Thailand

[AquilaTempestas]

Mum would love to go to Thailand as she's really interested in that culture.

I to enjoy Thai food and such and I'd be interested in visiting Thailand one of these days.

So, @Nirianne - what would you suggest for interested tourists? What are the common tourist traps? What should a tourist see that isn't mentioned on the 'must do Thailand' lists on TripAdvisor? What's stuff only a local would know?

[Dementor]

My parents have been to Thailand some years ago, at Phuket (of course, since it's the most popular place for beach vacations). Ever since they've been telling that that area is WAY too hot and humid for me so I "won't survive" there, that includes Malaysia 

All I know about Thailand is from their experience, however I see many similarities with neighboring Malaysia (at the same time, these countries are VERY different!). I love Thai cuisine and learned to cook Tom Yum (is this a correct spelling after all, or is it Yam? ).

[Nirianne]

13 hours ago, AquilaTempestas said:

Mum would love to go to Thailand as she's really interested in that culture.

I to enjoy Thai food and such and I'd be interested in visiting Thailand one of these days.

So, @Nirianne - what would you suggest for interested tourists? What are the common tourist traps? What should a tourist see that isn't mentioned on the 'must do Thailand' lists on TripAdvisor? What's stuff only a local would know?

Common tourist traps are going to the Grand Palace... that itself is a trap in itself. Foreigner fees are 500 per person and it goes to the royal coffers. But anyway, there are taxi and tuk tuk scams where they'll say the Grand Palace is closed and they recommend other areas. Those are big scams. Everyone comes here to shop, anyway. We have absurdly a lot of malls, lol. You'd be surprised at the amount of malls sprouting up everywhere! 

I go to the other temples, Temple of Dawn has a 200 entry fee and it's less crowded than the main one. Close to the Grand Palace is Chinatown packed with cheap eats but it's also packed with people. If you really want the Thai experience, Bangkok isn't it. You'd have to go to other cities. However, if you want to stay in Bangkok, I'd recommend doing river tours; they're quite fun. The true Bangkok experience is going around and eating everything. We have so much food on the streets it's impossible to starve unless you're super nitpicky. And oh, if you're allergic to stuff like peanuts or shrimp or whatnot, then tough luck. Everything is possibly cross-contaminated as allergies aren't really a thing here. 

Going for authentic Thai massages is a good thing but it's not if you hate getting touched. Though, it helps when you're body is aching all over. 

Mind you, a lot of things people want to do here will *always* have a foreigner fee and you'll pay double of what locals pay.

[Nirianne]

5 hours ago, Dementor said:

My parents have been to Thailand some years ago, at Phuket (of course, since it's the most popular place for beach vacations). Ever since they've been telling that that area is WAY too hot and humid for me so I "won't survive" there, that includes Malaysia 

All I know about Thailand is from their experience, however I see many similarities with neighboring Malaysia (at the same time, these countries are VERY different!). I love Thai cuisine and learned to cook Tom Yum (is this a correct spelling after all, or is it Yam? ).

Tom Yum is correct! Thailand is stupidly humid in the summer. It's manageable in the other months but if you're not used to the heat, chances are you'll be uncomfortable most of the time and there's a chance you might (or will) get heat stroke. I'd say the best time to visit Thailand is during our rainy/monsoon months which start from May - October. November and December cools down. Going up North is the best during those times. It gets 'colder' and temperatures are manageable.

Our food compared to Malaysia is almost the same, but still very different. 

[Dementor]

9 hours ago, Nirianne said:

Tom Yum is correct! Thailand is stupidly humid in the summer. It's manageable in the other months but if you're not used to the heat, chances are you'll be uncomfortable most of the time and there's a chance you might (or will) get heat stroke. I'd say the best time to visit Thailand is during our rainy/monsoon months which start from May - October. November and December cools down. Going up North is the best during those times. It gets 'colder' and temperatures are manageable.

Our food compared to Malaysia is almost the same, but still very different. 

Thank you for the useful answer!

[AquilaTempestas]

What would be your top 5 must see places? @Nirianne

[Nirianne]

On 10/12/2023 at 6:45 AM, Queen of Spies said:

What would be your top 5 must see places? @Nirianne

I'd say...

1. Bangkok - for obvious reasons. It's our largest city with everything in it. People flock here to shop till they drop, experience river cruises, eat cheap to high end cuisines, and enjoy the city for what it is. Visit the temples but I'd recommend skipping the Grand Palace; it's boring and the entrance fee for foreigners is 500 THB ($14 USD). No need to add more to the royal coffers.
2. Krabi - This is one of my favorite cities in the country. Located in Thailand's south, it's lined with picturesque beaches, caves, lagoons, and mangroves. There are lots of tours down there for adventurers seeking thrills. I did island hopping which included snorkeling which was fun, too. Prices in Krabi are a lot higher in Bangkok.
3. Chiang Rai - All of the major northern attractions are here. Chiang Rai is less bustling than Chiang Mai which is home to many digital nomads and backpackers. Going up the mountains are a joy. Best time to go north is from October to December where temperatures drop. People often go camping up there to see the sun rise or experience the sea of fog.

I don't have any other recommendations for other cities as they're not interesting. I wouldn't recommend Pattaya as it's boring and it's filled with foreigners. Won't get the local vibe there.