Off to Thailand for 3 weeks... share your tips and advice please!

Richdog said:
How much is a diving course?
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9800 baht, so about £200.

All accommodation is included, at most places in Koh Tao, and I can't imagine it being possible to fail.

It's a four day course and definitely worth it. Next year I think I'll an Advanced course there. I did it at Ban's diving resort, if you want any more information about it then just ask.

Richdog said:
What, magically create time off work that I don't have? :p Im sure it wont be the first and last time I take a holiday, no need to try and fit everything into one trip. :)
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Exactly, magically do that. Quit your job. I've been in Thailand for 1.5 months and it's no where near long enough, next year I want to come back for a lot longer and visit the countries surrounding, ideally never finishing the holiday.
 
yhack said:
9800 baht, so about £200.

All accommodation is included, at most places in Koh Tao, and I can't imagine it being possible to fail.

It's a four day course and definitely worth it. I did it at Ban's diving resort, if you want any more information about it then just ask.
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I'll google it, thanks man!

Exactly, magically do that. Quit your job. I've been in Thailand for 1.5 months and it's no where near long enough, next year I want to come back for a lot longer and visit the countries surrounding, ideally never finishing the holiday.
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My job is currently worth 100x the pain it would cause my life if I were to quit it just for a few months of wanton travelling, trust me on that. But thanks for the thought. :D
 
Richdog said:
I don't think there is a human cost to meeting hot European backpacker chicks. :p
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The can be - Euopean backpacker chicks or otherwise. Some a them sheilas have been on a no holes barred learning curve since leavin their homeland and they could have been building on a well established foundation. Don't let the urgency/availability of the moment rule - Safety first every time!!
 
marmalade said:
The can be - Euopean backpacker chicks or otherwise. Some a them sheilas have been on a no holes barred learning curve since leavin their homeland and they could have been building on a well established foundation. Don't let the urgency/availability of the moment rule - Safety first every time!!
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My friends are all old enough and wise enough to know better than that. ;)
 
shawsy109 said:
not read any replies but all il say is Pattaya.
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Doubt it. Pattaya is not the holiday destination that people want when they think of Thailand, unless they are going specifically for sex.
I lived there for 13 months on Beach Road and I know the place all too well (legit business reasons before anyone asks). Its actually a pleasant place to live, but not a nice place to holiday.
 
panthro said:
Doubt it. Pattaya is not the holiday destination that people want when they think of Thailand, unless they are going specifically for sex.
I lived there for 13 months on Beach Road and I know the place all too well (legit business reasons before anyone asks). Its actually a pleasant place to live, but not a nice place to holiday.
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I've read the same online too, full of fat old men and young thai girls. Plus the beaches apparently aren't too good.
 
Richdog said:
I've read the same online too, full of fat old men and young thai girls. Plus the beaches apparently aren't too good.
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Its not as bad as the internet makes it out to be. I had a great time there, but beach wise its not Koh Samui or any other white sand beach.
Drive 40 mins out of town though and you'll find beaches easily as good as island beaches.
 
I really enjoyed my time in Thailand.

My favourite spots were definitely Chiang Mai and Bangkok, in that order. Phuket was horrid - I wouldn't go back.

If you go to Chiang Mai, get along to the Cannabis Bar on Loi Krow and say hi to Chris, the owner. He is a really nice bloke (for a Spurs fan!) and will do anything for you, including collect takeaways for you, get special drinks orders, anything (the bar's name is just a name though!). The night market is awesome. The street food here is fantastic (although I didn't fancy deep-fried beetles).

In Bangkok, Soi Cowboy is a must to open your eyes (the ping pong show in the ....hmmm, forgot the name of the place, Lone Gun, Silver Gun, something like that - is a right laugh - just don't sit at the front). Check out the bars and food in the Queens Arcade on Sukhomvit Soi 22 (love the Moonshine Bar!) and the Pelican Guesthouse on a Saturday night for a fantastic, cheap BBQ. Walk along Sukhumvit Road for loads of shops, bars, restaurants....in fact, the whole city is awesome. The shopping centres are worth a look - names have already been mentioned.

Fantastic country, great people.

Best advice though, get a simple phrasebook and learn a handful of simple phrases - they will earn you more smiles than your money will :)
 
Richdog said:
I've read the same online too, full of fat old men and young thai girls. Plus the beaches apparently aren't too good.
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someone was saying online the other day don't go to Wales, they all shag sheep. Another forum I read said don't visit nightclubs, they'll get you in to drugs :)

Jomtiem is a pretty decent beach about 10 minutes from Pattaya.
 
I notice nobody has mentioned Sammet (/samed).

Was much more enjoyable than the "euro-gap yar" ridden phi phi student crowd IMO. Much less spoiled by building work too.

And only a relatively short taxi ride from BKK.
 
Tbh these days I consider Thailand to be on the same level as Benidorm. Get ready for topless brit chavs walking down the street shouting football chants and fighting in the streets over some bar skank or other.

The less touristy places are still nice though. Try Koh Chang for example. And Sammet as I mentioned above is still nice.

As for advice - use the yellow bank machines, as they don't charge. The others do.
 
Van Hellseek said:
Tbh these days I consider Thailand to be on the same level as Benidorm. Get ready for topless brit chavs walking down the street shouting football chants and fighting in the streets over some bar skank or other.
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I'm sure that's a bit of an exaggeration saying Thailand is on the same level as Benidorm, regardless of what truth there is to any badly behaving brits. :p
 
bruce said:
Jomtiem is a pretty decent beach about 10 minutes from Pattaya.
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Jomtien is mostly for ex pats who want to live in Pattaya and be outside the busy area but be within reachable distance of walking street. When I was at Jomtien I was hassled so much by hawkers* that I had to leave the beach and seek refuge in a nearby cafe.


* It was literally every 40-90 seconds.... "Ice cream sir?", "Manicure sir?", "seafood sir?", "tourist tat sir?", etc etc...
 
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Van Hellseek said:
Tbh these days I consider Thailand to be on the same level as Benidorm. Get ready for topless brit chavs walking down the street shouting football chants and fighting in the streets over some bar skank or other.
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Which part, there are vast differences between area's in thailand.

If you mean Pattaya then sure but it always was a sordid little hole.
 
SixTwoSix said:
Which part, there are vast differences between area's in thailand.

If you mean Pattaya then sure but it always was a sordid little hole.
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Not just Pattaya, but most of the touristy spots. Phuket was pretty much a hole too. And last time I was on Phi phi (about 2 years ago) they had even built a little gogo bar there.
 
My only comment would be to make sure you do everything you want to do, money be damned. Don't find excuses not to try x y z. Apart from sleeping with a transgender. Find plenty of excuses not to do that.

From your posts I don't think you're the kind that would need that advice, but there it is anyway.
 
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