Thailand. Myths and reality
So where to start? Probably from the words “sawadi cap! ”, which means “hello” in Thai.
Finally, we visited a country about which we heard so many different rumors and really wanted to see for ourselves whether they were correct or turn them into myths. To do this, we have chosen a difficult, but very interesting path: a trip without tour operators and any support. Therefore, having merged on the very first day with a crowd of local residents and visiting tourists, we saw this country from the inside, which allowed us to draw some conclusions that run counter to generally accepted concepts about Thailand. I wanted to write an article in the spirit of “myths and reality about Thailand”, but at the last moment I realized that the site visitors needed a little different information and decided to change the style a little. How I did it, judge for yourself.
I must say right away that, in addition to figures and facts, everything described below and the conclusions are purely subjective, this is my personal idea of certain things and will not necessarily be perceived by all tourists in the same way.
To make it more interesting to read, I note that during the 16 days of my stay in Thailand, having completed the route Bangkok-Ayutthaya-Pattaya-Phuket-Bangkok, including tickets for the Kyiv-Bangkok-Kyiv and Pattaya-Phuket-Bangkok planes, visiting all possible excursions during this time , we spent 2900 USD. This amount could be less by about $ 500 if we immediately knew a few nuances, which I will write about later. So:
Baht exchange rate 1 dollar = 33 baht
Our program
1 day. Arrival, check-in at the Bangkok Rambuttry Village hotel (850 baht per day for a deluxe room), walking tour of the city.
Day 2 Excursion to Ayutthaya, in the evening visiting the temples.
Moving to Pattaya (550 baht for two), settling in a guesthouse on the ocean in the Jomtien area (no name, 900 baht deluxe room), relaxing on the beach, exploring Walking Street in the evening.
Day 4 Transfer to J-House guest house on Beach road 100 meters from Walking Street (1000 baht with sea view), a trip to the island on a fast boat (150 baht / person), in the evening watching a sex show of girls (300 baht / person) , beer included 1 bottle)
Day 5 Motorbike rental. (200 baht/day new). Motorbike ride to Nong_Nuch park (400 baht/person, 2 shows included)
Day 6 Buying tickets for a flight to Phuket (it would be cheaper at the airport), a trip on a motorbike to a crocodile farm (300 baht / person, show included). In the evening, visit the local market, buy different types of seafood, in the evening sex show boys + girls (500 baht / person, beer included).
Day 7 Rest on the island, riding a water scooter (800 baht 30 minutes), in the evening a trip on a motorbike around the city and to the market.
Day 8 Moving to the north of Pattaya to a guesthouse (400 baht / day per room) not far from the sea and the market.
Thai massage (150 baht / person 1 hour), relaxation on the beach of Jomtien.
9-10 day. A trip to the River Kwai with a Russian guide (2900 baht / person)
Day 11 Flight to Phuket, a settlement in a luxury villa on the ocean (2300 per day), in vain, it could have been cheaper and better. Rent a motorbike, explore the surroundings, search for markets.
Day 12 Relax on your own beach, ride a motorbike around the island.
Day 13 Motorbike trip to Patong beach, sightseeing of the eastern part of the island, rest on the neighboring beach with big waves.
Day 14 Excursion to the Phi Phi Islands with a visit to the blue lagoon, monkey island and relaxation on a small island with white sand (1200 baht / person)
Day 15 Relax on your own beach, fly to Bangkok, nightlife in Bangkok.
Day 16 Transfer to the airport, flight home.
Ways to visit Thailand I divided all tourists into 3 parts. The first are those who go there for a beach holiday. These are mostly tourists with children.
In this case, the rest does not differ in any way from the rest in Turkey (for example) without food and animation, and there is no point in describing it. Seeing the country in this way is simply not realistic, and you can relax on the beach only on the islands, because the mainland has a dirty sea. Personally, I don’t see the point in such a visit to Thailand: it’s expensive and you won’t see anything except for 1-2 beaches. The second type is the sexually adventurous people who go to Thailand to fulfill their sexual fantasies. Some succeed, some will be disappointed, I will write about the reasons later. Such people also cannot understand the country they have entered and see it, since they are fixated on one thing, they are immediately noticeable there. The third type is travelers who wander from one city to another, from one island to another in order to see the country. I personally think this way of visiting Thailand is the most correct, because.
You won’t get much pleasure from a beach holiday in Thailand, it’s better to fly to Turkey, and not everyone will find pleasure in sex fantasies, because they don’t really understand where they are going.
How to go. If you are traveling with a tour operator, then you are just throwing money away. Catch a taxi, buy a bus ticket there is easy. Booking a hotel directly at the hotel is always cheaper than through any tour operator or local information center, it has been checked many times. They have kickbacks of at least 30%, but they increase the price and it turns out to be cheaper to book directly, especially since sometimes you can bargain, for example, for a villa. If you are traveling without a ticket, then you do not need to live in a hotel that you do not like, you can change it to another one at any time or even move to another city. Moreover, this is a unique country and it is simply not realistic to choose a hotel in Thailand from Ukraine or Russia, not knowing what Thailand is and how to live in it.
Only on the spot. We ourselves changed our minds several times and changed our decisions because of the situation that was developing, and if we were tied to the hotel, then we would not have been able to see anything.
Flight. Imagine 10 hours of sitting in an uncomfortable chair on an old plane, staring at the back of another seat and listening to someone snore. This is a direct flight. Another thing is indirect. 4.5 hours on an uncomfortable old plane, then 2 hours at the airport to change legs and edema, and after that, boarding a super large and super comfortable airliner with a whole entertainment center right in your seat and the back of your neighbor's chair. We didn’t have time to really understand all this, as already 6 hours flew by and the plane lands in Bangkok. On your monitor you can see how the pilot is landing the plane (a camera is mounted forward and down the plane). In general, much more pleasant and convenient. Moreover, the direct flight for the promotion was 750 dollars / person.
from Kyiv, and through Abu Dhabi 600 USD / person. Save $300 straight away. The flight to the islands is a matter of chance. Of course, you can book a flight in advance and, if you're lucky, find tickets for $20/person. But how do you know here when you want to go to the islands there? For example, at first we thought to spend 7 days on the islands, and then flew only 4, because we did not have time to see everything on the mainland. But if you buy a domestic flight there, it will be more expensive. We booked in Pattaya at an agency. The cheapest price we were offered (out of the mass of asked agencies) 10.600 baht for two Pattaya-Phukut-Bangkok. We agreed, and only at the airport did we realize that we had been lied to. It was easy to buy a ticket for the same flight right at the airport for 2100 baht / person, and to the BKK from Phuket too. In general, this is 8400 baht. We paid extra 2200 baht for lack of knowledge. You need to buy without intermediaries, and even better, have the Internet and a credit card and book tickets directly on the airline's website.
Security. I have never met a more friendly and safe country. It is simply impossible to get lost or not know what to do, to get into a hopeless situation in this country. This country never sleeps and there will always be people who will prompt and help. The only thing you need to know is the school level of English and sign language. And if you understand that “tetiti” is 33 (they have such an accent), then you definitely won’t disappear in Tai. Russian Thais do not know, especially in Bangkok. In Pattaya, sometimes there are Thais who know a few Russian words, but this is where their knowledge ends. At night, you will never be stopped in a dark corner and cheated. But we must remember that the family is not without its black sheep. There are times when handbags or chains are pulled out on the go. My gold chain was stolen while my wife and I were riding a motorbike at high speed. The Thai drove up, jerked and left.
I understood what was the matter, it was already too late, we could not catch up with him together. Chains are often broken when you ride a tuk tuk in exactly the same way, but no violence, pure stealing and then running away. So wear all the golden things at home, but they don’t belong there. Handbags only through themselves, through the neck. Otherwise, everything is calm and to a greater extent this is due to their religion.
Where to live. Here, too, tourists can be divided into several groups. Anyone who came just to bask in the sun, seeing 1, maximum 2 beaches, needs a good hotel on the seashore. The cost of such a hotel on average from April to October is 1000 baht per night per room, from November to March 2000 baht per room. There is also a restaurant in the hotel where you can eat expensive food and expensive beer. For those who want to see a country where life is basically not important. We only spent a few hours in the room sleeping and showering.
The rest of the time we watched something, but there is something to watch there, and in 15 days it was simply not realistic to see everything. That's why we stayed in guest houses and not in hotels. This is also a hotel, only without a pool and less comfortable, like our city hotels. The cost of such a guesthouse is different. On the shore in Jomtien 800 baht / day per room, on Walking Street 1000 baht / day per room, in the north, 300 meters from the sea 400 baht per day per room. If you rent for a month, then such a guesthouse costs about 5.000 baht per month. Especially the hotel doesn't matter in BKK (Bangkok). We rented a room at the Rambuttry village hotel on Rambuttry street in the heart of the BKK. Standard 750 baht/day per room, deluxe 850 baht. This is the only way to see all its beauty and disappointment. The hotel is located on a pedestrian street among a million macarons, cafes and tuk-tuks. There is (almost) no traffic along the street and it has everything: from shops to exchange offices. The street ends
300 meters) exit to the square, where the night market, and behind it the royal palace. The spectacle is indescribable. But in this hotel, as in other hotels of this street, you can only take a shower and spend the night. There is nothing more to do there and it is not necessary, although there is a pool at the top, which we never saw (there was not enough time). There are also cheaper (400 baht) hotels-guesthouses, but we liked this one.
Nutrition. The story is the same as with hotels. See where and how. If with show-offs, then in cafes and restaurants. If you just eat normally, then in macarons. No one recommends eating in cafes and especially in restaurants, especially local residents. This is food for tourists: once he ate and left, having laid out a decent amount of money for food of dubious origin. And in the macaroons everything is cheap and of high quality, because they have been standing in these places since their grandfather-great-grandfather and the Thais themselves eat in them every day. Therefore, the food is of high quality and very tasty.
A large bowl of rice costs 10 baht. If they add chopped chicken with spices and fry it like that, it will be 30 baht, if it is also sea food - 40 baht. Leg 30 baht apiece. Large shrimp 10 baht apiece. My wife and I barely ate 10 pieces. Different soups for 30-40 baht per serving. And everything is very spicy (very spicy). You can order not very spicy, then when ordering you need to say “know spicy”, it will be spicy, but not very. In general, we really liked the food. The only thing I didn't like was the cafe on Walking Street. Something tasteless, just for tourists. In cafes, the price is 2-3 times more expensive, and in restaurants by the same amount. We bought a lot of things in the market, they are even cheaper there. For example, large shrimp cost 125 baht/kg. Meat bought in supermarkets, beer is cheaper there. Pork boneless meat 100 baht/kg. The rest was bought in stores 7/11, also not expensive. Beer 33 baht low alcohol, 40 baht "Chang" strongly alcoholic.
Delicious medium alcoholic "Leo" for 45 baht and various expensive ones at 70 and 100 baht per bottle, which we hardly drank.
Transport and movement. For show-off - taxi, 10 km approximately 200 baht, for the bulk of tourists tuk-tuk (meaning route) 10-20 baht, depending on the distance. We chose the third and, in our opinion, the most correct way to travel is a motorbike. The old one costs 100 baht per day, the normal one is 150, and the new one is 200. We took a new one so that there were no problems. Refueling: once refueled, you drive all your life. I exaggerate, of course, but it takes 2 liters per 100 km when you are traveling together. We were on this bike and visited all nearby excursions, having spent only 260 baht on fuel for the whole time. There is an opportunity to explore the surroundings, go to the market, to the supermarket, there is freedom of movement. I don't know what we would have done without him. Moreover, excursions on it cost us just ridiculous money (such as a crocodile farm (300 baht) and NONG NUCH (400 baht)).
To drive you need to have a driver's license, ours passes. Without it, we paid a fine of 200 baht, then we constantly carried it with us, but no one else stopped us. Minibuses go from city to city. Tickets can be bought at any agency or just on the street. From BKK to Pattaya, we paid 550 baht for 2 yes bus stations, and there for 30 baht tuk-tuk to Jomtien, where we lived all day. To the airport from the BKK from Rambutri, we paid 130 baht / person. Pattaya also has an airport that few people know about. Only a taxi goes to him, we agreed for 600 baht. Drive 50 minutes. From there we flew to Phuket. The village is called U-TOPAO.
Tours. You need to visit everything, everything is interesting. I don’t know how much it costs through a tour operator, except for one price, because we went everywhere either by ourselves or through locals. Everything was of high quality. I only know that an excursion to the Phi Phi Islands with lunch from a tour operator costs at least 2800 baht per person, and we paid 1200.
The program is the same, I specifically recognized it, and on the same speedboat. The rest of the prices are the ones we paid. Ayutthaya (the ancient capital of Siam) 450 baht for two, the temples of Bangkok by tuk-tuk 30 baht for two with a visit to 3 advertising outlets where they just want to swindle you for money. Royal Palace - free of charge, walked from Rambutri. Crocodile farm 600 baht for two, Nong Nooch 800 baht for two, elephant riding there was 400 baht for two, but we rode on the Kwai River, which for 2 days with a Russian guide cost 5800 baht for two. Visiting the island in Pattaya by ferry 20 baht / person, by speedboat 150 baht / person. The difference is that they are brought directly to the beach on the high-speed train, and not only to the shore by ferry, where you need to take a tuk-tuk and get to the beach. It comes out almost the same. Sex show for girls 300 baht/person, boys with girls 500 baht/person, 1 bottle of beer included. or drink. Plus 100 baht taxi for everyone. Alcazar and Tiffany show different prices, on average 500 baht / person.
Temple of Truth - free of charge, we rode a bike.
Prostitutes. It's hard to call them that, because they don't sell sex there. Girls stand both on Walking Street itself, expensive, and along the waterfront. The price is from 500 baht per day (not beautiful) to 3000 baht in a better way, but even the prettiest beauty does not particularly shine. They don't take them off for sex. This girl does laundry for you, cooks or brings food, runs for beer, gives massages, takes her on a bike wherever you order her, besides she is a good translator. She can buy everything cheaper and take it anywhere without getting confused around the city with a map. Very profitable. If after all this at night you also want sex, then she will not refuse you in this. But the emphasis is on the fact that she is a servant and only then a prostitute, although not everyone needs it. They are very kind, obedient and courteous.
When she sees you off, she will cry a lot and love you sincerely, and the next day she will love another just as sincerely. You can also rent a boy, but not for a woman, women have nothing to do there. All Thais are small in stature, up to 1.60. There are higher ones, but these are 99% transvestites. Boys cannot provide for the family, so parents sometimes consciously prepare him from childhood for the fact that he will be a girl, feeding him with hormones, and then they perform a sex change operation. But for me personally, it was not difficult to recognize where the girl was, and where the trance was, and I consider the stories about the mistakes of men in this regard a myth. I talked to one of these girls, after treating myself to my beer, she nicely agreed to talk to me. When she found out that I didn’t need a girl for a day, she didn’t get upset and didn’t send me to hell (because I interfere with her work). She said that girls are forbidden to stand here until the age of 18, and not until 16, as many people think.
It is possible to pick up a girl younger than this age, but they are not standing there, you need to contact a pimp and if the police catch you, then nothing good will come of it. But there is one "but". I saw a girl who looked about 13 years old and asked what she was doing here. It turned out that she was already 20 years old. And those to whom I would give 18-19 years old, it turns out that they have long given birth to children and they are 30 years old. They just look very young because the average age they die is 80 years old. And if a pimp brings you a youngster, then it is not a fact that she is 15 years old, although she will look very small. In addition, she said that a girl is cheaper if she gave birth and left scars after childbirth. And one more thing: in Thailand it is officially forbidden to appear naked in public places, so you will not see any naked girls on any streets, this is a myth. I also recommend that at the entrance to the store, wear shorts and a T-shirt, it is not decent to enter naked.
We had only to ask if they knew where it was possible to settle in Phuket, as they said that they would meet us and settle. We did not want to, because we already knew what it would cost us. But we were still welcomed and seated. They didn’t take anything for the road, but we had to pay 2300 baht per day for the villa, although it costs 1800 just like that, and if we also bargained, it would be 1500. Nobody asked us whether we want it or not, it’s just brought and said "give money. " Then they tried to sell an excursion to Pi-Pi for 2800 baht per person, even without a Russian guide. We bought it later for 1200 baht with meals. These people then told me themselves that the Russians are the only nation that does not live together in emigration and tries to cash in on each other. So do not ask anyone, do everything yourself and it will be much cheaper. But there is also a positive. The Thais call us farangs. We are all Europeans indiscriminately and are treated as a superior nation.
But little by little, Russians are beginning to be singled out from all farangs, because sometimes behavior is simply out of the ordinary. We ourselves have witnessed several such situations. Shameful, painful and shameful.
Bangkok. Also a separate issue. They say a very dirty and smelly city. I don't know what super clean places people who say that came from, but I didn't see anything dirty there. Specific - yes, but not dirty. We walked a lot around the BKK day and night, but I didn’t get into anything with my foot anywhere, the roads were simply washed and licked. And just arrived in Kyiv, got into a taxi, walked 50 meters from the taxi in the parking lot to his car, and during this path he already managed to step on a "mine". I had to go barefoot. In BKK, this is basically impossible. I saw a rat at night. But only near the trash bins in the back streets. I saw people who sleep right on the central square, en masse. But it's not dirt, it's people.
The only dirty thing is the exhaust gases of millions of cars, as in any metropolis. Stand on Pobedy Avenue during rush hour near the attendants with pies and the effect will be the same, only in Kyiv there is more garbage. Due to the hot and humid climate and the excessive presence of macaroons on Rambuttri, the streets seem greasy, but that's just how it seems. So I didn't see any dirt. After returning from the BKK, Kyiv seems like a big garbage dump, not to mention smaller cities. They really wear masks there, but not ordinary people, but street cleaners and the police. They just have rules. I would also introduce this in our country so that the street cleaner does not breathe dust, and the policeman on the road does not breathe exhaust fumes.
Pattaya. City of girls, dirty beaches, noisy. But from here you can visit the most interesting excursions.
A very beautiful island, but in our opinion you need to live there on Rawai Beach, this is the very south of the island, and even better, between it and Patong, the Yanui area and the entire southwestern coast. Yanui is the most beautiful place and you can rent a room there from 250 baht / day far from the sea and from 500 baht per day close to the beach. We did not like the rest of the areas.
Some helpful prices.
Gasoline 1l - 28 baht
Safe in the hotel - 20 baht / day
To the island - 20 baht, 150 baht speed boat, 2000 individual speed boat.
The hotel is on average 3000 baht per day per room, the guest house is 400-800 baht.
Tuk-tuk scheduled 10-20 baht, taxi 200 baht 10 km (very approximate)
Taxi and BKK airport to the center 500 baht, minibus 130 baht/person
Transfer from BKK to Pattaya minibus 275 baht/person, big bus 125 baht/person
Flight to Phuket on the day of departure in the region of 2000 baht / person. in the airoport.
Crocodile farm 300 baht/person (travel not included)
Nong Nooch 400 baht/person, national show and elephant show included. (travel not included)
River Kwai 2 days with Russian guide 2900 baht/person
Water scooter on the island in Pattaya 800 baht 30 min
A lounger in Pattaya in the Jomtien area 20 baht with a table, napkins and a trash can, on an island in Pattaya 50 baht without anything, in Phuket 100 baht without anything, on Ppi 150 baht without anything.
DVD disc 30 baht
Epilogue. Kapun cap (thank you) to those who have read it. Of course, it is impossible to describe everything that we saw these days in Thailand, so please contact me with all questions and I will definitely answer. I can only say one thing: this is an amazing country that cannot be missed, and then it is very difficult to forget. I returned home, and my heart and my soul are still there, bathed in the rays of the soft Thai sun among palm trees and white sand beaches and washed by the warm water of the ocean. Visit this country the way we did and it will also remain in your heart forever if you are a true traveler.
P. S. I strongly do not recommend using this country as a stupid sunbathing on the beach: it is interesting only for 2 days and it is very expensive.
There is no need to go overseas, there are other places for this.
