Thailand

Should you visit Thailand?

Today I read this story written by a Serbian guy about Thailand in which he focused only on the negative aspects of his experience of it. I will not mention his name or a website that he writes for. Luckily, my FB account is currently deactivated, so I fought the urge to comment on this negative article and thus be a part of boosting his rating on the Internet. Whereas others didn't. Anyways, I agree with the majority of the reactions to the story.

However, he inspired me to write about my general impressions of Thailand. And to question myself whether it is legitimate that I continue to motivate people to visit Thailand so much. Maybe Thailand really isn't for everyone I am recommending it to?

Going to Thailand isn't cheap. Not for people from the Balkans. In the best case you will pay your ticket 600 EUR, and it is much more realistic to pay it more than that. One-entry visa costs 45 EUR, and two-entry visa - 80 EUR (I included Gea tours agency' services fee, and using their services is still the fastest way to obtain Thai visa). You need to budget between 20 EUR and 30 EUR a day for accommodation and food if you are not very demanding traveler, and don't plan to eat in fancy restaurants, if you are really on a tight a budget, you can in some location live on 15 EUR, but not everywhere. 

Photo: Railey Beach, cheap and safe fast food boat restaurant

If you expect luxury, budget minimum 50-70 EUR a day. What you pay for luxury here is still cheaper compared to visiting western countries. The prices also vary depending on the location in Thailand you visit. If you are traveling alone, that raises the price of accommodation and sometimes transportation. As anywhere else. If you are using ferries, buses, public  transportation, you will not be spending a lot of money on traveling from A to B, but if you prefer speedboats, taxis, tuk tuks, local flights that you do not pay in advance and miss the low prices, all that can cost you a lot. If you are a beer drinker, in caffes and restaurants you will be paying between 1.5 EUR and 3 EUR for your beer, and from the perspective of a beer snob, beer isn't that great either. So, make your own calculation.

Photo: cheap Bangkok ferry transportation

Thailand is a tourist machinery and everyone in it will try to get their piece of cake. And they will lie to you in the process and promise a lot of things. Tuk tuk drivers will often give you a offer that would sound unrealistically cheap, but be aware that there is always something else hiding behind. This, actually, applies to any tourist location in Southeast Asia. However, I have to admit that I have witnessed the least amounts of attempts to trick tourists in Malaysia and Singapore, but I do not have a lot of experience there to be able to really judge and confirm whether this is true.

Photo: tuk tuk in Bangkok

So, tuk tuk drivers take you everywhere but keep failing to arrive at a destination they promised and that you were looking forward to. On the way, you spend tons of money on some natural products that cost about fifth of the price they ask, they take you to sites where entrance fee is charged and the drivers get commission from all these visits. That is why you got the cheap price in the first place, because paying for transportation is certainly not going to be all the money you would be spending. As the matter of fact, with the money the driver gave you, he cannot cover the price of gas or tuk tuk rental (yes, it is very likely that the vehicle does not belong to him). However, after first experience like this, you learn your lesson. If you start a friendly conversation with a driver, he would reduce the number of redundant locations, he would be your guide, and if you give him a small gift from your country that doesn't even cost much, such as pack of cigarettes, small bottle of rakija, wet wipes (they do not have them at all in Sri Lanka, for instance), he will do all he can to return a good gesture with something characteristic for their culture. And in the end, give driver a tip, so he could actually earn some money and not barely cover the costs.

This guy describes how all islands in Thailand resemble Budva in Montenegro and that Serbian language is the dominant language there. Well... I heard Serbian once during my first visit to Thailand, and once during second. And, it is true that some islands resemble Budva. But Thailand offers so much diversity, and if you do not like the fair-like craziness and to listen to horrible electronic music that one can hear only at local fairs in the Balkans, just pick an island of your choice. And the choice is vast.

Photo: Koh Ngai

And - sex tourism. Yes, it's there. One needs to have the stomach for it when you happen to witness it. But, this is not something Thailand insists on, unless you want to investigate it yourself and notice it.

This guy made me laugh big time when he mentioned that he even got some fungus diseases on this feet because he had to take his shoes off when visiting Buddhist temples. How did he remember that :)?

When is the best time to visit Thailand, or, when is the best time to visit certain parts of Thailand? Whereas high season lasts six month on one coast, it is low season on the other coast, and vice versa. The best website for getting the necessary information and making the decision where and when to go in Southeast Asia is definitely SELECTIVE ASIA:

So, if you have an idea that Thailand should give you the feel of Maldivi almost free of charge (yes, I am referring to the text I read again), than you neither use Internet. nor common sense, and you have forgotten all geography and history lessons and you do not watch news. Thailand is densely populated tourist destination, a poor country with beatiful nature, wonderful people and it offers you opportunity to get to know an interesting Eastern culture that is hidden under the surface in tourist places, because local folks work eve 16 hours a day, and they are simply too tired to even notice that you want to get to know them as people, and it reveals itself unselfishly the further from these touristy places you go. After all, just as any other tourist destination in the world.

“150 THB for a boat ride, 200 THB for a souvenir”

Reviewed January 12, 2014

The Damnoen Sanduak market is interesting, but very touristy. It was part of the Tiger Temple and Bridge over river Kwai tour. Unfortunately, we spent 1 hour and 40 minutes at the market, which is really too long. One hour is more than enough. Nobody came to the market for shopping, but to see the attraction. We didn't have left much time for the tigers, which was our main goal. And everybody else's, to my knowledge.

First, they will charge you additional 150 THB for the 35-40 minutes' boat ride. They will take a photo of you and make a souvenir with the photo and later ask for 200 THB for it. If you do not want to pay 200 THB, the price may drop to 150 THB, but if you try to make it lower, the guy selling it can be very, very mean.

“River Kwai nice, Tiger Temple - powerful experience”

Reviewed January 11, 2014

Stunning, one of the most powerful experiences I have had in my life was when we petted the tigers. It is safe. There are three times more workers/volunteers there than visitors petting the tigers. Just follow their instructions. The tigers are well fed, it is hot and they are drowsy. They are not drugged. You cannot wear anything red or alike colored, your legs and arms should be covered as much as possible, and you cannot wear scarves, since they would irritate tigers.

Wait until 4PM when all the animals are taken from the place where you can pet them and fed. They will allow you to take more pictures with the tigers and the Buddhist monk.

January 2014: Private minivan/bus from Bangkok to Siem Reap

Jan 25, 2014, 8:42 AM

I wanted to take a government bus from Bangkok to Siem Reap as I read that this is “almost scams free” option, but it was full. At the first travel agency in Bangkok I found a private direct bus. Price: 200-350 THB one way. Bargain. Find another travel agency, don’t pay more than 200 THB. The bus company’s name started with “Amazing…”.

PICK UP IN BANGKOK - the minivan picks you up between 7:30 AM and 8:30 AM in front of the travel agency, depending on whether you are the first traveler to be picked up in Bangkok, or the last.

The van makes SEVERAL STOPS BETWEEN BANGKOK AND THE BORDER AT GUS STATIONS. Then, after several hours, the van makes a stop at an “OUTSIDE RESTAURANT”. Which turns out to be the agency which does the visa scam. Before we realized that this was the agency, they broke us into groups - single travelers are put to sit together, travelers traveling in a group are placed at different tables. Then the scammers aim at the weakest link - a woman who is a traveling by herself. They take some of the travelers inside the building (agency).

THE SCAM IS ABOUT GETTING A CAMBODIAN VISA. Instead of $20, they ask for $35. If you already have Cambodian visa (you can purchase it online for $25, but visa processing time is three working days), you are safe.

When you show them that you know about the scam and that Cambodian visa doesn’t cost $35, the scammers become aggressive. They threaten you the bus won’t be waiting for you at the Cambodian side of the border if you decide to get visa between the two borders, because, they will lie to you, it may take long time to get this "cheap visa", and the bus won’t wait for you in that case. All lies. They have to wait for you. Why? Because Cambodian government bus is actually waiting for you on the other side of the border, and a 10 minute ride between the Cambodian border and the International Bus Station inCambodia is actually operated by the government bus. And your bus will not leave until all the passengers arrive at the International Bus Station in Cambodia.

TO BE, OR NOT TO BE SCAMMED?

Basically, you pay additional $15 if you are scammed. And everybody is nice to you all the time, the bus company rep is with you almost all the time, giving you terrible advice about the travel, giving you false information about where and when to change your money, telling you that ATMs in Cambodia may not work, and that it is best to change your money at the “International Bus Station” on the Cambodian side.

If you decide not to be scammed, make sure you have several other passengers on the same page with you, stick together and be aggressive back. Being aggressive back is the only way. They will try to scam you three times, take you to the “fake” Consular. Just stick together and be aggressive. That is the only way. Half of our bus was scammed, the other half stack together and fought back. And they got to the International Bus Station on Cambodian side 15-20 minutes BEFORE the scammed group, which was told that they purchased “VIP visa”.

WHO ARE THE SCAMMERS? The agencies which issue real Cambodian visas to you, just for more money. I am pretty sure both Thai and Cambodian governments are familiar with this. In the western world this would be called “commission” the agency takes for the service, but in this situation it is a scam because they try to make you pay more by being aggressive to you, by threatening you, lying that this is your only option, etc.

For those who decide not to be scammed, they can purchase Cambodian visa between the two borders for $20.

Photo: crossing the border on foot

You have crossed both borders on foot, and Cambodian government bus waits for you and transports you to the INTERNATIONAL BUS STATION in Cambodia. This is about 10 minutes’ ride. The International Bus Station is the place where your bus company recognizes you as their passenger by looking at the colored sticker that was put on your clothes. This is also the place where you are told that you can change your Thai bahts “without commission”, or change EUR without commission to riels. Sure, without commission, but for what RATE? Terrible rate. Do not listen to them. Bring dollars in cash, because dollar to EUR exchange rate in Cambodia is $1 is 0.90 EURO cents. Change some dollars to Cambodian riels, but not much. You can pay in dollars everywhere. Some local shops may give you better price if you pay in riels, but not in Siem Reap.

You board your bus company’s bus and they drive you directly to Siem Reap. They make one more STOP FOR DINNER. Use repellents! This restaurant is by some water (river, lake?), and a lot of mosquitoes and other bugs will attack you. And this is not malaria-free zone.

SIEM REAP - you arrive at the old bus station around 9 PM (they lie to you in Bangkok that you will arrive at 5 PM in Siem Reap) and you need to take tuk tuk to your guest house. You are told that you are so far from the Siem Reap downtown. You are not that far, but you probably will need tuk tuk. Don’t pay more than $1 per person.

SIEM REAP TO BANGKOK - the bus picks you up at your guesthouse between 7AM and 7:30 AM, takes you to the border (a few stops on the way), drop you off at the border, you cross both borders, and on the other side minivan waits for you and takes you directly to Khao San Road in Bangkok at around 7PM, making a few stops at gas stations on the way. Keep your sticker. This part of the trip was smooth.

PRICES COMPARISON:

Government bus: 750 THB one way (you get one meal for free) + visa $20 or $35 (depends on whether you are scammed or not) + 750 THB return. Total 1500 THB ($34) + $20 (or $35). TOTAL: $54 or $69.

Private bus: 200 THB one way + visa $20 or $35 (depends on whether you are scammed or not) + 200 THB return. Total 400 THB ($9) + $20 (or $35). TOTAL: $29 or $44.