Phuket

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spent a couple of months in thailand a few years ago with two mates.

after a bad experience with some oysters that were the size of golf balls in koh samui one of these blokes swore off thai food for the remainder of the trip. I tried to tell him that shellfish were always going to be risky but on the whole you're more likely to get food poisoning from the western food prepared by thais than the standard thai fare (curries, stir fries, salads etc etc).

He wouldn't have a bar of it and every time we'd go to a restaurant he'd end up having the only western dish on the menu (read pork schnitzels/rissoles/chicken maryland) instead of a standard shit like curries, soups etc.

needless to say he got sick again. love thai food and would say some of the best food I had was from the street vendors in bangkok. Definitely try some of what they've got, look for somewhere busy and have a dip. You won't regret it and are unlikely to get sick.
 
j2kboiz said:
I wouldn't. Two girls I was with used the water to rinse their toothbrush and both were sick for week as a result. I'd play it safe and use the bottled water. It's so cheap it's not worth the risk. Pornthip for a litre was 10c.
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Probably a coincidence but about 3 days in I forgot about the water situation and brushed my teeth with tap water etc.. until I realised and washed my mouth out etc.. I then got sick.

Although there were plenty of stuff that could have caused that, most of which involves alcohol. Stick to bottled water for everything just to be safe imo..

But worry less and enjoy. Before going to Thailand for the first time I was worried about so many things but tbh I over thought everything.
 

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Evan #9 said:
Im staying at the Movenpick resort on Karon Beach - anyone been there before? Never been to Thailand before and I'm going in a couple of weeks with the family
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Its ok, bit and touristy (if that makes sense) and lacks a little "style" ...

Nice enough location, complete decent amenities and you can have a very good holiday there if you like the large tourist resorts that tend to feel a bit packaged ...

For a first trip to Thailand it will probably be nice enough, just make sure you get away from the resort - car hire always a good option in Phuket given all the beaches and spots are spread out - and explore ....

Trip Advisor link to reviews is below:

http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Hotel_Review-g1215780-d309081-Reviews-Moevenpick_Resort_and_Spa_Karon_Beach_Phuket-Karon_Phuket.html
 
Can't wait....

21 days till we head off :)
 
Evan #9 said:
Is it safe though? And how strict are they with licences and stuff?
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They are remarkably non-strict. An Aussie D/L will be requested and (despite much debate on the subject) its probably prudent to have an IDP (international drivers permit).

As far as safety goes, it's not Bangkok or even Pattaya as far as crazy traffic goes but, of course, it helps if you've got some experience riding them and you'd be smart to be very very non-aggressive!

You can always hire private taxis for the day if driving/riding yourself is a worry...
 
Eagle87;19038804Why people all go and stay in Patong continues to be one of lifes great mysteries. It is more or less a shit hole said:
I have to say, I agree totally. I was so surprised to read the words "wedding" and "Patong" in the same sentence.

I was there in March this year, and apart from a bit of shopping, meeting some good people in the Aussie Bar whilst watching the footy, and the breakfasts and swimming pool at my hotel, I wouldn't have had a good time at all.

It's pretty much a place for boguns to drink and party, and if you want to score some company for the evening, it's on tap.

Don't get me wrong, it was an interesting experience, but I spent 5 days there, and that was pretty much enough. I should have done what others have suggested and taken some trips to other areas of Phuket.

Oh, and I haven't read the entire thread so I'll add this. Don't get annoyed by people asking you if you want Tuk-Tuks, suits, ladies, etc. You will hear one of these words every 20 metres you walk. Just smile, say "no thank you", and move on.

Travel very light because you will want to buy things along the way. And dress cool, you will not be needing jumpers or long pants (except for the wedding).

In Thailand, a smile is your passport to a happy trip. Thais will react in a far more kindly fashion if you approach them with a smile.

So much advice I could give, but it's probably all been covered.
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Just got back from my Thailand trip yesterday after travelling around with 5 mates, and to say i've fallen in love with the country would be an understatement. The locals are so friendly and welcoming, which to me is probably the best part of their culture. I remember I was walking drunkenly with a mate along the river in Koh Samui at 2:00AM and you could approach numerous locals sitting by drinking and talk to them without fear. Was brilliant! :thumbsu:

I'll go into detail further, but first i'll take you through my trip, where we went etc. I must warn that this is a pretty long post, but this might be of interest for anyone travelling to any one of Bangkok, Koh Samui, Koh Panang, Phi Phi, or Phuket.

First stop was in Bangkok for 2 days. Our flights were return to and from BKK, so our initial stop there was treated as just a simple exploration of the city, as we planned to do most of our shopping on our return stopover there on the last leg of the trip.

Without sounding too negative, BKK was probably the least favourite out of the places we visited. If you take away the shopping aspect of the city, there isn't much else left over. I'm not one who jizzes over shopping, so it wasn't of massive appeal to me. On our return to BKK we were fortunate enough to be there on the King's birthday, which allowed us to go and visit the King's Palace and check out the markets and stalls set up nearby. We didn't get a chance to head down Khao San Road fully as it was just buzzing with a shiteload of tourists and locals. If I were to return to BKK i'd love to explore down there further.

On the next leg of our trip we flew across to Koh Samui for 5 days, which is by far my favourite place. I'd heard prior to my trip from numerous people how awesome this place is, and it sure lived up to expectations. We stayed in Chewang right on Chewang Beach Rd, which was great because we were right in the heart of the action and the beach was quite literally our backyard. To top it off the massage place right next door to our hotel was probably the best out of the handful that we visited across our entire trip.

On one day we hired a jeep at one stage (which we ended up having a slight accident in, but that's a whole different story!) and explored the island, which is something I highly recommend doing to anyone visting KS. The safari tour we did was also a highlight in that it catered for the usual 'touristy' stuff - elephant rides/show, monkey show, swimming in a waterfall, the big temple etc.

On the 25th November, we took a boat across to Koh Panang for the Black Moon Party. I was fearful that there wouldn't be much of a turnout given it is currently the low season, plus i'd heard the BMP held nothing to the Full Moon Parties. Well... let's just say it was a crazy, crazy night!

First off how potent are those buckets full of gin/redbull (or whatever concoction it was?!) The place was packed, and whilst the music was bleh, we were too drunk to care. Our night was drawn to a premature close though, as one of my mates burnt his hand by drunkenly cartwheeling through fire (and putting the flames out with his hand, mind you), and another mate thought he'd been drugged... only for us to realise later that the most likely outcome was that he was pretty much legless given he drank close to a couple of slabs worth of pre-drinks we'd cheaply made the most of prior to taking the speedboat over to KP. Would love to head back for a FM party!

We then travelled to Phi Phi, staying at Laem Tong Beach, at the north of the island. The only problem was that the resort was pretty secluded, and it wasn't until we got there that we realised how much so. Our fault that we didn't put in further research to find out that the south of the island is where most of the activity is. It worked out well though as we treated it as the relaxing leg of our trip, and after the Black Moon party it was a welcome treat.

But apart from that, in terms of the natural scenery, it is the most visually breathtaking part of Thailand. The water is clear blue, and with the islands in the distance it is truly something to behold. There were a handful of other resorts alongside ours, so it was good to walk along the beach and eat at different places each night.

After Phi Phi, we then took a ferry back to Phuket, where we stayed in Patong. Contrary to popular opinion I actually enjoyed Patong a fair bit, although I can understand when people say that the allure can wear thin after a while. The one thing that probably made me warm to Patong more was that the hotel we stayed in was hands down the best of any of the hotels we'd stayed in prior to this. Not sure if anyone has stayed there, but it's called the Blue Ocean Resort, and I couldn't recommend it enough (http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Re...-Reviews-Blue_Ocean_Resort-Patong_Phuket.html).

To go with that, the nightlife in Patong is awesome. Sure it may be brimming with tourists at times, but being in the low season it wasn't all that bad. Plus we found a quiet bar to drink at down one of streets off Bangla Rd, that was pretty sweet. We played the 'nail and hammer' game with the bar chicks there, along with Jenga and Connect 4, which was a strange experience but very fun. Plus I had a fair bit of fun with one barchick in particular, when we partied with them after she finished work, but that's another thing altogether... ;) Seriously was the cutest Thai girl I met, and whilst I wasn't into Thai's prior to the trip it's fair to say I am now! That is part of the reason i'd love to return to Patong once again. :p

From there we then flew back into Bangkok for another 2 days to round off our trip.

I've only been back in Aus for 2 days and I want to go back already. Has anyone else fallen in love with the place like me? Plus it doesn't help that i've now got a serious case of the travel bug, with an insatiable desire to travel. :(

In fact, at this stage i'm planning on heading back early next year, but this time i'll most likely be travelling solo as my mates either have work or won't have the funds. Travelling with a bunch of friends was awesome fun, but has anyone done Thailand solo and how did you find it? Would people recommend hostels > hotels? Where else do people recommend I should travel?

I have the funds saved up, so my heart is saying go for it. There is so much I missed out on and would love to do including seeing a Muay Thai Boxing Match, go snorkling, check out Fantasea etc. Thoughts?
 
WaLkEr_ThE_StAr said:
Just got back from my Thailand trip yesterday after travelling around with 5 mates, and to say i've fallen in love with the country would be an understatement. The locals are so friendly and welcoming, which to me is probably the best part of their culture. I remember I was walking drunkenly with a mate along the river in Koh Samui at 2:00AM and you could approach numerous locals sitting by drinking and talk to them without fear. Was brilliant! :thumbsu:

I'll go into detail further, but first i'll take you through my trip, where we went etc. I must warn that this is a pretty long post, but this might be of interest for anyone travelling to any one of Bangkok, Koh Samui, Koh Panang, Phi Phi, or Phuket.

First stop was in Bangkok for 2 days. Our flights were return to and from BKK, so our initial stop there was treated as just a simple exploration of the city, as we planned to do most of our shopping on our return stopover there on the last leg of the trip.

Without sounding too negative, BKK was probably the least favourite out of the places we visited. If you take away the shopping aspect of the city, there isn't much else left over. I'm not one who jizzes over shopping, so it wasn't of massive appeal to me. On our return to BKK we were fortunate enough to be there on the King's birthday, which allowed us to go and visit the King's Palace and check out the markets and stalls set up nearby. We didn't get a chance to head down Khao San Road fully as it was just buzzing with a shiteload of tourists and locals. If I were to return to BKK i'd love to explore down there further.

On the next leg of our trip we flew across to Koh Samui for 5 days, which is by far my favourite place. I'd heard prior to my trip from numerous people how awesome this place is, and it sure lived up to expectations. We stayed in Chewang right on Chewang Beach Rd, which was great because we were right in the heart of the action and the beach was quite literally our backyard. To top it off the massage place right next door to our hotel was probably the best out of the handful that we visited across our entire trip.

On one day we hired a jeep at one stage (which we ended up having a slight accident in, but that's a whole different story!) and explored the island, which is something I highly recommend doing to anyone visting KS. The safari tour we did was also a highlight in that it catered for the usual 'touristy' stuff - elephant rides/show, monkey show, swimming in a waterfall, the big temple etc.

On the 25th November, we took a boat across to Koh Panang for the Black Moon Party. I was fearful that there wouldn't be much of a turnout given it is currently the low season, plus i'd heard the BMP held nothing to the Full Moon Parties. Well... let's just say it was a crazy, crazy night!

First off how potent are those buckets full of gin/redbull (or whatever concoction it was?!) The place was packed, and whilst the music was bleh, we were too drunk to care. Our night was drawn to a premature close though, as one of my mates burnt his hand by drunkenly cartwheeling through fire (and putting the flames out with his hand, mind you), and another mate thought he'd been drugged... only for us to realise later that the most likely outcome was that he was pretty much legless given he drank close to a couple of slabs worth of pre-drinks we'd cheaply made the most of prior to taking the speedboat over to KP. Would love to head back for a FM party!

We then travelled to Phi Phi, staying at Laem Tong Beach, at the north of the island. The only problem was that the resort was pretty secluded, and it wasn't until we got there that we realised how much so. Our fault that we didn't put in further research to find out that the south of the island is where most of the activity is. It worked out well though as we treated it as the relaxing leg of our trip, and after the Black Moon party it was a welcome treat.

But apart from that, in terms of the natural scenery, it is the most visually breathtaking part of Thailand. The water is clear blue, and with the islands in the distance it is truly something to behold. There were a handful of other resorts alongside ours, so it was good to walk along the beach and eat at different places each night.

After Phi Phi, we then took a ferry back to Phuket, where we stayed in Patong. Contrary to popular opinion I actually enjoyed Patong a fair bit, although I can understand when people say that the allure can wear thin after a while. The one thing that probably made me warm to Patong more was that the hotel we stayed in was hands down the best of any of the hotels we'd stayed in prior to this. Not sure if anyone has stayed there, but it's called the Blue Ocean Resort, and I couldn't recommend it enough (http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Re...-Reviews-Blue_Ocean_Resort-Patong_Phuket.html).

To go with that, the nightlife in Patong is awesome. Sure it may be brimming with tourists at times, but being in the low season it wasn't all that bad. Plus we found a quiet bar to drink at down one of streets off Bangla Rd, that was pretty sweet. We played the 'nail and hammer' game with the bar chicks there, along with Jenga and Connect 4, which was a strange experience but very fun. Plus I had a fair bit of fun with one barchick in particular, when we partied with them after she finished work, but that's another thing altogether... ;) Seriously was the cutest Thai girl I met, and whilst I wasn't into Thai's prior to the trip it's fair to say I am now! That is part of the reason i'd love to return to Patong once again. :p

From there we then flew back into Bangkok for another 2 days to round off our trip.

I've only been back in Aus for 2 days and I want to go back already. Has anyone else fallen in love with the place like me? Plus it doesn't help that i've now got a serious case of the travel bug, with an insatiable desire to travel. :(

In fact, at this stage i'm planning on heading back early next year, but this time i'll most likely be travelling solo as my mates either have work or won't have the funds. Travelling with a bunch of friends was awesome fun, but has anyone done Thailand solo and how did you find it? Would people recommend hostels > hotels? Where else do people recommend I should travel?

I have the funds saved up, so my heart is saying go for it. There is so much I missed out on and would love to do including seeing a Muay Thai Boxing Match, go snorkling, check out Fantasea etc. Thoughts?
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So you fell in love with a Thai then ;)

Thailand is a country you can easily travel alone in, especially if you go to the spots you went...

By the way, Patong nightlife ISN'T awesome, thats one of the issues ... if you want Patong style nightlife, go to Pattaya and do it properly. If you want buzzing nightlife then there is much more to do in BKK ....

Nice to see another one hooked though ... and she likes you, honest... :p haha
 

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Eagle87 said:
So you fell in love with a Thai then ;)

Thailand is a country you can easily travel alone in, especially if you go to the spots you went...

By the way, Patong nightlife ISN'T awesome, thats one of the issues ... if you want Patong style nightlife, go to Pattaya and do it properly. If you want buzzing nightlife then there is much more to do in BKK ....

Nice to see another one hooked though ... and she likes you, honest... :p haha
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Haha! You could say I did take a liking to this relatively innocent Thai bar waitress. ;)

I met her quite innocently one night whilst having drinks with mates at the bar she was working behind, and it wasn't until I exchanged details and she said that she wanted to see me the next night that things started to heat up. Went out with her and her friends after she finished work and she made her intentions known, with her girlfriends asking for me to look after her as they were heading home. Until she starts asking for me to send across $ to her then i'll know where her intentions lie. Not sure she'd think a 23 year old, fresh uni graduate, would have much money to spare a 28 year beauty like her. :p

In that case I'll definitely have to check out Pattaya on my next stop in Phuket. Cheers for the advice! How does it differ from Patong?

Just a question Eagle, are you of Thai heritage or are you a fellow traveller like myself that has simply become hooked by the countries beauty and chosen to relocate there... Or were you drawn by a Thai beauty? :D
 
WaLkEr_ThE_StAr said:
Haha! You could say I did take a liking to this relatively innocent Thai bar waitress. ;)

I met her quite innocently one night whilst having drinks with mates at the bar she was working behind, and it wasn't until I exchanged details and she said that she wanted to see me the next night that things started to heat up. Went out with her and her friends after she finished work and she made her intentions known, with her girlfriends asking for me to look after her as they were heading home. Until she starts asking for me to send across $ to her then i'll know where her intentions lie. Not sure she'd think a 23 year old, fresh uni graduate, would have much money to spare a 28 year beauty like her. :p

In that case I'll definitely have to check out Pattaya on my next stop in Phuket. Cheers for the advice! How does it differ from Patong?

Just a question Eagle, are you of Thai heritage or are you a fellow traveller like myself that has simply become hooked by the countries beauty and chosen to relocate there... Or were you drawn by a Thai beauty? :D
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Pattaya is what it is, its certainly not a place you go for the beach! :) But its just if you're going to do Patong, Pattaya does that sort of thing on steroids ...

I worked up here and liked the place and made Bangkok my Asian base. It wasn't because of a thai girl but there have certainly been plenty around in my time here. Its a fascinating country....

I'm sure a 28 year old girl who works in a bar is as pure and innocent as the driven snow :) The reality is that she's getting the money from somewhere, so if its not you, its probably the 50 year old fat guy who actually has it - you may just be the pleasant, younger alternative ... or, of course, she may be different ... :D
 
WaLkEr_ThE_StAr said:
Haha! You could say I did take a liking to this relatively innocent Thai bar waitress. ;)
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Not words you hear very often :)

Don't get me wrong, the Thai chicks are great and it's easy to take to enjoy their company. Nothing wrong with that, but just remember the words of that steak knives commercial, "Don't send any money".

BTW, Pattaya isn't in Phuket.
 
Adelaide Hawk said:
Not words you hear very often :)

Don't get me wrong, the Thai chicks are great and it's easy to take to enjoy their company. Nothing wrong with that, but just remember the words of that steak knives commercial, "Don't send any money".

BTW, Pattaya isn't in Phuket.
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Had anyone suggested it was? :confused:
 
Eagle87 said:
Pattaya is what it is, its certainly not a place you go for the beach! :) But its just if you're going to do Patong, Pattaya does that sort of thing on steroids ...

I worked up here and liked the place and made Bangkok my Asian base. It wasn't because of a thai girl but there have certainly been plenty around in my time here. Its a fascinating country....

I'm sure a 28 year old girl who works in a bar is as pure and innocent as the driven snow :) The reality is that she's getting the money from somewhere, so if its not you, its probably the 50 year old fat guy who actually has it - you may just be the pleasant, younger alternative ... or, of course, she may be different ... :D
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I really love the casual party culture over in Thailand.

It's much more liberal, and just much, much more awesome than that in Australia. The fact you don't have to abide by any ridiculous dresscode and don't get turned away because the club needs more females inside (unlike here in Melb) are two big ticks IMO.

If Pattaya is Patong on roids then i'd certainly be interested in checking it out. :thumbsu:

Haha I am under no illusions that in all likelihood we were just simply 'ships passing in the night' as the saying goes. I knew that go-go bargirls and obviously street workers were offering themselves up given it's part of their profession and main source of income, but I never realised even the innocent looking barchicks working at the 'normal' bars were that way inclined either.

Just how prevalent is it across the professions? :confused:

checkraiseulite said:
You seen this guy around Pattaya? Hilarious.

https://www.facebook.com/timshark
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I was directed to his page a little while ago. Friggin' hilarious. Kinda creepy in a way, but if that's how he gets his kicks then more power to him. :thumbsu:

Doesn't appear to be working in Pattaya at all, just living off the expenses he's acquired (through obvious extracurricular means :p) and living the apparent Westerner's version of the 'Thai Dream'.

Adelaide Hawk said:
Not words you hear very often :)

Don't get me wrong, the Thai chicks are great and it's easy to take to enjoy their company. Nothing wrong with that, but just remember the words of that steak knives commercial, "Don't send any money".

BTW, Pattaya isn't in Phuket.
Click to expand...

Whoops, slip of the finger, had Phuket on the brain. :eek:
 

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