PG rated trip report from Thailand

[pete98146]

Ya ya ya, I know. But what can I was travelling with my wife and mother in law so there is only so much trouble a guy can get into. So I wasn't pursuing women but it's still worth reporting my findings for those interested in Thailand as a whole.

So instead of visiting Cathy's family in Philippines, we decided to fly her mother and brother over to rendezvous with us in Bangkok. After spending a few days in BKK, we headed down to Phuket for a little sun and R&R. We had a great time and I still see Thailand as a great place to retired one of these days.

We flew from Seattle to Narita to Bangkok. It's basically 16 hours via airplane but it seemed to go quick. Two thumbs up to Delta. This was the first time I flew with them and I'll use them again. I usually fly with United but this time, Delta was the least expensive carrier so they got the nod. As a taller guy, I was impressed with the leg room not to mention Delta had over 40 movies to choose from compared to the normal 10 or so offered by United. We flew into the new airport in BKK and it was definitely modern and beautiful. Arrived into town at around midnight and checked into the Asia Hotel which was a great deal for $60 considering they provide you with a nice breakfast spread.

We did some touristy stuff like zip lining in Chonburi, the big weekend market which is HUGE and the floating market. I still love Bangkok but I feel it's really changing. Lower Sukhumvait around Nana BTS used to be party central but they are rapidly tearing down a lot of the smaller buildings that used to host bars, massage joints, hole in the wall restaurants and trinket shops and erecting fancy skyscrapers and condos. I think the Thais are making a concerted effort to chase much of the unsightly p4p zones out to Pattaya, evidenced by the fact that the new airport is halfway between BKK and Pattaya. So gone are many of the old life blood of the p4p scene, the shit faced Brit who is being replaced by the Chinese with their new money and fondness for shopping. The end result is that BKK is going upscale which was reconfirmed by visiting Siam Square area which is wall to wall people again, primarily the Chinese.

Ah speaking of the Chinese. Being fairly new to the tourist routine, they can be a handful to deal with. I witnessed many loud outbreaks between them and hotel, restaurant and hotel staff. Yikes, what can you say other than it's nice to pass the "Ugly American" bataan over to them. Another problem with the Chinese is that most people know how to walk in public. There is a natural ebb and flow when walking in crowded areas in which everybody manages to stay out of each other ways. Well you can toss that out when the Chinese are around! Seems as if they have very narrow concept of dealing with another individual's personal space and it shows. I remember one time I was looking at food in a display case standing two feet away from it. All of a sudden, a Chinese family walk to the left of me and the young kid decides he'll stand right between me and the display case LOL. We'll being a bigger guy, I picked the young kid up by the shoulders and moved him over towards his parents who looked at me with no response.

Equally as unpleasant are the Indians. I'm convinced they are the most dour people on the planet. Your average Indian woman has that look on her face in which they are just looking for the next thing to complain about. I find this sad. They are not a fun loving group of people and their attitudes need a major overhaul.

But aside from these encounters, BKK still is a great city! Love the Sky Train which makes traveling easy!

Onto Phuket we go. Good news about the beach is that the Chinese and Indians don't follow. They are replaced by the Russians who don't bother me at all. Granted, they aren't big on smiling or chit chatting but stay to themselves for the most part. But they are so omnipresent that many of the signs in Phuket are in the Russian language. One thing that was impressive is the young Russian women. They are beautiful! I've never been a big fan of the mousy blonde hair color but man they are slender and fun to look at. If I weren't already married, I'd be tempted to bark up this tree as your average Russian gal was a solid 7 or 8 compared to your average Russian dude being a 5 or a 6.

We stayed over at Karon Beach which is more of a quieter family style beach. We loved it there! The most fun folks on the beach are the retired Scandinavians. They are very friendly and you can tell they are enjoying themselves. We stayed at the Karona Beach resort which is two blocks from Karon Beach. It was amazing for only $105 a night which again, includes breakfast. If you visit Phuket, do beware of the taxi Nazis. Minimum charge for any trip is $16 which is a rip off in Thailand. So to get around this, everybody rents a scooter which is nuts if you are not used to driving on the left side of the road.

So that's it. Again, not the most exciting trip report for you young guys but hopefully it paints a nice picture of Thailand.

[xiongmao]

Nice report!

Yes long haul flights seem to go quickly. Having got used to them, my 2hr trip to Barcelona was over so quickly.

I spent 6 months in Bangkok back in '13. There are loads of new condos and I'm sure the property bubble will burst eventually.

Bangkok was fun, but I left at the right time I think as my friend says it's less fun there since the coup. The transport infrastructure was terrible though. The BTS was OK but expensive and try getting on a train at 8am!!!

I had problems with Indians in my hotel - I swear they were cooking in their room! I posted a review on Expedia but they banned it lol.

Pattaya was fun but the public transport was 3rd world. They really need to confront the taxi/motorbike gangs and build some decent infrastructure, like extending the BTS from Bkk. Pattaya is changing too, with more Chinese tourists than Brits/other Europeans. It's all well and good but the Chinese just look and don't buy.

[davewe]

Great report, Pete. Sounds like and looks like you guys had a great time. Next time leave mom and brother home and take us