Since there are many Thailand experts - I will be visiting, give me some tips

As this is your biggest "fear," I can only conclude that this is what you want the most deep down.

Never fight who you are. Embrace, as that is what makes you special.

beware - it's full of foreigners

I wish (then I would not need to worry lol).

It is not a fear per se, more like it is disgusting. But not in a "anti gay" way, it is the kind of feeling when I see pictures of Siam twins for example. Just creeps me out.

No its not. Look at their shoe size.

I would be for sure if I was a woman that your welcomed enrichers are after.

"I am not interested in red light stuff "

what kind of man goes to thailand not for the red light stuff?

be a man and tell us the truth,


take a bus for 240Bat using the bell travel service

https://www.belltravelservice.com/

and make your way to pattaya the best city in the world.

once you get there go to walking street and have a draft for 50bat in any gogo bar and have the best time of your life.

make sure to fall in love with your favourite gogo girl.

Admit it, dude... You're going on a ladyboy tour.

No shame in that game.

Keep it real, son.

/just kidding, dude Enjoy your trip!

The tip is watch out for tips

I read that Pattaya is the most disgusting city in Thailand. Well at least from most people. 100% not including Pattaya in the trip.
Like I said: Bangkok + Erawan, then flight to Chiang Mai/Rai (or night train, people say that can be part of experience), then flight to Krabi.
These are set in stone, so looking for advice of what to see in those 3 regions

As for what kind of man? Well - I traveled all of the western world (Europe, US etc) and decided to go for my first exotic trip. It was either Asia, or Southern America. Basically coin flip and next one will be Southern America.
So the point of this trip is exotic location, different world experience etc.
Secondly - I am not interested in paying for sex. Don't get me wrong, I am not "too cool" for that, it is basically because I enjoy sex with woman who wants to have sex with me, not the one that I paid for. If the opportunity arises to hook up with nice chick during my trip (as it happens everywhere), I am cool with that, but that will definitely not be in sex tourist trap locations.

That is a great tip, I read all about the "tips" and scams. Plus I am "street smart" so I do not worry about any rip offs, hustles and scams

Don't get in the red Toyota pickup truck with the white tailgate. You'll be sorry.

what about good hotels in pattaya? clean affordable...good breakfast...close to action and on the beach....?

Not sure about toyota or colors, but I am looking forward to experience this popular transport type:

And I am looking forward to taste some food, although I am concerned about hep A or stuff like that since I am not going to take any vaccines. Should I stay away from street food in that case? Maybe food halls will be enough.

In a few months it's the start of hot season, so I'd be spending as much time in the north as possible.

Chiang Mai for example.

Best times for a first timer to go to Thailand in my opinion are now, or toward the end of wet season.

Plane tickets are already bought for mid May
I hear it is between hot and rainy season. I do not mind some rain and I am not overly sensitive to heat (although of course it will be too hot) as well.

You have not lived until you have been fucked by a tranny with a bigger cock than yours (should be easy to find for you.)

From Mikesouth.com


How To Prepare For A Trip To Thailand
By MikeSouth
October 28th, 2009

I know several of you are going, hereâ??s ya some tips, pay attention they will save you a lot of grief.

1. Yes you must have a passport, you do not need a visa to stay in Thailand for less than 30 days.

2. It is a LONG flight, 16-26 or more hours, jet lag can be a bitch but if you know how to deal with it you can be adjusted in 24 hrs or less. heres the best adviceâ?¦no matter what time you arrive at your destination, eat your meals at the time you normally do, stay up till you normally go to bed and get up when you normally get up. Thats 95% of the battle right thereâ?¦do that and forget what time it is back home and you are set.

3. The Thai people LOVE their King, do not speak ill of him or anyone in the royal family.

4. Do not, ever, under any circumstances bring in drugs you dont have a prescription for or mess with drugs while you are there, this is one thing the Thais take VERY seriously, you will go to jail and the US Embassy cant help you and yes this includes weed. If you cant go without smoking weed or doing drugs go to Jamaica or Amsterdam or someplace instead.

5. DONT FUCK WITH DRUGS

6. Donâ??t even THINK about sex with someone under the age of 18 that too will land you in a Thai prison, and rightly so.

7. Dont put your feet up on anything, dont use your feet to point to anything and dont point your feet at any thai person or any photo of the royal family or any likeness of Buddha.

8. Never touch a Thai person on the head

9. Never blow your nose at the table. You may think this is common sense and to some degree it is, but if you like Thai food your nose is going to POUR when you eat it there, its is VERY Spicy.

10. Leave your Judeo-Christian ideas about morality at home, If you cant do this then Thailand is NOT the place for you, go to a church camp or something.

11. Dogs are common place in most Thai cities, monkeys are in many, dont fuck with either of them and yes this means petting them.

12. When visiting a temple, dress modestly, shorts, swimsuits, bare midriffs, tank tops are all inappropriate. Always remove your shoes before entering a temple or a Thai persons home.

13. Notify your bank and credit card holders that you will be using your cards in Thailand, otherwise they will be declined. This is VERY important.

14. internet is widely available there, take your laptop and get skype, a US number that your friends can call (with voicemail) and unlimited calling back to the US will cost you about 20 bucks for 3 months..this is the BEST way to call back and forth.

15. Do not check any baggage. Take what you need for a few days in your carry on. laundry is cheap there and clothing is very inexpensive. You will be tempted to check a bag anywayâ?¦DONT. It will save you a lot of time in customs and if you have to go through China or other countries you wll have to claim and recheck your bags its easier to just take carry onâ?¦believe it.

16. You do not need a power adapter almost all laptops and battery chargers and whatever else will run on 220/50 and the plugs there are universal so they do accept our plugs.

17. If you are middle eastern decent, dress and speak American. The Thai have an intense dislike for middle easterners largely because of Muslim extremist factions in South Thailand. Identify yourself as American and you wont have any problems. You will find that many Thai establishments refuse admittance to middle easterners, they are NOT politically correct, deal with it.

18. If you are black you will run into similar problems but only in that many Thai girls will refuse to go with you. I didnâ??t see any establishments that refused to serve blacks. But you should be aware that some of the girls may have no interest in you, others will.

20. If you have facial hair, shave it off. PERIOD. Thai girls do NOT like facial hair. You can grow it back when you come home, believe me its worth the shave.

21. You should stay at least a couple of weeks that long flight isnt worth it for less.

22. Thais drive on the left side of the street so pay extra attention when crossing the roadâ?¦look right THEN left. If you get hitâ?¦its your fault, even in a crosswalk.

23. Use common sense in everything that you do, drink and have fun in moderation. there is nobody in the whole country who will say any of the following: You have had enough, stop, you should slow down, you are cut off, go home and sleep it off, dont do that you might kill yourself. etc. You are responsible for your own actions in Thailand so act like ya have good sense.

24. Most times of the year Thailand is HOT and HUMID expect to shower 2-3 times a day like the Thais do. use deodorant/anti perpirant AND talc or baby powder, you will thank me for this one.

25. If you think you have had spicy Thai food here, you are in for a big surprise, you havent had anything here that even comes CLOSE to Thai spicy. If you get something that is making your mouth feel like chernobyl â?¦. see those raw cucumbers that came with your dishâ?¦thats what they are for, they will cut the burn, feel free to ask for more.

26. Try to learn a little of the language and respect the culture, learning to â??Waiâ? properly will help a lot, but nothing beats a simple genuine smile, most Thais speak at least rudimentary english and it helps to speak it to them the way they speak it to you. Instead of where are you going for example say where you go

27. If you dont know what a wai is google it

28. Thais are big on saving face so confrontations should be avoided, try diplomacy, it works. if you fall on your ass Thai people will laugh at you because it would be rude NOT TO. The idea is for you to save face by them pretending that you did it to make them laugh. Understanding this concept in all aspects of dealing with Thais is very valuable. Thais love to haggle over prices so feel free to make offers but you should always haggle with a smile, be friendly about it like they are.

29. Get at least a HEP A and B vaccine, you may also need Malaria and Typhoid if you plan to venture outside the major cities.

30. Coca Cola tastes a LOT better in Thailand because it is made with cane sugar, not high fructose corn syrup. The little glass bottles of coke (10 oz) will set you back a quarter.

31. Dont drink the water, itâ??s OK to brush your teeth with etc but only in the major cities. Stick to bottled water while thereâ?¦its cheap plentiful and your hotel probably leaves freebies in your room as well.

32. If you do get travelers Diarrhea go to any pharmacy and pick up some ciprofloxacin or a azithromycin its cheap and you dont need a scrip for most any medication in Thailand

33. If you are female you should NEVER hand anything directly to a Monk. Either hand it to a male first or place it on a table. This also holds true in being handed anything by a Monk.

34. Appreciate the freedom you have in Thailand, because when you get back here you will miss it. I promise you that. For the record the translation of Thailand is â??Land Of The Free.â?

Mid May is pretty hot.

North is cooler, Bangkok mid May will be pretty hot, further south will be hotter still.

Places of interest that haven't been mentioned are Kanchanaburi, which is better known to westerners as the location of the bridge on the river Kwai.

Wat Phra Singh in Chiang Mai is one of the most popular temples to visit, Wat Bupparam is pretty impressive too.

In Bangkok make sure you visit the Royal Palace and Wat Phra Kaew which can be toured together. There are amazing wall murals at Wat Phra Kaew that depict various events during Thailand's long history. It's also the location of the Emerald Buddha.

Wat Arun Ratchawararam Ratchawaramahawihan is also a very impressive temple that you can reach by the river ferries on Chao Phraya River. (it's actually good to travel the full length of the ferry route on the river to get a view of Bangkok that's impossible to get any other way).

If you want an amazing trip on a train then catch the train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, you can get a sleeper and it's cheap. You'll see lots that you can't see any other way. But only do it one way, fly back to Bangkok from Chiang Mai.

Make sure you go to the night market at Suthisan in Bangkok and Chatuchuk market, if you've never been to south east Asia these are must sees.

Rainy season is a bit misleading as typically it doesn't continually rain but will dump a shitload of rain over an hour or two in the afternoon. But you won't be there during rainy season.

Thanks for the tips, Mr. South and Mr. King
I will review them and ask some questions.

For now, question to adultking (since South says Yes to that) - am I careless deciding not to take any vaccination?
I have strong immunity (never been sick in my life with anything, even with high temperature/cold, well maybe 1 day every 2 years I get a quick cold) and do not want to mess with my immunity taking those vaccines.
I read that most people do not take vaccines just for a touristy trip as well.
What is your take?

Ps: interesting thing about "hot season", at least for BK:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangkok#Climate
It does not look that any month is much hotter than any other one
Coldest month of the year is only like 10% colder than the hottest one.
pps: precipitation numbers in that table also looks close to the rainy months, that is why I assumed May is semi rainy season

You need Hepatitis A & B , Typhoid, Polio and Diphtheria as a minimum. If you travel without having had those, or boosters then you're really taking a risk. If you're going to be in farming areas then Japanese Encephalitis is a risk you might want to consider vaccinating for.

There's no malaria vaccination, the way to ward off malaria is to take a low dose antibiotic like Doxycycline but I have travelled extensively in South East Asia and never taken it. The best prevention from Malaria is not to be bitten by Mosquitos.

Don't bother with Rabies pre-vaccination, if you get bitten by a dog or monkey then get to a hospital after washing the wound with soap. Again best advice is don't be bitten.

Actual temperature varies little throughout the year in the tropics, but until you've experienced the difference between actual temperature and apparent temperature then you're in for a shock

That said, those of us who live closer to Asia don't have the same problems with the temperatures as those from northern hemisphere countries do, but as with everything YMMV.

Speaking about dog, monkey bites - are they common? Or just a heads up type of thing?
As for mosquitos - I assume it is not possible to avoid those bites completely in such tropical countries? So just pray to not be sting by the bad one?

I go to Thailand every year and have travelled around the rest of South East Asia extensively. It depends where you go, dogs used to be everywhere in Bangkok but there's less of a dog problem there now than there used to be.

Monkeys are more of a problem up north or in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. Even in Phnom Penh theres a big monkey population in fairly built up areas. I've never come across a monkey in Bangkok.

That said, I have had two incidents that led me to have to go through a 5 shot rabies post exposure course of injections.

The first one was ten years ago when I was bitten by a snarky dog at Din Deang (suburb of Bangkok). It wasn't avoidable, I didn't see the dog before it got me. It was late at night, it came out of a sub soi and had a go at me.

The second one was my fault, where I was at an outdoor bar and stood on a dogs leg. The dog was laying at the bar and I didn't see it.

Both times all I did was wash the bite then headed down to Bumrungrad Hospital, where for 2000 baht I was seen, assessed, given post exposure injection and sent on my way. However if this happens to you it is important to continue the injections to the very day they are due.

Mosquito repellant helps. Some people are more attractive to mosquitos than others. I never seem to get bitten. In the major centres nobody takes malaria medication and even out of the major centres you can't take it forever.

If you're out at night or early morning and you find the mozzies annoying then simply use some decent repellant and they'll stop biting.

Malaria is less of a risk in Bangkok than it would be in other areas.

The thing I would worry about most is (1) get decent travel insurance before you travel and (2) get the shots I suggested in my previous post. Although many people go without shots and live to tell the tale, it's not a risk I would take - because if you were unlucky enough to come into contact with some bad water and didn't have typhoid vaccinations for example then you'd be regretting it.

I'm off to Phuket next month, 9th trip to Thailand, been all over but these days just go to Phuket as its a direct flight from Sydney.
I've never had shots, I advise everyone else to but myself and wife never have\ and yeah I have been bitten by a dog.. my fault. Chemist cleaned it up and offered me some Valium and viagra... only in Thailand hehe.

One tip I will give is if you need anything, get yourself in to a 5 star hotels reception, they have better English and contacts.

If you see a sign that says don't touch dangerous.. then don't touch or your probably dead.

9 trips never had a hooker, red light areas in any part of the world stink and are full of fuckwits. Porn for your eyeballs is good though! so go have a look and get out.

For when your in Phuket

I recommend John Greys
John Gray's Seacanoe Thailand, Sea Kayaking in Thailand, Vietnam, Timor, Fiji, Philippines and Hawaii since 1983.

I prefer to stay kata

Boathouse | Boathouse on Kata Beach, Phuket, Thailand
or budget
Sugar Marina Resort - FASHION | Official Site - Kata Beach 2-min walk from our resort

For PhiPhi and Mayabay
Maya Bay Tours

Phiphi its self is like a rave on a beach, which I LOVE, but its a get in and get out thing.

Get your taste buds used to more spice before you go, any Asian grocer will sell frozen thai chilli.. get some. Start with one per person in a dish and work your way up to 6.
There's crap eateries everywhere for tourists though and maccas in every city, but then.. why bother going.

Enjoy the experience!

one thing to add is take your own toiletries and that includes sunscreen and mozzie spray, toothpaste, which is advise for travelling anywhere actually, you can buy locally but it will more than likely be a brand you have never seen.

my gf is thai, if you're going to be at Internext I can ask her to clue you in.

Hep A and B vaccines are recommended

if you stick to major cities you could opt out on the Typhoid and Malaria but if you go to rural areas its highly recommended. One thing to note is you can get them there for about 1/10th what they will cost here and you can get them there with no prescription, just ask the pharmacist.

oh and you are correct that there is little difference in the seasons, Thailand is near the equator its hot and humid everywhere, year round, though northern Thailand can be somewhat cooler particularly in winter months, but you would still be in shorts...the big difference I think is in how rainy it is.

again a strong immune system isnt going to save you from Hep A or B and its crazy not to vaccinate for them you dont want Hep...

Malaria and Typhoid can be cured but why worry...vaccinate and dont sweat it...lots of people building the Panama Canal had healthy immune systems...25,000 of them died mostly from Malaria and Typhoid..the vaccines are pills you can buy them there for less than 20 bucks....thats 20 bucks you would wish you spent IF you catch either...

Bangkok

If you're really afraid of shemales then maybe you should find another place to visit. They are truly woven into the society.

And that shouldn't keep you from places like Soi Cowboy. You're really been watching too many movies.

PM me and I'll be glad to help.

I live in central Bangkok and can give you lots of do's and don'ts.

I did not say that. I said that I do not want to mess my regular immune system with vaccinations, not that my immune system would save me from contracting hep a.
And it is the sole reason I do not want vaccination. Costs of it is no factor at all, even if they were 100% free.

I did a research and it is VERY unlikely to get hep A or typhoid from traveling there.
For example in my city of 500K people there were only 5 hep a and 3 typhoid cases PER YEAR (total, not just out of those who traveled anywhere). Most of them were contracted by traveling to exotic countries (India most prelevant as hygiene there is way lower than Thailand) and only 1 from Thailand. Although half of the cases were contracted by eating contaminated imported strawberries. So only 1 handful of people in whole year got hep a or typhoid.
If you are very cautious chances are very minimum.
Like the dude here says:
Which jabs are needed for Thailand? - Telegraph

I understand that it is best to be safe than sorry, but chances are probably (wild guess) 1 in 10.000 un-vaccinated tourists to Thailand get either hep a or typhoid.

As for hep B - not planning to do any activities that involves that. Unless I get in an accident and need blood ...

I read many reviews and they are definitely not a problem outside of redlights and tourist districts. I mean I do not mind them being in same vicinity as I am (like driving in the same skytrain cart or being in a same shopping mall), it is not like they will grab you and whisper sweet nothings in skytrain or shopping mall.
And I am kidding with "afraid", like I said they just creep me out, especially (like it has been on this forum) when I see and thing "nice chick" and seconds later I find out its a dude

Visit koh tao and go diving with whale sharks.

Good info..I have a friend going there. will pass some of this info on.

Here is what I did and some notes on each place I went to as well as other information I gathered from speaking to people on my travels.

Phuket - I started my trip here for Christmas. It is overrun by tourists now and it's expensive for Thailand. Street food here is not the best and the beaches are quite littered due to drunk Aussies everywhere! I can't tell you how many times we watched Aussie dudes crush a beer and toss their can onto the beach rather than walking 20 feet to put it in the trash. I was in Kamala Beach area, great hotels and about 30 mins drive to the Marina should you wish to take boat trips to other Islands. This is the main reason we did Phuket, my wife wanted to go to Phang Na Bay and Maya Beach, they were worth doing but they will cost you about $120 USD per person per trip.

Bangkok - We went here to celebrate New Year, stayed at the Marriot on Sukhumvit 53 so that we could go to their rooftop bar New Year party. We had a blast but it wasn't cheap. They doubled their drinks prices for that one night, on top of their already over priced drinks menu so it wasn't cheap but whatever, it was New Year. I like Bangkok and regardless of what anyone will tell you, it isn't all hookers and ladyboys! There's tons to do there. We hired a private driver for one full day and did all the main tourist things in 8 hours, got it out the way nice and early so we could relax some more. Shopping in Bangkok is good and street food is amazing. I wouldn't recommend being here for more than 3 full days because their is way nicer places in Thailand than here but you should defo check it out. I recommend staying on Sukhumvit road, you are close to the transit system no matter where you are and can get around cheap and easy.

Koh Lanta - we ended our trip here and it was the best part of he entire trip. While there are a lot of tourists here, it is still mostly untouched. We stayed in the south of the Island, it's got the best beaches and real nice beach bars. If you want to party it up a bit I recommend staying around the middle of the Island on the west coast, tons of bars that are more lively than the beach bars I went to. The food here is amazing and they almost every bar does a daily 4-7pm happy hour for the sunset, beers are $1.25, cocktails are $2.80. The sunsets on Lanta are something to see, stay on the west coast so you can watch the sun dropping into the sea every night, it's real nice to have dinner and watch the sun go down, we did it every night and I'd never get tired of it.

From the people I spoke to on my travels, Chiang Mai is a must! Everyone spoke so highly of it, I'll be going there on my next trip for sure. I heard really good things about Koh Tao as well from some American people I met so it's worth researching that too.

I don't think you can really go wrong with anywhere in Thailand but there is defo places that are better than others, it's just finding out whats for you. Next time we go back we won't go to Bangkok or Phuket but we'd go back to Lanta for sure.

Have a great trip.

I've been to Thailand about 7 times and love it. You can't really escape the girls. They are everywhere and guys like take them travelling.
As for vaccines - are you Crazy? Everyone is healthy until they aren't and that can happen and then your trip is ruined. You can get hep A from food/water (and it doesn't matter if it is a restaurant or streetfood - I love streetfood because then I can see them make it right in front of me)
I would also recommend along with the usual vaccines - Ducoral - you can't get in the USA, only Canada (over the counter) and it protects you against e coli.

on the vaccines...hey you make a decision for yourself...you do so as an informed person no problem with that at all you know the ups and downs of it...go and have fun man it really is a lovely place.

Make sure to take selfies with all the ladyboys you fuck or get fucked by....

I'll be in Chiang Mai beginning of May for a bit before I take off to Laos. Hear great things about the area and can't wait to go.

Thailand is very easy for traveling and by far the easiest one I did in all my Asian travelling. Best advice is to use common sense and you'll be fine. Like in most countries.

Oh and skip the malaria pills unless you go deep jungle tracking or something.

I would only listen to DWB ...

Didn't you notice? None of these guys are going for the hookers and parties, it's all about the clean beaches and scuba diving

Very helpful, although half of your post was about things you shouldn't do. Hardly sounds like freedom to me :D

To get the trannies thing out of the way: the bars in the red light district(s) are specialized. Either get 100% trannies or no trannies. And you can clearly tell since they usually wear bikinis.

Now, I would highly recommend the weekend market:

And the floating market:

For roof top bars, last time I stayed in Bangkok I stayed in the Centara Grand at Central world.
The bar at the top floor is pretty nice and the view is great.

You should also try the "Sky bar" (from the Hangover 2), the view is sick!

For the nightlife outside the red light district, I had an amazing time at the route 66 club.
But wherever you go (except probably for obscure local stuff no one knows about), there will be hookers (or girls looking for a sugar daddy).

Oh, and if you want to make me happy (for whatever reason) please pm me, I'll arrange a paypal so you can ship me a pack of Krating Daeng (local red bull), this thing is like a kick in the nuts, it will keep you going all night.

That's about it.

Mike I think that is the most accurate article you've ever written - Bravo!

I've been going for 15 years... you're Itinerary is good.. I reccomend staying away from Pattaya. If you need a break from bangkok go to Hua Hin instead, expecially since you are "not" interested in the red light stuff.

The do have a ferry to Phi Phi (Maya Bay) thats usually like $20-$30. Speedboats are pricey.

...

If food is one of your priorities, you'll love this Youtube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/user/migrationology

Fun fact - I never took a single selfie in my life

Yes, that is why I chose Thailand as my first Asian trip. People say it is the easiest for first timers. Well that, and the fact that flights were the cheapest there