hello everyone

[renton]

hi everyone Im a 22 year old British bloke whos gonna be in Thailand (Bangkok first,then who knows) for 4-6 weeks this summer as part of a world traveling mission, probably off sometime late june/ early july.

As you can imagine I have the inevitable couple questions for ya if you could be so kind1 Sorry if these have been done, I did try the search function but couldn't really find a concise answer....

1. Is it true that a beer bar is essentially a quieter ,more relaxed version of a go-go bar? would that not be a better bet then for a newbie? If so could you give me the adress of a reasonably good one, so Iv got a starting point in BKK!

2. Do you think I would be best off staying in the Kho San Rd area where Iv heard all the budget accom. is , or staying nearer the soi cowboy etc?? what sort of distance to all the go-gos etc would it be if I did stay in Khao San?

cheers for any help you can give me, Id be on the fecking plane right now if it were up to me

[MrDK]

Welcome to the Board.
See answers in red

Originally Posted by renton

1. Is it true that a beer bar is essentially a quieter ,more relaxed version of a go-go bar? Correct
would that not be a better bet then for a newbie? IMO you should explore all the options.
If so could you give me the adress of a reasonably good one, so Iv got a starting point in BKK! Beer Garden in Soi 7 is quite popular, however, walk around in the different Sois and pop in when something attracts you.

2. Do you think I would be best off staying in the Kho San Rd area where Iv heard all the budget accom. is , or staying nearer the soi cowboy etc?? what sort of distance to all the go-gos etc would it be if I did stay in Khao San? Not sure what you budget is, but somewhere between Nana EP and Soi Cowboy will get you a good or resonable location. If you can afford the 12-1500 baht level there are several around Soi 4; very close to Nana

[aussie dollar]

cheap accommodation is available all over Bangkok.
there is many areas around bangkok with beer bars etc. will get different opinions about these areas from Board members.
the night market is good for drinking but bar girls generally not avaiable also food is quite reasonable

Suan Lum Night Market | Store/Shop Review | Bangkok | Frommers.com

the subway has a stop at these markets also skytrain is cheap easy way around can buy day ticket (120 baht ?)for cheap price

Transport

BTS Sky Train

[IRISH JONNY]

Hi And Welcome To The Board...do Some Reading.lots Of Great Info On Here........ij

[renton]

cheers for the responses guys. had a proper look through the boards , pretty clued up on a lot of stuff that I wouldnt otherwise have had a clue about until I got there so glad I found ya/!

I guess you can never truly learn the ropes until you go, hopefully I can find some fellow westerners to clue me up when I get there.Speaking of which, can anyone tell me how common it is too see lone-travelers out there? How sociable westerners who dont know each other previously are to each other etc?
cheers sam

[MrDK]

If you go to Patong ... easy ... just visit MTB around 10PM. There are always some traveling BM's there and usually some locals.

Otherwise, meeting other farangs is just as much a matter of how social you are. Go out as the evening begins and mingle. In Bangkok and Pattaya this may also be applicable during the late afternoon.

[Nanook]

Hi and welcome here. Lot's of guys who can give you good info and also try to search around the various topics.

[rathcoole_exile]

don't stay on Khao San Road; it's worth a visit to take a look, particulary to cool down over a beer if you've done any cultural/touristy things like visit the Royal Palace, gone on a Klong (canal) tour etc. But basically it's full of dreadlocked backpackers. I've got nothing against them, but my guess is that if you're on this Forum, your tastes are a little more, how shall we say, girl orientated ?
best bet is to stay somewhere in lower Sukhimvit between Nana & Cowboy so you can flit betwen the two. A taxi ride to Khao San will be about 80baht, just over a quid, and can take anything between 25 minutes and 3 hours to get there depending on time of day, traffic, protests etc
Or take the BTS from Nana or Asok to Payathai and grab a cab, that will significantly cut down on time spent idling in traffic. Better yet, just stay around Nana/Cowboy get pissed on cheap beer and cop off with more gorgeous girls than you could ever imagine

[renton]

thanks guys, didnt realise there was so much polarisation betwen backpacker-types and convential 'tourists' in LOS. Do the backpackers not go for the BGs then?

I do like cultural sights , 'authentic' experiences etc to a point, but to be brutally honest if It came down to a choice between those and shagging beautiful women for next to nothing, it'd be no contest

reckon what i'll do is stay on sukhumvit somewhere mid-range and spend anwhere between two days and a week in BKK (dont wanna plan too much) and then probably head on to Pattaya and who's knows where from there

[rathcoole_exile]

get one of your LT girls to spend the following day with you to show you around, on the river bus etc.
then let her drag you back kicking & screaming to your hotel room after you've treated her for lunch

and yes, about the back packers, they are an alien breed compared to mongers.