Sawadee Krup TBF
Travelers!
In just seventeen weeks you will all
be flying across the Pacific Ocean, crossing the International Date Line and on
your way to Bangkok for the Thailand Beach Party Adventure. The trip will be led
by our TBF Travel Guide Dan Foster, who will fly with the group departing out of
San Francisco on November 17th – requiring checking in at San Francisco
International Airport on Friday night, November 16th. I have put together this
email filled with various information to help answer any questions about
Thailand or the trip that you may have. Please let me know if you have questions
about anything covered or missed in this email.
Travel Information Summary
Here is a recap of the important
travel preparations you need to have taken care of before you arrive at the
airport on Friday
November 16th.
1. You must have a current passport
valid until at least May 2013.
2. You should have updated
vaccinations for travel to Southeast Asia . DO NOT Take any Malaria medicine -
not necessary for our travel locations.
3. You should sign up for the China
Air frequent flyer program called Dynasty Flyer if you are flying with China
Air, information is at: http://www.china-airlines.com/en/club/club_mi_2.htm
Locations
You will begin the trip with two
nights in Bangkok , staying at the luxurious Pullman Bangkok Hotel (formerly
called the Sofitel Silom). Bangkok is a huge city with over 10 million people
and has many outstanding attractions, two of which: The Royal Grand Palace and
the Temple of Dawn , you will get to see and experience while on your short stay
there.
Next you will fly south the Krabi,
and then by private transport and longtail boat, journey to the isolated
spectacular peninsula called Railay Bay for five nights stay. At this point the
Beach Party Adventure group will join the Beach Adventure group (who have been
in Thailand since November 11, spending two nights in Bangkok then 7 nights in
Khao Lak and Khao Sok) for their second week of their trip. We will have a big
fun group to enjoy all of the beauty, delicious food, and adventure activities
that Railay Bay has to offer including: rock climbing and abseiling, snorkeling
and sea kayaking, jungle trekking and cave exploration, temple visits and local
market shopping – plus the famous Railay Bay Adventure
Race! This fun event is geared towards all levels and abilities and
will take place on our free day at Railay Bay , allowing us the rest of the day
for either rest and relaxation or further adventure.
The second week of the Beach Party
Adventure will take place on the island of Koh Samui , located in the Gulf of
Thailand and Thailand ’s third largest island. Koh Samui is famous for its
beautiful white sand beaches that ring the entire island, the beautiful and
rugged interior of the island that contains jungles, mountains, and waterfalls,
plus the endless options for dining, shopping, and entertainment. One of our
activities will be a trip to the nearby island of Koh Phangan , for the Full
Moon Beach Party, that happens once a month, and takes place on a beach called
Hat Rin at the southern end of the island. Besides the Full Moon Party we will
experience elephant trekking, snorkeling and sea kayaking, and zipline canopy
touring. There are some very interesting Buddhist temples on the island; 18
total, of which we will visit the two most noted: The Big Buddha and Wat Plai
Laem on a tour of the island on our first full day.
Currency: Currently
the US Dollar is nearly 31 Baht. One hundred dollars will exchange for about
3,100 Baht. Some common prices are: lunch with drink at small local restaurant -
70 baht, 1-hour Thai massage - 300 baht, Thai silk sarong - 200 baht. We
recommend bringing either American Express Travelers Checks or 100 dollar bills
that are in clean, new and in good shape. They will not exchange marked, torn or
old bills. There is a lower exchange rate for smaller US bills. If you are going
to use Travelers Checks make sure they are American Express and remember you
need to present your passport when cashing them. Typically travelers bring about
$400 - $600 for their trip as "spending" money: for shopping, drinks, meals,
massage, etc... ATM machines are available everywhere we go - so accessing your
funds is easy.
When you arrive in Bangkok , you
will all want to stop at the Exchange Counter in the airport and turn your nice,
clean, new 100 dollar bills into Thai Baht. Be sure to ask for smaller bills:
50's and 100's, this way you will be prepared for shopping, where
sometimes smaller places will not take the larger 1,000 baht bills. The exchange
rate is not the best at the airport, you will have a chance to exchange money on
Sunday night or Monday morning, so only exchange a little bit of US Dollars –
not your whole fund.
The Thai bath paper notes come in
20, 50, 100, 500, and 1,000 paper notes, each one a different color and growing
in size slightly as they increase in value. There used to be a small 10 baht
note, and it is occasionally still found. Each note has a picture of the King.
The coins are 1, 5, and 10 baht, and there are even smaller coins used as 1/4
and 1/2 baht. Usually you have to be shopping "local" to encounter these smaller
coins.
Tipping has only recently arrived to
Thailand , and is mostly a Western practice brought over by Americans. When
staying at the hotels it is customary to tip the bellman that brings your
baggage up to your room. A good tip would be 50 baht, and a generous tip would
be 100 baht, or about $2.50. When dining in restaurants tipping is less common,
especially among the Thai people and the European tourists. A fairly common
practice is to leave the coins, 10 to 20 baht or so, that comes back from paying
the bill when dining at the smaller local restaurants.
Electricity: Outlets in
Thailand are 220 volt and will need a converter adaptor to change from the 110
volt used here. These converters can be purchased at REI or Radio Shack.
Essentials: The really
important essentials are just your passport and your ATM – everything else you
can purchase over in Thailand if you forgot to bring it. It is always good to
have enough memory cards for your camera and spare batteries if you need them. A
few things that generally are more expensive to buy in Thailand would be: sun
block, insect repellent, and film.
Packing
List: Here is, between
Worawan and myself, what we would recommend bringing as a guideline for new
travelers to Thailand . Remember: PACK
LIGHT - if you didn't bring it, you won't have to carry it, and you
can buy it if you really need it.
Worawan
says: 3 pr socks, a pair of sandals,
and running shoes. Some workout shorts, a couple pairs of casual shorts,
Capri's, a pair of long pants or zip-off pants for the Grand Palace Tour, a
dress outfit, some tank tops or t-shirts (avoid cotton if possible), sports
bras, underwear, a hat, personal cosmetics and toiletries.
Bill says: 3 pr socks, a pair of sandals, 2 pr of shorts with pockets, a pair of zip-off jungle pants (turn into shorts), 5 dri-fit or dri-release t-shirts, (no long sleeve needed), 2 dress shirts with or without collars. A pair of run shoes and casual shoes, running hat, sunglasses, and Frisbee. Laundry can be done at Railay Bay and Koh Samui very easily and cheaply.
Cool to
have: video camera, travel neck pillow,
a waterproof bag, journal, small travel alarm clock, money belt or money sachet,
hat to keep sun off face, snorkeling mask.
Shopping: There will be an abundance of places to shop for tourist and travel items on Ko Samui, with the main strip on Chaweng Beach a shoppers Mecca . We will also visit several other spots on our Island Tour that will have handicrafts and other locally made souvenirs. Ko Samui would also be a good place to have any custom clothing tailor made.
Pharmacies in Thailand have
available most remedies and medicines for common travel illnesses; many
prescription strength back in the US . We would strongly recommend bringing some
spray-on Insect Repellent with Deet to help keep the mosquitoes away in the
evenings. Women also found it helpful to have small packages of tissue for
visiting the local bathrooms.
Activities:
All of our
activities on the trip are optional, meaning you are always free to take a day
off and rest, or plan an alternate activity. One of the highlights for me on Koh
Samui is riding my motorbike around the island. This is also one of the most
dangerous activities, as Ko Samui is the ‘motorbike accident’ capital of
Thailand . For anyone interested, TBF Guide Dan can schedule a morning of
motorbike lessons for those interested in renting a motorbike and using it to
tour around the island. There will be lots of opportunities for ‘night time’
activities on Ko Samui including Muay Thai kickboxing matches, Cabaret shows,
dance clubs, and after hour parties. At Railay Bay there are no roads, but there
are plenty of small beach bars that offer nighttime entertainment, all within
walking distance of our resort.
Here is a list of Thailand Cultural
Do’s and Don’ts.
Top Five Cultural Rules for Tourists
in Thailand
- The Buddha - Respect all Buddha images, do not climb or sit upon statues.
- The King - The current King Rama the 9th is very loved and respected. Do not speak poorly of the King or show any disrespect to any image of the King, including paper money notes.
- The Monks/Elders - Buddhist monks wear the colorful saffron robes. Women may not touch or hand anything directly to a monk. Show respect and offer seats to monks and elders when riding on the Skytrain or Subway in Bangkok .
- Head/Feet - The head is considered the most sacred and revered part of the body and should not be touched. The feet are considered the lowest part of the body and should not be pointed (soles) at any person or Buddha image. Nor should they be placed upon furniture, nor used to pick up clothing, point at things, or to pass food among friends. Shoes should be removed when entering Buddhist residents or establishments. If you see shoes outside - take yours off.
- Dogs/Cats - Do not pet the dogs in Thailand . They will leave you alone - if you leave them alone. Petting leads to snapping and biting. Cats on the other hand are generally very friendly.
Sawadee
Krup!
Bill
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