I’ve been doing more research for Thailand. I am so excited for this trip. We are going to be able to do the whole trip for super cheap. The tickets we bought were about $600 round trip. And once we arrive everything will be so cheap. The nice hotels are $50 a night and a nice clean boarding house is about $15 a night.
One thing I’ve been reading about is all the islands you can go discover. You can rent a boat and a driver for an entire day and it only costs $30-$50. The driver takes you around to all these deserted islands and private untouched beaches!
Anonymous
January 8, 2007
Sounds wonderful! I spent dinner with 2 gals who have spent a lot of time there & loved it.
Miriam
January 8, 2007
I got to take a two week vacation there about ten years ago and LOVED it.
Some of my favorite experiences came from returning to the same little restaurants several times and just telling them to make whatever they thought I’d like best. The people I met were incredibly friendly- I hope you find some of the same ones we did.
We also rented a little scooter and had a great time finding the nearest butterfly gardens, temples, beaches, etc. The boat thing sounds like an even cooler way to motivate, as long as you’ve got industrial-strength sun screen.
One small caveat: avoid Bankok, unless you have some stellar advice on where to go while there. I’ve travelled a LOT and that is one of the veeeery few places I don’t mind never seeing again. Could have just been bad luck, but if you go be prepared on that one.
Cheers!
Anonymous
January 10, 2007
Since you’ve never been, go hit all the palaces in Bangkok first. Kinda get it all out of the way before you do any real exploring. The Grand Palace and Wat Phra Keo are right next to each other. Oh, and Wat Po has one big beautiful Buddha.
Definitely go down Khao San Road. It’s packed with backpackers from everywhere, so while it’s not a hidden local gem, you’ll hear accents from all around the world. Lots of great shopping there too.
If you have more than a few days, go to Chiang Mai (North), Phuket (South, where some beaches are). Befriend some backpackers to take the train or bus with. Europeans love to go to Thailand on holiday and can buddy up with you.
Since you’re a farang (foreigner), I would suggest cutting the vendor’s suggested prices in half when bargaining with them. Then work you’re way up from there, bargaining is fun.
Eat rotee and kanom krok (yummy desserts) from the street vendors. They are super cheap (10 baht) and so great. Man, I wish I could go back right now just to eat there.
Have so much fun Jordan!