Khao San Road of Bangkok in Thailand

Author: Michael Edgerstonbr
Source: ezinearticles.combr
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When I first came to Thailand I had not been overseas for a long time. I had been booked in for my first three nights at a small hotel on Khao San Road in Bangkok. I arrived at 2 am and found the whole street full of foreigners who seemed to be enjoying themselves greatly.

After three days I moved into better accommodation on Khao San, and stayed there for three and a half months! The new hotel, Rikka Inn, did not take credit cards. Few Thai businesses seem to take credit cards. The new hotel was clean and comfortable, but noisy and each day it was fully occupied. The rooms were all taken by about 1 pm.

Khao San Road proved to be an interesting place but a long way from the centre of things in Bangkok. It was nowhere near Skytrain which made it quite difficult for travel around Bangkok. There were taxis, tuk-tuks, and motorcycles. It became obvious that traveling from the foreigner dominated Khao San Road was expensive. For example, to go to Siam Paragon is a trip that will cost over 120 baht (about $US 4) by taxi. The return trip also had to be made so it is a reasonable cost for a budget traveler.

The taxi drivers often did not want to use their taxi meters and one would get in and out of a number of taxis before finding a taxi driver who would agree to a metered fare. Tuk-tuks can be more expensive than taxis. Tuk-tuk drivers will quote an extremely low rate if they think you are a recently arrived tourist. On one occasion I was quoted 10 baht.

It was 10 baht to show me around Bangkok. We began by going to different places which included a Wat (temple), a gem place, a tailor, and some other tourist places. As I left each place the tuk-tuk driver got angrier and angrier. Eventually I asked him why he was angry? Apparently, the deal was that I had to buy something at the places we went to and he would receive a payment from the operator of that place.

Unfortunately, there was nothing I wanted to buy although some of the products looked good. I had to give him 100 baht to drive me back to Khao San Road. It is important for tourists to understand the requirement to buy goods or services when they take a very cheap tuk-tuk ride.

Khao San Road has been changing rapidly in the two years since I first came to Thailand. It is moving up market and more foreign brands are in the area. When I was first there, Khao San Road had Starbucks, and one of the American fast food chains.

One type of Khao San Road shop which I have not seen elsewhere in Bangkok is the silver jewelry shop. There are a few of them in Khao San Road that sell ear rings, necklaces, bangles, rings, and much more. They do not seem to sell silver bullion though because I have been back a few times to ask about purchasing it. There are many gold shops in Bangkok so I think Thai people see gold and not silver as a way to store their money.

Khao San Road has been described previously as a backpackers ghetto. It is true that budget traveling foreigners in Bangkok still seem to congregate there. My favorite hang-out was Starbucks which is located in an historic building at the end of a small lane that bisects a single restaurant! There are also many open fronted restaurants on Khao San Road and these become very full at evening time.

With the general improvement in Khao San Road and the increasing prices for accommodation, goods and services, Khao San is not the cheap place that it was. But if one arrives in Thailand for the first time and one has no Thai language skills, it is a singularly good place to begin ones travels in Thailand.

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pMichael Edgerston lives in Thailand and writes on Thailand related subjects. He is building a Thailand Travel website at a target=_new href=http://www.ThailandTravel.net rel=nofollowhttp://www.ThailandTravel.net/a and also blogs at a target=_new href=http://www.Thailand-Travel-Blogger.blogspot.com rel=nofollowhttp://www.Thailand-Travel-Blogger.blogspot.com/a. Both of these resources will be helpful in any Thailand Travel./pbr
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Holidays in Thailand Reviewed From Phuket to Bankok

Author: Bea Metcalfebr
Source: ezinearticles.combr
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Holidays in Thailand are holidays about golden Buddhist temples, a bloody history and a frenetic marketplace culture. Holidays in Thailand can also be about luxury resorts or sailing round the islands or discovering the culture, but they are always about friendly smiles and idyllic white beaches whether you go to Phuket or Bangkok.

Most holidays in Thailand begin in Bangkok, both a climate controlled consumer mecca and a hot, humid and colourful market place. No holidays in Thailand should be without an attempt at bargaining, of visits to some of the ancient, golden roofed temples that poke out above the newer buildings, Wat Phra Kaew, Wat Traimit and the Grand Palace come highly recommended. No holidays to Thailand should be without a few meals from street vendors, some cheap pampering and seeing some graceful local dancing. And if youre not a shopper or a dancer, maybe consider ducking off to see some Muay Thai boxing before the end of your holiday in Thailand.

Thailand has hundreds of islands, but the two most popular for island holidays in Thailand are Ko Samui and co. in the Gulf of Thailand near the Ang Thong Marine Park and Ko Phi Phi and co. in the Andaman Sea near Phuket..

For island holidays in Thailand about relaxation, luxury, walking along footprint-less sand and warm waters, Ko Samui and Ko Tao are the best choice. Ko Tao is also a good choice for low budget holidays in Thailand and people who like diving and snorkelling.

On the other side of Thailand, the Andaman Sea Islands are the ones that look like giant limestone daggers with a sprinkling of bright green alfalfa jungle on top, plunging deep into sandy turquoise seas, and these provide the best backdrops for sailing or island hopping holidays in Thailand.

Phuket is another popular destination to add to itineraries of holidays in Thailand. Its the coasts busiest hub, so has some of the heartiest nightlife as well as some spectacular beaches: Katanoi, Surin, and Patong are recommended by World Reviewers. The Ko Phi Phi islands, used as a location for The Beach, are some of the best known and still most beautiful and an old favourite for holidays in Thailand. You can only stay on Ko Phi Phi Don, the larger island; Maya Bay, where The Beach was filmed is on smaller Ko Phi Phi Lee. Ko Lon, Ko Lipe, Ko Lanta and rocky Krabi are quieter islands to base your Andaman island break on, all offering a mix of local hospitality, tropical beach vistas and watersports, and theres the choice to stay on one or hop between depending on time restraints. Wherever you choose to stay its worth factoring in a day trip into your holidays in Thailand, to Phang Nga Bay, and see James Bond island and Koh Pannyi island, which still has its traditional stilt fishing villages built over the water.

The best time for holidays in Thailand is between December and February but as far as the weather goes, Thailand is pretty blessed all year round.

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pWorldReviewer.com is a travel website; If you are looking for a target=_new href=http://www.worldreviewer.com/destination/thailand rel=nofollowholidays in Thailand/a from a target=_new href=http://www.worldreviewer.com/destination/phuket-thailand/14408/ rel=nofollowPhuket/a to Bangkok have a look at independent reviews written by independent travel experts./pbr
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