Not all middle age...some pretty young too! Even underage!..~16! But for sure not pretty suspect from Myanmar or common local thai but that's in Phuket...no idea in Bangkok...probably better

This post has been edited by stimix: Jan 13 2009, 10:23 AM

Can-lah...GF shopping along Patpong middle stalls and ur eye on one those Pubs & Bars...

U mean Danoen Saduak floating market tour which is located ~120km away from Bangkok? Well as posted long time ago, he's how I did the tour:

1) Taxi drivers outside my hotel offering me good price. Decided on one driver who take my offer of 800bath to floating market....damn so cheap...considering the distance

2) Arriving at one of many private piers near the floating market area ~ 1-2km away from actual location. The motorboat owner (look like typical chinese Ah Beng...insist on 20000bath (RM200/boat).. After bargaining hard he insisted the lowest at 1500bath...Still not satisfied, I decided on unthinkeable & raised my voice in mandarin..(yeah they were Thai's chinese) & telling them I rather go back Bangkok rather than the RM150 boat ride!!

3) The chinese Towkay suddenly accepted my offer of 1000bath after I pulled my wife & daughter to the taxi!!.....I still think RM100 for the boat ride is expensive till now.. ..

Total damage on the Taxi fare & boat ride =RM80+ RM100...for 3 pax. The taxi driver even brought us to Grand Palace & Wat Po wth 1 diversion tour to gem factory for him to collect his free petrol voucher

If u check Virtual tourist website as posted by pandaman above, there are lotsa tips....esp cheap packages to Floating market from Bangkok..The lowest if I'm not mistaken (20003-2005 pricing) is about 600bath per pax excluding all the entry fees & etc. However, during my trip, the area that I stayed (Mandarin Hotel at Rama4- burnt down oledi!) hv limited toursit agents and if have offering 800bath to 1200bath/pax....so I decided to check the taxi outside the hotel....and got the cheap rate....the taxi is cheap only RM80 inclusive of trips to floating market & anywhere along the route if u insist...he even offer us to snake farm & elephant show but we decided not to go. & without asking anything he offered us to Wat po, National museum & Grand Palace. for a day trip.

Yeah tackling the gangster Ah Beng is another difficult thing...but he make me angry & I almost cancel my boat ride until they bowed down to my offer...I think 1000bath is pretty standard rate for a chartered long tail motorboat..even those Chao Phraya private motorboat charging 1200-1500bath for private rides to smaller floating markets opposite Bangkok city

Haiyah...you can read more from virtual tourist website on experiences by others to the floating market..BTW, if u don't know the floating market is not in Bangkok..it's about 100km away in typical canals kampungs. So taxi rate going there at 800bath is already a good bargain..probably incresed since 2005 due to fuel price hike..now not sure.

For boat ride, there are 2 types i.e those at private piers charging 2000bath using MOTORISED boat. and those at public piers charging ~300bath using human powered...

OK-lah here's the link to vitual travels that discussing on floating market if u are to busy to check:
http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Asia/...Market-R-1.html

Am I spood-feeding too much?

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Added on February 2, 2009, 2:36 pmWat Po & Grand Palace is just side by side & Wat Arun (More authentic & ancient than Wat Po & Grand Palace) is opposite Wat Po on the other side of the river...All these can be visited within few hours time or 1/2 day..not a problem...Pattaya...forget it if u are on 3D2N..it's 150km down Southeast of Bangkok.

I will rather goto the floating market on the west side of Bangkok on 2nd day..

This post has been edited by stimix: Feb 2 2009, 02:36 PM

When was it? probably 10 years ago kua..dun make me sad...

BTW, on Dya ungu question on Ramkhamhaeng area, I was told that this area is having the largest concentration of Southern Thais' Malays communities & will be a good plcae for Muslim..but probably abit far from Bangkok

This post has been edited by stimix: Feb 3 2009, 12:20 PM

Seriously rethink staying at Ramkhamhaeng unless u are muslim & need halal food bcos it's not near at Metro line except taxi/bus/tuk-tuk route

So many days there..dun waste on shoppings..goto Ayuthaya the ancient capital of Thailand or even Pattaya

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Added on February 3, 2009, 2:37 pmWell if u can speak abit of Pattani/Kelantanese dialect to the old folks there probably they will be happy..but most of the Malays/Muslim in Bangkok can't speak Malay oledi unless they are older generation or youngsters migrated from Pattani/Yala province.. Dun worry-lah..Those Malays at Bangkok very friendly 1.


This post has been edited by stimix: Feb 3 2009, 02:37 PM

No-lah Ayuthaya is located ~80-100KM North of Bangkok..almost similar distance between Bangkok to Floating market abeit diff direction (Floating market in @Southwest of Bangkok)

Pattaya is even further..about 130-150km from Bangkok..It's consider the beach resort of Bangkok just like PD to KL. Too bad I hven't been to Pattaya & Ayutthaya b4

There are numerous cheap budget hotels as well in Sumkhumvit if u google hard, I spotted numerous offering ~RM60-RM80 around that area b4 but can't remember the name oledi...wth the economic downturn those hotels might be cheaper than u expected. However hotels located near Nana is abit pricey..no doubt about that...get those deep inside the Soi or about 1km away from BTS if u are looking for cheap one..Still within walking distance rather than staying far away from city & incurring xtra on taxi rate!! BTW, the metre taxi rate is actually more expensive than KL if I'm not mistaken KL starting ~RM2 but in Bangkok starting from 35Bath.. (Well not so sure)..So imagine staying far at Ramkhamheng & incurring daily taxi rides of >RM30-RM40 to/fro Bangkok?..added up almost similar if u add abit for hotels near city ctr esp near MBK Mall area

Well since it's cheap who care about distance to Bangkok right. The daily taxi rate compensate the cheap hotel+airfare you hv..

On the prepaid card, b4 buying, check whether the hotel having free hi-speed WIFI. If yes...call using your skype phone if u hv? (Those Nokia & PDA phone can install skype so it save alot provided u have skype credit in your a/c. It's dirt cheap calling bck to M'sia (~US$0.10/min if I'm not mistaken)....otherwise, u will not be calling so often, just use the promotional rate offer by your telco to call..for eg, Maxis having the 120 international IDD..I used it few times to call bck M'sia from Bangkok/Jakarta/Chiangmai/Manila.....1 call only about RM2.50 per 1-2 min. Normally for the whole Oversea stay of ~4 days wth 2-3 incoming calls & I call out 1 call per day, My total Oversea bill rarely exceed RM20. Avg ~RM10 only..Unless u wanted to Cook telephone porridge

I have been to the one in Phuket..Mind you although all performed by Ah Kua but come of them Nong Poy quality... . & The performance is so good wth such a nais sound system (The one in Phuket using BOSS system & the quality of the sound still the best I heard so far .till now..)

BTW, this is not those yuckss Tiger show or etc, more like entertaining although on certain occasion, those pretty Ah Kua do go down to the stage & hug spectators.. ...At the end of ythe show, Ah Kuas will line up oputside the theatre & u can take photos wth them.

In 1995, the ticket price is about 300bath/pax now not sure

Pandaman sure-kah? There's 1 hr diff between M'sia & Thailand-loh..so if Thailand 6pm, Malaysia already 7pm...Wth almost same longitude, so if KL dark at 7pm, Bangkok will be 6pm.

On Muslim food, suprisingly Bangkok wth it's sizeable muslim communities from the south & as on forumers said, lotsa of mosques there too, dun worry on halal food..Infact the KFC there is halal..chicken from CP...(This is according to my Thai's colleagues).

Infact muslim visiting Bangkok will feel at home compare to if they visit Bali in Indonesia ..There are few halal restaurants & stall in MBK & it's food court too.

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Added on February 17, 2009, 12:50 pmHi f4tE,

Not only the pricing more or less same but certain items it's more expensive some can be 20-40% more expensive than Malaysia esp electronics & computers. Even Souvenir T-shirts..I can't find anything lower than 90bath (~RM9.10)!! Whereas, in Petaling street u can even get RM5!!

This post has been edited by stimix: Feb 17 2009, 12:50 PM

Well, its confirmed-lah... MBK, Siam, Paragon, Central all same like Bkt Bintang to KL. except their IT Mall located in another shopping district of Pratunam

Actually the timing of sunset similar to M'sia since located almost on the same longitude but different timing..If M'sia dark at 7:30pm (Normally is the case) so does Bangkok..dark at 6:30pm due to the time differences.

Haha..M'sia & Singapore time zone was changed to the current time~ 1977. Rumours saying to follow Hong Kong Stock xhange..I remenbered Hussein Onn announced on my father's black & white TV bck then....That time also the start of TV1 & TV2 in colour..Well if u ask me, Thailand time should be the correct timing & not the current timing...Imagine other countries, sun rise ~6-6:30am & sunset ~6-6:30pm & M'sia 7:30am & 7:30pm respectively!

OK back to topic, for maps, normally I use GPS maps freely available from mapcenter (Google for Garmin mapcenter Bangkok)..otherwise, refer to wikimapia/google earth for itineraries planning.

Mo cit @ Chachuchat..That's pretty far from Bangkok..From Airport, there is another Northern Highway to that area which is almost same distance Airport - Bangkok & Airport Chachuchat

Mo Chit is the last station of BTS.MRT. fronting Chachucat. Not sure where is the hotel but how long from the hotel will depend on the jam. It's 40km away from airport so probably 45min w/out jam & 1-2 hr if jam

Hope it won't jam & u probably won't be entering Bangkok neither bcos Mo Chit (Chatuchat weekend market is only about 10km from Bangkok downtown...Hope it will not be rain at ~6pm bcos once I caught in a bad jam starting from 6pm & only reached hotel @9pm!! for a distance of ~20km only. The airport to Bangkok is about 30km only & thereafter to Mo Chit another 10km North of bangkok

No-lah it's just 30km away from bangkok. KLIA-KL is 60km away!

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Added on February 19, 2009, 8:56 amNo-lah it's just 30km away from bangkok. KLIA-KL is 60km away!

This post has been edited by stimix: Feb 19 2009, 08:56 AM