General Reports

[Mogwai]

The BTS train is an above ground train that runs east and west through Bangkok. A single ticket costs 27 baht, and an all-day pass costs 140 baht.

Actually the price of a single ticket depends on the distance you travel and can be higher or lower than 27 Baht. From Asok to Nana for example is only 16 Baht.

[Mogwai]

I have been in or looked at the menu of most of the restaurants on Soi 11 north of the BTS train and on two floors of restaurants in the Terminal 21 building. I know what I am talking about. As with most places, if you go outside the tourist areas, things are probably cheaper.

The restaurants in Terminal 21 are relatively expensive, as this is a high end shopping mall. However there's a cheap food court at the 5th floor. Prices starting from around 35 or 40 baht for a small meal. The quality is mediocre at best though.

Took Lae Dee in the Foodland supermarket in Soi 5 has cheap and reasonably good food. It's about 200 meters into the soi on your left hand side.
Look for 'Took Lae Dee, Sukhumvit 5 Alley' in Google Maps.

There are also some good options at the beginning of Soi 8, like Monsoon for example. Still relatively expensive but you can have a good meal and a beer for about 500 Baht. Including pizza ;-)

[Fun Luvr]

Sounds like the pizza you're talking about is at Soho Pizza near the end of Sukhumvit Soi 11 before you round the corner to Insanity. It is delicious pizza, BTW. One of the best pepperoni pizzas I've had in Bangkok. That is where a slice is 150 baht and a whole pizza is 750 baht. But it is a HUGE pizza, almost twice the size of a whole pizza costing 300-350 baht elsewhere. The slices are fairly large, too. Two slices at 300 baht are probably about the size of a larger type individual pizza or medium size pizza you might pay 250 baht for elsewhere. But I'm betting these slices taste better.

You are correct about the place. I was going to try one of the pepperoni slices last night, but they didn't have any and said it would be 15 minutes before any was ready. For comparison, I think their large is about the size of an extra large Domino's. It appears Soho does use real pepperoni, not salami like some other places.

[Fun Luvr]

With Google Maps, you would know the Smart Suites are very close to Makkasan, and you should show address to taxi driver. Hopefully can find one can read enough English. I agree some taxi drivers do not know how to read a map. So if he does not know your hotel could be a problem. More likely he decided to rip you off. He did not want to take someone so close for maybe 50 Baht.

I had a printed copy of a Google map showing the train station and the Smart Suites hotel. He couldn't read a printed copy which is a much larger map. You think he could read a very small map on a cell phone! When there were hardly any taxis available, I didn't have the option of pick and choose.

Food is not expensive in Thailand. Many things will be 5 times cheaper than a western country, but that applies to Thai Food. However no one would pay $25 for a Pizza, here normally.

As the title of my post says, those were observations I made. I saw people paying 750 baht for a pizza. There are eight slices in a pizza, and if someone buys only a slice, it cost 150.

I have been in or looked at the menu of most of the restaurants on Soi 11 north of the BTS train and on two floors of restaurants in the Terminal 21 building. I know what I am talking about. As with most places, if you go outside the tourist areas, things are probably cheaper.

So you are choosing overly posh places to eat it seems, then complaining about the price. Try some Sports pubs, ...

The restaurants on Soi 11 are not posh by my standards. Maybe they are by Thai standards. They are nice, clean restaurants, but not posh. Mullis Sports bar is the place I had the scrambled eggs and hash browns and water for 195 baht. I also ate at the Australian Pub and Restaurant. Six chicken wings were 215 and a beer was 140. That was not a bad price for the wings because they included both sections of the wings. Almost $5 for a bottle of beer is comparable to prices in the tourist areas of the United States.

[EihTooms]

These are some things I learned:
...

Food is expensive. I checked a pizza place yesterday, and a large pepperoni pizza costs 750 baht (almost $25), and a single slice was 150 baht. I usually don't eat red meat, but I checked hamburger prices. The cheapest I have found at a sit-down restaurant is 310 baht, just for a hamburger, no sides.

...

Sounds like the pizza you're talking about is at Soho Pizza near the end of Sukhumvit Soi 11 before you round the corner to Insanity. It is delicious pizza, BTW. One of the best pepperoni pizzas I've had in Bangkok. That is where a slice is 150 baht and a whole pizza is 750 baht. But it is a HUGE pizza, almost twice the size of a whole pizza costing 300-350 baht elsewhere. The slices are fairly large, too. Two slices at 300 baht are probably about the size of a larger type individual pizza or medium size pizza you might pay 250 baht for elsewhere. But I'm betting these slices taste better.

The 310 baht hamburger with no sides also sounds like one of those mile high stacked burgers you get at, oh, maybe Firehouse, right across Soi 11 from Insanity. Personally, I'm not a fan of those burgers but they've got quite a following.

IMO, one of the best cheeseburgers you can get in the area is, believe it or not, right in Nana Plaza, at any one of the Stumble Inn group of bars; Stumble Inn, Big Hog Bar, Lucky Luke's, Nana Beer Garden, a couple of other places. Not to be confused with the burger at the Hillary bars, which, imo, is not as good. Anyway, if anyone reading this has not had one of those Stumble Inn/Big Hog Bar cheeseburgers in over a year or so and your memory of them is they weren't very good, you're right. They weren't very good up until about a year or so ago. They have improved greatly since then. Check them out. It is a large burger, good quality meat, very tasty, noticeably good cheddar cheese, soft fresh baked bun, includes a handful of pretty good french fries and misidentified "cole slaw" (it is actually just shredded lettuce, maybe a trace of cabbage in there somewhere, with a drizzle of mayonnaise on the top. I don't bother eating it). 220 baht. Worth it.

[IMembr]

PP has terrible food if you only stay near the RLD. I've tried many and the only recommendations I can make are Dot Grill and Riverside Restaurant. You have to go to Streets 302 to 360 to get good restaurants serving non Cambodian food. A scenic 60 baht tuk tuk ride.

Odd you say Jakarta doesn't have good food. Part of the reason why I like Bangkok and Jakarta is good eats. Tons and tons of amazing restaurants in large malls like Kota Kasablanka and Grand Indonesia. Great US Steakhouses like Holycow for 500 baht. If you are on a budget there are 100 baht dishes at Jonisteak all around the city including one right beside Classic Hotel. I would also recommend Ta Wan Chinese restaurant in Harris Vertu Harmoni but a bit pricy. Agree the Indo food sucks and all tastes the same imo.

Using Bluebird taxi and Grab also make Jakarta very easy to get around, unlike the scamming taxi drivers in Pattaya who want 200 baht for 1 km.

Agreed. Jakarta has plenty of good food. It is hard to miss even.

[Banana Boi]

Yep. I found adjustment to Phnom Penh and Jakarta difficult. Hard to find good places to eat. The food was very different.

PP has terrible food if you only stay near the RLD. I've tried many and the only recommendations I can make are Dot Grill and Riverside Restaurant. You have to go to Streets 302 to 360 to get good restaurants serving non Cambodian food. A scenic 60 baht tuk tuk ride.

Odd you say Jakarta doesn't have good food. Part of the reason why I like Bangkok and Jakarta is good eats. Tons and tons of amazing restaurants in large malls like Kota Kasablanka and Grand Indonesia. Great US Steakhouses like Holycow for 500 baht. If you are on a budget there are 100 baht dishes at Jonisteak all around the city including one right beside Classic Hotel. I would also recommend Ta Wan Chinese restaurant in Harris Vertu Harmoni but a bit pricy. Agree the Indo food sucks and all tastes the same imo.

Using Bluebird taxi and Grab also make Jakarta very easy to get around, unlike the scamming taxi drivers in Pattaya who want 200 baht for 1 km.

[Syzygies]

Actually I think BKK (Sukhumvit) is a pretty easy place to adjust to compared to other Asian watering holes like Jakarta, Phnom Penh or even Manila although you do have to look out for the BKK taxi sharks ...

Yep. I found adjustment to Phnom Penh and Jakarta difficult. Hard to find good places to eat. The food was very different. Jakarta is also a very bad choice of a place to apply for a VISA to enter Thailand. They want too much information and take far too many days.

[Member #4698]

I don't want to appear too critical. As a newbie to Thailand we all have to make a few mistakes.

It sounds like our new member is suffering from a little bit of culture shock. I hope he fairs better with the girls. Ha Ha. Actually I think BKK (Sukhumvit) is a pretty easy place to adjust to compared to other Asian watering holes like Jakarta, Phnom Penh or even Manila although you do have to look out for the BKK taxi sharks and it is not apparent where one should go for authentic, quality Thai food or even reasonably priced Western grub outside of the fast food joints unless one does some advance research. But FunLuvr will learn or he will leave BKK unhappy. Sink or swim. Full immersion. I love it!

So, good will hunting, FunLuvr. I hope you have the time of your life.

[Syzygies]

I took the train to the Makkasan Station. The train station in the airport is two floors below the arrival area. There is no more express train to anywhere. The regular train cost 35 baht. Get the token out of a machine because there are no ticket booths. The token is like a plastic coin, scan it to get through the gate. Hold on to that token because you will need it to get out of the station where ever you are going. That is also true for the BTS train, but they issue a card. The train took 23 minutes to get from the airport to the Makkasan station. Street traffic was a mess outside the station. After waiting about 5 minutes, I found an empty taxi. Look for the light, with Thai letters, in the lower left corner of the windshield. The light being on indicates the taxi is vacant. I found out first hand that the taxi driver could not read a map and could not understand directions. He told me 200 baht fare before starting. It was a nice air conditioned taxi. He took me to three different hotels before getting to my hotel. He acted like any hotel that was listed on the map was the place I wanted to go. Vehicles travel on the left side of the road.

I am staying at the Smart Suites hotel in district 1 just around the corner from Insanity Nightclub. The hotel is girl friendly. In fact, the lady at the front desk encouraged me to bring a lady in last night. The standard room is a little small but it is comfortable. It has plenty of hot water, air conditioning, refrigerator, wifi, and two bottles of water each day. It is only $27.20 a night on agoda, com.

The BTS train is an above ground train that runs east and west through Bangkok. A single ticket costs 27 baht, and an all-day pass costs 140 baht.

Food is expensive. I checked a pizza place yesterday, and a large pepperoni pizza costs 750 baht (almost $25), and a single slice was 150 baht. I usually don't eat red meat, but I checked hamburger prices. The cheapest I have found at a sit-down restaurant is 310 baht, just for a hamburger, no sides. A breakfast buffet is probably the best price for food. They cost from 250 to 300 baht. At a non-buffet restaurant, I ordered a two egg omelet and hash browns and the price was 135 baht. That was the smallest omelet I have ever seen and the hash browns were two small triangles like you would get at a fast-food place. A bottle of water with that was 60 baht. There are some restaurants that have bottled water for 20 baht and from a sidewalk vendor, it is 10 baht. Beef, pork, chicken, and fish meals will cost at least 400 baht, even at a food court in a mall.

There are no pedestrian street crossing except at lights, and I've only seen traffic lights on the major streets. Traffic is so heavy that you can usually cross a street between vehicles. If you are going someplace on a major street, it is best to get a motorcycle taxi. They will go between cars to get you to your destination much faster than a taxi.

It is very hot here, day and night.

I will share information about the ladies in another post.

I don't want to appear too critical. As a newbie to Thailand we all have to make a few mistakes.

You should get an internet SIM card at the airport and then use Google Maps, because you don't know where anything is, right? Okay Go to some other shop for SIM card now.

With Google Maps, you would know the Smart Suites are very close to Makkasan, and you should show address to taxi driver. Hopefully can find one can read enough English. I agree some taxi drivers do not know how to read a map. So if he does not know your hotel could be a problem. More likely he decided to rip you off. He did not want to take someone so close for maybe 50 Baht.

You have to get taxis to use meter, and make sure they go in the right direction using Google Maps. It is true, there are one way roads so best way may not be direct from Makkasan. He probably should have used Soi 3 and then back Sois. Try to find out though what fares should cost in advance.

Food is not expensive in Thailand. Many things will be 5 times cheaper than a western country, but that applies to Thai Food. However no one would pay $25 for a Pizza, here normally. I don't normally eat Pizza in Thailand but I have eaten one at Little Italy on entrance to Soi 23, and I doubt would be as high as $10. Wild guess 200 Baht, which could be off either way. Too long ago.

There are places selling a piece of Pizza for maybe 40 or 50 Baht each. I sometimes get a burger in Soi Cowboy stand (at night) for 130 Baht maybe, that is with egg, bacon, salad, cooked onions, cheese just about everything. In the Sports pub nearby a bit more expensive, but a Pizza would be way under $25.

So you are choosing overly posh places to eat it seems, then complaining about the price. Maybe the forum can recommend some good priced eating places. Try some Sports pubs, you can find them on Google Maps. I sometimes go to Thai market areas and but prepared dishes in a plastic bag to take back to eat at my room. Some of these dishes whether stir fry or soup can cost only 40 Baht. So one can eat a meal exceedingly cheap if we want. Food courts where buy vouchers, have plenty of cheap options (Thai food). Foodland is a good place to order breakfast at a good price with western food available. There is one in Soi 5. German Pub in soi 11? (I might have that wrong) would have a good breakfast available.

Plenty of Cafes have reasonable prices. You should try to know the reasonable prices around before you decide. I don't generally recommend to order A la Carte at a Hotel, high price and standard questionable sometimes, but some Hotels maybe okay.

Yes if weather is okay, use motorcycle to get through the traffic short distances.

On the streets there are always people trying to find someone to rip off. So when a Thai accosts you and asks where you are going, just remember is he thinking of himself and not you most likely. I prefer to ask timid non aggressive people minding their own business.
So you can be given good info or bullshit. You really don't want to use taxi drivers that approach you. Hail a taxi going past is way better than one parked. Don't accept offers of guys wanting to take you sight seeing, to gem shops, to Massage Parlours etc. You need to decide where you are going by yourself, first. If the taxi tells you your destination restaurant is closed, he is probably making up a bullshit story.

Have to be sceptical all the time, especially if someone tells you its your lucky day. Ha ha. I get less problems, one because I speak thai, secondly years of being here, and thirdly very sceptical nature. I had to make mistakes as a newbie too, naturally. Taxis taking me not to where I wanted to go. Just one example.

Last piece of advice is very important. Thai working girls try to build up many western boyfriends to keep them supplied regularly with money. So you don't want for fall some Thai girl in a big hurry. Yes enjoy the fucking, but it takes years of knowing someone to find "real" love. My buddy married a girl he met on first day in Bangkok. She got citizenship in another country, took him to the cleaners, his house and car, and found a new boyfriend. He came back here, went to Cambodia and within 2 weeks had a new Girlfriend. She has used all his remaining money, hooked on Ice, had two babies, one his and one to someone else (on the side). He would 65+, she 25.

Thai girls are not all bad, it just takes a very long time to know if you found a good or bad one. I know a young pretty Laos girl now. I am too old for her. I like sex with her but I don't really know her deep down well. Met her maybe 1 year ago or so. No intention she should be a GF, just a Gik (girl on the side). Don't get Thai girls Pregnant. Abortion is against their religion, mostly.

Allow plenty of time for taxi to get to the airport. Traffic jams can be bad.

[Fun Luvr]

These are some things I learned:

I arrived at the airport about noon Wednesday. It was a long trek from the arrival gate to immigration. There were people-mover walkways most of the way. Immigration line was long, but they were efficient. Probably about 15 minutes to get through the line. The immigration officer didn't ask any questions. I think that may have been because I had filled out the immigration form completely. By the time I got through immigration, my bags had arrived and they were on the carousel just behind immigration. Got my bags and went through customs, with nothing to declare, very fast and easy. Just beyond customs, there are some ATM's. All the ATM's I have checked charge 220 baht per transaction, so it is best to get the max that you think you will need. There are money exchangers adjacent to the ATM's, belonging to the same bank. I changed one of the 1000 baht bills for smaller bills there, and the lady was eager to help.

I took the train to the Makkasan Station. The train station in the airport is two floors below the arrival area. There is no more express train to anywhere. The regular train cost 35 baht. Get the token out of a machine because there are no ticket booths. The token is like a plastic coin, scan it to get through the gate. Hold on to that token because you will need it to get out of the station where ever you are going. That is also true for the BTS train, but they issue a card. The train took 23 minutes to get from the airport to the Makkasan station. Street traffic was a mess outside the station. After waiting about 5 minutes, I found an empty taxi. Look for the light, with Thai letters, in the lower left corner of the windshield. The light being on indicates the taxi is vacant. I found out first hand that the taxi driver could not read a map and could not understand directions. He told me 200 baht fare before starting. It was a nice air conditioned taxi. He took me to three different hotels before getting to my hotel. He acted like any hotel that was listed on the map was the place I wanted to go. Vehicles travel on the left side of the road.

I am staying at the Smart Suites hotel in district 1 just around the corner from Insanity Nightclub. The hotel is girl friendly. In fact, the lady at the front desk encouraged me to bring a lady in last night. The standard room is a little small but it is comfortable. It has plenty of hot water, air conditioning, refrigerator, wifi, and two bottles of water each day. It is only $27.20 a night on agoda, com.

The BTS train is an above ground train that runs east and west through Bangkok. A single ticket costs 27 baht, and an all-day pass costs 140 baht.

Food is expensive. I checked a pizza place yesterday, and a large pepperoni pizza costs 750 baht (almost $25), and a single slice was 150 baht. I usually don't eat red meat, but I checked hamburger prices. The cheapest I have found at a sit-down restaurant is 310 baht, just for a hamburger, no sides. A breakfast buffet is probably the best price for food. They cost from 250 to 300 baht. At a non-buffet restaurant, I ordered a two egg omelet and hash browns and the price was 135 baht. That was the smallest omelet I have ever seen and the hash browns were two small triangles like you would get at a fast-food place. A bottle of water with that was 60 baht. There are some restaurants that have bottled water for 20 baht and from a sidewalk vendor, it is 10 baht. Beef, pork, chicken, and fish meals will cost at least 400 baht, even at a food court in a mall.

There are no pedestrian street crossing except at lights, and I've only seen traffic lights on the major streets. Traffic is so heavy that you can usually cross a street between vehicles. If you are going someplace on a major street, it is best to get a motorcycle taxi. They will go between cars to get you to your destination much faster than a taxi.

It is very hot here, day and night.

I will share information about the ladies in another post.

[Syzygies]

And everywhere you go the Foot Massage is the most popular with the tourists. I think 70% or more in Kho San Road and especially Patong Beach, Phuket.

I guess that is why they insist on washing the feet.

RL.

What is 70%? You are saving 70% of all Massages for Farangs is foot massage? Hard to imagine why they want that (at least for me). Something psychological about getting service?

Yes the feet are really dirty or smelly, or imagined so (culturally), and so washed. Thailand has a lot of dust, sand, mud, dog shit, and human stink, etc. Not sure what the point being made is?

Supposing a guy with massive underarm stink all sweaty goes for a massage indoors. Surely he will have to shower first. Massage a clean person is a better thing. I will always shower before attempting to fuck a girl even if I had a shower just one hour earlier. It is better they are confident that we are very clean. Thais really take a dim view of stinky guys trying to avoid taking a shower.

[Bouvis]

It looks like Billboard will be my first point of call next week.

Some of the talent and feedback looks impressive.

I know with most things we just need to ask the provider if they supply a particular service, but to assist me in my plan of attack and to save time I was wondering if anyone has recently had a session with a Billboard beauty and had anal?

[Robert Long]

The stinkiest part is usually under arms, and maybe be followed by stinky feet, I don't know. I don't suffer that much from either. Under arm stink is caused by bacteria coming out of the pores, and stinky feet maybe related to sweat and synthetics. I keep feet dry most of the time and don't like to wear shoes and socks in daytime (in Thailand) unless raining and muddy, and bare feet round the house. Sandals at the door. I wear black shoes no laces when needed but almost never sneakers. I don't like the degree of being enclosed in them. Sports shoes, to me, are for playing sport. I just personally don't like them for casual or formal wear. Just me. They get grubby on the outside quite easily and not as easy to clean as normal office shoes.

I am aware that odours of garlic, onions etc. Can come out of people's pores, especially Europeans (yes) but it is usually more minor than acrid underarm stenches encountered in lifts for example. Thais eat a lot of garlic but they don't seem to stink of it much, I don't know why. Seems red meat could be a factor? Also asparagus and certain vegetables. I remember a Romanian family (by memory) that really ponged at a party when I was in early teens and wondering what they ate that caused it. Seemed to come out of their skin pores most likely. Having a sensitive nose is not a bonus. Possibly bacteria are having an effect not just on underarms.

Thais consider feet to be dirtiest part of the body, not sure that it makes difference what you are wearing, the feet are still dirty or low class. I don't see my Thai family members wearing socks, except with sneakers or full enclosed shoes for formal situations. None of them work in an office. The Thais say that wearing sneakers makes feet smelly even for Thais but they still wear them. So does not seem they consider feet will be cleaner than if wearing sandals necessarily.

Essentially you shower and clean everything including your feet before going after girls in the evening. Being well dressed can certainly make a difference.

And everywhere you go the Foot Massage is the most popular with the tourists. I think 70% or more in Kho San Road and especially Patong Beach, Phuket.

I guess that is why they insist on washing the feet.

RL.

[Syzygies]

The dirtiest part of your body my friends is your MIND. And it is very important that you use any type of shoe or slipper that has an arch support and not those stupid flat rubber slippers.

An arch support helps your back stay in a proper position when walking and also supports your entire skeletal system. I also support wearing socks. Change them if they get wet and wash your feet by taking at least 2 showers a day. If you have stinky feet, you have other problems with your body. Your diet is not good and your eating to much red meat. You ever get into a lift with European guys? WOW, too much sausage my friend. Or could be too much booze.

RL.

The stinkiest part is usually under arms, and maybe be followed by stinky feet, I don't know. I don't suffer that much from either. Under arm stink is caused by bacteria coming out of the pores, and stinky feet maybe related to sweat and synthetics. I keep feet dry most of the time and don't like to wear shoes and socks in daytime (in Thailand) unless raining and muddy, and bare feet round the house. Sandals at the door. I wear black shoes no laces when needed but almost never sneakers. I don't like the degree of being enclosed in them. Sports shoes, to me, are for playing sport. I just personally don't like them for casual or formal wear. Just me. They get grubby on the outside quite easily and not as easy to clean as normal office shoes.

I am aware that odours of garlic, onions etc. Can come out of people's pores, especially Europeans (yes) but it is usually more minor than acrid underarm stenches encountered in lifts for example. Thais eat a lot of garlic but they don't seem to stink of it much, I don't know why. Seems red meat could be a factor? Also asparagus and certain vegetables. I remember a Romanian family (by memory) that really ponged at a party when I was in early teens and wondering what they ate that caused it. Seemed to come out of their skin pores most likely. Having a sensitive nose is not a bonus. Possibly bacteria are having an effect not just on underarms.

Thais consider feet to be dirtiest part of the body, not sure that it makes difference what you are wearing, the feet are still dirty or low class. I don't see my Thai family members wearing socks, except with sneakers or full enclosed shoes for formal situations. None of them work in an office. The Thais say that wearing sneakers makes feet smelly even for Thais but they still wear them. So does not seem they consider feet will be cleaner than if wearing sandals necessarily.

Essentially you shower and clean everything including your feet before going after girls in the evening. Being well dressed can certainly make a difference.