on and around Yaowarat Road and Pharhurat Road have a lot of material (much from India), beads, clothes, handbags, toys. If you want electronics definitely go to Pantip Plaza (actually a 5 story shopping complex) housing hundreds of smaller stores where you can buy the latest digital camera, circuit boards for your computer, DVD’s, Software, flatscreens etc) its in Ptratunam on Phetchaburi Rd. In the same area is Nailert market which is great for clothes and cloth – this is an epic rabbit warren that stretches blocks in who knows what direction. It’s hard to see from the street so you need to duck into one of the alley ways crowed with stalls and it will lead yopu deep into the market. And of course Chatuckak weekend market – it has everything that you could possibly want is so huge you probably could walk around it in day and has the best prices (need to haggle like everywhere else). |
| Street Stalls
Lots of fruit and Veg in an around the flower market (southern end of Atsadang Rd near the river) pier Number 6 for express boat. These markets are also very interesting to walk through to see the vege trade and grab a bowl of noodles at one of the many stalls/carts –day time only.
Night food market (Chinese food) in Chinatown along Yaowarat Road: about one block to the east of Ratchawong Road and it stretches for about 2-3 blocks including off the main road into the side streets.
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| Casual Dining
Great vegetarian Indian restaurant close to the corner of Sukhumvit Road and Soi 19. It’s called Dosa King.
The other restaurant I would recommend (definitely worth the trip) is Supatra River House on the Chao Praya river (it’s on the West side of the river so you can take the express boat to stop #11 or a cross river boat from the east side) it has awesome seafood and the green curry made me cry it was so hot (that’s a plus). They have a traditional show (dopn't let this tourist kitsch disuade you from the awesome curry and seafood). The express boat stops about 7pm so you'll probably need to take a long tail boat there (about 200 Bht - depending on your haggling skills) - there is a comlimentary boat to the resteraunt that takes you there from the East side (and back after you finish dinner).
Tongue Thai Restaurant was recommended by a few expats that live in Thailand. 18-20 Charoen Krung 38. Tel 02630 9918-9. |
| Other
I used the tailor: 'Moon River', directly opposite Soi 19 on Sukhumwit Rd. Take the subway/metro to the stop: Asok and take the stairs down at the South West side. It's on the opposite side of the road from the Westin and same side of the road as the Sheraton. There are a row of tailors here. I probably paid about USD$40 a shirt and about $300 a suit including extra trousers. Great work, two fittings, took about 6 days to do. The fit was excellent, and a sign of a good tailor the stitching was unnoticaeble. Better than the shirts i had done in India (Mumbai). Good material, english speaking and very professional. It's not the $100USD two suits, a safari suit and 4 shirts kind of deal you'll be getting down at Banglampu. A London based businessman friend recommended 'World Group' which is next to the oriental Hotel - he siad he had been going there for 10+ years with no problems at all. |
| Other
You can get wireless internet in the foyer of the Vientai (airconditioned!) and at a Korean resteraunt Dong Dai Moon in the banglampu area (not KhaoSan Rd but the other pedestrian thorougfare) |
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Three essentials for India:
GET YOUR VISA ORGANIZED AHEAD OF TIME. The Embassy wait can be brutal!
A-Z of Adventure Travel Insurance from World Nomads as you will probably get "Delhi Belly."
Hostelworld was a great help for finding cheap, but decent accommodation in India!
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