Has anyone been to Thailand? I have a friend that has been to Koh Samui many times and Bangkok many times and loves it there. I was planning on going, but more and more I read about Samui, more I find that it has become a tourist island. If I want that, I will go back to Hawaii. I am looking for something more along the lines of Koh Lipe. Anyone heard of it, or know of anyone that has been there? Long shot I know.......
I had the displeasure of spending a week in Bangkok in 1994, to say it was a ghetto slum is putting it mildly. I much prefer Durbin or Johansburg S.A. over Bangkok. There are pockets of slums with high crime, whores and dope dealers right here at home, no need to travel far if that is what you seek. As for Hawaii, sounds like you are describing Oahu or Maui, get 20 miles north of Kona or anywhere on Kauai and it is a different experience.
I have little desire to spend more time in Bangkok then needed. Airport only even? I have issues taken vacations within our own 50 states And I would love to go diving out in the Indian Ocean. (where Lipe is) But thank you for your reply
Best diving I ever did was the Solmar V out of Cabos San Lucas. Each day you go to a different place, you have a dolphin day, a manta ray day, you'll see eagle rays and then of course the 500+ swarming scalloped hammerheads at the end off the Siccorros Islands. I rode a manta ray, now that was fun. You'll see oceanic white tips and black tips pretty much every dive. Gnaasba in South Africa great white diving with Andre that nut that's always on the Discovery Channel was a hoot as well.
Best mate just came back from Thailand about 2 weeks ago. He said that the place is gorgeous, and the people are some of the most friendly people he has met. I tend to believe that, because the whole place is run on the tourist dollar. Speaking of which, keep your money safe at all time. Half a week's wage for us guys is enough for their family to stay well fed for about a month. Everything is aparently so ******** cheap, including most importantly, Beer and Spirits. A Corona costs about 80c AUD. A well mixed cocktail costs around 2.50 AUD. The clothes are cheap, and the suite makers over there do a fantastic job, and the average tailor made suit costs around $100 AUD. Silk ties are damn cheap, and are among the best quality. If you love to shop, or dive, its the place to be. If not, look elsewhere. My opinion, feel free to educate me.
Hi Red, I have been to Thailand many times. If your looking for a true thai experience, try traveling to northern thailand. It is truly a breath of fresh air. In the southern areas like Bangkok, it is too 'westernized'. Beach resorts like Phuket are not very 'Thai'-WAY TOO MANY TOURISTS. It is loud and noisy. But if you do go to the big cities it is very, very fun. Thai Boxing matches are the BEST. Try lumphini-its a very old stadium, very cultural. -M
Great tailors there. Had a few suits made there a few years back. Still fit me the best of any I have ever had. Only cost a $100 for 100% Chinese silk too.
BKK, Chang Mai, one of the outer areas, and either puket (sp?) or Pattyia (sp?). Then on to Singapor and Hong Kong.
Years ago, I took a trip around the world and one of my stops along the way was Bangkok. What a great and unusual city. I had a super time. It was one of my favorite places around the world.
We spent a month in Thailand this past July: Koh Samui, Bangkok, and Chiang Mai. had a great time. I will give you my opinion of Koh Samui... Overall, its entire economy runs on tourists. No real industry to speak of, so it really is a tourist Island. That's the bad side. If you are going to stay on either Chaweng or Lamai beaches, then you are in for tourist city. Hundreds, if not thousands of people on the beach every day. However, my wife and I stayed at a great place on Bophut beach on the north side of the island. It was SOOOO beautiful. Every day we would walk the beach, and we were often the only people on the entire beach. The beach is not as big as the other two mentioned, but it would still take about 30 minutes to walk from one end to the other. If I were to go again, I would definitely stay on Bophut beach. In fact, I didn't realize that there were so many people on the island until we rode our scooter to chaweng and lamai one day --- then turned back around. Maenam beach would probably also be good. My summary would be as follows: Good: Beautiful beaches seclusion of Bophut and Maenam beaches Cheaper than the US by quite a bit Awesome snorkeling/scuba when you travel by boat to Koh Tao. Much better than anything I've seen in Hawaii (or anywhere else for that matter). Bad: Most expensive place in Thailand - When we were there, the prices had already doubled for hotels/food/etc. in the past 3 years since our guidebook was printed. Food, clothes, etc. we found to be much much cheaper in Bangkok and somewhat cheaper in Chiang Mai. But... still cheaper than the US. Let me know if you want more detailed information about any of this, or other insight into Samui. Eric
