Good morning TBF Travelers!
In just a little over four 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 Adventure. Your trip will
start on Friday November 16th as you meet one another at the
International terminal of the San Francisco Airport at 9 pm for check in with
Dan Foster, the TBF Guide leading the Beach Party Adventure. I will send out a
specific and detailed travel email with airport instructions in two weeks; this
email is your pre-flight email with general travel information. Worawan and I
will meet everyone in Railay Bay , on Tuesday November 20th when you
arrive in the afternoon. After reading this email, please let us know if you
have further 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, information is at: http://www.china-airlines.com/en/club/club_mi_2.htm
Locations
You will begin your trip with two
nights in Bangkok , staying at the luxurious Pullman Hotel in the Silom district
of Bangkok. Bangkok is a huge city with over 10 million people and has many
outstanding attractions, two of which: The Royal Grand Palace and Wat Arun, or
Temple of Dawn , you will get to see and experience while on your short stay
there.
Next you will fly to Krabi on
Tuesday, and start your stay at Railay Bay , a paradise ‘island’ (actually a
peninsula) in southern Thailand that will make you want to never leave. Or at
least return again soon! Here you will enjoy soft white sand beaches with
splendid sunsets, delicious tropical cocktails with live local music at little
beach bars, and activities such as: rock climbing, abseiling, snorkeling, jungle
trekking, adventure racing, and sea kayaking during the day, followed up by Thai
massages and candlelight cocktails on the beach after dinner.
On Sunday November 25 the Beach
Party Adventure fly to Koh Samui to spend the next five nights on a real
tropical island, ringed with white sand beaches, this island has a mountainous
center filled with waterfalls and jungles and beach communities with shopping
and entertainment options such as bungee jumping, soccer golf, go kart racing,
zip line canopy tours, deep sea fishing, spas, snake farms and more. During our
stay on Koh Samui we will visit the sister island of Koh Phangan for a night of
fun and adventure at the world famous Full Moon Party.
Currency: Currently
the US Dollar is little over 30 Baht. One hundred dollars will exchange
for about 3,000 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 at dinner or Monday morning, so only exchange a little bit of US
Dollars – not your whole fund.
The Thai Baht 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, 2, 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 is different in Thailand ,
where it 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 $3.25. 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. Some
modern electronic devices, such as some laptops and chargers, can run on both
220 and 110. Check the labels on any device you are unsure of.
Essentials: The really
important essentials are your passport and ATM card – everything else you can
purchase over in Thailand if you forget to bring it. It is always good to have
enough memory cards for your camera and spare batteries and chargers if you need
them. A few things that generally are more expensive to buy in Thailand would
be: sun block, insect repellent, and memory cards.
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 casual or 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
or 3 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 water shoes, running
hat, sunglasses, and Frisbee or other toy. Laundry can be done at Railay Bay
and on 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 or swim goggles.
Shopping: There will
be a chance for street shopping outside of the hotel in the Silom district of
Bangkok, with Patpong down to the left of the hotel and a Thai handicraft market
to the right of the hotel. Monday you will visit one of the major malls for
lunch, and shopping the afternoon away on ‘ Mall Main Street ’ – where five
mega-malls are located, is an option instead of Thai massage.
Railay
Bay is without a huge shopping or
tourist areas, but there will be opportunistic visits to local markets in Ao
Nang and Krabi. There will be lots of shopping opportunities on Koh Samui. On
our Island tour on Monday we will visit 2 or 3 favorite local sites with
souvenirs and tourist shopping and the main strip of Chaweng, a mecca of stores
and shops, is just a few minutes from your resort.
Pharmacies in Thailand have
available most remedies and medicines for common travel illnesses; many that are
prescription strength back in the US . We recommend obtaining local anti-biotics
from a Thai pharmacy if you experience any gastric distress. We would also
strongly recommend bringing some spray-on Insect Repellent with Deet to help
keep the mosquitoes away in the evenings. Women found it helpful to have small
packages of tissue for visiting the local bathrooms that they can carry around
with them.
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 in
Thailand is riding a motorbike. This is also one of the most dangerous
activities, as Thailand has a large amount of motorcycle accidents and
fatalities – Koh Samui having the most of any tourist location in Thailand . For
anyone interested, Dan and I will schedule an afternoon of motorbike lessons for
those interested in renting a motorbike and using one on either Koh Samui. There
will be opportunities for riding the motorbikes on the free day and for local
trips out and about.
One of the most un-Thai things you
can do in Thailand is to raise your voice and yell. Here is a basic list of five
more 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.
I will send out a final Trip Update
Email the in two weeks with hotel contact information and flight and airport
tips.
Sawadee
Krup!
Bill
No comments:
Post a Comment