Woot - my Thailand guide

[billfred]

Here is some places to check out. I will get you started and we can expand as I learn your taste.

Bangkok is fantastic city. Learn the sky-train quick as it is the only way to get around with any speed at all. My taste is a little expensive so if this doesn't work, let me know and we can dial it back.

Favorite hotels are:

Four Seasons - Middle of city - looks over horse racing track. Great pool - great service.

Hyatt Erawan - Same block as four seasons. Has this Italian restaurant in the bottom that turns into a night club at 10 pm. Lots of high $$ pros in that joing.

Shangri - La - on the river. Great views. Fantastic italian restaurant.

Oriental - consistantly rated the #1 hotel in the world but not that expensive - relatively (about $250/night). Amazing service - on the river. Where the rich and famous hang out.

 

[billfred]

Great food in Bangkok:

Bhaan Kaanitta - upscale Thai food. Some people don't like as it is expensive for Thai food but they have great atmosphere and the food is excellent. Try the Pomolo salad (Yam Samo) - amazing.

Face - this is an Indian / Thai restaurant. I like the Indian side. Hard to find - get directions from the hote. There is no sign on it just a picture face.
They built this as old thai houses in the city. Filled with Antiques - including the flooring.

Sirroco - this is like on the 81st story roof of a building. Food is good /pricey but the view is out if this world. Bar actually hangs over the building and there is no barriers keeping you from jumping dropping your drink or anything.
Chocolate creme brulee will give you wood.

Belle Guardo - this is an fantastic Italian restaurant mistakenly put in the bottom of the biggest shopping mall (Siam Paragon) in Thailand. Chef/owner is Marco. He gave me cooking lessons when I lived there. Best food in town - atmosphere is ok. Mall is full of rich good looking Thai women so that helps.

Caldarozzo - again great Italian food. Homemade pasta. On a really cool street full of restaurant. Check out the starbucks down the street in an old thai house. Can also go up the street a bit to a place called Ad Maker that is a Thai/Expat hangout with a local band playing 70/80's music - excellent place.

Angelini's - at the Shangri-la looking on the river. Good Italian. Chocolate sufle is the best I have had.

Zinnotti's - my last Italian recomendation. That town is full of great Italian restaurants. This one is close to Patpong so a good launching point if you are heading that direction.

 

[billfred]

Nightlife

There is two ways you can go here - the professional sure thing route or the night club pretty much sure thing route. I will start with some of the later.

Hard Rock Cafe - Siam Square - usually has a philipino band playing some reasonable music. About 50% of the girls there are pros but don't act it or look it. You will find out later.

Q Bar - old standby. Lots of 20 something there.

Bed bar - have not actually been here but it was the most popular when I was there.

Spasso - hotel bar in bottom of Hyatt. Good bands (usually Canadian) and lot of girls - about 80% pros.

There will be plenty of other hot clubs there. Ask around - it is too dynamic a sceen and my knowledge is about 2 yrs old.

 

[billfred]

Going to the dark side:

Ranked from darkest to lightest

Patpong - oldest and most famous redlight district in Thailand. Many American GI's from the Vietnam war are still there. Parts of Deer Hunter was filmed there as well. They openned a night market in the streets and the bars are dirty and musty. Way crouded - fire hazzard. I would really give it a miss unless it is something on your list to do before you die.

Soi Nanna - on Sukumvit Soi 4. Easy to get too. Easy to get out of. 4 floors of whores. Be careful with the corner bar on the 2nd floor. All those georgous really big girls are doods. My tailor is right in front of this place and that is the main reason I go to that area. Overall it is hit or miss.

Soi Cowboy - Pretty close to Nanna - across the street about 1 mile further down. Just one street with bar after bar on each side. There is a couple of places that give action on the spot - avoid those - you will know them when you walk in - they smell bad and the girls are ugly. This is really the oilfield hangout. If you want to find guys in your trade - they will be there.

Art District - soi 33. All the bars here are named after famous artist.
Rembrant, Dali's etc. This place is pricey but the girls are way way better looking. You get what you pay for I guess. Some decent restaurants here as well. There is a Texas BBQ place on a side street called the Blue Moon - waitresses are in the game. Next door is a bar called Non-Members Only - lol. Good place to shoot some pool.

Up from there are some places that only the very rich hang out at. They have imported chics there that are tall and light skin. The rich Thai's pay big bucks for those traits. Avoid them if possible. A cup of coffee in one of those places is going to cost you $100.

 

[billfred]

Getting out of Bangkok a bit.

The big towns have airports and all are 1 hour flight from Bangkok. Chiang Mai and Phuket are two completely opposite trips (mountains vs beach) and both worth a visit.

I did not spend enough time in Chiang Mai to become and expert but did some bike rides up there at the end of my stay and realized I should have done more up there.

You are going in the rainy season so this area will be a little less flooded than the rest of the country.

Phuket is a fantastic resort Island. You can go from 5 star to cheap bungalow and everything in between. Lots of different beaches as well from Patong with a night life to ones with just one hotel in a nice private cove. Good restaurants around the Shereton / Dusit hotels on the north side.

Near Phuket is a town called Krabi. My favorite beach area in Thailand. There are lots of little micro Island resorts here. Releih beach is my favorite. Some excellent rock climbing there and also some great kayak trips back up in the rivers. I have posted pics of this place before. If you have not seen them, I will post again. It is surreal good looking. The Beach movie was filmed at Koh Phi Phi - near here.

 

[wootoom]

fuck i love you bro! thanks!

 

[billfred]

Chiang Mai / Chiang Rai

1 hour flight north from Bangkok. Cool mountains and temples.

5 star hotels include the Four Seasons in Chiang Mai - it is a bit out of town and secluded. I would not go there unless you hade a sleeping dictionary with you. Other older hotels are clean and fine. Chiang Mai was once a Capital city for the Northern nation. Still has an old city wall and moat.

City zoo has some panda bears on loan from China - kinda cool. Lot's of Italian men set up little restaraunts up there so again, stick to the Italian food and you can't go wrong. There is a nice Irish Pub in town as well but I can't remember the name.

Chiang Rai - is a nice 1 hour mountain drive from Chian Mai. Smaller city on the Golden Triangle. 5 Star hotel is the Baahn Boran - which means ancient house. It is right on the Laos/Myanmar Thai border.

From either Chiang Mai or Chiang Rai you can book an elephant trek. I would give it a skip. Didn't think it was much fun.

For more adventure - find the guy who does mountain biking trips out of Chiang Mai. They take you up to the top of the mountain in a truck and you haul ass down the back side.

From Chiang Mai you can catch a flight over to Mai Hong Song where and see the long neck tribes.

Also, from Chiang Rai you can drive up to the border town of Mai Sai. It is small but kind of cool. They have a street lined with little guys grinding down rubies for sale.