Thailand:
Some facts that we found our about Thailand and can be practical for any backpacker planning to travel here.
First of all, people here are very friendly and helpful... only if you're the one soliciting them. We advise to politely refuse any proposal coming from Thai people without your solicitation. This is not free help. But otherwise, they are very helpful.
That's said, here's a few recommendations:
General: Try to wear clothes that are not too short (short shorts, sleeveless shirts, etc.) since Thai people are very prude. This is less relevant in Bangkok and in the islands, but very relevant in temples everywhere and on streets anywhere else.
Save money by buying all your drinks in 7-eleven stores. They are everywhere in Thailand. You can also buy your breakfast and small meals there too: they sell hot dogs and hamburgers. Although we didn't test them, they are very cheap.
Bangkok: Siam Malls (Discovery, Patagon) are great to walk around. Not cheap, so you might want think about if you really want to buy there.
China Town: Street shops are an original and cheap way to buy things, anything - food or goods. We do not guarantee that everything is high quality, but if you don't mind it, then give it a try. And the scenery is worth seeing, though you may have to protect your mouth and nose from the traffic pollution. We just walked into interesting-looking stores when we needed to breath a bit.
Accommodations: Couch Surfing is very popular here, although we didn't test it. But we were at a CS meeting and the people there were very nice. It was a mix of local people and westerners living there.
The only hotel we tested here was Bally's Studio Suites, in Sukhumvit. It's a 3 star hotel by Thai standards, which means 4 for Western standards :) You can cook in your room, with a microwave that is, and boil hot water for coffee and tea and a cup of noodles if you want. There's a nice sized fridge, so a great way to save a bit of money if you're on a tight budget would be to pop over to a 7-Eleven (they are everywhere) and get some bread and cheese or cereal and milk for breakfast. They have free wifi in the rooms and free Internet posts in the lobby. The room is big and nice, the staff is friendly. And like many other hotels here, they offer a free tuk tuk to the main road (Sukhumvit).
You can find more cheap hotels on agoda.com and less cheap, but popular too, sawadee.com.
Transportation: We highly recommend the public transportation. Forget about taxis and tuk tuk. Public transportation can get you anywhere if you're not in a hurry (to the airport for example).
BTS Skytrain and MRT subway are clean, secure, and with AC, and funny Thai commercials are displayed on screens in and out of the train. They can be crowded at peak hours, but where isn't it?
Price: 20 to 40 baht depending the distance you're traveling.
Also, the bus system is nice and typical, especially on the west side of town where the National Palace and the main temples are. Take bus number 508 to get there and back to Siam area. You buy tickets on board and don't forget to ask where to get off. A bus transportation map can be found in any tourist information desk, all over town. Price: Around 15 baht
There are also trains going to the airport and back, the SA City line and SA Express, which get off at a central location in Bangkok, Phaya Thai (30 minutes from end to end). From there you can take the BTS sky train to your final destination in Bangkok.
Price: 15 baht
Chiang Mai:
How to get there: To get to Chiang Mai from Bangkok, the train is a popular way used by many travelers. That's why you have to book in advance, about 5 days in advance if not a week. The phone number to book the train is 1690. Attention! They will not take booking less than 5 days before departure.
Internet booking is not a good option: the official site does not allow bookings (as of November 2010) and other sites doing it are charging way too much.
You can also buy tickets at some travellers stores in Bangkok.
We recommend you book an overnight train with 2nd class or 1st class sleeper cabin. The train station in Chiang Mai is a bit East from downtown, but it's easy to access by foot (20 minutes) or tuk tuk.
Price: between 700 (2nd class) and 1400 baht (1st class).
The other good option for travel to Chiang Mai is by plane. We paid around 2000 baht (taxes included) because we booked at the last minute, but if you do it well in advance, you probably can get it cheaper.
When arriving in Chiang Mai by plane, it looks like there is no other way to get downtown beside taxis (120 baht). Well, there is another way: Bus. You almost don't hear about it because there is some taxi lobby here. But it exists, though we never actually saw one.
Attractions: We didn't do everything, but usually the guides here are very nice and funny and make the day trips much enjoyable. We took day trips to Doi Suthep and Doi Ithanon. Both interesting and worth a look, and both include much more than just one stop.
And of course, you should take a cooking class, which Rony did twice already and each time it was a unique experience. Great way to meet people and learn more about the Thai culture... and to pleasure your stomach.
