LIVING LOCAL IN THAILAND
Wednesday, March 15, 2017Backlog // Thailand Trip: December 2016 - January 2017
Not too long after I finished school, I planned a post-grad vacation to celebrate. I decided to visit Thailand with my friend, Eve, as she had family there that we were able to stay with. I am grateful for having had the privilege to stay with her. If I experienced this trip the touristy way, I would have had a completely different experience. Staying with people who live there and speak the language really enabled me to experience Thailand as if I were living there myself. It also gave me a strong sense of the culture in Thailand as well as a well-rounded idea of how locals lived there.
Although the trip was planned last minute, Thailand is a wonderful place for a traveler on a low-budget. I learned a lot from Eve's family and I thought I could share some advice drawn from my personal experience.
(On the bus to the Patpong Night Market)
Regarding Attire
As a native-born SoCal girl, I am used to weather averaging about 75 degrees Fahrenheit. But because a Thailand winter in December is about 100 degrees Fahrenheit, most days in the city were quite hot (about 95-100 degrees Fahrenheit). Although it may be incredibly hot, it is important to dress appropriately. I would not recommend wearing tops that are really low cut with short shorts unless you're visiting more touristy areas. A t-shirt and leggings would do just fine. I basically lived in leggings my entire trip because of mosquito bites.
Exchanging Money
Day-to-day, the currency exchange rate may vary, but to get the most Thai baht per dollar, exchange money at the Thai bank. Bring new $100 bills (they won't accept torn or bills that have been written on) rather than small bills like $20 and $50 bills as you would receive less for smaller bills. From my own experience, it is better to go exchange money before noon.
(View from above a freeway bridge in Khu Khot)
Transportation
- Taxi: The most common and efficient source of transportation for someone who is traveling on their own is probably a taxi. It's efficient and if you're splitting the taxi with one travel buddy, then to travel about 5 miles only costs a total of 50 baht (25 baht per person or even less costly if you have two or three travel buddies). My only reminder is to simply make sure taxi drivers turn on the meter so that you won't get scammed. Other than that, taxi's are a great way to get around.
- Bus: Probably one of the cheapest forms of transportation. To my knowledge, there are two types of buses: the bus with AC, and the bus without AC. My most favorite ride was actually in the cheaper of the two, the one without the AC. I get motion sickness pretty easily, but because the windows are down on the bus without AC, it really helped a lot. The bus with AC costs about 19-21 baht (prices may vary) and the bus without AC only costs about 8 baht.
- Other forms of transportation (that I have seen, but have not taken):
- Motorcycle
- Tuk-Tuk
(On the 8baht bus)
(In an airplane flying to Thailand)
Places to Visit
Thailand is known for the architecture of their beautiful temples as well as their marketplaces. We visited various temples and plenty marketplaces to try amazing Thai food and shop for deals! Some places I visited in Thailand were:
- Chatuchak Weekend Market: a personal favorite Thailand market of mine. I think in one day, this is where I have spent the most money at a flea market/swap meet/night market type marketplace. I wish I had a little more time to walk around and explore as it was, by far, one of the biggest marketplaces that I visited during my month in Thailand (and we definitely didn't explore all of it). They have knick knacks from brooches, keychains, and candles to Thai culture-inspired clothing to styles that are trending in fashion now. Although the quality of a lot of the clothing I purchased in Thailand doesn't compare to what we have at home, they are incredibly low in price and will allow you to pack light for the trip (as you may try out new trends and different styles for affordable prices during your stay in Thailand).
- Chatuchak Park: a popular tourist park, located right next to Chatuchak Weekend Market, where you can sit around, bring street food to eat there, and enjoy the scenery.
- Temples (I realized I didn't take that many pictures at temples. But here is one in Sisaket, I believe):
- Future Park Rangsit: has a lot of shops that we have here in America (from what I remember, Cotton On, Starbucks, McDonald's, Dunkin Donuts, etc.). Probably not as many interesting places to visit if you have traveled thousands of miles to see something different. But a fun place to visit with seated flushable toilets and fantastic air conditioning. Right outside Future Park, later in the evening, local street market vendors come out to set up shop for clothing and food as well.
- Tops Market (Zeer Rangsit/The Hub in Pathum Thani):
- On Mondays, outside Zeer Rangsit, they have an awesome night market. I bought 5 different graphic tees, one of those snowglobe glitter phone cases for less than $4USD, and probably a few other things I definitely did not need. I would definitely recommend visiting this night marketplace (outside of the building along the streets).
- Daily, there is also food vendors scattered in front of the actual building of The Hub. They usually open at noon, and you can get all types of food here. They have an amazing chrysanthemum tea here.
- Inside Zeer Rangsit/The Hub is a lot of tech stuff. You can get pretty cheap techy knick knacks in here, but they do not have stuff that you fly thousands of miles to look for.
- Sky Train Station: We took the Sky Train Station from Mo Chit for 42 baht to visit other destinations. Do not lose your train card (I haven't had to find out what happens if you do, but as far as I can tell, it's your ticket out of the station). A fun way to travel through the city at lightning speed. You can also find great maps of places to go shopping at the help desk. Some places you can get to by taking the train (and some walking):
(Siam Center and Siam Paragon)
- Siam Center: A curated selection of apparel, only a few food places. I would describe this place as independent designer collections sold in boutiques. Very hip and an interesting place to see, but you would need to come with a great love for runway-esque taste in fashion.
- Siam Paragon (right next to Siam Center): High-end luxury designer brands (i.e. Chanel, LV, etc.)
(Asiatique: The Riverfront)
- Asiatique (the Riverfront): Outdoor shopping center. They sell a lot of clothing similar to what you would see at all the other night marketplaces, but I give this shopping center at 5/10. It's an interesting place to visit, but there are much more affordable places elsewhere. You can take the ferry or boat from a hotel near the riverfront to get to Asiatique.
(Patpong Night Market)
- Patpong Night Market (6PM-1AM): a lively night market surrounding the center of bars. This night market is great if you are really into nightlife. However, after visiting so many, everything starts to look the same. But this place is a fun place to walk around. A condensed night version of the Weekend Market with the bonus of bars. Basically, clothing and food vendors and bars.
(Pinky Tailor // walking down the street in Mo Chit)
- Honorable Mention: Pinky Tailor >> Eve went to get a suit tailored for her boyfriend at Pinky Tailor. Apparently, Pinky's is a world-famous tailoring business. For Thailand prices, you can get an entire custom-tailored suit for about $600USD (pricing varies but this is as of Jan2017).
(Eve's family chili farm and a cow)
- Sisaket: After Week 1 in Thailand, we went from staying in the city to staying in the countryside. Here are some places I enjoyed visiting that were not in the city:
- Suan Somdet Health Park + Playground / Zoo (right next to the park): you can purchase some fish food and feed fish along the bridge, go to the Zoo and see all the animals that Thailand has (like Guinea Pigs) and feed monkeys bananas.
(Sisaket Aquarium // Garrarufa Fish Pedicure)
- Sisaket Aquarium: a very small local aquarium (entrance fee is about 20 baht), but when you get to the end of the aquarium, you can have the dead skin eaten off your feet by Garrarufa fishes for 30 baht.
(Rasi Salai Diversion Dam)
- Rasi Salai Diversion Dam: a really pretty place to have a stroll. From the top of the dam, you can watch fisherman fish with nets. It's actually an incredible sight.
On Food to Eat
(Pork rice noodles *I think* and then some more street vendor noodles)
(Some flat rice noodle soup dish with shreds of chicken and a bunch of veggies and bittermelon)
(Sour mangoes with chili powder dip // Multigrain rice with a side of homemade Papaya Salad, Tom Yum soup, a fish dish)
On Saying Goodbye to Thailand
Overall, this trip was relaxing and eye-opening. Although I don't miss the squatting toilets, I definitely hope to see more of Thailand in the future. Perhaps next time, I will visit more touristy attractions and stay in a hotel or hostel. Feel free to send me more recommendations (I promise I will write them down and keep it in my travel journal's list of places to visit).
P.S. Will edit Thailand vlog/video compilation soon.
I will try to post it within the next three weeks *crosses fingers*
Until next time
xx
