Attention! Important re-release from the Ministry of siliness. It’s been brought to my attention (by the ‘Sup, Pup?) that I’ve been slacking. I have several recommendations for Accomodations as well as Culinary Delights. Keep in mind this is for budget (but not destitute) travelers.
I carry a backpack on my front and one on my back if that helps any.
Accomodations
Culinary Delights
Tours
All free information from me to you…well, some of it came from other travelers so I can’t take full credit.
There I go waxing philosophical again…somebody give me a cigarette burn, please!
Here’s a quick run-down of my favorite places in Northern Thailand. Again, this was at the request of a friend of mine who will be visiting the area. Hope it helps!
I also really liked Northern Thailand so I hung out there for quite a while. When you get close to Northern Thailand, you’ll want to start looking at Pai (Laid-Back Hippy Town-eat at The Good Life and stay across the street at Baan Pai Village), Chiang Mai (Beautiful-100’s of Temples within inner city walls) and Mae Hong Song (visit Mae Awe on Thai/Myanmar border-magical little town-hit at sunset…not sure if they have places to stay-buy the best tea you’ll ever find anywhere-the ginseng is amazing!) to visit in Northern Thailand.
You’ll also want to go to Doi Inthanon (highest point in Thailand and amazing Stupas near the top-and I mean amazing…hit them right at sunset for best pictures) and Doi Suthep (on hill right by Chiang Mai, nice way to cool off from the heat of the city-rent motorbike at Smile Rentals from a female named Joe 1 block into inner cityfrom Thapae Gate which is right by the Sunday and Night markets). Whew!
That should be enough to keep you busy for a while. 
WT
A friend of mine asked if I could give her any tips for traveling in Asia so I decided to put it on my blog where the whole world can take advantage of my Worldly Traveling Knowledge.
These are general tips, please add yours in the comment section if you would like to share your experiences!
Tips for Thailand:
- Thailand is a country of Buddhists. Buddhists do not show public affection between couples. Don’t do it, it will not be popular and is considered rude. This includes holding hands. You can do that in larger areas like Bangkok, but not in smaller towns-unless you see the Thais doing it and even then it may not really be OK.
- Don’t point at anyone with your foot! Feet are considered dirty by Thais. This includes washing your shoes with the hotel towel. They were very nice about telling me that I had really committed a crime in their eyes.
- Minibus is the way to go from point A to B. They’ll pick you up at your hotel and it’s cheap. In Northern Thailand, carry motion sickness pills. The roads are windy and they drive pretty fast. If the driving scares you, close your eyes! There are also larger VIP type buses but they are not available everywhere. VIP buses have larger seats and some lean back. Check how many seats are on the bus…the more seats the smaller they are.
- You’ll need to get your Visa renewed every 30 days unless you get a Tourist Visa before you go into Thailand (60 days max). The ‘Visa Run’ is available from pretty much anywhere but is much more accessible from Southern Thailand (run to Malaysia) or Northern Thailand (run to Mynanmar/Burma). It costs a bit (US$10-20) and takes a whole day including the transport. The fine for overstay just went up to 500 Baht/day.
- Don’t try to work without a permit. I personally witnessed the implementation of a crackdown on illegal workers in Phuket. The Thais aren’t out to hurt anyone, but they will try to make some money off you if you’re not following the rules.
- Get a motor scooter and see the countryside! It’s very, very reasonably priced and it’s the ‘thing to do’. I rented a full-on motorcycle in Northern Thailand and toured around a bit. It was easy (although watch out for areas that don’t have any gas. Fill up often!) and a lot of fun and I saw areas that I wouldn’t have seen otherwise.
- NOTE: The Thais drive on any side of the road they want to! This is called ‘driving by Buddha’ by one Thai seasoned Westerner. Please, please get comfortable with the traffic situation before you jump on bike. It is unnerving to the Western mind to see someone coming at you on your side of the road for the first 100 times. After that, it get’s easier.
- When you’re in traffic, it is totally a flow with communication occuring on a nonverbal, nonhonking level…get in the flow and you’ll be fine. Don’t fight it grasshopper, just let go and go with it!
- Get a Thai Pay-As-You-Go SIM for your unlocked GSM cell phone or a cheap GSM cell phone if you don’t have one (they can be had for around US$30 used at one of the electronic markets). It’s the easiest way to make reservations and keep up with and make plans with fellow travelers. You buy minutes at any grocery or convenience store.
- There are a zillion 7-11 convenience stores in Thailand and much as I didn’t want to support a foreign giant, they had some things consistently that I needed and I shopped there if I couldn’t find what I wanted at a local haberdashery.
- If you haven’t traveled much, the use of ATM cards is the way to go to get cash. They’re easy to find and are safe and the exchange rate is plenty fine. More expensive places take credit cards but the budget places do not. Don’t get caught without cash!
- Smile at the Thais and they’ll smile back at you. They are gracious people and don’t have a mean bone in their bodies. While some might view you as their meal ticket, they will still treat you with respect as they would any human being. While they may not treat their pets as Westerners do (read lonely spinster in Ohio), they don’t eat them. That’s a myth.
- The sex trade is not nearly as visible as everyone fears. If you’re a Western female, you will be invisible and might enjoy not getting hit on all the time. You will see a lot of Western men with Thai girlfriends. It’s a common thing there…don’t pay any attention to it if it bothers you. You won’t accidentally wander into a donkey show, don’t worry.
- If things go wrong, don’t get mad or loud-this is considered weak and rude. Just stay calm and quietly work on a solution with the Thais. You’ll find that you will almost always be able to get what you want, although it may not look exactly like you thought or be within your exact timeframe. Traveling is all about surrendering your preconceptions about people, places and things. The sooner you do that, the better time you will have! If you can’t do that, go to an expensive hotel and they’ll meet your every desire, just like at home.
WT
