Thailand
the land of smiles.
Thailand
is tranquil and easy for travelling when you are out of Bankok. Roads
in general are very quiet so travelling around by car of motorbike is
very easy.
Road quality is excellent, even the road to the smallest villige is a
tar road without any potholes.
I travelled Thailand from south to north and never found a horrible road,
unless it was under construction.
Thai people are very friendly and helpfull, it is advisable to bring a
small dictionary, as english is not really wide spread outside the tourist
attractions.
Phuket,Pattaya,Ko Samui are real tourist traps, also Krabi is becomming
one, avoid them and you will find so many unforgettable quiet spots without
tourists. Allthough Phuket and Krabi will have to recover from the tsunami
of december 2004.
Many islands in the west coast have been wiped clean by the tsunami. The
eastcoast is unaffected.
Especially the east-coast of south thailand has plenty of beautifull beaches
which are deserted, 5 km of beach for you alone!
Travel by bus is easy and many long distance busses are airconditioned
and quite cheap. Train service is a nice way of travel, allthough slow.
If you like spicy food you will find it plentyfull in Thailand.
For those who don't, they thai word for spicy is 'pit'.
Hotels is the low price class range are plentyfull and vary from Bt 250-350,
and are really clean.
Try to go around in cities on your selve, don't rely on all those tour
guides get a map and go, a lot more adventurous and you see a lot more.
Just find out where is the bus terminal or rent a (motor)bike or car,
cheap enough.
There are many festivals in Thailand, a special one is Songkrang, the
Thai new year where everybody spray everybody with water. A real soaping
experience under the warm sun.
In some dry areas in the south have caution with drinking water.
Be aware that the king in Thailand is in very high esteem. Making any
unpleasant remarks about him might land you in deep trouble!.
I travelled extensively through Thailand, if you want any specific information
drop me a line.
A 2002 note:
I travelled the whole south of Thailand and found that Phuket has gone
crazy pricewise and that Krabi / Ao Nam has turned into a real tourist
trap. Maybe its less now because of the tsunami aftermath. The east coast
is still as quiet as allways.
Near Nakhon Si Thamarat , up north around Chiaya and south below Songkhla
you still have prestine beaches empty without a tourist.
Food prices have gone up significant in the past few years. Of course
the cities are more expensive.
Chiang Mai is a great city, and still cheap in spite of many tourists,
the old walled city is best seen on foot.
If you want fun....visit Thailand during Songkrang, the Thai New Year,
a real experience.(April)
Thailand to Laos:
From Nong Kai you
can easily travel to Laos, visa can be arranged on the border, but making
them in advance in Thailand is a lot cheaper. In Vientiane be aware that
everywhere they try to take advantage of tourists. Anything you want,
ask a price first! Even on the market they screw you for double the price
of a coke.
Pepsi is 1/2 price of Coca Cola (Cosmo Cola).
From Nong Kai take a tuk-tuk to the bridge, a mini bus will bring you
accross for 10 Baht.
Up North it seems that you can cross the Mekong to go to Luang Phrabang
on a few places, better check in advance things change by the day.
Below you can browse some pictures of Thailand.
^^^
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