One night in Bangkok....

[neijia_boxer]

I went to bangkok and my ATM card would not work. i had to tell my bank I was there. Thailand is on a list of countries that is known to be risky. After I called my ATM card worked.

Also I got shots from Doctor before going. I was warned of Dengue fever from mosquito. carry a good bug spray. do not eat the food off the streets and fruit that has already been peeled. Do it yourself on the fruit. milk, water and ice are dangerous, drink bottled water for sure.

you can stay in thailand for a month without a visa.

[oldEurope]

I would recommend you to stay at Khao San Road if you whant to meet lots of backpackers etc. there are lots of cheap hostels around so you can allways find a room, lots of travellers and a great variety of food. They also have bus-shuttles to and from the airport, which saves you some money for the expensive taxi ride. there are lots of cheap shops for shopping around, if you have some money left. The downside is that its pretty far of the center.

I would forget about walking, its so freaking hot there that its impossible. so you should calculate alot of money for taxis if you want to see something of BKK, or take the bus. And avoid the tuktuk-drivers, they always try to rip you of!

Try to check out the night-market at siam square and weekend market(forgot the thai-names) if you want to shop for cheap but stylish clothing. And be prepared for a culture shock if you return to China, i was so frustrated when i returned to Shanghai from Thailand last winter! Thailand is the nicest country in Asia that i´ve seen so far, you will definately have a great time there.

[bailewen]

neijia,

You know....since I have lived in China for the past 9 or 10 years, I'm really not so worried about the street food in Thailand. It can't be any worse than what I live on here. I had on and off *ahem* "problems" at least once a week for my first 6 months. Then it went down to only every couple weeks or any time I went out for hot pot. These days my stomach lining is already as resilient as the locals. So yeah, bottled water only and no ice is a no brainer but no street food? I don't think so. May as well just give up sex while your at it.

That's a good point about the ATM though. That happened to me in China once too. With my trip being only a week long I'd hate to screw it up with a frozen ATM card. Even when they fix it, it's not always immediate. I hope it's true about the Visa but I am going to head over to the local embassy just to make sure.

old,

Excellent tips. That's the sort of stuff I was hoping for on this thread. Sadly, I may only be there M-F. (no weekend unless I include the Sunday night that I arrive on) I'd totally love to pick up some cheap clothes that are loose enough to train in.

[zenman]

I'm hoping to keep my spending money down to maybe 1000 yuan (4900 baht) for the week. Then the hs (not including Visa application fees or whatever) but I am preparing more like 3000 RMB (14,600 BHT) just in case.

This website seemed to be a decent guide for costs:
http://whatismatt.com/bangkok-cost-of-living/

200 baht/day for street food. Maybe throw in a couple nicer meals here and there but not much. so like at least 1500 for food. There's hostels for 120 baht or so to that's another grand. Don't know what transport will cost. Let's say I mostly walk and but but allow another 500 for the occasional taxi (like to the embassy maybe) and I'm up to about 3000 baht. So I think 4900 baht is doable if I don't do much. The Muay Thai gym posted earlier has got me drooling. I'm sure the temples are neat too. Probably just not gonna do much partying outside of sharing cheap beers with my fellow travelers at the hostel. Some websites say Thailand has a lot of cheap whiskey too which sounds good to me. lol

I just wish I could tell how to pick a good hostel as I don't really know where the embassy is yet and more than that, there's a huuuuge range in the "fun factor" between different hostels. When traveling alone like I will be, the right hostel is a big deal. Some are just crash pads and some others are big old party houses with tons of folks from all different countries working off hangovers in the lounge, watching movies on a widescreen TV, planning trips about town together with people they just met yesterday and so on. I want to find one of those.

I live in BKK but unfortunately I'm in Tyler, TX right now as my mother almost died. The US Embassy is on Wireless road if that's the one you want. You should be comfortable on 4,900 bhat. Sorry I don't know anything about the hostels. Tuk tuks will be cheapest mode of transport in BKK proper. Sorry I can't help you more.

[Muad'dib]

BTW, regarding hep, there is a vaccine, and if you live in Asia generally, you should consider getting it.

[zenman]

* Thailand
* Consulates in Thailand



Oh, I see it's probably the Chinese embassy you want:

Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the Kingdom of Thailand

Ambassador: Mr. Guan Mu
Address: 57, Ratchadapisake Road, Bangkok, 10310, Thailand
Tel: +66-2-2450088
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://th.chineseembassy.org/eng/

[zenman]

* Thailand
* Consulates in Thailand



Oh, I see it's probably the Chinese embassy you want:

Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the Kingdom of Thailand

Ambassador: Mr. Guan Mu
Address: 57, Ratchadapisake Road, Bangkok, 10310, Thailand
Tel: +66-2-2450088
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://th.chineseembassy.org/eng/

[Darth Rock&Roll]

dude...why do you insist on even staying in China?

With your skills you can create demand for yourself in the States or Europe.


the key is creating your opportunities as opposed to looking for them.

[Chanchu]

Have fun Omar! Only thing i can tell you about Thailand is- most people who go there don't want to come back!

[shawnsegler]

Go see some traditional Krabi Krabong.

I've heard you can get good traditional Thai massage on the cheap (the really good for you body type, not "happy ending"), so I'd do a couple hours of that a day. I mena really....when else will you get a chance to do that for cheap. Getting to do that kind of fine tuning on your body is a real treat.

My fave thai food: Pad Ga Prow (basil stir fry) with a couple of fried eggs and some ric is like the best breakfast in the universe. Hard to go wrong with Larb, or Pad Siew or Pad Him ma Parn (cashew stir fry). For curries I'm really partial to the green one (gang keow wan) with chix, shrimp or pork. Kaow neow ma muang (rice pudding with fresh mango) is the bomb for desert.

Live it up, brother. See the sites, work out, get lots of massages and eat like a king.

Best,

S

[grzegorz]

Going to Thailand? Damn! Talk about a good time!

Me likes everything Thai!

...and Japanese!

Damn, how the hell did I get trapped out here in the West again!

[Leimeng]

~ I cannot believe that no one has mentioned it yet:

ONE NIGHT IN BANGKOK – Murray Head

Bangkok, Oriental setting
And the city don't know that the city is getting
The creme de la creme of the chess world in a
Show with everything but Yul Brynner

Time flies -- doesn't seem a minute
Since the Tirolean spa had the chess boys in it
All change -- don't you know that when you
Play at this level there's no ordinary venue

It's Iceland -- or the Philippines -- or Hastings -- or --
or this place!


One night in Bangkok and the world's your oyster
The bars are temples but the pearls ain't free
You'll find a god in every golden cloister
And if you're lucky then the god's a she
I can feel an angel sliding up to me

One town's very like another
When your head's down over your pieces, brother


It's a drag, it's a bore, it's really such a pity
To be looking at the board, not looking at the city

Whaddya mean? Ya seen one crowded, polluted, stinking town --

Tea, girls, warm, sweet
Some are set up in the Somerset Maugham suite

Get Thai'd! You're talking to a tourist
Whose every move's among the purest
I get my kicks above the waistline, sunshine

One night in Bangkok makes a hard man humble
Not much between despair and ecstasy
One night in Bangkok and the tough guys tumble
Can't be too careful with your company
I can feel the devil walking next to me

Siam's gonna be the witness
To the ultimate test of cerebral fitness
This grips me more than would a
Muddy old river or reclining Buddha

And thank God I'm only watching the game -- controlling it --

I don't see you guys rating
The kind of mate I'm contemplating
I'd let you watch, I would invite you
But the queens we use would not excite you

So you better go back to your bars, your temples, your massage
parlours --

One night in Bangkok and the world's your oyster
The bars are temples but the pearls ain't free
You'll find a god in every golden cloister
A little flesh, a little history
I can feel an angel sliding up to me

One night in Bangkok makes a hard man humble
Not much between despair and ecstasy
One night in Bangkok and the tough guys tumble
Can't be too careful with your company
I can feel the devil walking next to me

~ Continue to discuss amongst yourselves...

Peace,

Leimeng

Flatulo Ergo Sum ~~~

Ever wonder why lemon juice is made with artificial flavor, while dishwashing liquid is made with real lemons?

(***Insert Personal One Liner Here***)

[emre]

Omar, you don't need a visa. Here's the link to the web site of the Thai consulate in LA.

http://www.thai-la.net/visa/visa-list30.htm

[bailewen]

~ I cannot believe that no one has mentioned it yet:

ONE NIGHT IN BANGKOK – Murray Head...

Actually...

...I would post a link to the MTV video but it's Friday night and ...

I did, in my very first post. I just wasn't obvious enough. I've been humming it off and on for days now. lol

Chanchu,
I am honestly more than a little bit scared of that. Instead of going to China for kung fu I could have gone to Thailand and become a badass Thai boxer. I freaking love Thai food too. I've been drooling all over the keyboard as I surf different blogs about what real Thai food is like.

Segs,

oooh....good idea on the massage.

dude...why do you insist on even staying in China?

With your skills you can create demand for yourself in the States or Europe.

the key is creating your opportunities as opposed to looking for them.

I don't plan on staying here for ever. Eventually, that is exactly the plan. My gut feeling is that I still about another 2 or 3 years to become the kind of teacher that I personally would recommend myself to. Right now I feel qualified to teach a class at the YMCA or maybe run a small group in a public park. I don't really feel qualified to be the head instructor of a large school. I'm also a bit handicapped, ironically, by a perhaps overly conservative teacher-student relationship. If he doesn't think I'm ready to be teaching on my own yet, then I'm not stepping out yet.

When I do eventually start, I will be the official representative of the "Zhang Xiang-Wu Boxing Association" in the US of A. My dream is to open a full fledged school but I'm thinking about all sorts of business models. The seminar thing is attractive as well. Shifu has been doing them in Germany for several years. I'd love to bring him out to he states. Working mostly through private instruction around LA seems possible as well. My sister is a school teacher in Brentwood so there's plenty of acquaintences with the money for that sort of thing. Maybe teach Chinese in the LAUSD and start a kung fu after school program.

Believe me, I dont plan to stay here forever. That would totally defeat my teachers point in teaching me.

[grzegorz]

Omar,

Aren't you married to a Chinese citizen?

I figured if you were married all that red tape was over.

Email Tomasz about where to go in Thailand, he used to go there to train.

dude...why do you insist on even staying in China?

With your skills you can create demand for yourself in the States or Europe.


the key is creating your opportunities as opposed to looking for them.

Unless you're going for the "qi" crowd it's pretty tough to get something going in the States as your only source of income.

I think in Europe it's different though.

Just my 2 cents.

G