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(Bangkok Intro) (Bangkok Maps) (Hotels and GuestHouses) / (Emergency) / (Getting Around) (Women Where and How) / (Tips and Warnings) (Patpong) Bangkok |
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Population: 7.5 million Official tour guide book take on Bangkok "It's worth putting up with the coronary-inducing traffic jams, pollution, annual floods and sticky weather to experience one of Asia's most exciting cities. Bangkok has dominated Thailand's urban hierarchy, as well as its political, commercial and cultural life, since the late 18th century. Although the late 20th-century boom is over - you can still shop in air-conditioned comfort in Western-style malls - the city is a long way from being 'tamed' by commercial homogeneity. Bangkok proper seethes on the east side of the Chao Phraya River, drawing rural Thai folk into its cluttered fold daily. The city is reportedly sinking at a rate of 90cm (36in) every year, but there's too much happening in this vibrant city for anyone to get that sinking feeling for too long. Stand still for a while and the sanùk will soon take over. Metropolitan Bangkok covers 1569 sq km (612 sq mi) of southern Thailand, sitting smack in the middle of the most fertile rice-producing delta in the world. A network of natural and artificial canals crisscross the city, feeding to and from Thailand's hydrological lifeline - the broad Chao Phraya River - which snakes through the city providing transport for passengers and cargo. Bangkok is divided in two by the main north-south train line. Old Bangkok, where a large proportion of the city's temples and palaces and its Chinese and Indian districts are found, lies between the river and the railway. East of the railway, comprising the main business, tourist and sprawling residential districts, is 'new' Bangkok. Of course, outside of these general classifications, Bangkok sprawls in all directions with a mixture of commercial, industrial and residential areas. Bangkok international airport is in the Don Muang
district, about 25km (15mi) north of the city center. Buses, taxis and
trains all service the airport-city route" Ok, here is our general take on Bangkok Crowded, polluted, traffic from hell, noise pollution, the smell! But even with all this, every time I am there, I know I get this funny little smile on my face, the famous tune runs through my head and I say to myself "wow, I'm in Bangkok". Just the name "Bangkok" has this Exotic aura around it that is.... just overwhelming. I find with ex-pats there is no middle ground when it comes to Bangkok, either you love it or you only pass through on the way out to someplace else wanting to get the hell out of there as quickly as possible. I... Love it! I think Bangkok is exciting at times, scary at times, erotic and exotic at times but at all times I always feel alive here. Now, I would not like to live in Bangkok because I do think the daily intensity of everything would be too much, but to visit once in a while is invigorating for me at least.
The upside of coming to Bangkok Bangkok has it all. What ever you are looking for, what ever you are into, it is here! You can come to Bangkok and eat dinner at Tony Roma's and have coffee at Starbuck's or you could go down to the floating market and eat fried grasshoppers and drink iced coffee out of a plastic bag with the locals. You have access to the Thai culture if you wish but all the western culture icons are here as well. Sex, sex, sex, and more sex, more beer bars, ago-gos, discos, specialty clubs, gentlemen's clubs and freelancers then you could even imagine. Thousands and thousands of ladies to choose from, in all price ranges, fat, old, young, pretty, ugly, men, lady-boys, what ever you are into you can find it here. A quick note, the age of consent is 18 in Thailand, stick to it, if your looking for anything younger, your at the wrong website! and the wrong country! Go away!
The downside of coming to Bangkok You've got to be careful here, this is a big ass city with a crime rate that is on par with other cities of its size and this is not like other parts of Thailand where the crime rate against foreigners is relatively low, they will jack you up in a heart beat. Pollution, overcrowding and traffic, this is the same with any large city, its just worst here due to the fact that is does not have the same level of core infrastructure that you find in other large cities in the west. The smell, and I am sure that this is a cultural thing, what smells like heaven to me, like cheese, will knock a Thai off their feet from the stink. The same thing for me I have turned some corners in Bangkok to be hit by a stench that stopped me dead in my tracks but to a Thai its just dinner. The ladies are hard. The girls in Bangkok are much harder then the ladies you will find in Phuket or else where. And I have noticed that most of the ladies I have had in Bangkok look fucking stunning at the bar, but when I see them in the morning with the light of day and no make up, they look used for sure. I don't see this as much in other areas, if the lady is hot looking at night most of the time she will be looking just as hot at breakfast too, but not Bangkok girls. Bottom Line "one night in Bangkok makes a grown man humble"
Get a Hotel at the Airport Believe it or not this is not such a bad deal, if you do not already have a Hotel reservation there are many stations right at the airport that will sell you discounted room, you can find good deals here, state your price and location and they will work with you to find the right place. I've had good experiences here, never been ripped and at times have found good hotels at fair prices that I would have never known about other wise. Booking Links As Bangkok is huge you can imagine how many hotels there are so it would be point less for us to attempt to list them all. What we have done is below is a link list of booking site that you can check out and then below we will make some recommendations. http://bangkok.com/hotels/bangkok.shtm http://thailand-hotel.net/bangkok/by_location.htm http://www.directrooms-thailand.com/bangkok/ Some Recommendations Dynasty Inn Tai Pan
Hotel Emergency Contacts and Numbers Use the Tourist Police if at all possible they were set up to provide safety for tourists. You will find tourist Police in all the well know Tourism spots including Patpong, below are some emergency contact numbers, do use them as they really are helpful. In case of emergency, contact the Tourist Police Crime Suppression Division, 29/1 Unico House Building, Soi Lung Suan, Ploenchit Road, Bangkok Tourist Police: 1155 Police: 191 Fire: 195 Ambulance: 66-2-667-1000 Bangkok directory info: 13 Provincial directory info: 183 Amex Lost Card: 273-0044 Visa / M/C Lost Card: 252-2712
Public Transportation: If your
planning on using the bus system a must do is to get a bus map as soon
as you arrive. They're cheap and essential. Public buses are
everywhere, cheap and go to most destinations within metropolitan
Bangkok. Be prepared, they do not run like your buses back home, it is a
total free for all! During peak hours buses don't stop at bus
stops, they just slow down and its up to you to get on. Also if
they are unable to get over to the curb, they won't, they will just drop
people off in the middle of the street, so be prepared to get off when
you think its your stop. There are two types AC and Non AC, believe
me you do not want to take the Non AC pay the extra few baht and wait
for the AC bus, your nose will thank you. All Bangkok taxis have to be metered by law, never use an un-metered taxi. At times a driver will try and tell you that the meter is broken or some shit, ensure that he is using that meter or you will be in for a huge bill when you arrive at your hotel. If he won't or can't (yea right) turn on the meter, don't get angry just get out and get a new taxi. It should cost you about 180 to 200 bht to get from the Airport to the center of Bangkok, but if you use the expressway it will be an additional 70bht. In Bangkok,
there is no real need to use a Tuk Tuk other then to say that you
did. They will be the same price as the taxis, maybe a little
cheaper, but slower, no AC, and the Tuk Tuk drivers in BKK are nuts, get
ready for a driving adventure! There are many
boats along the Chao Phraya River. Some cross between landings on
opposite banks while the Chao Phraya Express boats travel upstream and
downstream within the metropolis. They also have river taxis down the
many klongs and canals that cris cross Bangkok. Fares range between 5
and 15 baht. Click here for a boat Map This is turned out to be very good for foreigners. Its cheap, quick and easy to use a highly recommend way to get around. Thai are not using this system too much due to the cost (40bht compared with 4bht for a bus), so it is relatively un crowded. Click here for a BTS Skytrain Map
We will be covering three well know spots, Nana, Patpong and Cowboy. We will also cover a few other well know spots in Bangkok like the well know "Eden Club". (Nana Plaza) / (Patpong) / (Soi Cowboy) / (Others)
USE THE TOURIST POLICE!
Bangkok has its share of crime but unlike other capitals, it has a special police force of English speaking officers set up to take care of foreigners in the event of trouble, always call the Tourist Police (Tel: 1155). The main thing with Tourist Police is that they are trained to take the side of the foreigner, where as the normal Police with out question will side with the Thai, and in many cases where a scam is involved might be in cohorts with the thief or scam artist. If you are ever in trouble for any reason ask for the Tourist Police. This is an absolute must. Like other law enforcers, the Tourist Police wear brown paramilitary uniforms and carry guns. What distinguishes them are their shoulder badges that read "Tourist Police" and their berets in place of helmets. Areas to Avoid The sprawling Klong Toey slum south of the city, near the port go here at your own risk, the Tourist Police wont be here. Passport Do carry a passport photocopy and the hotel's card written in Thai at all times, in case of problems. Do not carry your passport with you while out and about. Sex, Drugs and Rock & Roll Drugs are definitely not worth it in Thailand. The penalty if you get caught is harsh, and the Thai jails suck! Believe me I know.... but that's another story. Thais do take drugs. Speed (yaw-baa, ice, shabu, crank) is becoming huge over here and could be described as Thailand's crack problem. Ecstasy, heroin and marijuana are also around. Thai dealers will not approach you, if they are caught dealing to foreigners it could double their jail time. If someone does approach you it is more them likely a rip-off or scam, and again its just not worth the cost here. Yep this is Adult Disney Land for sure, what ever, when ever, how ever you want it you got it here. But Thais know where to draw the line, no matter if people believe it or not they certainly do object to sexual slavery and take a no prisoners approach to child sex workers (they are getting tried of being branded as the place to go for this, I have lived here a long time and have never seen this at all). Also there have now been reported incidences of foreigners being blackmailed by those claming to be underage but are not and are often in cahoots with the men in brown uniforms. Bottom line is that the age of consent in Thailand is 18 even if looks underage stay the fuck away! Penalties for statutory rape are severe.
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