hey wong - 7 days in BKK will be awesome, if you like the place. BKK is a concrete jungle (i thought KL was big). don't get me wrong, i love BKK (i'm not a beach-loving guy) and with hundreds of Sois (street), you'll find almost everything there. just take your time and enjoy it.

my list of places to go in BKK:
- suan lum night bazaar (near Lumphini kickboxing stadium)
- jatujak - where do u start with this place....
- patpong - for the petaling street experience. a few nice club there, not the "show" type.
- pantip - bkk's version of lowyat (nothing to shout about)
- pratunam - 5/10 min from pantip
- china town
- the wats around bkk - tons of them
- thai massage - way too many places to recommend
- khao san road
- siam center in the weekends (people watchng)

can't really rcommend any places to eat, have not the time to explore yet but there's plenty of places. i usually heads to Foodland for my meals.

hope this helps.

no prob, glad if it coud help other visitors to bkk. i suppose the attitude is to not expect too much, then whatever supasses your expectation would be a big bonus.

i THINK its business as usual during cny, the only ones that brings a grinding halt are the buddhist celebrations or anything to do with the king. might want to hear comments from those who've been there during cny.

tip: if you're partying or planning to drink in your room, buy all supply before midnight, alcohol sale stopped after midnight in most if not all convenient stores, this includes 7-11, family mart, etc.

beer are pretty cheap in convenient stores, like less than 50 bath a bottle (yup, its mostly bottles). prices goes up slightly in eating places and will reach KL prices in expensive clubs and disco like CM2, Spasso, Hard Rock Cafe, etc, so don't be shocked.

if you can't see cigarette in 7-11, ask! they don't display it, part of anti-smoking campaign, and bring a few boxes from MY, i find the cigarette there "different" and you won't find dunhill there.

these are basically bars with chicks working the metal pole. easy to find around patpong and soi cowboy being the most obvious. might not be to everyones liking but i think it's at least a one time must see since it's the nearest one to MY. i've seen a lot of tourist checking out the action just to experience it, yes male and female alike. of course there's more to this and for the details please PM the appropriate persons. btw, it's not my cup of tea and i find the "dancing" boring after a few minutes.


oh, the same trick applies at the new airport for taxis to town. go to the departure level and take your taxis there. sorry, don't have price to BKK as my first destination was out of town.

i'm here when i'm in bangkok (click the link) -> Palazzo Bangkok. It's in Rachadapisek Road, it's a bit off Sukumvit but not that far. 7-11 is just across the street, Underground station is about 10/15 minutes walk so does Robinson & Carrefour. taxi and motocycle taxi all lepak there at the doorstep so no problem with transportation. the landmark would be Emerald hotel which almost every taxi driver knows, Palazzo is beside Emerald but further down the soi/street. Security is good and won't ask anything if you bring a friend/friends back. they'll help you to your room just in case you're too drunk to walk....

The internet booking rates for single room is currently TBH1300 per night which is almost as good as their corporate rate. It's not bad for the price seriously, if i were to rate it, 2/3 star hotel. if i'm not mistaken, they will give you a double/twin for single room as they don't have a room with a single bed (does this makes sense?). can't recall if they have a safe in the room. internet access via 2 PC at the lobby - not free - or at the business centre.

anyone with good hotel along Sukumvit that can compete with the price please share with me, i would love to check it out too.

another one that i stayed before is this one -> Bangkok Suite, cheap and clean since it a new hotel BUT quite far from everything else. if you're on a tight wallet, this one is cool, and the food is pretty nice. long and confusing walk to the nearest Skytrain station and slightly harder to get taxi.

i've pass through an area called Ramintra which has lots of sport rims shops and maybe body kits, but not sure if that's the place. i find that there's no specific place that puts everything in one area. one word to described it best would be "bertabur".

i don't think u will have any problem with this, your problem would be how much money you have in your wallet. check out the english papers - Bangkok Post - for any special events. it also depends on what you're looking for....music, crowd, location wise, etc.

tell me what you think of Palazzo....
Palazzo's nearest MRT station will be Huai Khwang station.
bangkok has 2 train system, the SKYTRAIN and METRO SUBWAY. i always imagine the 2 lines forming a mirror image (terbalik) of a cent sign. the straight line is skytrain and the C for the subway line with 2 points of contact. the middle contact will be in Asoke where you get off and move on to the other metro areas like pratunam, siam, mbk, central and basically the whole of Suk (Sukumvit) via skytrain or by foot. up north to JJ (Jatujak) you stop at Kampheng Pet station that takes you straight into JJ instead of Skytrain's Mo Chit station that requires you to walk for around 10 - 15 min across a non-smoking public park. you can also stop at Chatucak Park station but i have never stop there before.

check out the Skytrain link above to get a better visual idea of the track layout and station's location. hope this helps.

edit --> typos.

This post has been edited by dude: Nov 21 2006, 01:45 PM

i have to say the clientele are usually business people from MY, SG, JP and TH. ratchada is a high class red light area and so they usually come from the 5 star hotel area in Suk.
wow...119 incl breakfast is a good deal! the breakfast is ok, a bit dissapointing for me, maybe because a lot of it are pork based, but there's quite a selection. hey, free coffee, juice & toast is good enuff for me.
report back will ya...

hope this helps:

temp : similar to KL if only slightly cooler or hotter.

taxi to hotel : after you go through immigration, find the departure hall, take taxi from this level. tell the taxi driver you want to go (eastin or petchburi road is a common place). if u're a bit paranoid, ask the hotel to fax u their address in Thai so you can show it to the driver OR call the hotel with your mobile and ask the hotel to tell the driver. fare should not exceed TBH1000 or RM100, maybe max RM50.

Pratunam - daytime

Patpong - night time
More like Petaling Street at the entrance (selling clothes, fake stuff - watches, bags, etc.) with a red light district further inside (take your pick). Some nice clean clubs inside too.

Suan Lum - night time
Expensive or not, you be the judge. Has a huge eating place with live band and a ferris wheel. Opens everyday, evenings only. MRT - I think it's Lumphini station, will lead you straight to the side entrance.

MBK, Paragon, HRC - anytime
These are close by to each other, walking distance. You'll find other popular places around here too. Skytrain - Siam station.

Jatujak Market - morning (Sunday only)
This place is scorching hot! Take MRT to Kampheng Pet station (stops right inside Jatujak) or Skytrain to Mo Chit station (walk around 10 - 15 min).

Floating market - morning
Which one are you going to? I have not visited one.

Chinatown - anytime
By taxi. No Skytrain goes here.

Check this and click on the stations to see what's around each stations SKYTRAIN MAP.

pratunam is like the center and not as commercially known as jatujak and suan lum which has turned very "tourist". locals too are complaining that it is expensive now so yes i have to agree if the comparison is with pratunam, but the experience is different in all 3 places so make your choice. it's just like eating in KLCC or mamak stall isn't it?

i picked a book called "Essential Thai Phrase Book" from Kinokuniya KLCC for around RM25, small size and categorised nicely. good investment considering most that have been to bkk will be returning. have not been utilising it properly though since i get away with my basic english in bkk most of the time. believe me when it's crunch time, u'll forget most of the words anyway. and if you're only in bkk, basic english is more than enough to get you around. use the hotel personnel to write down addresses if you think its going to be a problem since pronuonciation varies from what's written and said.

...and ask the hotel for their address in thai to make it easy for taxi rides back and keep the hotel number handy. hotels usually have cards with their address and map in thai, so take a few of those with you when you go out.

i know there's a themepark like 45 minutes away from downtown (i know cause i missed it and have to look at pics...) but can't remember the name - i think its called dreamworld or something. buddy told me its better than sunway lagoon. maybe can google it?

just as a tip - agree on the price before you take the ride. it helps if you know how much it usually cost to get to your destination but yeah i took it ONCE for the experience, i prefer the motorbike taxis btw.

they have a different socket - USA type or double blade. bring a socket adaptor from here - RM15 i think. voltage is the same 220 - 240V. should not damage your charger.

yeah, but it's out of the metro area. most of the sales people don't speak english so can be a bit difficult. price wise, i think almost same as klang, some tyres are cheap especially when they have offer - dirt cheap - and rim selection are more "branded" than klang.

it's around half an hour from don muang heading west. been there 2/3 times but can't remember the name properly cause they pronounce it differently from its roman spelling.

Hi guys,
need to know the night market in BKK that sells dessert. saw it on TV a few times but didn't catch the name. it looks like our pasar malam. anyone with info - name and location please....thanks.

if around nana i usually eat in foodland, the bar style eating place at the entrance. i supposed you can't be too picky and take the obvious pork-free meals. there's also a kebab place one soi next to foodland if i'm not mistaken with a few other arab restaurant next to it, never tried that one though.

safety - as long as u are not in the "hot" political places, u should be alright i guess. i still remember during the coup, i called a few friends to check if they were ok, apparently it doesn't affect them at all (mai pen rai...), one was in the theater catching the latest movie while some went to take pic with the tanks. still, u can't take it lightly so be aware of your surroundings and be ready to react.

if you are referring to petty thief, i'm more worried when i'm in KL.

near khao sarn road's mosque are a few halal shop if i'm not mistaken.

i think she's referring to BOOTS, got many in Siam area and outskirt malls.

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Added on July 12, 2008, 7:45 pm
i think pratunam area is ok. there's no shortage of taxi and motocycle taxi, easy to go anywhere. the only problem is food, only one food court in that area and the food sucks. never notice any eating stalls around that area. get a bangkok map at the BTS station and you'll see pratunam its not that far of a walk to the nearest station - Chit Lom - the one in front of Inter Continental hotel. The other station is a bit far - Ploen Chit. you are only one station away from Siam where Siam square and MBK are located. There's a TESCO in the MBK area with a selection of restaurant and a food court. Pratunam is always lively, sunday morning especially, and its not that far from Khao San.

take a nap looks like a new budget hotel. maybe worth checking out and staying for a night and share it with us here.

This post has been edited by dude: Jul 12 2008, 07:45 PM

never stayed here but location is very good if siam area is your choice. go for it, so far i have no complaints for hotel in bkk, they all seems to be clean and comfy. if not just look around for a new one, there's too many choices. have fun!

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Added on July 15, 2008, 4:42 pmwhile i never miss Khao San on every trip, i never stayed there. i don't understand why mat salleh travel half the world and end up around their own countrymen/women in the middle of a foreign country. sure accomodation is cheap, but other goods are marked up to suck foreign currencies. even drinks are more expensive than malaysia which is ridiculuos if you know the going rates else where in bkk. other than these measly reasons, its a great place to watch drunken and rub shoulders with smelly mat salleh.

This post has been edited by dude: Jul 15 2008, 04:42 PM

i use my local atm card there but i think got limit RM3000 like that. maybank and cimb got, the rest not sure. need to activate in Malaysia. they will charge you extra but i really don't know the rates or how they calculate. i feel its cheaper around RM12 - 13 for bath 100,000. i usually just carry bath 1000 with me when i leave malaysia. cash out when i need money.