I went to Thailand in December 2022 and loved it

[florida johny]

I stayed had planed to stay there for 2 weeks. I stayed in bang cock mainly in the Dream hotel. a very nice modern hotel with a pool on the roof.
It was very reasonably priced compared to the USA. There was a very modern 4 to 5 story mall nearby called something like district 21. Even the food court had much beater food. It had high quality sit down restaurants and a cheaper area that was fairly good also. The food courts in the USA aren't very good food. I also ate in other restaurants outside the mall. I had padthai and the best Shrimp Tempora I have ever had.
The people were very polite and soft spoken. The elevated trains were really clean. They were not disgusting like in NYC, The Dream Hotel was in walking distance of a major train station. They plexi glass boxes right in the train station with a slot to put money in for charity and no one broke into them to rob the money.

There was a big festival going on in Lumpkin Park for 4 days. I went to it twice and there were many food booths. There were big water monitor lizards in the back part by the lakes. They were about 7 feet long but were docile and did not attack anyone. One was eating a fish that was about 2 feet long. I like lizards and got within 12 feet of them but I would not try to pet it or make it feel cornered. At night the park got really crowded with the festival. It was about 8 at night and I could not find my way back to the train station by the park. I asked a girl in her early 20s that was doing a win a car promotional for part of the festival for directions. She said follow me and walked with me for at least 12 min until we were in sight of the station. That was very nice of her.
I also went to a floating market and Buddhist temples and a contemporary art Museum. It was probably the most enjoyable trip I have taken. I also went to Pataya beach which id a big tourist trap with lots of foreign visitors coughing all over the place and the food I had there was below average.

[florida johny]

I went to Thailand in December 2022 and loved it Part 2.

Sorry for the spelling errors.

Any how the food in most places was about 25% of what it costs in USA. I walked so much I lost 15 Lbs in 2 weeks. Also the food seemed much more healthy and fresh.
I also ate at the Korean Plaza that had all Korean Stores and restaurants and a big video screen in the middle with female K pop bands on it. There was a Korean restaurant hooked to the loby of the Manhattan Hotel in Bangkok. It had an excellent Pork dish with clear noodles and hot sauce and coleslaw on the side. It was a large amount of food. I could not eat it all and it cost the equivalent of about $7 USA dollars maybe. Then I went to Pattaya and stayed at the LK Empress hotel. I was scheduled for 2 nights. I left after the first night. The food was not very good and the beach itself not very nice. There were many Russian tourists and tourists from Arab countries that had croupie sounding coughs. Many of the Russians did not cover there mouth when they coughed. I walked on the walking street but did not like it. In Bang-cock I went to the Cowboy Sosi area on 2 different nights and though a lot of the go go dancers were pushy and wanted me to buy then drinks every 5 min. Some of them were Ok though. There were a couple I liked and got along with OK.
I went back to Bangkok and stayed at the Ruamchit hotel. It is not anywhere near as nice as the Dream Hotel. However it has a bar where you can meet Asian women.
Most of the people in the bar are Asian, About 90% of the customers and all of the workers. I then checked in to The Royal Thai hotel in Bangkok as I had a reservation.
I then got Covid , My fever went to 103+. I got a Covid self test at the 7-11 and had to go to the hospital. Then I had to quarantine in another hotel for 6 days. They gave me an anti Covid medicine in the hospital. Thankfully I got Travel X insurance that reimbursed me for the Hospital and medicine and the extra food and lodging while quarantining. The airlines changed my ticket to a different day for $50. Because of pre existing medical conditions the emergency room gave me a chest x ray and cat scan of my lungs. I was in the hospital about 6 hours. The hospital bill and medicine to take with me came to around $1000 USA dollar equivalent,
Many of the women walking around the streets and the mall were very beautiful and very polite and dressed nicely. There hair was all combed and they looked like they take showers and brush there teeth unlike many USA women. Many walked more gracefully with good posture. They did not look all smelly like Mick Jagger in a dress.

[peregrino]

Nice report. Just wondering how much did you spend on the flight and hotel? Are you planning to go back?

[Yohan]

..... I also went to Pataya beach which id a big tourist trap with lots of foreign visitors coughing all over the place and the food I had there was below average.

I have my own 2 condo-units, a small one in Pattaya and a larger one in Jomtien and my own motor-cycle since more than 20 years and it seems you have not seen much in Pattaya and around.

For beaches you have to take the ferry over to the island of Koh Larn. Pattaya beach is terrible...and the Jomtien Beach is not so much better.
https://www.kohlarn.com

For hotels try anything away from the beach, especially Northern Pattaya - they are all overpriced as located next to the most expensive hotels (Dusit Thani, Amari, Holiday Inn) and South Pattaya Beach is just a noisy meeting spot for everybody, and also LK Empress Hotel is overpriced, as now is the high season (winter time in Europe, Russia, Northern America....etc.)

About food, in Pattaya is no shortage of restaurants everywhere, also all supermarkets (for example BigC, Tesco) have restaurants, and there are entire restaurat floors in the Central Mall, or the Pattaya Terminal21 Mall - it is not difficult to find good food of any kind and moderately priced.

I understand however that my situation is quite different from a tourist who still needs hotel accommodation and is there the first time. Pattaya is a fairly large area.

As I have my own condo, I often buy my food in supermarkets or Foodland store and eat in my own rooms. About beaches of course I do not use them really, as the condo building has its own very large private pool and also a pool restaurant. I rarely use the baht-bus along the beaches, as I have my own motorcycle and can go to other sightseeing places which are often far outside, for example Wat Yannasangwararam, or the Viharn Sien or Kao Chi Chan and many other temples, lakes etc. I also go sometimes to Sri Racha or Sattahip...

[Yohan]

I went to Thailand in December 2022 and loved it Part 2.
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... got Covid ..... the hospital bill and medicine to take with me came to around $1000 USA dollar equivalent,
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Many of the women walking around the streets and the mall were very beautiful and very polite and dressed nicely. There hair was all combed and they looked like they take showers and brush there teeth unlike many USA women. Many walked more gracefully with good posture. They did not look all smelly like Mick Jagger in a dress.

I was also in Thailand in November/December mostly in the Pattaya/Bangkok area and will be there again in May/Juni this year.

USD 1000,- is a crazy amount (about baht 34.000,-), what was included in this bill? What hospital was charging you such a horrible amount?
Sorry you got infected, I hope it was not too bad for you and you fully recovered.

I have no problems with covid-19 so far - in November/December 2022 I was already 4 x vaccinated against covid-19 moderna+pfizer+flu+pneumonia vaccination too, now 1 am already 5x vaccinated against covid-19.

However as said, in Thailand I have my own rooms and often eat in my rooms too and use the private swimming pool late evening - hardly any people there, also I do not use public transport most of the time, as I have a motorcycle. The risk of infection was clearly smaller for me than for you.

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About Thai women, or most Thai people in general it can be said that they are very clean with their bodies and there are many cheap laundries. Living standard in Thailand is fairly good compared to many other Asian countries.

[Yohan]

Nice report. Just wondering how much did you spend on the flight and hotel? Are you planning to go back?

Just for your information,

I am using frequently Air Asia between Japan and Thailand, and coming May I will go again to Thailand and booked my flight already.

Air Asia is really cheap, good bargain if you do accept zero-service and do not order any extras (basic price is without luggage, no food, no drinks, no blankets, no pillows, no entertainment like video or music...nothing, just a seat somewhere in the airplane...and destination is Bangkok, often to the old airport Don Mueang)

I have no luggage and nothing for check-in, only small handbag for passport, keys, creditcards and I just try to sleep, most flights are anyway during night, takes around 5 hours, not so far.

I paid for the return flight Japan/Fukuoka for coming May/June to Bangkok/DonMueang Airport only USD 325.- really cheap.
My cheapest flight ever was 3 years ago from Tokyo/Narita to Bangkok/Suvarnabhumi Airport for only USD 90,-

[florida johny]

I had heard that the beaches on the Island is better but it was very windy and the sea was very choppy that day. I did not feel up handling the rough seas that day. The restaurants I went to were small outdoor ones along the land side beach. I went to one on walking street at night and it was ok. I am sure there are better places in Pattaya but I did not kn0ow where to go there.
Yohan the cost of the hospital included medicine at the hospital and to take home. A chest X ray. A COVID test and a CAT SCAN of my chest this is because I already have a medical condition they wanted to check my lungs carefully. The Travel insurance paid for it. They also did some blood work and medicine to knock my fever down. It hit 103 or 104 degrees F. I was in the hospital about 7 hours.
A couple years ago in the United States I went to the hospital with chest pain. They took a chest x ray, a calcium blood test and an electro Cardio gram. I was in the hospital 6 hours. they billed my insurance company something like 15,000 dollars and I had to pay 850 out of my pocket. So the USA is much worse. I liked the doctor at the Bangkok hospital better than the one in the USA

[florida johny]

Perigrino:

I will try to go back in December this year with 2 guys I know. One wants to go to beaches farther in the South of Thailand that he went to in the past.
I do not want to say what I paid for the tickets as I got deluxe economy on the stretch between California and Japan because of an issue with my legs. I probably did not need to do that but I had never been on that long a flight. Also I could not get my vacation time approved at work until 6 weeks beforehand. My boss kept stalling me, I won't let that happen again.
As far as Hotels the Dream Hotel cost about $65-70 American dollars a night with breakfast. It is about a 4 star hotel. Bangkok is a big city with millions of people. A hotel like that in NYC would be probably $400 a night. One other Hotel in Bangkok was about $40 USA a night. The biggest expense was the airline tickets and then the Hospital (Which was reimbursed by my travel insurance) I paid the hospital bill with an international credit card. I got the receptionist to give me an itemized copy of the bill and had the doctor to right me a note when I checked out. I sent a copy to the insurance company when I got home and they paid me about 2 weeks later. You could get a really good meal for $5 USA dollars to $11 USA dollars.

[Yohan]

Yohan the cost of the hospital included medicine at the hospital and to take home. A chest X ray. A COVID test and a CAT SCAN of my chest this is because I already have a medical condition they wanted to check my lungs carefully. The Travel insurance paid for it. They also did some blood work and medicine to knock my fever down. It hit 103 or 104 degrees F. I was in the hospital about 7 hours.
A couple years ago in the United States I went to the hospital with chest pain. They took a chest x ray, a calcium blood test and an electro Cardio gram. I was in the hospital 6 hours. they billed my insurance company something like 15,000 dollars and I had to pay 850 out of my pocket. So the USA is much worse. I liked the doctor at the Bangkok hospital better than the one in the USA

Yes, I understand, medical fees in USA are a chaos and seriously overpriced. Totally unregulated.
It is nowhere worldwide like that as far as I know.

Here in Japan obligatory health insurance is not so cheap. However there are very good medical doctors and facilities and medical business is strictly regulated. Everybody living in Japan legally (Japanese and foreigners like I myself) have health insurance for life. Monthly premium depends on your income. A part of the bill you have to pay out of your own wallet, depends again on your income and medical condition (somewhat between 5 % up to 30 %) - I pay about USD 450,- per month totally for my wife and me, the Japanese insurance pays really almost everything, including dentist, regardless your age, regardless if illness or accident, including all prescriptions for drugs.

For example, I am now 70 y/o and last month I went to my dentist to replace a bridge over 4 teeth and 2 additional crowns - I paid totally USD 500,- for all. Yearly health check which includes blood tests, urine and stool sample, chest X-ray, ECG, prostata-cancer check by PSA testing was totally less than USD 20,-.

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I was a bit surprised that the invoice for you was so high in Thailand, USD 1000,- - this must be an upper class hospital in Bangkok, Pattaya or in another major city, surely not a general hospital.

In Thailand I am using in Pattaya the cheaper private Pattaya Memorial Hospital for simple medical care, health check for example (x-ray, blood, urine) is only USD 50,-, also had a small surgery and paid USD 160,-, and some years ago I felt down and had internal bleeding in the right knee and X-ray and to remove the blood and medicine and bandages etc. was USD 80,-

I also had eye surgery in the Bangkok Pattaya Hospital eye-center (the best and most expensive hospital in Pattaya)

https://www.bangkokpattayahospital.com/ ... er-en.html

and paid USD 360,- and just for fun I was asking by internet an USA-hospital in Hawaii for an estimate and the reply was USD 2000,-, more than 5 times than in Thailand....this is ridiculous.

[Yohan]

I will try to go back in December this year with 2 guys I know. One wants to go to beaches farther in the South of Thailand that he went to in the past.

I hope you will come again to Asia, Thailand - or also to some other destinations.

About Thailand it can be said, it is almost always warm and sunny, and the money you do not spend for heating your room during winter time in Europe or USA might be cover a good part of the hotel bill.

Generally, life is cheaper in Thailand than in the States or in Europe. However you need somehow more time to look around to see yourself.
Also Thailand is quite safe, nothing to worry in general.

If you are in Pattaya and you have an international motorcycle licence, it will be useful to rent a small motorcycle to get easier around and visit places outside the city borders.

About myself, as I have a condominium in Thailand, I have a Thai driving licence for car/motorcycle and have my own small motorcycle.
But be aware that many Thai drivers are crazy, drunk, drugs, irresponsible, traffic is on LEFT side, cars and motorcycles without lights, no number plate (sometimes stolen somewhere), no insurance, no driving licence, no helmet etc...Red traffic signals are often ignored. It's a bit dangerous if you are not accustomed to such kind of traffic. If you drive, never be in a hurry and be very careful.

Enjoy your next trip. 30 days no visa, but this year you might still get 45 days (not sure however if this will not be reduced again to 30 days next year as covid is not such a big problem anymore.)

If any question about Pattaya (Chonburi Province) ask me anytime.

[florida johny]

Thanks for the info Yohan. It is interesting to me to hear about Asian countries.

[peregrino]

@florida johny
@Yohan
Thanks, I've been following this thread. I'm surprised there's no direct flight from LAX to BKK? Since I'll have some time on my hands, I should figure out what country I want to stop over in and stay there a while.

https://leaveyourdailyhell.com/2023/01/ ... o-bangkok/

[glanmit]

I am going there in two weeks. Very excited