[QUOTE=Hinode]AT2, Will do. I'll buy that map. And after lookin at that web site, you damn straight I wanna go to Angel's Massage! Massage _AND_ FS? Crazy. Im there!
BNC808; dont be jealous, next time we go together bu! LOL! Nah but seriously I gotta start booking my hotel; thinking of either Larn Luang or Presidental Park Suite, price range is a factor; also, trying to read up on everything from diarherra to drinking bottled water to baht prices to BTS skytrain, the whole works.
If Thailand is that good like AT2, Hypo, Kapalua, LJDFKS says, I think SE Asia (Pattaya, Phuket, PI, China) will replace my "yearly" trip to Vegas!
Hinode :D[/QUOTE]Hinode I got back from my first trip to Thailand, BKK and Pattaya. The ISG forums has pretty good reviews on hotels along with other websites, not sure if I can post links here. Before my trip I tried to read everything in the Hotel section but only read a little on bars and massages. After returning I know I missed out on Angels massage and the Rainbow gogo's (thought it was a gay gogo's). Stayed at the Dynasty Inn Grand in BKK Suk soi 6 and Dynasty Inn Pattaya on soi 13. They have free transport from BKK to Pattaya and 500 Baht fee from Pattaya to BKK, only 2 nights required at Pattaya. The location is pretty good for both but when it rained in BKK the streets flood quickly so you'll want some water proof shoes to at least 1 inch or more. Hotel wise from what I was told and saw was Suk soi 3 to soi 7 is where middle easter people usually stay. They tended to stay ver y close to the action in both cheap and expensive hotels. The Brits, Irish, Aussies, americans tended to stay near by while east asians, Japs, Koreans, etc. Tended to stay further away in quiter areas. This goes for both BKK and Pattaya. My suggestion is to stay in a hotel near the BTS sky train, either nana or Asok stations. I bought the BKK Groovy Map which was hard to find as all the 7-11's and Family marts were sold out, found it in a Book store mall. It's a good map but some markers were a little off, might want to print out maps of important places.
Drink water straight from the bottle, all the restaurants I visited had stuff on the ice and you could see it after pouring water in the cup. The only time I had an upset stomach was when I drank a soda from McDonalds. Might want to bring some pills just in case. For money I had to change in the aiport for taxi and Hotel, the ISG forums said the exchange was pretty good but it wasnt. Anyway I had seen the best rates consistantly from the Purple Money changers, Siam Bank I think. Look for those in the Aiports too. You need to bring clean undamaged bills as sometimes they won't take them. Also 50 & 100 bills give the best rates.
The Sky train is confusing at first if you're not used to it, Hawaii peps especially. You need 10 Baht coins from the teller, if you don't have, then go to the machine and push a number 1-10 depending on how far your trip is, enter coins, take card and change if any. Go the the gate, enter card, walk through, read signs to go up the correct stairs, then wait or run to train. The waits are not long maybe 5 min. I never paid more than 25 Baht (#3) as I stayed near Nana station. On the train they have monitors now which show the name of the next stop as it can be hard to hear the speakers in a packed train. The Siam station can be packed when multiple trains arrive at the same time. Just be aware of the train line you want to catch (Sukumvit) and the direction the train to headed (Nut or Mo Chit)
