scoobydoook

Chiang Mai is a great place to visit and most things are a little cheaper than in Bangkok. I flew with AirAsia from Don Muaeng after looking for flights through Skyscanner and Kayak. Chiang Mai is more laid back than BKK and there is less hassle. It has a good vibe. Sightseeing is good. I did not enjoy the hilltribes - its sad, like a bad human zoo. Night market is large and some good value stuff. Plenty of options to play but nothing like BKK/Pat.

Airbnb is an option. Apparently airbnb is not legal in Thailand for rents of less than one month but you are close to one month and for many apartments it would be cheaper to pay for one month and get the discounted price for a longer stay. But anyhow there are many condos on airbnb which are happy to rent for a few days or a week or a month..... For £800 you would find a 1 bed apartment in a suitable area.

You could try Platinum Mall (near to Pratunam) or Union Mall which both specialise in clothing. Union Mall has some local designers with small shops as well as the more general. MBK is also well known for clothing but may not suit you. Chatuchak is worth visiting to see the whole range of goods they sell but you can only really wander and see if you find anything you like. Pratunam is also like that and has limited shops/stalls focused on men. I have never been to Bo Bai market. Good luck and please report back.

The OECD produces an assessment of 15 year old school students in different countries around the world. Its called the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). For 2016, Thailand results are below and these are compared to other countries which BMs may know. Thailand is a long way behind many developed countries, which is not surprising giving it is relatively poorer. Compared to other large countries in SE Asia, Thailand is well behind Vietnam (which does extremely well) and ahead of Indonesia. Thailand is also ahead of countries like Brazil. PISA also looks at how much education achievement in each country varies by socio-economic group. In Thailand the difference in achievement between different socio-economic groups was small, meaning children from poorer and richer homes get a relatively similar quality of education. However in Thailand in 2016 only 71% of students completed PISA tests whereas PISA expects 84% should complete tests. PISA take this as indicating that some of the missing children (probably those from poorer homes) are not in school at 15 years old. Many of the girls in the bars in Thailand did their PISA tests in 2012 or 2009 or 2006 when the results were similar. You could argue that the PISA data shows that complaints about their education should mostly be directed at the fact that Thailand is a poor country with an education system which needs to be improved rather than at the fact that they come from poor Thai families.

I have not been to HH for a couple of years but last time the bar fines were around 200-500 Baht in the beer bars. ST rates were 500-1000 and LT 1000-2000. As usual all is negotiable. Low season rates are at the lower end and high season at the higher end. FL at Hilton disco may be available for similar rates and some girls from beer bars go there once the bar closes. Others at Hilton ask for more. Quality and choice in HH is not as high as BKK or Patts.

There is an app for iPhone/iPad or for Android called Nemo. Its free. It starts with the speaking basics for people who have no previous experience of Thai. It builds from there. Nemo Thai gives you the most essential phrases and words in the Thai vocabulary, and each of them have a native speaker audio. With the Speech Studio, you can master your accent by recording yourself saying a phrase and then hear your voice compared to the teachers. All of the audio is downloaded into your device and it is even accessible in airplane mode and there is no expensive international roaming fees. As Nemo is not built around lessons, you can pick it up and put it down anytime of the day, whenever you have time to spare. This app builds up foundations of Thai which will then give you more confidence when speaking everyday conversations. Furthermore, there is no need to have prior knowledge of Thai to be able to learn this.

There are two that were recommended to me. The Thai Travel Clinic at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University http://www.thaitravelclinic.com/cost.html is good and vaccines much cheaper than in western countries. They will also advise and discuss with you what is useful for Thailand or other countries you are visiting. The prices are shown on the website at the link, where the prices are per shot so for rabies you will need multiple shots. Jap Enc is given routinely to Thai children and in Thailand they often recommend it for visitors. Its listed under "JE" in the price list. There is also one run by the Red Cross http://www.saovabha.com/en/clinictravel.asp I have not used it but others recommend it.

canucklhead - good luck with your trip. Let us know how you get on.

Hua Hin is the Kings summer residence and because of that is quiet compared to BKK/Patts/Phuket. The beaches are good and the town is looked after and locals from BKK go for the weekend. Its a nice place for a break from BKK. Best option may be to take the bus from BKK Southern Bus Terminal in about 3.5 to 4 hours. The buses leave every half hour during the day and during the week you can just turn up and buy a ticket but at weekends and holidays you need to book in advance. Bus is about 200 Baht. You can get there by plane from Suvarnabhumi in about 45 mins but you have to get out to the airport and then back in from HH airport by taxi so may be more hassle for not much quicker. Train takes 4 hours from Hualamphong Station and costs about 50 Baht third class to 200+ Baht first class. Train takes 4 to 4.5 hours. Not a place to go for nightlife but if you are there then you can make the best of it. My info is a couple of years out of date. No gogos that I am aware of. There are many small beer bars with FL on Soi Bintabaht and around it including Poon Suk. This area is behind the Hilton Hotel on the opposite side to the sea. You will have to look harder for an attractive girl than in BKK/Patts/Phuket…. But there are some. Drinks and lady drinks are more expensive than in normal bars but ST, BF and LT rates are lower than BKK. Usually relaxed and low key. There are some massage shops which do FS next to that area to the north and around Soi 80/Soi Sarawat off Thanon Phetkasem and there are many other which offer HE. There is also a soapy called Lee Lao Dee and another called Petch Barber off the main road Thanon Phetkasem with FS. Not many foreigners go there but there is no reason not to, just not well known. The Hilton disco inside the hotel has many freelancers mixed with tourists and locals. Drinks are double the prices in small bars. It gets busy around midnight and around 2am some girls from the beer bars go there so the quality is similar.

Emquartier's food court is in the basement and there is also the Helix Tower restaurants from the 6th to 9th floors, with about 50 restaurants, all based around a ramp you walk up. Wide range of western and asian (japanese, chinese, korean) food is available. Food in food court in the basement is a bit more expensive than Terminal 21's and the restaurants are a bit more again. There is lots of choice and quality is usually good. Information on some of the restaurants: Pot Ministry- The Helix Quartier 8F. Thai regional specialties. Doong Aroi Ded – The Helix Quartier 7F. Premium beef noodles Full Flavour – The Helix Quartier 6F. Modern Thai cuisine Kub Kao Kub Pla – The Helix Quartier 6F. Serves Western and Thai comfort food. Luk Kaitong – The Helix Quartier 6F. Chinese-cooked dishes Nara Thai Cuisine – The Helix Quartier 7F. Thai food. The Ninth Café – The Glass Quartier BF. 200 dishes of Thai, Italian, European and Vegetarian dishes. Crab & Claw – The Helix Quartier 7F. New England food and lobster rolls. Nova Tearoom by Signor Sassi – The Helix Quartier 8F. Bistro with egg-topped duck waffles, salmon croissants, wagyu beef burgers and others. Sava Dining Room – The Helix Quartier 6F. Thai and European food Scruffy Apron – The Helix Quartier 6F. Menu of cold cuts, salads, soups, pasta, sandwiches and desserts. Jones & Mowlem - The Helix Quartier 8F. Fresh seafood. Bulgogi Brothers – The Helix Quartier 8F. Korea Unyang style bulgogi. Charme de L’Asie – The Helix Quartier 8F. Food from South East Asian countries. Fuji – The Helix Quartier 6F. Japanese restaurant chain. Maisen – The Helix Quartier 8F. Fried Tonkatsu deep fried pork cutlet. Tenyuu Sho – The Helix Quartier 8F. More expensive Japanese that serves sushi, seafood and imported steak from Japan. Mokuola Hawaii – The Helix Quartier 6F. Fusion of Hawaiian, Japanese, French and Thai style dishes. Shio Yoshoku – The Helix Quartier 8F. Range of Japanese-style Western food. Mugendai Penthouse – The Helix Quartier 9F. Great view of Bangkok City, more expensive Japanese menu, weekend brunch. Zaichi – The Helix Quartier 7F. A Japanese style gastro bar. Croissant Taiyaki – The Waterfall Quartier GF. Combining croissant and Japanese Taiyaki.

Emporium has a good food court, which I use when I am near. Its on the 5th floor with lots of Thai food and also Korean, Indian,Arab and Vietnamese stalls. Several mid-range Japanese and Chinese places around the food court and these have slightly higher prices. " Emporium Food Hall operates with a credit card system, which you are given when you enter the food court. The card has 3,000 baht of credit on it, which you use to purchase your food and drinks. You pay for your meal at the end, when you return the card. "

Sukhumwit is easy enough to cross, there are a few crossings and skywalks. It is also easy enough to take the Skytrain to Soi Cowboy or Nana or Patpong since there are Skytrain stations near each. If you stay at Soi13 then it is a short walk to either Soi Cowboy on Soi 23 or Nana on Soi 4. On Sukhumwit the massage places are concentrated around Soi 22/24 and around Soi 33, near to Phrom Phong BTS.

Hi Banditthaifur When you say massage parlors do you mean Sukhumwit soi 22/24 area or soi 33 area? or another area of BKK? There are massage shops all over BKK and there are several concentrations of them in different areas like Ratchadapidesek which has some really good soapy places like Poseidon and Emmanuel and Nataree was here which is often recommended in the forum. Let me know and I can probably help.

I had heard about this from someone in Bangkok who rents out their apartment on airbnb. The video is interesting and it seems it is uncertain what will happen.

Mrs. Balbir's Indian Restaurant 155/1-2 Soi Sukhumvit 11/1, Bangkok. Good place to have dinner. Nice Indian food without being too "chili hot". Food is all in good portions and tasty. It’s a little more expensive than some other indian places but for me its worth it. Tandoori chicken (nicely spiced), chicken curry, 2 plain naans came to around 400 baht. It seems to be a small chain, they also have a counter on the lower ground floor of Robinsons, Asoke, Sukhumvit Soi 19 and another in MBK Centre and another in Central Silom Complex and maybe others. All serve similar menu.