Just Back from Thailand
 

It's been fun reading and doing some minor posting on this forum and it's quite obvious that many of you regulars are really enamoured by all things Thai.

Well I just returned today from my first visit. All I can say is.....now I get it.

I'm looking forward to posting some of my experiences....as soon as I wake up!

I hope you don't keep us waiting too long! :-)

and we are looking forward to reading them....another convert!!!

Just take your time. You may write a better travel report if you are not sleepy..

123go, Welcome to the obsessed. I've found that words and pictures cannot adequately convey the essence of Thailand. Look forward to your report.

Welcome to another fan of Thailand!! Looking forward to your report.
Carol

I'm still mulling my trip over in my mind and thinking about all the experiences I want to share with this board but I don't want to be too long winded and hard to read, so I guess I'll just post little snippets as I think of them. I’ll try to break them down and post them by topics. Here’s the first one:

YOUR FIRST TRIP TO ASIA:
First of all I'd like to tell anyone who hasn't experienced a trip to Asia b/c they were apprehensive about going so far away or to what may be conceived as a strange or exotic culture to just do it. It’s easier than you think. If the plane ride is a deterrent, unless you have a physical problem, it really isn’t as bad as you might perceive. You just suck it up, get on the plane, read some books, watch some movies, eat some food take a nap, then watch some movies, eat some food, take a nap, read a book…. you can see where I’m going with this.

You’ll get off the plane and enter Disneyland, a whole other world of sights, smells, and experiences that you’ll never forget. Unless you’re going to some really under developed regions (which chances are you won’t be if this is your first foray into Asia) you’ll be surprised how “westernized” everything is. You’ll realize that you and Toto aren’t in Kansas anymore, but you’re also not on Mars.

Just pick a country that particularly interests you and start reading this forum on that particular country. You’ll feel very familiar with it in no time. Get your guidebooks and read everything you can get your hands on. Make your plans or find a good and experienced travel agent if you can find one, who will take their time with you and help you make educated choices and decisions about what you want to do with your valuable vacation time.

Don’t get hung up on lots of little details, b/c you’ll find that once you get there it’s not exactly the way the guide book said, or the price was different etc. Just be flexible and go with the flow. If you’ve never done it before, you won’t know the difference anyway; it will all be a new experience.

Having just returned from Phuket and Bangkok, I found the people warm, helpful and gracious. The way you’re greeted with a wonderful little bow of the head and the warm smile makes you feel very welcome. When we got in our first taxi on Phuket, the driver asked us where we were from and when he heard United States and realized how far we’d traveled to visit his country, you could see the pride in his face and he profusely thanked us for visiting his country and it was genuine.

OTHER COMMENTS:
I’ve posted in depth comments in other threads…Bangkok Klong Tour, Le Meridien Yacht Club, Marriott Resort & Spa and Flight to bkk from nyc so I won’t cover them again unless anyone has a specific question or comment.

More to come…
MaryAnn

great start mary ann....hope you will tell us more about what you did day to day....we love the detail and it helps all fodorites with their future planning and opens their eyes and new people's eyes as well....

i love the way you started...it is perfect and so encouraging...

bob

I couldn't have said it better myself!

Please, be long-winded and bore us with details! That is what we all come to this board day after day for. We need our Thailand fix!!!

You've captured the feeling so well!

Thanks for your encouragement. You asked for it so here comes some more.....

Just back from Thailand Vol. 2:
WAT TO WEAR & HEEL STRAPS, FACT OR FICTION?

A question that comes up often is what to wear when visiting a Wat. Here are observations from my visit last week to Wat Arun, Grand Palace and Wat Pho. For women, the attire was a mix of longer skirts, dresses, capris and slacks. Mostly short sleeved tops. There were a few women entering the Grand Palace with spaghetti strapped low cut tank tops. They were directed to a small office where a shawl type covering was given to them to wrap around their shoulders to conceal their lack of “proper attire”. I don’t know if they were charge a rental for this piece of fabric or not. For men, of the huge number of people visiting that day (very very hot, humid and sunny) I might have seen about a dozen men walk through the gates with shorts on. Two of them had thin wind-type pants that they brought with them and slipped on over their shorts once inside the gate. In hindsight, I can’t remember seeing anyone with shorts actually in a temple, so can’t say one way or another if they were allowed in.

OK, now here’s a myth buster – Fact or Urban Legend that you must have shoes or sandals with heel straps? Urban Legend! It really doesn’t matter what kind of shoes you wear, because when you enter the specific temples you’re asked to remove your shoes and leave them outside on shelves.
So all the debate has no bearing on what actually happens. This is the case for the Wats I visited, but there may be different rules for some of the other Wats.

More reports to follow.
MaryAnn

MaryAnn-- great report. Waiting for more. Long winded is what we like!

So far, so good Maryann. I totally enjoyed your post directed towards first timers, especially the comment "You’ll realize that you and Toto aren’t in Kansas anymore, but you’re also not on Mars." Looking forward to more.

Hello - I am off to Thailand BBK this Sat 20th first time and female traveling solo. Where is a great unique, safe, place to stay in BBK - medium price to more is OK for a few nights. Just started my research on site - any hlep appreciated.

I have up to two months there...
warmly
Denise

blondod, you might want to start your own thread instead of tacking on to this one. You will probably get a better response that way. When asking about a hotel, make sure you give your price range and exactly what you are looking for in terms of facilities, comfort, location, etc. If you are specific, you will get a lot of great recommendations from the regular posters on this board. Have a great trip!

in the meantime take a look at this site for hotels:

www.huahin.20m.com

it is my favorite and has hotels at all costs....

you need to narrow down what you want....are you going to stay in bkk the whole time or for how long? a serviced apartment like centre poing might make sense for you....what services do you need...??????

MaryAnne,
Thanks for starting this trip report, I hope you’ll continue with a lot more, detailed postings.
I’m one of those who, for whatever reason haven’t ventured all the way to Asia, but I know for sure one day I will. I have to admit, the main reason is, I think my 2 weeks vacation wouldn’t be enough, given the long flight. But anyway, in the meantime I can enjoy trip reports.
So please go on…

xyz...you could get a start with 2 weeks if you went only to one country and visited only 2 locations: bangkok and an island or bkk and up country...its very reasonable once you get there...

xyz99
I plan to write more on my trip, but must admit am having a tough time getting back into the groove of work, upcoming holidays and a discombobulated sleep cycle :-( Will try to post more asap.

As far as only having 2 weeks to travel, I say from (much) experience - go for it anyway. It seems like many who frequent this board seem to have several weeks to spend on their trips, great for them, some day I will too. But in the meantime, I'd rather take a trip shorter than what I'd really like than not to go at all. My recent trip was only 13 days including the flights. Many would not even go with only that much time. We certainly would have liked more time but you just have to face the fact that you can't do it all and be selective with what you choose to do with your time. You'll find you don't have the down time to sit back and really enjoy the benefits of a 5 star hotel, or maybe do all the shopping everyone raves about, and which of the countless great restaurants everyone raves about that you'll actually get to try. My recommondation is to just do what you can. We made every minute count, but did actually fit in a little down time, though more would have obviously been nice, but you take what you can get. Hopefully, you'll have the opportunity to go back and finish the job right. But even if you don't, what's that line from Casablanca..."at least we had Paris". Then when you get home you just suck it up, just remember the wonderful experiences you had, like I am now. What's the emoticon for droopy eyelids?

hi MARY ANN. greetings fropm NEW dELHI. i am gLAD u had such a nice trip, and sounds like u enjoyed your Premium economy THAI flights as much as i did! I too would fly the route again in a second. take CARE, enjoy the memories. regards, Bonita.

xyz99-just go. Don't worry. 2 weeks is plenty of time to get a stong dose of the flavor of Asia. If you get hooked, you'll be back many times.

Bonita,
Nice to hear from you! While I was surrounded by (4) pillows and the nice blankets, I thought of you and the post you wrote about how comfy you were. Maybe I don't have another flight that long to compare it to, but it was actually a breeze. Read one of your posts about your past and current trip. Sounds wonderful. Do I have to start sharing my forum time with the India board too?

Hi all,
Thanks for the encouragement – from what you’re saying, 2 weeks in Thailand is doable.

123Go, we would not go anywhere just to sit and enjoy a 5* hotel or shopping (not our style) but the new places, different culture, good restaurants, etc. For that kind of experience, Thailand sounds great; I will definitely look into it.

I agree, better go for a few days than not going at all, but for that reason we’ve been doing mostly Europe now and saving Asia and New Zealand (another must for me) for after retirement. You guys made me think about all this differently, and I thank you for that.

123Go, waiting for more details of your trip. Was this your first trip to Asia? Or to Thailand? Where did you go? And did you take pictures you would share with us?

xyz99
You sound like the same sort of traveler we are with the same interests. We once went to Hawaii and squeezed out 19 days and spent about 1 actually on the beach (not counting stopping by the side of the road to jump in the water with snorkel gear).

Yes, this was our first trip to Asia. We usually do "adventure" type trips including hiking, backpacking in National Parks, skiing, diving etc. always on the go.

The main reason for our trip was for MDH to do some scuba diving with another couple we often travel with. I don't dive, so we needed somewhere where I could snorkel, but was also exciting and different. The promise of culture, food, all the things you mentioned made Thailand sound like a great destination. We also want to do New Zealand (almost did the Milford Track a couple of years ago, but really didn't have enough time to make it worth the effort, ended up on Molokai instead). Anyway, while investigating where I could put a dive trip together that would be of interest to all of us, I looked at Phuket b/c I'd always heard about the diving in that area, and knew the other couple had always been interested in it, but as I did, assumed it was not a feasable option. I started looking at guide books and internet sites, the next thing you know we were going. It took about 4 months from inception to departure. Somewhere along the line I found this site and certainly it elevated the excitement level reading all the posts about the area. Also got me addicted to checking posts frequently.

I think my next trip report will be about our visit to Phuket b/c there seems to be a bit of negativity on this board about going there. I'll be happy to put my two cents in, but I'm still mulling the whole experience (only good) in my mind before I start to write. Promise it will be soon.

You mentioned concentrating on Europe, for now. That's what we've done too and usually fit in some Alp skiing every couple of years, but my travel companions and I are all in agreement that our flight to BKK seemed shorter and easier than our last flight to Munich. Go figure.

123go
Re: length of trips: Before I retired from teaching elementary school, I had to confine my spring break trips to 1 week and my Christmas break to the time between day after Christmas and my return do work, which was usually the Monday after New Years. I spent many a 1-week vacation in Europe! I have done less than 2-weeks in Thailand over New Years a couple of times. I prefer the longer trips; don't get me wrong. But if one's gotta do it, then take the 7-12 days or whatever you have!! That's my opinion on that subject!! Just GO! It's better than sitting around at home WISHING you were somewhere else.
Carol

Carol, absolutely agree.