Travel in Thailand

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Sawadeekrap! Welcome to Thailand.

Err.. Wait, planned to travel in Thailand? Let's bring you in into Thai Kingdom.

## Get In

### By car

For Malaysia (including Singapore), you can enter Thailand via Rantau Panjang, Pengkalan Hulu, Bukit Kayu Hitam or Padang Besar.

For Cambodia, can enter via Poi Pet

For Laos, can enter via Vientiane.

During you stamp your passport or border pass, please do a declare at the immigration by buying Thai insurance which costs as cheap as 70THB/RM10 for 1 week ; 280bhat/RM38 for 1 month ; 500bhat/RM70 for 6 months and 750bhat/RM110 for 1 year. It's recommended you take 1 year if you travel to Thailand a lot.

### By plane

You can fly to Bangkok, Hat Yai, Phuket, Chiangmai and many cities depending on airline.

### By train

From Malaysia, the only option is will go through Padang Besar.

## Travel Tips

Thailand have many choice for you to choose.

### Budget

Most hotels 90's and earlier have cheapest hotel you can find. Some newer hotels (mostly mid 2000's and later) offers 1,000 baht and above and not over than 2,000baht. Some hotels under 2000bhat will have luxury feeling of the hotel.

Under 2,000 baht hotels mostly can be found within Hat Yai city, most hotels in Khao San Road, Bangkok, and most Motels and Hostels which have minimum specs like TV, mini fridge, bed (couple room) and hot shower. Some provides free WiFi but some don't.

If you planned to spend a minimum 10,000 baht (3d2n) and below for a couple trip or 15,000 baht and below for a family trip 4 person (3d2n), I should recommend this. All does not include any transport (except taxi, bus and rent-a-car fee).

There is a trip up to 5 days/4 night up to 20,000 bhat for 4 person which make by Star Asia Elevator's family member where he go to Nakhon Si Thammarat, Surat Thani and Hat Yai.

### Mid End Budget

Want spend a little more for luxury? You can spend up to 20,000 baht for a couple trip (3d2n) or 23,000 baht and below for family trip 4 person (3d2n). You might go for shopping, eat buffet (mostly cost as low as 169bhat and not over than 500bhat/person) and stay in 4 star hotel.

### Classy

Hotels with over 3000bhat/night with high end facility such as GYM, swimming pool (premium feeling) and buffet (over 500bhat/person).

Stay, live and eat just like your hometown is possible in Thailand. You will spend over 30,000 baht if you wish to stay over 3 days. **WARNING!** Stay over 30 days will be fine 500 baht/day (Due to overstay).

## Internet/Mobile Data/WiFi

Thailand have reasonable speed (as fast as over 50mbps and as slow as 8mbps. Average is about 29mbps).

### Hotel WiFi

Internet speed in hotels are quite good and sometimes can be slowed down due to many users (unless hotel have fibre internet)

Some hotels required login first via browser and entered the username and password which writen on a piece of paper to get online. While some hotels need to pay for a WiFi to use the internet.

### Public WiFi

Some WiFi need to pay for a fee to use the internet and some free to their mobile provider users (such as True, Dtac and AIS) if you pay any data plans with free WiFi (some gives unlimited usage and some gives few 'GB' usage). Some place have free WiFi to any user (such as airport or malls) by mobile provider or by other provider without any sign up or login.

### Mobile data

Mobile data is the only option if the hotel WiFi is expensive, hotel without WiFi or always on the go. You can get internet speed from 256kbps till as fast as 4mbps. Requires daily/weekly/monthly subscription.

## Attractions

There are many attractions in Thailand. Some attractions are very popular to locals and some popular with international people.

* Khao San Road (Bangkok)
* Chinatown (Bangkok and Phuket)
* Tang Kuan Hill (Songkhla)
* MBK Center (Bangkok)
* CentralFestival (Hat Yai, Bangkok, Phuket, Chiangmai, Pattaya, Samui)
* CentralPlaza (Nakhon Si Thammarat, Bangkok, Chiangmai, Chonburi, Rayong, Chiangrai and many other cities in Thailand)
* CentralWorld, Central Embassy and Central Chidlom (Bangkok)
* The Em District (Bangkok)
* The Mall (Bangkok and Nakhon Ratchasima)
* Terminal 21 (Bangkok and Nakhon Ratchasima)
* Blu Collection (Hua Hin and Phuket)
* Asian Culture Village Dannok (Sadao)
* Beach (Songkhla, Krabi, Phuket, Pattaya, Hua Hin, Samui, Pannga)
* Island (Phuket, Koh Samui, Koh Lan, Koh Samed)
* Downtown (Bangkok, Chiangmai, Khon Kean, Hat Yai, Pattaya, Phuket)
* Doi Suthep (Chiangmai)
* Doi Pui (Chiangmai)
* Doi Tung (Chiangrai)
* Mae Sai (Chiangrai province)
* Mae Salong (Chiangrai province)

## Food

This is for hungry people. Thai food is very popular outside Thailand. But you must try the real ones in Thailand too.

* Khao Man Kai (Chicken rice. Mostly steam Hainanese Chicken Rice style. Very popular!)
* Tom Yam/Yom Yam Goong (Very sour, spicy and creamy packed with lemon grass and some small prawns)
* Kha Nom Jeen (Something like Thai salad with some glass noodles. Mostly eat with its fish sauce and veges mix together with glass noodles)
* Khao Soi (Northern Thai dishes. An egg noodles with some nice curry packed with some meat, either beef, chicken or pork)
* Som Tam (A young mango salad mixed with some soy sauce, a bit of sugar, peanuts, some lime juice and chilies)
* Khao Yam/Khao Jam (A Southern Thai version of 'Nasi Kerabu'. The rice it's green in colour. Mix with some veges and fish)
* Phat Phet (Very spicy. Mostly cooked with pork, chicken or beef)
* Kheng Som (Another very spicy ones. But its sour in a soup with some fish)

## Language

* Thai (main language)
* English (Mostly shown on signboard if there is non Thai national traveler or cannot read Thai word. Some products and/or people can't speak English.)
* Malay (mostly use in Southern Thai. Usually, Malay people and Chinese Malaysian)
* Mandarin, Hokkien, Cantonese (mostly speak by Chinese people)
* Chinese (mostly can be seen in bigger towns and cities, including Chinatown. Excluding Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat or place where have less Chinese population)
* Others (by province)

## BTS/MRT/SRT Route in Bangkok

* *BTS route*
* BTS rate and facility
* MRT route

## Transportation

Songthrew (most Malaysian called "tuk-tuk" when they visit Hat Yai) is very popular public transport outside Bangkok while Tuk-Tuk is very popular within Bangkok, Central Thailand and Northern Thailand.

Songthrew is a modified Hilux vehicle and ride on the back. It can be hot during the day. It costs 20bhat-30bhat/person or more depend on distance and area you are in and where you want to go. Some songthrew have offer a package round trip to selected tourist side which costs about 500bhat/day to rent a Songthrew to go anywhere they want (like in Chiangmai which is a tourist city in Northern Thailand).

Tuk-tuk is a modified motorbike which is you sit at the back of a tuk-tuk. It may cost you around 100bhat-150bhat/ride (up to 3-4 person) depend on distance. Much expensive if you going for a short distance compared to taxi metre.

Taxi is very common in Bangkok. The meter starts at 35bhat. There is surcharge which is 2bhat per km and 2 bhat per minute. Let's say your total trip is 5km and 10 minutes. Your total trip costs about 35bhat+10bhat+20bhat=65bhat. If there is very high traffic within the city, it's recommended to avoid it because it can charge you a lot.

BTS, MRT and SRT is one of the famous transportation in Bangkok. It's cheapest and fastest option to get to your favourite destination. I recommended to look at the map before you press where you want to go and pay the amount that shown on the machine. If you want to go to other place which is not available on your line (example: MBK Centre to Hua Lamphong) which need to switch from BTS to MRT.

Boat/ferry is also the famous transportation in Bangkok and Ayutthaya. The fare is much cheaper. For example to get to Wat Arun from Wat Phra Keaw, they charge you 4bhat/person while in return will charge you another 4bhat/person.

Public bus is very popular in Bangkok. Public bus is the cheapest option to travel within the city. Note that some bus or route don't have aircond bus and you can feel hot during the ride. If you are in a hurry is also not recommended to take a bus because of traffic jam.

Other option of taxi such as Grab and Uber is now very common in most town and city within Thailand except Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat (tested by Star Asia Elevator).

Grab is a mixture of local taxi (like in Bangkok), private taxi (regular, luxury, 6 seater or 8 seater) and motorbike taxi. While Uber is a bit expensive (higher end) private taxi. Please note that Uber is end of service this 8 April 2018 and replace with Grab as the only ride sharing service in Thailand.