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pattaya phuket and chiang mai are all tourist central. best way to avoid tourists is bangkok believe it or not. some of teh other cities dont have many like khorat but theyre all extremely boring dont go to them.
pattaya phuket and chiang mai are all tourist central. best way to avoid tourists is bangkok believe it or not. some of teh other cities dont have many like khorat but theyre all extremely boring dont go to them.
You're right in saying that there are more tourists to be found at Phuket and Chiang Mai, and of course Bangkok. In Bangkok, the heaviest concentration of tourists and foreigners are in the areas along Sukhumvit Road, Silom Road and Khao San Road. Outside of those areas and you find fewer tourists and more of the locals. The same thing can be said for Phuket and Chiang Mai. At Chiang Mai in the core of the city closer to the river and the old city is where most of the tourists tend to concentrate. You don't have to go very far to avoid the tourist crowds. Same thing goes for Phuket. That said, you're quite right that these places are famous as destinations for sightseeing and tourism. They're good and convenient locations for tourists to base themselves and take in some of the sights and activities in the surrounding areas. It's not far to reach places like Chiang Rai, Mae Hong Son, Lampang, Lamphun, etc.
While many other cities may not have the same kind of attraction for popular tourism, that doesn't necessarily mean they are all extremely boring and lack any interest at all. It really depends on the individual interests of a person. Nakhon Ratchisma (Korat) isn't all that much in the way of dazzling spots for sightseeing, but it certainly has a good-sized population of foreign residents living there. In general though, these other locations, such as Korat, Khon Kaen, Surin, Nong Khai, Udon Thani, etc., don't lack for conveniences and development, and aside from local places of interest, have fewer tourists. I gathered that the OP isn't interested in seeing some of the tourist attractions, but was referring more to seeing how most people live their lives away the crowds of tourists.
The OP mentioned the main interest in Thailand is related to potential internships of 2 or 3 months at either Phuket or Chiang Mai. Admittedly, when getting away from the popular areas, especially if wanting to visit places where tourists are less common, language can be an issue to some degree. However, regardless of what the OP decides, I suspect most of the time will be spent working for the internship. I would also guess that English won't be a major issue in relation to the internship, so the OP will likely meet other people who know enough English to translate, and would probably be glad to take the OP along to visit family and friends, trips to the talat, and maybe an opportunity to see and experience some of the local customs, traditions and events during free time.
Where our place is located in the province of Saraburi, it's definitely not a tourist magnet. But it's not without local interest common to the area. Again, it just depends on what interests a person may have as to whether or not a place might be one to avoid because of a lack of what may attract their personal interests. Interests vary from person to person.
I spend a lot of time in Thailand, particularly Chiang Mai and some areas between there and Chiang Rai.
Phuket and Pattaya are loud and bar scene towns; not at all to my liking. But may be perfect for young people.
Chiang Mai is lovely. The people are friendly and helpful, there's a lot to see and do. The climate is better but there's no beach. Northern Thailand is culturally wealthy. Northern Thailand is easy to travel around in. Loi Kroi (Khor) Road is the nightlife road. As a teen, you might be happier elsewhere.
Whatever you do, you might want to take a trip to Sukhotai, Ayutthaya and Phitsanulok to see ruins. Try some of the excellent foods and learn a little of the language.
Enjoy yourself!
Tiger Beer, I've been to places in Thailand that don't have tourists. Then again, I speak enough of the language that it's not a problem. There really are non-touristed places.
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I don't see the sex trade in Thailand. Seriously, it's of no interest to me and I don't do bars so that part of the Thai "experience" is not even on my radar.
About Khorat, PhiMai is not far from there and the ruins are worth the trip. Khorat is Khmer style and similar to Angkor Wat in Cambodia. Isaan food is good and the local dish is laab. If you go to Chiang Mai or the North, make sure you have some Khao Soy!
Last edited by chielgirl; 03-14-2011 at 01:49 PM..
I love Cambodian food. Similar to Thai, but I actually think slightly even better - which is impressive, as Thai already is world class food.
Vietnamese is another of my favorites. Not as spicey, more 'pho', or soup. I love this one dish they have there where you wrap your meat/veggies in rice paper and pop in the mouth. Expect fish sauce in Vietnam, which I also quite like.
Malaysia is much more bland. However, you get a lot of Indian foods in Malaysia due to a lot of Indian people who live in that 'multicultural' society.
Don't know about Malaysian food but agree with the first two. I love Vienamese food the best of all.
I actually liked Cambodia better than Thailand but may be that is because I felt bad for the people. There is much poverty and the sex trade is there, too.
I was in Chaing Mai (sp) and really liked it of all the places we went in Thailand. As was said, everything is very touristy but a great place, IMO,
except for the emphasis on sex.
Is it Thailand cheap or expensive? How much is a lunch? a bottle of coke or of water? how much is living 3 weeks in an apartment? or how much is an hotel per night?
Thailand could be very cheap or very expensive. eat what the local eat, stay at place that cater for the local, things could be cheap. coke, McDonald or Starbucks would be more expensive.
when i grow up, foods from street vendor cost me 5 cents, for bowl of noodle or plate of rice top with 2-3 slices of roast pork or fly noodle with soy sauce.
room for about $2.00 to $5.00 per night. oh that was long time ago. recently i ask my nephew how much it cost for a large French fires at McDonald he said $1.50.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Faire
Is it Thailand cheap or expensive? How much is a lunch? a bottle of coke or of water? how much is living 3 weeks in an apartment? or how much is an hotel per night?
Thailand could be very cheap or very expensive. eat what the local eat, stay at place that cater for the local, things could be cheap. coke, McDonald or Starbucks would be more expensive.
when i grow up, foods from street vendor cost me 5 cents, for bowl of noodle or plate of rice top with 2-3 slices of roast pork or fly noodle with soy sauce.
room for about $2.00 to $5.00 per night. oh that was long time ago. recently i ask my nephew how much it cost for a large French fires at McDonald he said $1.50.
is that dollars? If so, that's f*ing cheap!!! 5 cents of dollar a meal?
Thailand could be very cheap or very expensive. eat what the local eat, stay at place that cater for the local, things could be cheap. coke, McDonald or Starbucks would be more expensive.
when i grow up, foods from street vendor cost me 5 cents, for bowl of noodle or plate of rice top with 2-3 slices of roast pork or fly noodle with soy sauce.
room for about $2.00 to $5.00 per night. oh that was long time ago. recently i ask my nephew how much it cost for a large French fires at McDonald he said $1.50.
Depends on where you're going to be traveling to.
In CM, I pay about $8-$10/night at my favorite place (I've been staying there for 15 years). I currently stay for free in Bangkok, but there are reasonable accommodations in areas nicer than Bunglumpoo. I figure $`15-$20/night in BKK.
If you need dental work done, get it done in Thailand.
Dirt cheap, up-to-date practice.
Well worth the time.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Faire
is that dollars? If so, that's f*ing cheap!!! 5 cents of dollar a meal?
He hasn't been there in a while.
The baht is strong and the dollar is not: http://www.xe.com
If you use your ATM, you pay 150bt for a withdrawal + stateside bank charges.
The current rate is 30 bt/$1. By the time you're paying bank fees, it's around 25bt/$1.
The cost for everything depends.
It depends on where you are in the country; how comfortable you are being very local; etc.
First trip may be a bit more expensive than seasoned travelers.
If I might ask, Faire, when do you plan to travel? Where do you plan to travel? What interests you?
People talk about he sex trade, and it exists, but I really don't see it because my focus is totally different.
I frequently attend massage classes, do healthy activities and visit friends. I'll occasionally take a dive trip.
If it's not that, I visit historical sites.
Last edited by chielgirl; 03-20-2011 at 03:45 PM..
Is it Thailand cheap or expensive? How much is a lunch? a bottle of coke or of water? how much is living 3 weeks in an apartment? or how much is an hotel per night?
Depends on how you live. The Thai folks in my office generally spend less than 30 baht ($1) to buy lunch in one of the food courts or hawker areas. I buy a sandwich for lunch at Au Bon Pain for around 150 baht ($3). I can take my wife out for dinner and it might be as cheap as 300 baht ($10) or as expensive as 5000 baht ($160) depending on where I go and what I eat.
A bottle of water at 7-11 is around 20 baht (60-70 cents).
Hotels: like any city you can spend $1000 per night or $10 per night. Just depends on what you are willing to put up with.
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