Thailand Trip Update #2

Sawadee krup TBF Travelers!

One of the questions travelers ask about their first trip to Thailand is “how much money should I bring to spend?” The Thai answer to that question would be: “up to you.” And before I tell you the American answer, let me talk about some ways to save some money on your trip to Thailand .

The easy way to save money in Thailand is to do what the locals do. This applies to eating, transportation, shopping, activities, and banking or money exchange. One of the complaints against tourism in Thailand is the dual-priced system that tends to charge a premium price to ‘farang’ foreigners. Farang is a century old term that refers to ‘people of white skin’ and is derived from either the French word for themselves: Francais, or the Thai word for guava: Farang, which sometimes we look like. Either way, the term is not meant in a derogatory manner, but rather a description of the mostly European and Australian tourists. Farang tend to be charged more when shopping in tourist areas, when visiting Thailand ’s National Parks and major attractions, and when taking non-meter taxis or Tuk Tuks. Sometimes speaking Thai well enough can lower your price, and most of the time being with a Thai person will definitely lower your price. But there are some easy ways you can ‘get killer deals’ and spend less Baht without receiving less for your money while you are out and about on your own.

Dining

Two big advantages of eating like a local are saving money and eating fresh food. Pick a popular local Thai restaurant that has lots of people eating in it and they are probably going through fresh vegetables and meats as fast as they can pick them and kill them or get them from the local market where someone else just did it. Everything is fresh, everything gets cooked and used every day. And local restaurants are much cheaper than fancy international restaurants. Now I am not trying to discourage anyone from enjoying fancy cuisine, or splurging on a beautiful meal in a spacious and elegant restaurant – there are plenty of those and I can list them for you or point them out. In fact the fancy restaurants are much easier to find than the local restaurants – because they have ads in the airline magazines and local maps and guidebooks. The smaller Thai restaurants are generally off the main strip and sometimes difficult to spot. Two easy to spot signs of a local Thai restaurant are: hanging chickens or hanging red pork loins. The chickens signify a place that serves ‘khao man gai’ which is chicken (gai in Thai) served over rice cooked in chicken broth, a delicious and affordable dish that is very basic. Served with a spicy sauce on the side and cucumbers it generally will cost between 90 cents and $1.50. The marinated pork loins; which makes them look red, are sliced and served in a brown gravy over steamed rice and called ‘khao moo dang’. Pork is ‘moo’ in Thai. Another easy to spot place to eat, especially on Koh Samui, is the roadside Noodle Carts. You will see the ‘moo dang’ (dang is the Thai word for red) hanging in glass cases at little carts parked on the road or in parking lots selling bowls of delicious noodle soup with a choice of noodles, lots of vegetables and slices of the marinated pork loin or pork egg noodle dumplings. A bowl generally costs about a dollar, with free refills of the soup broth. In general the smaller local Thai restaurants will be significantly less expensive than the hotel restaurants and the bigger more popular fancy Thai restaurants. There is a huge difference in décor – be prepared to sit on small plastic chairs or stools and use tiny paper tissues as napkins – but you can always be assured that any restaurant you eat in, no matter how small, is using clean bottled water with commercial ice cubes, so anything you drink, even water that is poured from a pitcher, is safe.

Drinking

You will be doing a lot of drinking in Thailand . Especially water, as the temperature and humidity of Thailand tends to cause dehydration in some new travelers. It is easy to get caught up in all of the excitement and adventure and forget to drink not only enough, but extra water to help the body acclimate to the new tropical weather conditions. Plus the international flight can cause dehydration as can consumption of caffeine and alcohol beverages – two things Thailand has lots of! Every hotel we stay in will provide two bottles of drinking water each day per room. There will also be some additional bottles available in the mini-bar. My recommendation is to ‘stock-up’ at the local 7-Eleven or Family Mart with bottled water. You can buy a full liter bottle of water for 20 Baht at a Family Mart or pay 45 Baht for a small 8 ounce bottle of water in your room. Up to you. It will be 5 times less expensive than in the mini-bar and you can also pick up other beverages such as the Thai energy drinks like M-150, Krating Dang, or White Shark, a variety of iced coffee drinks like Milky Birdy, or even some of the famous Birds Nest soup drinks. Or beer. The best place to buy beer is 7-Eleven, and in many bars you are allowed to bring in your own beer! A bottle of Singha beer will be 30 Baht in the store and 100 Baht or more in the bar.

Driving

A rule we tell all of our travelers regarding taxis is: get out if they are non-meter taxis. When taxi drivers try to ‘bargain’ with you and want to quote you a price it is because they will charge you a lot more than the meter would. Always ask a taxi driver if they are meter either before getting in or before getting started. This will save you lots of Baht. If you are taking a Tuk Tuk or a Rot Song Tao; two local transportation modes in Thailand , make sure to ask the price before you get in and get going. A bargain mode of transportation in Bangkok and on Koh Samui is motorbike taxis. They will be parked at corners and all motorbike taxi drivers wear orange or yellow vests with their driver number on them. They will usually be sitting on their motorbikes on the sidewalk waiting for customers. For local rides they are the best – if you don’t mind a little daring driving occasionally like going up on sidewalks or against traffic on one way streets. A mode of transportation we enjoy and will share with you in Bangkok is the BTS Skytrain which has now three elevated train lines that cover most of Bangkok , including across the Chaopraya River to Thonburi where we live and now even to the airport. Renting cars or jeeps is available at Khao Lak and on Koh Samui – but the less expensive way to get around is with a motorbike. These rent for about 10 dollars a day and can go a full day on about 5 dollars in gas. Of course you have to have a motorcycle license or at least be very comfortable riding motorcycles before renting and driving one – especially on Koh Samui which is the “motorbike fatality capital of Thailand .” More on motorbike rentals and usage in an upcoming activity email.

Shopping

For everything you will buy in Thailand you will definitely save money if you buy it where locals buy it. This includes food, clothes, transportation and souvenirs. As I mentioned in a previous email there will be different places to shop: the street, markets, stores, and malls – so if you can find the streets, markets, stores and malls that have more Thai people than Farangs, you will probably get better deals and save money.

Activities

Two very popular activities for Thai people are visiting temples and visiting waterfalls. Both in a sense are spiritual places for the Thai people. Buddhist temples are found in every community; Buddhism is the dominant ‘religion’ with 95% of the country being Buddhist - even though it technically it is more a philosophy than a religion because Buddhists do not believe in God. So there are an abundance of Buddhist temples or Wats that are splendidly and elaborately built and decorated – many centuries old, that show the history, art, and culture of Thailand in the buildings and on their grounds. Most Wats will have a steady stream of visitors on weekends, especially the more popular ones, and the majority will be Thai people. Waterfalls are also very popular on weekends for Thai families. They are probably the most popular picnic sites for Thai people, who love to ‘leave the city’ on weekends and visit the waterfalls in the country. Most waterfalls will have access trails that are easy to follow, and some will even have signs leading the way on longer treks.

A very popular activity for both Thai people and tourists is getting a Thai Massage. This ancient practice of massage focuses on the ‘meridian lines’ that transport energy through your body and using acupressure, stretching and sports massage it reinvigorates and relaxes your body at the same time. Thai massage is the best in the world, and in Thailand a 2-hour Thai massage can be as low as $12! Once again the key to getting a lower priced Thai massage is to avoid the places that cater to tourists: like Spas in the hotel or other resorts. Look for Thai massage places that are frequented by locals (we will take you to one in Bangkok ) and be prepared to pay a little more for Thai massage on the beach.

At each location we stay at we always include a Free Day to give travelers a chance to either rest or try some adventurous activities: like scuba diving, bungee jumping, or motorbiking on their own. If there is a special activity you know about that you would like to try while on your trip in Thailand let us know and we can help you arrange it and get you the best price.

Banking

The easiest way to have cash available with you on your trip is to use your ATM card. ATM machines will be readily available everywhere we are in Thailand – with the exception of out on the lake in Khao Sok for one day – and they always offer the latest and best exchange rate. If you are bringing Travelers Checks, make sure they are American Express – most others are not taken in Thailand . To cash them you have to present your passport – which goes against one of our recommendations of always leaving your passport locked in the safe in your hotel room – so, it is really better to bring 100 dollar bills if you are bringing cash, and just don’t lose them. Make sure they are clean and fresh 100’s and there will be plenty of Currency Exchange booths and counters that offer current exchange rates. These are always better than exchanging currency at either your resort or a travel agency that books tours and activities. When you arrive in Bangkok it is recommended to exchange only a small amount of dollars into Baht – either 50 or 100 dollars, rather than all of your US currency - as the airports generally give a lower exchange rate than the other banks and exchange counters.

Tipping

Tipping is not a big tradition in Thailand . The three types of tipping we find common on our trips with our travelers is at restaurants, with service oriented individuals such as porters, bellboys, maids, and massage therapists, and with travel guides and drivers. At most local restaurants tips are not expected from the wait staff. Some Thai people will leave the few Baht in coins as change for a tip, others will not. As a rule we generally leave a small amount at local restaurants 10 to 20 Baht. It is of course different in bigger or fancier restaurants – they will usually have an added service charge. When we stay at hotels or resorts we always tip the staff well. The average wage in Thailand is about 200 Baht a day for most workers in the tourist industry. A 100 Baht is a very nice tip to the bellboy who brought up your luggage when you check in or to the maid who cleaned your room for your stay. For Massage therapists I generally give at least 100 Baht tip. One hundred Baht is also a nice tip to the Guide who led you on your activity such as elephant trekking or zip line canopy tour or temple tour. As a rule many of the tourists who visit Thailand from Europe and Asia tip very little or not at all. I have always found that rewarding good service and a Thai smile with a tip always made the smile bigger and the service better.

So with all of these ways to spend money while in Thailand how much should you plan on spending over two weeks? We generally use the figure of $500 per person as normal amount of spending with meals, activities and shopping for most travelers. This would include buying souvenirs, getting Thai massages, renting a motorbike, and some free day activities. Of course it could be more if you add in Scuba Diving which is about $120-$175 per day depending upon location and equipment, or if you are planning on having custom made clothing tailored or buying some Thai gems, silk or teak furniture. Again it helps to have that ATM available to pull out some more Baht – and if you are planning on using your credit cards or bank cards you may want to alert your company that you will be in Thailand – occasional travelers have had problems authorizing purchases on cards that were not pre-notified of travel plans.

Thank you for sending in your final payments on the trip before the end of the month. Please let us know if you have any questions about the trip or Thailand .

Bill