Welcome to the TravelPod forums

[jaydee36]

Tough call. Thailand offers so much. Golf, Diving, Jungle tours, beautiful beaches...

One piece of advice, keep Bangkok short.

Jay

[starlagurl]

Why? I've heard so many good things about Bangkok!

[sianeth]

Why? I've heard so many good things about Bangkok!

You can't breathe! Haha, maybe I'm soft, but it was hard, I was like OD-ing on Vicks to survive!

[curt1591]

One piece of advice, keep Bangkok short.

Jay

I wish you had told me this sooner.

I'm going on 9 months in Bangkok, and I haven't even scratched the surface!

Maybe you were too busy looking for the jungle and the beach.

[thellie]

i love going to bangkok, albeit in short doses... haven't got curt's stamina.
top things to do in thailand? everything you mention is possible in many parts of the world. why not say things that are unique to the country?

for instance...
...visit the grand palace and wat pho (bangkok)
...go on an eco-tour to visit and interact with local hilltribes
...spend time wandering through the ancient cities of ayudthaya, lopburi, etc......volunteer at an ngo (hint hint)

loads more, but i have to go to work now (at an ngo)...

[starlagurl]

Why? I've heard so many good things about Bangkok!

You can't breathe! Haha, maybe I'm soft, but it was hard, I was like OD-ing on Vicks to survive!

Ewwwwww, that's from the pollution then?

[Paul]

Some highlights:

Thai people. Smiling polite happy and friendly people. Hard to get any better than that. Get away from the main tourist areas and meet normal Thai people and you'll be in for a treat.


The natural environment - there isn't much of it left, but if you can find some tropical jungle, untouched beach, limestone caves and cliffs - very beautiful.


Thai food - there is plenty of this and it is great.


Rich cultures and history - The T'ai people are the biggest ethnic group in S.E.Asia and it is believed their history goes a long way back. As you start to learn about Thai culture and it's intricacies, this is easy to believe. But there is also an amazing richness in ethnic and cultural diversity in Thailand. From Muslim Malays in the South to Khmers, Chinese, recently nomadic tribes, the left overs of the great Mon civilisation, and to the numerous Hill Tribes in the North, and much more - Thailand is a rich and diverse country.


The love of the Thai King and the love from the Thai King. For the last 60+ years Thailand has been very lucky to have a great leader and King who oversees the country with wisdom, patience, love and compassion for the people and environment. The Thai people have a huge respect and love for their King and to witness this is a special thing also, in a world that otherwise seems obsessed with money, power, greed, etc., it seems well worth seeing an alternative.


Compassion - again following on from the previous points - it is great again to get away from the tourist areas and see so often in normal Thai life, people are very giving and caring towards each other and others around them. Get up early to see people giving alms to monks or head into the parks and watch people going out of their way to give food to stray dogs, or to feed the fish, etc. Nice.

[rbisset]

I actually quite liked Bangkok the 4-5 times I transited through there. I did absolutely nothing when I was there as I know I'll be back there sometime in the future and can see all the sights then! Plus I was templed out after being on the road for 4 months!

Basically I think all I did there was wander around aimlessly down side streets, eating at roadside food stalls and get the bus to MBK! Didn't even go down to the river area!!

Next time I'll explore it properly And get the trusty local bus to MBK again!

[starlagurl]

Hehehe "templed out" ... I guess it's similar to being "cathedraled out" in Europe, yes?

[rbisset]

Yup, which leads on nicely to this weeks Sydney Morning Herald Traveller section........

[starlagurl]

Uh oh...

[johnminasia]

If you up for some island lifestyle head over to Koh Tao the beaches are great with crystal clear water, and awesome dive spots.

Then for a more culture focused activity you could do a homestay in Mae Kom Phong in Chiang Mai.

[Paul]

johnminasia - a possible new Thailand expert?

John are you interested in taking over the role?

[johnminasia]

johnminasia - a possible new Thailand expert?

John are you interested in taking over the role?

Would it be possible to be a chiang mai expert instead or both?

[starlagurl]

You could do both if you like. Just write up a starter kit for either Chiang Mai or Thailand, and I'll sign you up!