I am going to Thailand tomorrow.

[tamdrin12]

I got really sick from a stomach infection here in Nepal (E.coli or Salmonella) and have become fed up with the fact that it is impossible to stay healthy here. I booked a ticket to Bangkok on the spur of the moment. I also have a hotel booked. I figure I will check out Thailand and look at potential teaching jobs. If I find something quick I will stay if not I will head back to the states and try and find some work there...ea

Can any of you recommend some things that are must see in Bangkok?? I may travel up to CHiang Mai.. I know there is a lot to see and I may only have 3 weeks or a month max.

[E Irizarry R&B Singer]

Sample the food in Thailand and always have imodium (anti-bacterial gastrointestinal cheap pills) on deck!
Great tasting but in case you catch e. Coli and/or salmonella, you can always use the aforementioned to get
well within an half an hour or so.

Go to Pattaya, and get some "buns". #MiddleFinger #ZionAntiChrissis #BuffaloBill #aka #OldMaidWidowLicker

[Jester]

AmericanInBangkok was a member here on HA, he no longer posts. But if you do an internal google search here on HA you will find some great practical stuff. I highly recommend.

He also has a website and a YouTube channel, same name I think.

Loves Bangkok.

If you get to ChiangMai you might look this guy up. Very open and helpful on his YouTube channel.

http://retirecheap.asia/retire-thailand ... ai-part-1/

Loves Chiangmai.

[Jester]

PS YouTube is blocked in Thailand I believe, so see if you can get their contact info now before you go

[Yohan]

I got really sick from a stomach infection here in Nepal (E.coli or Salmonella) and have become fed up with the fact that it is impossible to stay healthy here. I booked a ticket to Bangkok on the spur of the moment.

Nepal, India, Pakistan are really dirty, Thai people are much cleaner, living standard is much better.

Why are you going to Bangkok? Why not going straight to Pattaya? Airport-Bus in basement in Suvannabhumi Airport will bring you directly there. (about 90 minutes, 134 baht)

Much nicer than Bangkok, better air, with the possibility for swimming on Koh Larn, short trip by ferry from Pattaya.

Plenty of hotels, restaurants and entertainment, of course also hospitals to get rid of your stomach infection.

I have my own condominium-rooms in Pattaya for vacation and future retirement.

Another good place not far from Pattaya is Sri Ratcha, also with an island and ferry services.

In Pattaya all is available, same as in Bangkok, including immigration services, medical care, department stores, clean supermarkets for your food, tailors etc. and of course also nightlife, girls etc.

If you really want to go to Bangkok, take the express-bus from Pattaya in morning, and come back again to Pattaya in evening.

[Luc Furr]

I got really sick from a stomach infection here in Nepal (E.coli or Salmonella) and have become fed up with the fact that it is impossible to stay healthy here. I booked a ticket to Bangkok on the spur of the moment. I also have a hotel booked. I figure I will check out Thailand and look at potential teaching jobs. If I find something quick I will stay if not I will head back to the states and try and find some work there...ea

Can any of you recommend some things that are must see in Bangkok?? I may travel up to CHiang Mai.. I know there is a lot to see and I may only have 3 weeks or a month max.

if you are getting ill in Asian countries you are probably a sickly and weak guy. Might be a good idea to aim for "we get the best of everything in the world" Western Europe....Italy, France, Switzerland, Germany and Austria....you won't get sick in those places.

Re Bangkok, go to Khaosan Rd and meet some other tourists.

[tamdrin12]

Luc Furr,
You don't know what your talking about. All Asian countries are not the same. India and Nepal are third world and are VERY unhygienic. People wipe their asses with their hands and then touch your food. Or else touch raw meat to your food which has been sitting out for a day. EVERYONE who visits these countries gets sick. I NEVER got sick in Taiwan which is relatively hygienic and I stayed there over a year... The doctor told me that the reason I made such a quick recovery was because I am young and fit. So please...

[Yohan]

if you are getting ill in Asian countries you are probably a sickly and weak guy.

Might be a good idea to aim for "we get the best of everything in the world" Western Europe....Italy, France, Switzerland, Germany and Austria....you won't get sick in those places.

Thanks for the good food reference of my own native area in Europe.

In Asia it depends where you are, Japan is OK, never a problem, and when I am in Philippines or Thailand, I never eat anything from foodstalls or beach restaurants.

I always go to the shopping malls, food courts etc. which are using a kitchen made of stainless materials, and where the entire area is under air condition.

No flies, rats, dirty plates in those places.

Most infections are NOT from the food, but from unclean plates, folks or spoons, dirty ice used for cooling of food which is outside in the open air and not in the refrigerator, dirty toilets used by kitchen staff etc. etc.

As said before, use imodium, but if there is no improvement within a few days, go to a doctor, in Pattaya I am using the Pattaya Memorial Hospital, a small private hospital in the city center, not expensive, English OK.

Have a good trip!

http://www.pattayamemorial.com/memo/index.php

[tamdrin12]

Thanks for the post Yohan.. I am going to Bangkok because that is where the airport is and since its my first time to Thailand I figure I might as well check it out. I will also probably meet a few friends there...

I will look into Pattaya. Sounds like there is a lot to do their besides the notorious sex tourism...

[Yohan]

http://www.pattayaconcierge.com/pattaya ... n-pattaya/

Quite a good information what to do in Pattaya, except looking for sex.

About sex, girls etc. let me say, of course there is prostitution there, a lot of it, Pattaya is not an ordinary city, this is a HOLIDAY city.

But of course there is something else also to do... if you want, it's just about your choice.

http://kohlarnisland.com/
http://www.pattaya.net/do/island.html

Koh Sichang near to Pattaya
http://www.kohsichang.net/getting-to-koh-sichang.html


Pattaya is a part of Chonburi district, with about 400000 foreigners registered in own rooms, 1.2 million Thais mostly from Bangkok and owners of a second house, and about 5 million tourists.

Sri Ratcha and nearby is a huge industrial area too, with many Japanese factories, and not all foreigners registered are there for retirement.

You will be surprised by the huge number of Russian families from Siberia enjoying vacation on the beach, while the free American military servicemen are risking their life in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya.

[Yohan]

Thanks for the post Yohan.. I am going to Bangkok because that is where the airport is and since its my first time to Thailand I figure I might as well check it out. I will also probably meet a few friends there...

I will look into Pattaya. Sounds like there is a lot to do their besides the notorious sex tourism...

http://www.airportpattayabus.com/

Airport is about 30 minutes to Bangkok Center, to West, (by train) and about 90 minutes to Pattaya, to East (by long distance bus, very comfortable)

Yes, you should look into Pattaya, maybe you stay a few days in Bangkok and then transfer to Pattaya.
Much better! Yes, plenty to do there, its only about some certain areas which are into sex.

Pattaya is fairly large, but there is plenty of public cheap transport along the main-roads or you rent a small motorcycle.

Pattaya is a part of Chonburi district, many Thai businessmen etc. have a second home in Pattaya or nearby, because there is no flood (no large river) and there are no political demonstrations.

There are daily many many non-stop bus services between Bangkok and Pattaya.

Please come back with any question. I am in Pattaya about 3 times a year for vacation in my own rooms but working full-time in Tokyo.

[Luc Furr]

if you are getting ill in Asian countries you are probably a sickly and weak guy.

Might be a good idea to aim for "we get the best of everything in the world" Western Europe....Italy, France, Switzerland, Germany and Austria....you won't get sick in those places.

Thanks for the good food reference of my own native area in Europe.

In Asia it depends where you are, Japan is OK, never a problem, and when I am in Philippines or Thailand, I never eat anything from foodstalls or beach restaurants.

I always go to the shopping malls, food courts etc. which are using a kitchen made of stainless materials, and where the entire area is under air condition.

No flies, rats, dirty plates in those places.

Most infections are NOT from the food, but from unclean plates, folks or spoons, dirty ice used for cooling of food which is outside in the open air and not in the refrigerator, dirty toilets used by kitchen staff etc. etc.

As said before, use imodium, but if there is no improvement within a few days, go to a doctor, in Pattaya I am using the Pattaya Memorial Hospital, a small private hospital in the city center, not expensive, English OK.

Have a good trip!

http://www.pattayamemorial.com/memo/index.php

No problem. Do nothing Europe has good healthy food, while pretty much everyone else in the world gets crap.

maybe one or two people will put 2 and 2 together.

If you want to find the source of evil look to those who are not suffering from it.

[zboy1]

Wash your hands, frequently...tamdrin12. Also, make sure to avoid eating street-food; only eat at well-populated restaurants, Western food-chains or Western-branded supermarkets.

I'd recommend Ko Samui and Phuket; avoid Pattaya (tourist trap full of trannies, drunk and racist White people and hookers).

[Yohan]

There is no reason at all to avoid Pattaya, more the opposite.
Pattaya is not a tourist trap, as there are so many foreigners that it is difficult for any local to cheat you. The Russians also show now up better educated and with more money, and my wife and me spent in June this year almost one month in our home there. It is easy to relocate to nearby Sri Ratcha, which is not a holiday city, if somebody really thinks, Pattaya is not the right place.

There are direct flights from U-tapao airport near Pattaya to Koh Samui, but Phuket is far down to south located on the Indian Ocean side, a long way by long distance bus, or you have to pay for an air ticket (about 800 km),
there are also flights from Ko Samui to Phuket, so it is possible to make a roundtrip from Pattaya to Ko Samui to Phuket and back to Bangkok.

http://www.samui-holidays.com/index.htm
http://www.samui-holidays.com/info/timetable.htm

[tamdrin12]

zboy1.. I think street food will be ok in Thailand.. compared to India or Nepal.. I have a pretty good stomach I think a lot of foreigners eat street food in Thailand... plus I want to eat cheap and I know all those western chains will be more expensive for not necessarily better quality..