I'd be interested in some insight to some of these points if anyone is a local. Maybe @MuayThai85 ?
Stunning country, nice beaches, beautifully warm water
What's with all the reggae bars? I guess it works but I got real sick of Bob Marley tunes.
Thai people are the nicest but the hustling gets tiring though. Especially from all the (Indian?) guys trying to sell my a suit every 30 seconds. The Thai people are straightforward in their offer but these guys always try to be sleazy about it.
Don't ask a local if they know a place where you can do/get X. Of course they know, in fact they do it! What you thought was someone's shanty house is in fact a registered jetski hire place, totally legit boss
You can skip James Bond Island unless you have a private boat access. The ride there is beautiful but the boats are a nightmare logistical problem. Tthe island itself is an overcrowded disgusting garbage dump for chinese tourists
If a bar girl offers to play you in a game of X in return for a drink, don't. She will be the best pool/connect4/darts player you've ever met in your life and you'll pay for a round of tequila shots for the entire bar staff when you lose. My bar tab was $20 for ostensibly two small bottles of beers after such an experience, and I was still called "cheap" by the one bar girl who I refused a second shot.
It's been less ruined by tourists than Bali, mainly because the tourists are not Aussie Bogans. Full disclosure, the british tourists were as bad as any. The russian tourists seemed rude but kept to themselves I guess. Americans were the nicest, I found.
I met a couple from New York who confirmed every stereotype I have about New Yorkers in my head, mostly in a positive light. They may as well have been characters in that netflix series Russian Doll
It's cheap, but it's really not that cheap. Especially not around the main tourist traps. Hell a lot of the bars that everyone wants to go to are downright expensive. Like $5 USD for a bottle of lager expensive.
The food was largely disappointing everywhere except for the dirty street stalls. That food was the bomb. Thai fried rice is the best fried rice I've ever had. The Tom Yum varied. They like to put all the aromatics right in there so you're chewing on lemongrass if you're not carefull.
The weird dynamic of Thai people being second class citizens in their own country is kind of disgusting, but I guess that's why it's a cheap holiday location? Seriously though, I spoke to some white folk while I was there, they were earning westerner salaries doing the same job as the brown guy next to them who's on $400 a month.
For a country with so many laws, it's amazing how none of them seem to be regarded at all. For example it's a life sentence to bring even the tamest of illegal drugs into the country, but that doesn't seem to stop people offering you drugs all the time while you're there.
So many incredibly hot russian/eastern european women, oh my god. The beaches here were almost physically painful to spend time in.
You can get laid there by pretty much any top tier escort for $50, if that's your thing
The sheer amount of transwomen there is interesting. It doesn't even seem like a particularly marginal population. I don't wish to use the word they call themselves here, but I found that interesting too. We would consider it a slur but maybe that's just easier to say in English?
Thai women seem to want to be white and rescued and it's a bit sad. They all tell you they wish they were paler, wear blue eyed contacts, and want a white man to whisk them away immediately.
3 weeks just for vacation? You go to Krabi at all? Would you go back?
I'm thinking I'll go there one day, but a few other places I want to visit first.
It was more like 2.3 weeks and the first week was wedding related (my brother), so it really felt more like the second week was the holiday.
Wherethisfeom posted...
A lot of them are still under the belief western nations are a place where the streets are paved in gold that our propaganda put on them.
I imagine seeing a white guy rock up in your bar and casually pull out a wad of money for drinks that represents your month's worth of your income would do that too
Bar girls basically play pool, connect 4, and jenga all day so you're always going to get your ass kicked. If you aren't planning to take a girl, don't even bother wasting your time buying them lady drinks.
You're in a tourist hotspot so of course the food is going to be hit or miss. If you want good Thai food, eat where you see a lot of Thais eating. Besides fried rice (which I will admit is great), I don't like Thai food so I tend to stick to western food.
Phuket is one of the most expensive places in Thailand, especially in comparison to other tourist areas. Especially the night clubs.
Most westerners working in Thailand are teachers and their salaries are quite shit. Sure, they get paid more than locals but that's because it is necessary. While a Thai can get by fine on 10k baht/month, a foreigner can't. Two tier pricing is one of the main reasons. As a foreigner you will pay more for just about everything in the country. Hell, simply buying street food will likely have your charged more for the same meal than a Thai person is.
Yea, they have a lot of laws but the police don't really care about enforcing it unless they can get some "tea money" out of it.
Phuket and Pattaya are practically taken over by Russians so it isn't surprising you see a lot of them there. A large portion of those beautiful Russian/Eastern European women you see there are prostitutes. Both places even have Russian go-go bars.
Trans/homosexuality has been accepted there for quite some time and has less stigma against it than in most countries. Nearly every group of friends will have at least one ladyboy (a term they openly refer to themselves as), gay male, and "Tom" (short haired lesbian). The availability and relative cheapness of surgery is also why there are a lot of MtF around.
The last point I don't agree with at all. The white skin thing is something that is apart of nearly Asian and African society. They believe dark skin is a sign of poverty because it is usually associated with people who have to work outside in the elements all day. A lot of Thai woman, especially those of the north/northeastern parts of the country (also the poorest) are simply looking for someone to be their ATM. A lot of guys who marry Thai women marry someone they met at a bar (aka a prostitute). They don't want to be saved, they just want access to your bank account. It's partially why I refused to date Thai girls when I first started staying there. My wife was someone I knew for 4 months already and when we first started dating refused to allow me to pay for anything (if we went to dinner she would pay for her own meal, same if we won't on a trip, etc). She also came from an upper middle class family. These are what's known as "good girls" and they're much more difficult for a westerner to find.
* Bar girls basically play pool, connect 4, and jenga all day so you're always going to get your ass kicked. If you aren't planning to take a girl, don't even bother wasting your time buying them lady drinks. * You're in a tourist hotspot so of course the food is going to be hit or miss. If you want good Thai food, eat where you see a lot of Thais eating. Besides fried rice (which I will admit is great), I don't like Thai food so I tend to stick to western food. * Phuket is one of the most expensive places in Thailand, especially in comparison to other tourist areas. Especially the night clubs. * Most westerners working in Thailand are teachers and their salaries are quite shit. Sure, they get paid more than locals but that's because it is necessary. While a Thai can get by fine on 10k baht/month, a foreigner can't. Two tier pricing is one of the main reasons. As a foreigner you will pay more for just about everything in the country. Hell, simply buying street food will likely have your charged more for the same meal than a Thai person is. * Yea, they have a lot of laws but the police don't really care about enforcing it unless they can get some "tea money" out of it. * Phuket and Pattaya are practically taken over by Russians so it isn't surprising you see a lot of them there. A large portion of those beautiful Russian/Eastern European women you see there are prostitutes. Both places even have Russian go-go bars. * Trans/homosexuality has been accepted there for quite some time and has less stigma against it than in most countries. Nearly every group of friends will have at least one ladyboy (a term they openly refer to themselves as), gay male, and "Tom" (short haired lesbian). The availability and relative cheapness of surgery is also why there are a lot of MtF around. * The last point I don't agree with at all. The white skin thing is something that is apart of nearly Asian and African society. They believe dark skin is a sign of poverty because it is usually associated with people who have to work outside in the elements all day. A lot of Thai woman, especially those of the north/northeastern parts of the country (also the poorest) are simply looking for someone to be their ATM. A lot of guys who marry Thai women marry someone they met at a bar (aka a prostitute). They don't want to be saved, they just want access to your bank account. It's partially why I refused to date Thai girls when I first started staying there. My wife was someone I knew for 4 months already and when we first started dating refused to allow me to pay for anything (if we went to dinner she would pay for her own meal, same if we won't on a trip, etc). She also came from an upper middle class family. These are what's known as "good girls" and they're much more difficult for a westerner to find.
This is interesting, thank you.
The suit vendors, what nationality are they typically? They didn't look or sound Thai, more like Indian. In Bali there was a significant Javanese population and you could tell they were different physically and culturally, this was a similar difference.
Oh and yea, all the big sights like James Bond Island, Maya Bay, Emerald Cove, etc have been ruined by Chinese tour groups. It's kinda sad tbh.
pinky0926 posted...
This is interesting, thank you.
The suit vendors, what nationality are they typically? They didn't look or sound Thai, more like Indian. In Bali there was a significant Javanese population and you could tell they were different physically and culturally, this was a similar difference.
Bangladeshi and Burmese in my experience. Also, a lot of the Thai Hill tribes look different than your typical Thai. They are born and raised in Thailand but the Thai government doesn't recognize them as citizens, doesn't allow them to go to school, and it is technically illegal to employ them (again, another law that is ignored if the right person is getting their "tea money").
Too late now but there's a place called iirc baan larb in phuket that does some amazing food (the fried ruby fish>>>) and the most generously spirit-y cocktails I've had, all for really cheap
if a country has strict drug laws. it's not a great idea to carry it on you. at the mercy of whichever country has em in effect and no the US won't bail anyone out unless they're a celebrity. ---
The act of treachery is an art, but the traitor himself is a piece of **** - Mike Tyson
Oh and yea, all the big sights like James Bond Island, Maya Bay, Emerald Cove, etc have been ruined by Chinese tour groups. It's kinda sad tbh.
Bangladeshi and Burmese in my experience. Also, a lot of the Thai Hill tribes look different than your typical Thai. They are born and raised in Thailand but the Thai government doesn't recognize them as citizens, doesn't allow them to go to school, and it is technically illegal to employ them (again, another law that is ignored if the right person is getting their "tea money").
Ah, burmese makes sense. That last fact is quite sad too.
Question - did you study Muay Thai over there? I regret not making it to a match, but frankly I kind of hated Pa Tong and wanted to avoid it after I'd seen it.
The most interesting place I went was a place called Hippy bar in Kata, ran by a thai rasta man who offered me all of his drugs and then proceeded to do a thai puppet shadow show while singing a Bob Marley song. I recommend it to anyone who doesn't mind surreal experiences.
if a country has strict drug laws. it's not a great idea to carry it on you. at the mercy of whichever country has em in effect and no the US won't bail anyone out unless they're a celebrity.
There are numerous bars throughout Thailand that openly sell weed and mushrooms. Especially the aforementioned reggae bars.
Drug use is very commonplace in Thailand, you just have to be smart of it. Rule number one is never buy from a Thai male that you don't know (especially taxi/tuk tuk drivers).
Ah, burmese makes sense. That last fact is quite sad too.
Question - did you study Muay Thai over there? I regret not making it to a match, but frankly I kind of hated Pa Tong and wanted to avoid it after I'd seen it.
The most interesting place I went was a place called Hippy bar in Kata, ran by a thai rasta man who offered me all of his drugs and then proceeded to do a thai puppet shadow show while singing a Bob Marley song. I recommend it to anyone who doesn't mind surreal experiences.
When I went there for 8 months (September '14, my second time going), it was specifically for the muay thai (and I backpacked around Indonesia and Malaysia). I spent 5 months in Chiang Mai training and fought twice. That is also where I met my wife.
@MuayThai85 , I take it the russian influence is largely gang-orientated? These guys seemed like proper gangsters, and otherwise far too grim to be out with these victoria's-secret looking women.
Yes. Russian mob has a huge presence there, just like with Bali. Largely involved in drugs and trafficking in Eastern European women. I partied with a bunch in Bali, then I had to flee because I was banging a girl a 300lb Russian mobster was infatuated with and I simply didn't want to die over some Balinese pussy.
Nope. Don't have a bike license (and I understand that while you can easily rent one without one, it's a common scam to get fucked over later for it), and frankly I value my body parts too much.