Chiangmai all the way!! I remember visiting orchid farms and snake farms, amazing elephant rides in the jungle. Also proper Thai traditional massage schools are there (not the kinky types involving prostitutes, you know), the real massages schools our occidental chiropractors go to learn massaging to. Something to try if you’re brave enough. You’ll feel a bit like riding a 916 for 8 hours after one of these... Well my trip goes back to 1995, things may have changed. I mostly remember finding Viet Nam way more beautiful and authentic than Thailand. Bangkok felt abused, perverted, polluted and corrupted by occidental lust. Made me uneasy and sad. That’s my very personal memory. That being said, the night market in Patpong is worth a visit.
Yes , and lovely people as well ..... it's so different from the hustle and bustle of Bangkok and there's loads of ancient culture . I rented a Honda 125 and went wandering further north , and along some jungle road I came across a beautiful garden and I wandered in . It was a Buddhist monastery , I got invited to stay and ended up staying for 3 or 4 days . Incredibly peaceful and relaxing , with simple but delicious food ...... and I wasn't asked to pay anything .... so I just put the same money I was spending in Chiang Mai into the bowl . Agreed .... and excellent advice about Lonely Planet ! I know that for some folks , the whole "resort holiday " thing is just what they want .... .... and that's fine too .... it's just not for me . PS - I saw this video about all of the trash that's left because of Full Moon parties ..... ..... a bit depressing to watch TBH
Those full moon parties are absolute trash... I remember seeing a documentary on TV and feeling ashamed. Really, I wonder what the locals must think about us decadent western pricks. Shame on us... Edit: on a side note, I really love the Danny Boyle movie, The Beach.
I did the full moon party about 35 years ago. It was ok for the crazy mixed up kid I was then. There were no roads to the 'resort' then, you had to come by boat and wade ashore. The two most transcendent episodes of my trip were trekking in the North/Golden Triangle and a weeks sailing/island hoping down the west coast. Sadly much of the old back packing route through Thailand is wrecked now.
It’s not the partying, it’s the trouble and fights with the locals, and thrashing the beaches... All alcohol and drugs induced. Like we don’t know how to party cleanly. I mean when you party at home and you’re the one cleaning your mess behind, it’s all good. But thrashing someone else’s place (another nation, in this case) is a complete NO GO as far as I am concerned. Shows utmost disrespect imho...
Agreed .... I reckon a big part of it is this insane self-awarded sense of entitlement .... to everything ! , and the attitude that goes with that , and it has gone berserk . It seems to have infected a large section of the population , as quickly as a well-known current virus , but much more quietly , and with a lot less fuss and media attention . This is the toxic attitude - " The mess I made is now someone else's problem " " I paid good money for this holiday so I'm entitled to behave like a spoiled child " " If everyone took their rubbish away , the local cleaners would lose their jobs " ..... innit So how about this as a way forward ? - Make the ferry operators deny boarding to any adult who doesn't have a bin-bag full of garbage . And put a bunch of skips right where the ferry docks .... at Surat Thani , or wherever .... that'll work won't it ? ...... yeah right , dream on
Still, your proposition sounds highly reasonable to me... I can’t begin to tell you how pissed off I would get after my kids if I was to learn they took part in such a mess. « Clean. Your. Shit. Up. behind. Yourselves. » is my motto... Do it out of respect for other people and Mother Nature. And never forget self respect. That’s important too, it appears.
Very funny how an outsider is scared for visiting Thailand because of crime. I would not like to visit the UK alone with my bike because of crime. Motorcycles need to be chained up there and there are videos of thieves attacking them with angle grinders to steal them. There are muggings and murders in London with street gangs and something called county lines everywhere. Even the police are murdering lone young ladies. There are shootings reported in the news weekly. Our perception of a country is not always reality.
No need really, I'm sure there are some in the UK. What would I know though, I'm just a simple country boy.
We did the golden triangle in about two weeks piece of piss and almost impossible to get lost. Roads are decent by and large. Did it on 400 dirt bikes think it was December time as we were in chiang mai for the lantern festival and all the yellow flowers were out in the mountains. Enjoy its stunning and there’s obviously the food!!
i lived there for years and always drove every where, the country is safe, no more dangerous than the the UK., they drive on the left and pretty much driving is easy and safe. some roads are dusty and almost shiny pattaya and over that way is not much, there are loads of mortorbike clubs there and there are ride outs all the time, maybe join with one of them. from Bangkok i would venture up north, there are some lovely national parks and not too far, kanchanuburi is lovely too, about 3 hours from bangkok
Most of the info is accurate and relevant to anyone planning a visit, plus it saves a few of us rewriting the same things again in a new thread!
