Thailand:
Time zone
| 1.5 Hours ahead of IST
|
Currency
| Thai Baht [1 THB ~ 3 US cents is approx 1.45 INR ]
|
Language
| Primarily Thai (Religion wise people prefer a Hindu-Buddhist hybrid religion) |
Food
| Multicusine - Speciality Seafood. Vegetarians options - Tofus [similar to Indian 'Paneer' or cottage cheese], stir fried vegetables, mushrooms, morning glory and veg. pineapple rice.
|
Culture
| A touch of buddhist culture with magnificent temple structures (locally known as Wats). People are very open and friendly |
| Most common terms | Swadee Kha - "Welcome / Hello" (if you are a male you should use - Swadee Khrap instead) Khapun Kha - "Thank you" (if you are a male you should use - Khapun Khrap instead) |
Visa is cool!
Most countries including India have a Visa on arrival in Thailand.
Another good thing is there is no Visa Fee till March 2010.
Make sure you have an address in Thailand to fill on the visa form (even if you intent to do your bookings after arrival) else the officer giving out forms might ask you for 'some Tip'
Travel options are many
Thai would be the airline of choice but there would be many others offering cheaper deals and you can choose the one that operates from city of your choice. But if you are travelling to Bangkok from Singapore additional 'Low Cost' choices would include - Tiger Airways, Air Asia, Jet Star and Silk Air. Most of them have deals especially if you book in advance so check respective sites before booking.
Bangkok should most likely be your port of entry and then depending on what you are interested in you could either take the Pattya / Phuket for beaches or Chang Mai / Old Bangkok and others for Cultural tour.
5 things you must carry!
A power adaptor: or you might end up with an uncharged camera/ laptop at the end of first day. Thank fully all good hotels would have universal sockets but it always helps to go prepared (especially if you are backpacking)
An international credit/debit card with ATM pin, in case you need to take cash advance. (Most of us never use credit cards to take cash advance so never bother to remember it)
Local currency: You can get this from the Airport or from your hotel. Taxis prefer cash.
Calling card: In case you need to call back to India. You could buy this at Indian airport itself.
(For Backpackers) A pair of lock and key: Infact you might want to carry a couple of locks - one for your guest house room and one for security deposit lockers (provided free /at nominal rates by all major guest houses)
Tip: If you forget to change currency at Airport and don't have any currency for Airport to Hotel taxi, ask the hotel to pay the taxi and add it to your room bill!
On reaching Thailand
Flying from any major country you'll most likely land in Bangkok's Swarnabhumi airport. Immigration formalities being settled you would need to figure out where you have to go. There are Airport buses that operate 5am - 12 midnight and take you to almost all major destinations in Bangkok. Also you can take inter city buses to Pattaya but plan in advance if you want to take tha route(see link below for Pattaya travel buses). Regular Taxis are also available for point to point drop - Check for the ones with Meter written on top. Also pick up a Bankok map from the Airport. If you need currency it is best to take it from Airport. Cabs donot generally accept credit cards there.
Tip: You could use your international debit/credit card to withdraw money from an ATM this would definitely be cheaper that the exchange rate that hotel will charge. So don't forget to check your Credit card pin before you leave for Thailand.
Public transport -- choose from Cabs / Tuk Tuk / Buses / MRT / Ferry
Commuting in Bangkok is less of a problem you can easily find a meter taxi. Should always prefer meter taxis as the seeminly cheaper tuk tuks can actually rip you quite a lot if you don't know how to bargain. Else where in Thailand Tuk tuk and taxis constitute the major conveyance option. Buses though not very tourist friendly (you might need to know the route and tell the lady conductor which stop you want to get down) are still a viable option, if you are in for some adventure.
BTS and MRT (metro trains) cover the main city of Bangkok pretty well. Many tourist attraction, shopping places are also quite close to metro stations.
If you are towards the old city side (Khao San and adjoining areas) ferries do provide a convinient way of traveling they also connect to the
Tip: BTS and MRT run on a vending machine ticket system if you donot have the coins just walk to the ticket office and get the coins changed.
Accommodation choices are plenty!
Hotels are surprisingly cheap in Bangkok, some five stars charge you in the range of 4000 Baht (120 USD) per night.
Khao San - also known as backpacker's paradise - has rooms as low as 5 USD but avoid these. Decent budget guest houses at Khao San would cost around 10- 15 USD +
These would just be rooms with fan, bed and bathroom. [Check Donna's guest house, Swasdee Inn or New Joe's Guesthouse]. The pair of locks that you carried would come handy here.
Phuket and Pattaya also have options in similar ranges - might seem a little more expensive though.
Picture tours:
How to plan a Thailand trip:
First decide your preference:
1. Beaches / Water sports
2. Culture
3. Shopping / Clubbing and Night life
4. Bit of everything
Depending on what your preference is you can take the following itinerary:
| | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 |
| Beaches and watersports | Bangkok Canal Tour/ crusie dinner, Floating market, Lumphini Park | Pattaya - stay over / return back | Phuket - beach and water sports | Phi Phi island (one day tour from Phuket- you can stay over for night) | James Bond Island and some other adventure sports |
| Culture | Bangkok Canal Tour/ crusie dinner, Floating market | Old Bangkok - Wat Arun, Royal Palace, Emerald Buddha, Wat Pho, National Museum | Ayuthya tour - Ancient capital famous for ruins .You could take a return by ferry and hence get a glimpse of the various Wats (buddhist temples) at twilight | River Kwai tour and death railway | Chang Mai (over night train from Bangkok) |
| Shopping / Clubbing / Nightlife | Chatuchak - weekend market. River crusie dinner with on the boat dance | Amazing thailand sale - in case you happen to be there at that time (Pratunam, Pahurat, Chinatown) | Various malls including Platinum, Siam Square, Central and others . Night life spots are: Sukhumvit, Silom and Rachachapisek. | In case you have time left for the day you should visit the night market at Patpong - quite close to Saladeng BTS | Depending on the day you could catch a Thai Boxing match at Lubini Stadium or the Ratchademnem stadium at night |
| Mix of all | Lumphini Park, some shopping, Thai boxing | Various Wats including Royal palace, visit Patpong at night | River Kwai and floating market, traditional Thai massage | Phuket/ Pattaya trip (Phuket might take more than a day) | Chang Mai / Phi Phi or any other island. Can also start for Siem Reap (Cambodia) 12 hr-day journey |
Top 5 must do things in Thailand:
1. Beach / water sports - snorkelling
2. Old Bangkok Canal tour / River cruise - if you want to take a glimpse of local life style you can catch a tourist ferry
3. Thai Kick boxing match
4. Street Food and Singha Beer
5. Traditional Thai Massage
Also Try: Sky Train Ride, Tuk Tuk ride and imitation / fake brands shopping.
Top 5 must see places in Thailand:
1. Bangkok (Old bangkok) : Buddhist Temples - Wat Arun, Wat Pho(Reclining Buddha), Royal Palace & Emerald Buddha, National Museum
2. Floating Market - A different province near Bangkok
3. Phuket / Phi Phi / Pattaya - From Phuket you can get tours for Phi Phi and James bond island
4. Bangkok Lumphini Park - A garden where you can spot Commando dragons roaming freely and also spot turtles right next to one of the busiest road in Bangkok
5. Chang Mai - North Thailand and culture of once upon a time Thai capital.
Thailand is also well conected to other destinations including Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia, Hongkong and Singapore. If you want you can actually take a land trip to Siem Reap (Cambodia)
Questions you might want an answer in detail:
1. Currency: How much to carry, where to exchange, how to understand etc?
2. Hotels where do I book? www.wotif.com or www.latestays.com or www.asiahotels.com
3. Backpacking in Bangkok ? go to Backpacker's Paradise: http://www.khaosanroad.com/
4. What options do I have to go to Pattaya from Airport: http://www.bangkoksite.com/pattaya/Airport-Pattaya.htm
5. Where do I get the info about Phuket? http://www.phuket.com/