Thailand Info

Info on Thailand

Where to start on Thailand? In a country that ranges from the cool and mountainous north, to the unbelievable beaches in the south, to the world that is Bangkok. Here's some info to get you started on exploring:

Climate

Thailand is largely tropical, so it's hot and humid all year around with temperatures in the 28-35 C range (82-95 F), a degree of relief provided only in the mountains in the far north of Thailand. The careful observer will, however, note three seasons:

- Cool: From November to the end of February, it doesn't rain much and temperatures are at their lowest, although you will barely notice the difference in the south and will only need to pack a sweater if hiking in the northern mountains, where temperatures can fall as low as 5 C. This is the most popular time to visit and, especially around Christmas and New Year's, finding flights and accommodation can be expensive and difficult.

- Hot: From March to June, Thailand swelters in temperatures as high as 40 C (104 F). Pleasant enough when sitting on the beach with a drink in hand, but not the best time of year to go temple-tramping in Bangkok.

- Rainy: From July to October, although it only really gets underway in September, tropical monsoons hit most of the country. This doesn't mean it rains non-stop, but when it does it pours and flooding is not uncommon.

There are local deviations to these general patterns. In particular, the south-east coast of Thailand (including Ko Samui) has the rains reversed, with the peak season being May-October and the rainy off season in November-February.

Things to see in Bangkok

Chatuchak Weekend Market. It the world's largest market with over 9,000 booths and over 35 acres. It's a gargantuan open-air market, with everything imaginable - from handmade wood furniture to t-shirts designed by local college students to pets and jewelry & everything in between. It's a sensory overload & one of the biggest highlights of Bangkok for us, Jason loves it. It is crowded & hot. If you do decide to go, you can take the subway there (it's conveniently located at the Chatuchak station) & you can probably just cab it back.

There's also a new night market that just opened up in the past few years & I hear they have a lot of the same stuff that the weekend market has but it's a lot more organized & cooler in the evening. It's called the Suan Lum Night Bazaar (or also called Lumpini night bazaar).

The Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew (English Temple of the Emerald Buddha) is regarded as the most sacred Buddhist temple (wat) in Thailand. It is located in the historic center of Bangkok (district Phra Nakhon), within the grounds of the Grand Palace. Click here for info.

Muay Thai is Thai kickboxing. We've never been to a match, but it could be a cool thing to check out. Although, we hear they can get bloody & rough so be prepared for that.

Khao San Road is the backpacker street in Bangkok, and as such, it is chock full of westerns and other tourists, often fresh off the plane. It is teeming with bars, guesthouses, hostels, street vendors and all sorts of stores catering to that crowd. It's fun for an evening. Info here.

The Jim Thompson House. Jim Thompson was an American who ended up in Bangkok at the end of World War II. He fell in love with the art and craft of Thai silk and over the course of his lifetime managed to rebuild the silk industry in Thailand. He also built several traditional Thai style buildings that have since been turned into a museum. It's a total tourist destination, but it is quite beautiful. Take me to some info please!

The BTS is the Bangkok skytrain system. It's super modern and very nice. Click here for a map. As a point of reference, the stop closest to Kayvalyn's house is Thong Lo. There is also a very nice, modern subway system that, at certain points links up with the skytrain. Here's a map.

Bars/Restaurants

Sirocco is definitely the bar to check out. It's on the top of a building called State Tower & the view is insane. There's an outdoor bar & you basically overlook the whole city. It's a little pricey and pretentious, but it is well worth it for the view.

There's also Bed Supper Club, I hear if you get there early dinner is pretty cool & then you can stay for drinks as it gets into club mode. Both Sirocco & Bed are pretty trendy & can be quite the scene on the weekend.

Maha Nagra - good, hip, fancy Thai restaurant with Balinese decor. It's around Sukhumvit 20's.

Face Bar is one of our favorite bars. It's in an old Thai house and it's very chill. It's #29 on Soi 38, Sukhumvit Rd.

Shopping

The area for a lot of shopping is called Siam. The sky train (BTS) has a convenient stop right there. Here are the big, high-end, players:

- Siam Paragon (check out the food court, huge variety all in one stop)

- Siam Discovery

- Central World

MBK is another big one nearby, but it's got a totally different feel. It's Bangkok old school, legendary place for major bargain shopping, especially in electronics (everything: cellphones, mp3 players, games, etc).

All the malls above are around a huge intersection & the main road that goes down from this intersection is called Sukhumvit. This is almost like the Broadway of Bangkok. A sky train line runs right in the middle of Sukhumvit which makes exploring very easy, if you do decide to go further down, my favorite mall is called Central Chidlom (skytrain stop is called Chidlom) It's smaller, more manageable than the other big ones & I love their selections.

Traveling in Thailand

The trains can be a great way to get around Thailand. They're cheap, but they're booking and scheduling can be a little unreliable. Click here for more info.

Daytrips from Bangkok

Kanchanaburi. This is the provincial capital of the same-named province and is situated 128km from Bangkok. It's most famous as the location of the film Bridge over the River Kwai. Kanchanaburi is a favorite for those looking to escape Bangkok for a weekend. It has a bucolic charm of that's made it popular for decades. Click here for info

Ayutthaya was the capital of the kingdom of Thailand from between 1350 to 1767 and is a UNESCO world heritage site. The Burmese invaded Ayutthaya and the capital fell in 1767. Most of the city's temples and religious sculptures were destroyed. However, proud monuments to its glory are still standing, some restored.

Ayutthaya is located about 90 kilometers from Bangkok, and could be visited on an extended daytrip. However, if you are interested in Thai history and ancient monuments, an overnight stay with about two full days of sightseeing is recommended. Learn more about it here and here.

The North

The northern region of Thailand is considerably different from the rest of the country, in climate, geography and culture. It's considered to be the birthplace of some of the first Thai kingdoms so there are a lot of historical sites and traditional cultural things to do.

The north is more mountainous and cool. Most people go to Chang Mai or Chang Rai. We haven't been in years, so we can't offer much in the way of advice. Some of the things you can do are elephant trekking, bamboo rafting, checking out hilltribes & traditional thai dancing. There are also monkey camps, which sound depressing and are depressing. We stayed at an amazing place when we went north, so if you are interested, let us know and we'll try and dig up the info.

For more info on the north, click here.

Food

It's all about the food in Thailand and some of the best food is street food. Of course do not ever drink tap water. And be very careful of the ice, especially if it's not from a nice restaurant or hotel.

Here are some dishes to check out:

Kai Jeow Moo Sab or the Thai omelette: one of the most common thai dishes, really simple but really good. It's basically a fried omelette with minced pork & onions, eaten with rice.

Pla Lahd Prik: fried fish with sweet chili sauce

Koong Pad Kra Tiem Prik Thai: shrimp sauteed in garlic & thai pepper. Can be with any meat (beef, pork, etc) if you're not crazy about shrimp.

Som Tam & Kao Neow: papaya salad & sticky rice

Pad Pak Boong Fai Daeng: Morning Glory with Garlic and Chili (good veggie dish)

Yum Nuer: Grilled steak served with mixed fresh salad

Kor Moo Yang: Grilled pork appetizer type dish, good with sticky rice (kao neow)

Koong Pad Kra Tiem Prik Tai: Garlic shrimp is one of my favorite dishes

Boo Pad Pong Curry: As is Crab cooked in yellow curry powder

Kao Soy: REALLY good northern dish: egg noodles with chicken in a curry-flavored chicken sauce, with a lot of garnishes & some more crispy noodles on top. YUMMY

Gai Yang: marinated & grilled chicken, must be eaten with sweet chilli sauce & sticky rice & also goes well with papaya salad.

Pad Kra Pao: popular basil dish that you've probably had here a lot. You can order it with any meat but I recommend it with minced pork (pork is called moo) & with a fried sunny side up egg on top.

Kao Neow Ma Muang: the BEST dessert. hands down. sweet, ripe mangoes served with buttery sticky rice & coconut milk. you have to get some of this stuff

Most good noodle dishes are from street vendors & they come in a huge variety. My 2 favorites:

Ba Mee Moo Daeng (egg noodles with pork, it's actually good without the broth & this is called "Haeng" which means dry).

Keow Tieow Rua: rice noodles in a thick beef broth, also called "Boat noodles" because they were originally only sold in little boats on canals.

Kanom Krok: mini, coconut hotcakes that come in semi-circle shapes. Hard to find but really really good. Jason calls them coconut semi-circles. I don't know how to describe it but here's a picture. http://www.thaifoodandtravel.com/features/vendkk.html

Moo Ping Kao Neow: grilled mini pork kebabs, must be eaten with sticky rice.

Roti (Indian pancakes) are often sold on the street and are delicious

Fruits:

- guava (called farang, just like you the foreigner),

- green mango (ma muang kiewo, the green mango & guava are peeled, chopped & served with a sugar/chilli dip)

- durian (toorian, i hate that stinky stuff)

- mangosteen (mahng-koot)

- linchee (lychee)

- rambutan (gnaw)

- Of course the pineapples & watermelons are great.

Thai Massage

A lot of people describe Thai Massage as being a mix of yoga and massage. It involves a lot of stretching and it is awesome. Jason gets like ten of them when he's in Thailand. It's usually done fully clothed and without oil. Sometimes they can really stretch and crack, but you can always tell them to go a little easier. It's pretty hard to find a decent and affordable Thai Massage in the states so make sure to check it out while you are here. Here's some info on it. And if you're looking for a good place, we love this one.

Quick Words

It's polite for women to say "ka" & for men to say "krap" at the end of sentences. It also means yes.*

Yes: Krap (male), Ka (female)

No: Mai

Hello/goodbye: sawatdee krap (male)/sawatdee ka (female)

Bathroom: Hong Nam

Yummy: Aroi

Spicy: Ped

Not spicy: Mai Ped

Hot: (weather/temperature): Ron

Cool: (weather/temperature): Yen

Good: Dee