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Hi! I am travelling to Thailand in July and I wonder what should I do. To what should I pay attention? I am from Poland and I am not sure if the local environment will be fine for me? Should I be careful about food? Thank you!
I was extremely careful with food & drink on my first visit & 1 day after leaving Bangkok I got hit with something that laid me out for 24 hours & had some minor symptoms that hung on longer but didn't spoil my trip at all. Subsequent trips were fine & I learned that it is true that the local food carts in the streets with their quick turnover, fresh ingredients & regular customers were safer than a lot of hotel restaurants & many other cafes that serve western food to non-repeat tourists. If you need western food try to find an expat frequented place, not a hotel buffet.
I also learned that it was wise in the beginning trips to have a mild anti-diarrheal tablet, like Pepto, & 1-2 heavy duty anti-D pills like Immodium AD in my pocket. You don't want to start a long journey in a bus or plane or even walking far from your hotel when new bacteria wants to explode out - that's the time for Immodium. Also never drink or brush your teeth with tap water.
Having said that chances are any gastric distress you suffer will probably be mild, some people never suffer from it, I didn't from my third visit, except when eating from a western style deli in Sukhumvit. You can ask your server to keep your food less spicy until you get used to the fiery chiles by requesting: "Mai phet" ... or just a little spicy: "Phet nit noy".
It's a great place & you will have a wonderful time.
Thailand is an amazing place. Cheap, beautiful, friendly, and so much to see.
I went to Bangkok and Pattaya. Bangkok was amazing, but the traffic and pollution are utterly terrible. I've crossed streets in a lot of non-western countries, and Bangkok was probably the scariest. The traffic is so clogged and so many motorbikes just weave in and out. Also, at rush hour the pollution from the even worse traffic is disgusting and there were a few times walking down the street around 5:30 in the evening it was literally hard to breathe from all the fumes. Their subway system is rather limited, and driving takes forever to get to where you are going. We took the river ferries and they were unique and pretty efficient (although crowded). Despite those things, Bangkok is an awesome place that I thoroughly enjoyed and would love to go back to.
Pattaya was fun too, but was basically just a big beach resort town that you could find anywhere in the Caribbean, just with a LOT more prostitutes.
There's nothing wrong with the red light districts. I went to both in Bangkok and Pattaya, and it was packed full of people, most of them tourists. It's an interesting place even just to walk through.
In July, just make sure you're prepared for lots of crippling heat and humidity! I was there in July, 2004 and the heat and humidity all but did me in! I hibernated in my hotel most of the time!
But, unlike you, I was coming from the Desert, Las Vegas, where I was accustomed to 5-10% humidity, dry heat!
I have to say that the beautiful islands to me are so hot & humid that I was never comfortable during the day, plus I'm not a beach person at all. So I prefer the areas on the mainland & am fond of Chaing Mai.
Get your medical shots.
A medical pack if hiking.
Head scarves.
Good boots or shoes for walking.
A sleeping net. The bugs there do carry diseases.
Any fresh items from market ...wash off before consuming.
Be mindful of customs there. They do have reverence for some areas.
You'll be fine! Thailand receives millions of tourists every year so there is a very strong tourist infrastructure that makes (most) everything pretty easy.
1. July is rain season so bring an umbrella. Flip-flops are fine, I've gone months in Thailand without putting on socks.
2. Don't be afraid of street food it's part of what makes Thailand great, but stick to places where lots of locals are eating.
3. If no English menu look around at what others are eating and point at something that looks good, they'll understand. Remember that curry dishes that say "vegetarian" just means no chunks of meat, the curry is still made with fish sauce and shrimp paste.
4. With the exception of some beach towns with no other options tuk-tuks are more a novelty at this point, it's usually about same price for Uber or an air conditioned taxi. The metro is Bangkok is overpriced and usually only makes sense for one person, 2+ just do taxi/uber.
5. Wear whatever you're comfortable in but bring something to cover up shoulders/legs in temples. Some temples rent 'em out if you need.
6. Be wary of scams. There is no free (or 15 baht) tuk-tuk city tour, they will take you to shops where they get commission. The temple isn't closed. A good suit doesn't cost $20 even in Thailand. Those gems aren't worth anything. Anyone who speaks English really well and approaches you near tourist sites = ignore.
7. A ping pong show does not involve competitive table tennis.
8. Related to #7, don't be afraid to walk through red light districts (Soi Cowboy, Nana, Patpong) it's an interesting view into an aspect of life that does exist and there is no need to actually go into one of the go-go places.
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