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My travel experience and tips for this great destination

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Thailand 2010: Arriving in Bangkok and preparing for Loi Krathong in Chiang Mai

By Mithun Divakaran
/
May 14, 2011
/
Bangkok, Thailand, Travel

Last November, I decided just a few weeks earlier to go back to Thailand. The main purpose of this trip was to witness the Loi Krathong (or Loy Krathong) festival, one of Thailand’s most beautiful festivals and one that I always wanted to cover. Although it’s a national festival, Thailand still doesn’t get a public holiday for it.

Usually falling in November, I first booked my flights in October via Cleartrip.com which had a really good offer: a return ticket from Thai Airways (direct flight) + 2,000 hotel voucher + 1,000 worth of credit for a Uniconnect Thailand SIM card + an entry to DreamWorld theme park… all for 16,742 ($375/€262). Awesome deal if you ask me!

But, one week prior departure, I won the chance to go see Linkin Park in Abu Dhabi! So I delayed my departure by a few days, and then again after I read Jay Park was going to be performing in Bangkok. I left for Dubai on a Friday early morning and returned to Bangalore late Sunday night. I then went to office on the following Monday and then left for the airport in the evening for my early morning flight on Tuesday!

Inside Thai Airways flight TG325 — The flight wasn’t full, so I had an entire row to myself

Thai Airways flight TG325 inflight chicken meal — The Thai chicken curry meal was yum

Unlike my first visit to Thailand, in which I tried to cover the entire country in 9 days (I did it, but I didn’t quite enjoy the experience), this time around I was only going to focus on North Thailand. Most of my time would be spent in Chiang Mai covering the Yi Ping Festival (as Loi Krathong is called in Chiang Mai), after which I planned to go to Chiang Rai & then a day in Pattaya before heading back to Bangkok.

Arriving Bangkok at dawn — Arrived in Bangkok at dawn

Inside Suvarnabhumi airport Thailand — Hello Suvarnabhumi!

Suvarnabhumi airport Thailand travelator — Sigh, the many travelators you have to cross…

Suvarnabhumi airport Thailand moving walkway — … to finally get to the visa-on-arrival section

Once I did get to the Visa-on-arrival counter, I submitted my form, showed them how much currency I was carrying and got my visa-on-arrival without having to pay the usual ฿1000. After that was customs and then collecting my bags. Last year, I took a taxi from the airport into Bangkok city which cost ฿320 but this time, I decided to take a shuttle bus.

Suvarnabhumi shuttle bus to Bangkok — The private bus going to Sukhumvit cost ฿150 (Rs. 222/$5/€3.5)

Suvarnabhumi airport from afar — That’s Suvarnabhumi airport

Sukhumvit from afar Bangkok Thailand — Getting near Sukhumvit took only 20 minutes

But then, Bangkok’s infamous traffic soon began. And my god did it last long! It took the bus nearly an hour just to get into Sukhumvit road.

I finally got dropped at Nana BTS station. I chose to stay at Thai House Inn, a place where I spent two nights at last year — because it’s 30 seconds walk from the metro station (literally) and its not far from all the malls. I needed to stay here because first on the list of things-to-do was to buy some camera equipment, so I had to have quick access to the shopping centers, especially MBK. Those whole followed my Singapore & Malaysia series must have read that I couldn’t pick up a good camera tripod while I was there. So this time, I just couldn’t go to Chiang Mai without it!

But first, I had to get some sleep! After a whirlwind trip to Dubai and then hopping on to another flight to get to Thailand, my body needed some proper rest.

I got up at lunch time, took the BTS SkyTrain and headed straight to MBK Center, one of my favourite malls in Bangkok.

MBK Center Mahboonkrong mall Bangkok — From Nana, the Siam station is only 3 stops away; costs ฿25

(Here is the map of the BTS service in Bangkok)

MBK houses Fotofile, the store from where I bought my Canon 7D and other accessories last year. Fotofile also manages the official Canon store and two other stores in MBK! List of things to buy included a 70-200 f2.8 lens, another 16GB card, an interval remote, and a good tripod. I went to all of Fotofile’s stores, a BIG Camera branch and jotted down the prices for all that I wanted.

MBK Bangkok food court — I had lunch from the food court which offers a lot of variety (though mostly Asian cuisine & fast food)

I left MBK and thought I’d check out some other stores.

Sukhumvit road Bangkok traffic — The traffic is like this from 8am to 8pm

Ratchaprasong skywalk Sukhumvit BTS bridge — The skywalk bridge connects to a lot of the malls along the Ratchaprasong area

Centralworld mall Bangkok Thailand — I didn’t even step into Centralworld last time

Ratchaprasong pavement Bangkok — I got down from the skywalk

I decided to head to the parallel Petchburi Road where Pantip Plaza is located.

Centralworld Bangkok mall — The side section of Centralworld Mall

Amari Watergate Hotel Bangkok Petchburi road Thailand — Amari Watergate Hotel is located on Petchburi Road

Platinum Fashion Mall shopping Petchburi road Bangkok — Right across Amari Watergate is Platinum Fashion Mall

Platinum Fashion mall Petchburi road Bangkok — Petchburi road is also famous for the Pratunam market area

Pantip Plaza is essentially Bangkok’s equivalent to Singapore’s Sim Lim Square and Kuala Lumpur’s Low Yat Plaza.

Pantip Plaza ground floor shop — Bangkok’s most famous IT mall

I came to Pantip Plaza because none of the camera stores in MBK (and the Siam malls) sold tripods from the brand Vanguard. I had a particular model in mind but even after stepping into pretty much every Pantip Plaza shop that sold camera equipment, none stocked products from Vanguard.

Pantip Plaza ground floor stores — I left Pantip Plaza disappointed

I wanted to try and buy everything I wanted from one store, so that I didn’t have to swipe my card three or four times and incur additional charges for each transactions.

Ratchathewi station empty land Bangkok — I decided to head back to Sukhumvit road

Ratchathewi station graffiti walls Petchburi Bangkok — It was nearing sunset and my body was telling me 4 hours of sleep wasn’t enough

Ratchathewi station platform BTS Bangkok — Ratchathewi station is at the far end of Petchburi road

Sukhumvit traditional Thai dance night — By the time I stepped out of the train, it was already dark. The sun sets rather quickly out here.

Sukhumvit Ratchaprasong skywalk lights Bangkok — I decided to check one last mall before heading back

Centralworld mall interior decor Bangkok Thailand — Centralworld is actually one of the biggest malls in Thailand

Unfortunately, Centralworld was quite badly damaged during last year’s ‘Red t-shirts’ protests and an entire section of the building was off limits because they were renovating it.

I looked up the store directory and saw that BIG Camera had a bigger branch here but unfortunately, it was in the part of the building which was under renovation.

After checking which ever stores were open, I left CentralWorld.

The one good thing I liked about the area I was in is that it’s actually full of Arab visitors, and therefore plenty of businesses exist catering to tourists from the Middle East and Africa.

Bangkok Nana Sukhumvit Arab restaurants — Which meant, plenty of Middle Eastern cuisine for me to eat!

Nana Sukhumvit Dubai center Bangkok Thailand — Yeah, it’s *that* Gulf-y!

I picked up a beef shawarma (฿50) and a drink from a 7-11 and made my way back to my room. I had kept the air conditioner on for a while to ventilate the room and rid it of the Bangkok ‘stench,’ which takes a little getting used to. (The ‘smell’ of Bangkok city is essentially the smell of fish sauce emanating in the air.)

I needed more sleep and I had to wake up early the next day. I assessed all the camera products and all the prices I made a note of. I had to pick up everything tomorrow itself and then leave early enough to get to Mo Chit bus terminal.

Next day

After waking up and breakfast at Au Bon Pain in MBK, I waited for the Fotofile stores to open.

MBK mall bags clothes small stores section Bangkok — Walked around the ‘street market’ stores on the 6th floor to pass time

Fotofile camera equipment store MBK Bangkok Thailand — I picked up an additional 16GB card, the interval remote and an extra battery for the Canon 7D from the Foto Thailand store on the 3rd floor

Fotofile MBK used lenses store Bangkok — Lots of second hand lenses for sale

The telephoto lens I was keen on picking up was the Canon 70-200 f2.8 IS Mark 1. Unfortunately, that model was recently replaced by the newer Mark 2, which was obscenely expensive and thus made finding the Mark 1 a challenge.

So I ended up picking up a brand new Canon 70-200 f2.8 non-IS lens and using the substantial savings to purchase a good tripod instead. I needed one anyway.

Official Canon store MBK collection display Bangkok — I picked up the lens from the official Canon store managed by Fotofile

Canon camera store MBK collection display Bangkok — None of these are for sale, just on display

The Canon store had a few Manfrotto tripods on sale and I considered the Manfrotto 055x Pro B but it was too pricey. I went down to the BIG Camera store and picked up a Sirui tripod for around 7k baht. The model was very good value for money and complimented my newly acquired 70-200 lens well.

With all my shopping done, I went to one of the two main food courts in MBK.

Fifth Food Avenue food court MBK mall Bangkok — Fifth Food Avenue is the name of this food court

Nasi Goreng MBK mall food court Bangkok — I was still on my Malaysia high, so I had Nasi Goreng (although they went overboard with the soy sauce) ฿160

After lunch, I still had some time to kill, so I went to Siam Paragon to find out where the Jay Park concert was going to be held.

Siam Discovery mall interior decor Bangkok — Siam Discovery, which is the older and slightly more wallet friendly mall

Strip Ministry of Waxing Siam Discovery mall Bangkok — Clever ad 🙂

Siam Paragon mall open area Bangkok — Siam Paragon mall is the more posh offering

Krungsri IMAX theatre Siam Paragon Bangkok Thailand — The Royal Paragon Hall was on the top most floor, near the cinemas

Cool gel attack Thai film cinema poster — Hmm, interesting

After finding out where Royal Paragon Hall was, I made my way out.

Audi showroom Siam Paragon Bangkok Thailand — Walked past the luxury car showrooms on the second floor

Lamborghini showroom Siam Paragon Bangkok Thailand — Last year, they had a ‘No Photographs’ sign on the glass

So this time, I went in and got up close to the Lamborghinis. You don’t realize just how big these sexy machines are until you stand next to them. I spoke to the sales girl and I asked her how much the import duties for these cars are and she told me it’s over 100-150%, including the many taxes on these luxuries… making them super-expensive in Thailand. She wouldn’t disclose how many they sell a year but at such prices, I’m guessing not many. I hardly ever saw one on the road in the two trips I’ve made to Thailand.

Once back in my room, I re-packed my bags and checked out. The lady who runs Thai House Inn asked me why I was leaving so early and assured me there would be plenty of buses, but I didn’t want to risk not getting a seat. Going to Chiang Mai early is what I essentially came for.

I took the BTS all the way to till last stop, Mo Chit station, and from there I took a moped taxi (to Mo Chit bus terminal, which caters to North Thailand).

But when I got to the terminal, a lot of the buses to Chiang Mai leaving that night were already full! Especially the luxury buses, and I had to go from one transport company to another to find available seats. Fortunately, I got a ticket in a regular push-back seat bus — it was their last for the night!

Last year I got a seat in a luxury bus which cost me ฿700, for which I just showed up at the station and got my ticket. Of course, the sold-out seats today were due to the Loi Krathong weekend rush. So word of advice, if you want the luxury buses during Loy Krathong weekend, buy the tickets in advance.

Not that the bus I got was bad or anything, it was just one of those regular buses used on overnight long distance journeys, in my case an 8-hour journey.

Bangkok to Chiang Mai bus night journey — A seat costs ฿403 (Rs. 597/$13/€9)

The bus made a rest stop for toilet break and for picking up dinner/snacks. In a few hours, I would arrive at Thailand’s second biggest city, and my second trip to Thailand officially begins!

Next few posts in this series:

Thailand 2010: First day in Chiang Mai for Loi Krathong; driving up Doi Suthep

Thailand 2010: Chiang Mai cooking class; Loi Krathong celebrations in Mae Jo, Sansai

Thailand 2010: Chiang Mai Loi Krathong celebrations; first Grand Parade

Thailand 2010: Chiang Mai Zoo (Day 4, Part 1)

Thailand 2010: Last day of Loi Krathong; Sunday Grand Parade (Day 4, Part 2)

Thailand 2010: Heading to Chiang Rai by bus, Wat Jedyod and Golden Clock Tower

Thailand 2010: Golden Triangle in Mae Sai; Chiang Rai’s White Temple (Wat Rong Khun)

Thailand 2010: Pattaya — Beach road, Viewpoint, Jomtien Beach, Walking Street

Thailand 2010: Back to Bangkok — Chinatown, Patpong, Platinum Mall and Chatuchak Market

Thailand 2010: Gurdwara Siri Guru Singh Sabha, Sampeng Market, JJ market (again)

Thailand 2010: Damnoen Saduak Floating Market tour, Cobra show… and leaving Bangkok

Jay Park live in Bangkok: First Step in Thailand fan meet (Fancam)

By Mithun Divakaran
/
Dec 06, 2010
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Bangkok, Concerts, Korean Pop, Music/Videos, Thailand

Though I spent 13 days in Thailand, I thought I’d get this story out first.

When I won the contest to go see Linkin Park live in Abu Dhabi during the F1, I had to postpone by trip to Thailand. At first, the dates were Nov 17th to Nov 28th, a Sunday, so I could get back to work on a Monday. Then I heard about Jay Park’s fan meet happening in Bangkok — so I pushed my return date to the 29th!

Jay Park

Now, if you’re someone who reads my blog or is wondering, who the hell this guy I pushed my dates for is, here’s a brief intro on Jay Park. Park Jaebeom, is a Korean-American (though more American than Korean) artist who gained fame when he became a member of a Korean boy band called 2PM. He was the group’s ‘leader’ and with their smash hit “Again & Again,” they were one of the hottest boy bands (both in terms of fame and appearance) in Asia.

And then, controversy. Apparently he said something on his Myspace page (back when people still used Myspace) about how much life in South Korea sucked (he’s a third generation Korean American born in the US) and that riled up a few Koreans. Demanding an apology, they asked for action to be taken against Jay Park. 2PM’s label said all is well but then a few months later, bad news. Jay Park is out of 2PM.

Fans are shocked. Mostly because JYP didn’t make it public as to why he was “fired” from the group. All that was mentioned was that he did something worse than saying “South Korea sucks”. What it was, nobody knows… which pissed off fans even more.

Jay Park soon left South Korea and made his way back to his home town in the US. Tears were shed at Incheon Airport by 2PM fans but to no avail. “Leader” Jaebom Park was officially out of 2PM, and the country.

Months pass and no word on what the guy is up to. And then, he pops up on YouTube and decides to sing a cover of “Nothin’ On You,” the then fresh single by debut rapper B.O.B featuring Bruno Mars. His version became sooo popular that he actually released a version of his own and a Korean version of the same featuring B.O.B.

Jay Park is now signed to Sidus Entertainment, another Korean agency and announces he’s going to be appearing in a dance flick called Hype Nation out in 2011. Jay Park has always said he loves b-boying more than anything so it seemed like a natural fit that he stars in a movie on the same (though, its not like there hasn’t been others).

So when did I become a fan? When he teased a single from the movie called “Demon”. I can’t really share a link or anything… because the single hasn’t been released yet.

I heard it for the first time back in August I believe and since then, the initial performances have been since removed from YouTube. It was from a performance he had done in South Korea and the audio wasn’t very good. But even despite that, from what I heard, I loved it! It’s a killer track!

Produced by the legendary Teddy Riley, “Demon” was a song originally written for Michael Jackson, and now posthumously given to Jay Park. Either his label paid shit loads for the song — or even Teddy Riley realized Jay Park is destined for greatness and agreed to give him the song.

None the less, “Demon” is going to be featured on the soundtrack to Hype Nation, so I’m guessing the music video (even though they have already finished filming it) isn’t going to come out until a few months before the movie does.

Anyway, coming to the Thailand fan meet. I booked my ticket while I was in Chiang Mai and I opted for the 1000 baht (Rs. 1500/$33) seat because… well the guy hasn’t even got an album out, so I was going just to see him perform “Demon”. Plus, I didn’t want to sit so close to the speakers because when recording, the only audio I would have gotten would have been the thumping bass… plus a lot of girls screaming.

It was on the 28th of November, a Sunday evening, held at the Royal Paragon Hall — which is located on the 5th floor of the Siam Paragon mall in Bangkok city. I got there by around 5pm as I had to collect my ticket. There was quite a line already.

Jaywalkers were out in full force too.

Jay Park Thailand young fan — Even very young fans

Jay Park Thailand fan meet media — So were the media

After standing in line for nearly 45 minutes, I make my way near the counter only to be told I only had to go to another counter for online bookings.

Jay Park Thailand fan meet tickets — All I had to do was come here

Oh well. Once ticket in hand, the next queue was for the security check. I came fully prepared with all my lenses, extra batteries, extra memory card and with my Canon 70-200 f2.8 in tow, I wasn’t worried about being so far away from the stage.

Unfortunately…

Jay Park Thailand fan meet no cameras — ... they were taking away camera bags and DSLRs

But guess what, I put my bag on the other shoulder and made it past them! Woo hoo!

Unnnfortunately when it came to the gates, where security were checking handbags, they saw my DSLR and asked me to hand it over to the folks in charge of taking away cameras.

Crap.

I went in with lenses, but no camera body to fit those lenses onto. Well, at least I still had my phone.

Once inside, I got my seat. The hall wasn’t sold out, but had a very good turnout none the less.

Jay Park Thailand fan meet Royal Paragon Hall — Waiting for the show to start

At around 6:30pm, the lights go out. The crowd (mostly girls) start to scream! And then two Thai MCs come on stage. I obviously didn’t understand what they were saying but I’m pretty sure they were asking if the crowd was ready to see Jay Park. Obviously, we all were.

So the hall goes dark again. And then:

The girls sitting beside me were going crazy! This was a ‘sit down’ show, and in their excitement, I expected them to stand up to get a better view. But they didn’t. They were just jumping and shaking in their chairs. I couldn’t help but laugh!

Anyway, after kicking off the show with his cover of “Nothin’ On You,” the lights dimmed once again and then a video came on screen:

After hearing the song (twice) I essentially came for, I felt satisfied.Yeah, I didn’t manage to get the best recording, so if you want a closer look, check this or this one out instead.

After the performance, Jay came back on stage and was joined by the two Thai MCs for a Q & A session.

Sadly, that’s all I could record. Security came by and told me to stop recording — and then went around telling everybody else the same. They were pretty strict about it henceforth.

During the Q & A, the questions were fairly childish and basic. Like what he likes to do in his free time, his hobbies, etc. Jay Park looked lost most of the time, mostly ‘lost’ in translation. The hosts didn’t seem well prepared either. Took ages for one of them to understand “bromance” and when it came selecting 3 girls to come on stage, oh boy, did that seem like ages.

Three lucky fans did get a chance to get up close with their idol though.

One of them even got Jay to draw something for her, one of them got to squeeze his nose and the last girl got to hug him. There were fans who had come from Indonesia and Hong Kong; but since the guy who came from India was sitting all the way in the back, he wasn’t noticed :/

Jay Park was also joined on stage by his b-boy crew Art of Movement.

Jay Park Thailand fan meet AOM Q & A — Jay Park is right in the middle

The hosts were asking the audience what they’d like to know and when it came to asking for secrets about Jay Park, Cha Cha from the AOM crew said “Jay likes to bathes himself in hot sauce,” to which Jay LOL’d. Not quite sure if he meant Jay just loves hot sauce or he actually likes to smear hot sauce all over his body.

The crew left the stage and said they’d be back for their performance, which I was so looking forward to. When they did perform, the minute I raised my phone to try and record, the security came by my row. Sucks.

Anyway, it’s not like Art of Movement doesn’t have videos on YouTube.

There was also a performance by rap duo The Quiett & Dok 2. They performed two songs, along with the usual rap instructions: “Throw your hands up in the air” and “Say ‘Yeeeahhhh’…”. There were okay. Then Jay Park returned to the stage and joined the rap duo for a song.

Other songs Jay Park performed were “Speechless” with ChaCha (who wrote & produced it). Jay Park also hit the stage with a cover of Jay Sean’s “Down” and Usher’s “U Got It Bad”. The roof came down during “U Got It Bad” when towards the end, Jay Park finally did it — he ripped off his vest. I’m sure the girls got their money’s worth.

The last song Jay Park performed was “Bestie” and the entire AOM crew came on stage to join the performance.

After that, he and AOM said their goodbyes and left the stage. Immediately, some got up and began to run towards the exit. Maybe they just wanted to head home quickly or wanted to pick up their cameras. I know I sure wanted to, so I got up as well. And then the Thai MCs came back on stage.

Again, they were speaking Thai so I couldn’t understand but I got the drift they were asking if we enjoyed the show. Also, they pointed out to the fans making their way out as if to say “You’re leaving? You think it’s over?”

Guess what, it wasn’t! Jay Park along with the AOM crew hit the stage once again for a dance off…

Jay Park Thailand fan meet Art of Movement — ... and all I have to show for it is this crappy cellphone photo. Sorry, but even now the security was looking at me.

After another stellar show of their dance skills, this time the show was actually over. And everybody knew it.

Jay Park first step in Thailand fans leaving — The show ended at around 8:30

After a good 2 hours of entertainment, I collected my camera and saw several fans queuing up again!

Jay Park Thailand meet & greet — There was going to be a meet & greet with Jay Park now

Of course, it wasn’t for everyone. It was open only to those who bought the most expensive tickets — 4500 baht (Rs. 6600/$150).

I wasn’t one of them, obviously, but I did finally get a chance to shoot with my 70-200mm lens.

Jay Park Thailand fan meet handing out posters — Every fan got an autographed poster & a chance to shake hands with Jay Park

Here’s just a few who were lucky:

Even though the fans were instructed not to get too physical or spend more than 2 seconds with Jay, some did manage to get what they wanted.

Jay Park Thailand greeting fan — And Jay Park gladly obliged

Jay Park Thailand fan meet young fan — This kid even got a hug from the burgeoning global star

After 15 minutes of shaking hands and receiving many, many gift bags from his loyal supporters, Jay Park finally said goodbye.

Jay Park Thailand fan meet thank you — First, a big "khob-kun-ka" ("thank you" in Thai) to his fans...

Jay Park Thailand fan meet goodbye — ... and finally, lots of love.

With that, Jay Park left the building.

Jay Park Thailand first step in Thailand ticket — So was my ticket worth it?

Yes.

I pushed my dates just to see Jay Park for a reason. Ever since I heard “Demon” and started getting to know more about Jaebeom Park, the more I started to believe Jay Park is going to be a huge star. The guy can rap, sing and dance. He’s writing his own material with his friends in AOM and working with some of the biggest names in the music business.

Sure, the tickets were slightly expensive. But I can understand why. I can imagine how much it would have cost to not just bring Jay Park down, but his AOM friends as well (and not to mention his management staff too). Sure, I didn’t get to capture the event the way I had hoped to share it with everybody. It’s ok. I can understand if MTV paid for exclusive performance footage. It’s all business at the end of the day.

Sure, if I had a chance to ask him some questions, I would have asked him about his music. Like who are the other producers or artists he’s collaborating that we don’t know of yet. Or like, what date and time is “Demon” getting an official release! But I guess I’m in the minority. I’m a 28-year old guy who likes ‘Jay Park the artist’. Most Jaywalkers (mostly young girls) like him for his music, his 2PM legacy, his abs, his hair, his looks, his… anything!

And Jay Park knows that.

I know it’s too early to shower so much praise on a guy who hasn’t even come out with a full-fledged album yet, but I’m calling it now itself…

– Jay Park is going to be the break-out star of 2011

– won’t be surprised if “Demon” tops the Billboard Top 100

– the next big ‘Jay’ of Asian descent (the first being Jay Sean) and the first Korean-American solo singer to have a no. 1 single globally

I may end up being wrong of all the above, but even if I am, I still have faith in Jay Park’s talents. Even if he doesn’t crack the Western markets, he’ll still be crazy popular in Asia.

And I’ll still pay to see him perform. Maybe just a little bit more the next time.

P.S: He he, I even made an appearance on Thai television. Around the 0:53 mark ^_^

Thailand 2009: Figures, lessons learned, and things I couldn’t do

By Mithun Divakaran
/
Feb 06, 2010
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Thailand, Travel

18,090 words.

That’s how much I wrote about my 10 days in Thailand. I don’t know how much of it you read but I had a lot to write about.

Editing nearly 400 photos out of 1,100 taken wasn’t easy but having gone through them all, I’m very happy with the picture quality the Canon 7D is capable of producing.

How much did I spend?

Excluding the camera equipment expenses, close to Rs. 55,000 (approx. $1,200).

Flights: return ticket to Bangkok (Rs. 15k ) + flight from Chiang Mai to Phuket (Rs. 9k) + flight from Phuket to Bangkok (Rs.2,500) — the last two were not planned… but I had no choice but to take them.

Rs. 55k for 10 days might seem like a lot to some experienced backpackers – or – expensive to those who are used to traveling by package tours but had my tripod not broken or had I not taken those two flights, I could have done it for around Rs. 40,000. It’s okay, I now know where to stay and how much to spend on just about everything. Lesson learned.

Credit card bill: Canon 7D + 16GB CF card + Canon 10-22 lens + Hoya filter + camera bag + flight tickets + domain purchases + website hosting fees = Rs. 1.61 lakhs ($3,450). Yikes.

Number of T-shirts: 13

Other lessons learned:

– Thai baht is a strong currency

– best to fly from Chiang Mai to Phuket (and not try for a bus)

– realized how damaging salt water can be to camera lenses (and just about every other material)

Things I couldn’t do:

– try out timelapse photography

– join a Thai cooking class (wanted to know the marination for Thai barbecue chicken and the recipes for some Thai curries)

– rent a Yamaha Fino Mio

In my Chiang Mai post, I talked about looking around for a specific bike… and this was it!

I fell in love with these bikes the moment I saw them on Bangkok’s streets. On day 1, I dreamt of renting one and driving along the coast when I head down to South Thailand. I guess it’s something I have to keep for next time.

Places I planned on seeing but still couldn’t:

– Phang Nga Bay

– climb the 1200 steps up to Tiger Cave Temple ( Wat Tham Suea)

– Floating market

Things I want to do next time:

– attend the Full-Moon party and stay at Koh Tao

– capture/photograph the drive to Doi Suthep in Chiang Mai

– visit Trang and some other new place

– take the train and see the country side

– be in Chiang Mai for the lantern festival

– explore Old Bangkok and the Chinatown

– be better equipped to take HD videos

– avoid mishaps by being more careful

– make the vacation a month-long one 🙂

Besides not being able to do the trip as per plan, another factor that hampered my vacation was the lack of sleep or just how tired I would be with all the rushing around. Will take it a lot more easy the next time around.

Closing thoughts on Thailand:

Thailand’s global reputation isn’t a good one. Let’s just be honest about it. From its night life to people claiming it to be one of the most dangerous destinations in Asia, most descriptions about safety in Thailand when doing my research painted a not-so-rosy picture. I even watched every episode of this British show called Big Trouble in Thailand (on YouTube) which highlights the kind of problems one can expect in Thailand. A bit over-dramatized but a lot of the scams are often genuine. (Worth a watch as a travel advisory)

So did I feel scared traveling all alone in Thailand? No.

In fact, I felt very safe. Safer than I feel traveling in India! (Yes, even for women.) I’m not saying nothing bad will ever happen. I’m just saying, if you do your research, take precautions and avoid shitty places with shitty people — you’re good.

And the people… most Thais are extremely nice people! Of course, being a tourist, you may end up getting ripped off occasionally but tell me one place you’ve visited where that hasn’t happened. There are many poor (or lets just say lower income) folks in Thailand, just as there are in India, but understand that they’re trying to make a living too.

Another thing I realized (& one that bothers me) is how much we overpay for just about everything in India. I mean in Thailand, the infrastructure is much better, fuel prices are more or less the same, even the long distance buses are better there — and yet, you get more for your money in tourist Thailand than in India. I hate that! After visiting South Thailand, I’ve decided that I’ll never spend too much money in Goa — India’s much revered coastal destination. The price of good (safe) food, the beautiful beaches, and the way you are treated is far superior in Thailand than in tourist hot spots such as Goa or Pondicherry.

And Thailand’s governance isn’t any better than India. Political scandals are a daily affair and corruption is rampant. Like Bangalore, even they have squabbles over the older smaller airport being allowed to stay open for domestic carriers as supposed to forcing them to use the newer, bigger international airport. So trust me, things aren’t that different — but you’re still going to enjoy the quality of life you get with more or less the money you spend here for the same.

So my word to anyone going to Thailand — there’s a lot more to the place than you think, and it won’t cost you a bomb to enjoy it. And please, respect the people there. They’re not all low-lifes.

Until my next Thailand trip.

P.S: I didn’t end up going to Goa for Sunburn (Dec 25th to 27th 2009) after I got back on Dec 22nd night. Mostly because :

– I was tired

– I had lots to write and photos to edit

– I didn’t feel like spending anymore money

– What I spent in 5 days in Thailand, I would have had to shell out in 3 days in Goa during peak season

Other posts in this series:

Getting ready for my trip

The day I left for Thailand

Day 1 – Suvarnabhumi, Pantip Plaza, Fotofile & MBK

Day 2 – Bridge over the River Kwai and Tiger Temple (Wat Pa Luangta Bua) in Kanchanaburi

Taking the bus to Chiang Mai from Bangkok