# hello need advise about bkk



## gab-rob (Oct 16, 2014)

hello everybody, 
i am from Indonesia, and will visit thailand ( bangkok) soon ( for work ) 
honestly speaking, i have never been to thailand on my own. i visited phuket for half day (by cruise) years ago. 
the office has booked me a hotel at shukumvit , since it's very close to the office. 

As Bangkok is a famous city , i wonder what are the things that foreigners should do or visit when they come to bangkok? after office hours i should have extra time to walk around and i want to explore the city , see some night life activities, eat local food.. ( the real tom yam kung..... not just the trickle down version ), or any great drinks .. 
i plan to extend my stay too, so i will have more time to go around. is there any suggestion of better areas to stay for holidays? .. some friends who have visited Bkk told me about Kaosan and its friendly people around ( i dont even have the idea what he meant with friendly) .. or Silom. .. 

so i would extremely thankful if i could get some info from you all.. 
regards


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## Oneman (Aug 23, 2009)

gab-rob said:


> As Bangkok is a famous city , i wonder what are the things that foreigners should do or visit when they come to bangkok?



Hello Gab-Rob -- 

No responses to your question, because, seems to be on the wrong forum. This forum is aimed at expats, rather than tourists.

Many web sites, forums, and guide books devoted to tourist sights here. Many answers already posted to questions like yours.

Best regards, 

- Oneman

Bangkok


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## gab-rob (Oct 16, 2014)

tks oneman.. 
no problem.. saw those websites and books and most of them are very touristy. i prefer to see it from 'the people who really live there' points of view. 
that's is also what i do whenever i travel (mostly for work) to other countries


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## dhream (Jan 30, 2012)

I don't want to get too metaphysical here, but we are all, when we visit any place, tourists, thats what we are by definition.

What you mean is 'cheesy' tourists versus 'savvy' tourists. Right?

I have used 'footprint' guides (no less a tourist than Michael Palin swears by these) also the 'rough guides', and lonely planet for all of my travelling life (I was an airline employee for many years) and they are far from 'touristy' books.
For starters they are often written by people who do in fact live there, and they all go out of their way to share truly unique experiences to be enjoyed in every place they cover (as unique as they can be to their thousands of readers anyway) but at least you'll be hanging with people more like yourself and less like sheep that smell of cheese. 

Download them to your device for instant access, and discount prices over the paper versions and less crap to carry around with you in-country (you can browse many many reader reviews on Amazon before purchase) there really is no better way to get the most from your visit, spend the money, it is so worth it for the value they give back in return.

Finally, as I also travelled for work, I could claim their cost as a legitimate tax break, life was sweet back then!


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## gab-rob (Oct 16, 2014)

thank you dhream yes cheesy vs savvy. 

i have bought several books about bangkok honestly speaking, and somehow these books could not really answer my curiosity about what's not to miss and what is worth to see. they just mention all the museums available, the prices, what not to wear 

but they dont really mention where to go for the best soup, or the best taste desert, what should i really see when i go to chatucak... Maybe i have not seen the rite book so far. 

Plus, i thought at first, it would be good if i could get new friends from here ... 

there is also an expat forum for indonesia ( i am not comparing.. please dont get me wrong) , i see there's always someone who would answer such questions ... also Hong Kong expat forum ( used to be working in Hk for several months) .. so i thought maybe it also applies in Thailand's forum.  
but thank you jet lag.. am sure, you have traveled far more often than me eh


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## Oneman (Aug 23, 2009)

gab-rob said:


> i have bought several books about bangkok honestly speaking, and somehow these books could not really answer my curiosity about what's not to miss and what is worth to see. ... they dont really mention where to go for the best soup, or the best taste desert, what should i really see when i go to chatucak.



Hello again, Gab-Rob:

I'm puzzled why Google has not provided all the answers you need.

In just a few a few moments:

Googled, "best noodle soup Chinatown Bangkok" = *88,000 results*

Googled, "what to see chatuchak market Bangkok" = *529,000 results*

Googled, "best deserts Bangkok" = *987,000 results*

Or, do I misunderstand what you are looking for?


- Oneman
Bangkok


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## Oneman (Aug 23, 2009)

dhream said:


> I have used 'footprint' guides ... also the 'rough guides', and lonely planet for all of my travelling



And I use those kinds of guide books, too, but in a very different way.
How so?

Some years ago, here in Thailand, I went into a small, informal, restaurant for lunch.
While waiting, I noticed a well-worn, apparently well-loved, copy of "Lonely Planet" on the next table.
Nobody sitting there, so I reached for the book, opened it to the pages of that city, and started reading.

Every place described were places that I, as a resident expat, went out of my way to avoid:

The central square and historical monument -- jammed with minivans and hoards of picturing-taking Chinese tourists.

The night market and surrounding restaurants -- crowded with package tourists from Eastern Europe standing in line to buy banana pancakes.

The small little restaurants -- similar to the one I was sitting in at the moment -- filled with dreadlocked backpackers who hadn't showered in days, eyes glued to the pages of "Lonely Planet". 
And, not surprising, the food was not worth waiting for.

My conclusion has been to use those as _anti-_guidebooks.
Guides to places to avoid in my travels.

-- Oneman
Bangkok


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## gab-rob (Oct 16, 2014)

oneman, ... i cant give more 'thanks' to your answer.. i need to spread some reputation first .. but thanks for your comment and input tho 

what i have in mind was actually, based on my trip to NYC, i did go to liberty, central park and all the tourist places. .. but what i enjoy the most were the pretzel at the end of central park that was famous for people who go to central park. ...the steak at a restaurant behind a building at 42nd street. small breakfast at madison ave
of if in paris, the foie graz salad and wine at chez papa... instead of the restaurant at eiffel tower. the warm croissants at the corner of my friend's apartment is way much better than the bakery close to lafayette 
the reason i dont trust google for food recommendation is, because i can't be sure if they are true .. like if i type 'good food jakarta' ( i live in jakarta) there are hundreds of restaurants listed.. and some of them (or should i say most of them ) are just 'well known restaurants' for their interior, class, location.. but not really for their food. .. sure they'll put they serve the best food in town, but i have been to their places. and their crazy high price was not really reflected well in their food. ... sometimes the street food taste better and more original. 

i might sound picky or crazy .. but am trying to make my trip different than regular holiday trip.


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## gab-rob (Oct 16, 2014)

dear Oneman, thanks for your input and comments.. but too bad i cant give you another 'thanks' reputation . 

what i have in mind for this trip, is based on my trip to NYC. yes i went to liberty, ground zero and most of all tourist places , but what i enjoy or cant forget about my trip was, the pretzel i bought at the end of central park, the steak and coleslaw at a resto behind a building in 42nd street.... and hotdog at wallstreet area ( about 100 meter from the douglas mcarthur sign ) 
or like foie graz salad in chez papa in paris, .. completed with their cheap wine.. , or omellete at dinant in belgium.. and gerookte ham at (wait.. was it brugge? ..no.. not brugge.. dinant? .. no.. wait. i forgot the name..) 

the reason why i dont really trust google is, i tried good food jakarta and google them, .. hundred of names will appear, and guess what... most of the name listed are just famous resto. well known because they are big, located in good place, expensive, etc except for their quality of taste. 

my fave places in jakarta is not listed as they are considered as 'not tourist' kinda food. .. 

so yeah i might sound picky and crazy.. but i want to make my trip different than just a group tour.


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## dhream (Jan 30, 2012)

@Oneman, That's why I offered the choice of three guidebooks. I too have found Lonely Planet to fall short in some respects, and to be fair, they do have to mention the traps as well, but they are usually upfront with their opinions, and lonely planet have a caveat in every book that says, and I reach into my memory here; "Prices change, good places go bad, things are sometimes unavailable" or words to that effect. You also indicated the guidebook you found looked rather old, it was probably up to ten years out of date, I was surprised how quickly the years go by looking at my trusty LP Thai phrase book right now (2004).

As you point out, the OP would do better by more creatively googling (or buying a guide book that 'speaks' to their preferences) than getting into semantics on here. Tip: The more detail you ask of google the more detail you get back... you can even Google how to Google better!

Essentially what most people want is for the community to have a 'fireside chat' about their personal vacation plans, and not everybody has the time or inclination for that, so IMHO, a guide book is the way to go.


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## dhream (Jan 30, 2012)

gab-rob said:


> dear Oneman, thanks for your input and comments.. but too bad i cant give you another 'thanks' reputation .
> 
> what i have in mind for this trip, is based on my trip to NYC. yes i went to liberty, ground zero and most of all tourist places , but what i enjoy or cant forget about my trip was, the pretzel i bought at the end of central park, the steak and coleslaw at a resto behind a building in 42nd street.... and hotdog at wallstreet area ( about 100 meter from the douglas mcarthur sign )
> or like foie graz salad in chez papa in paris, .. completed with their cheap wine.. , or omellete at dinant in belgium.. and gerookte ham at (wait.. was it brugge? ..no.. not brugge.. dinant? .. no.. wait. i forgot the name..)
> ...


gab-rob,
You see the answer in your own post?
1. Your best experiences were 'personal discoveries' no guide book or post on a BB was required! This is the heart of tourism at it's most personal, go for a walk, if you see a resto full of thais, even if a street stall, that's your pot of gold!

2. You can't recall your very best NYC experiences very well, and neither can I!
I can remember the best Arabic Kebab I ever ate outside of Sydney was in Atlantic Avenue Brooklyn, but that's about it, there were several Arabic shops all along that sidewalk, so how is that any help to you, or me, now? (The worst and most expensive was Dubai well, who would have guessed!) But the point is, you'll only get vague advice here, unless somebody takes the time to check their facts. 

Finally, since Oneman and I cannot agree on certain things, the takeaway is what works for me maybe won't work for you. Particularly if your diet happens to be Halal, which you have not mentioned, the devil is in the details there as well...

Buy a book already, and use it as a 'ready reference' to point you in the right direction, then DISCOVER. :clap2:


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## gab-rob (Oct 16, 2014)

i have never done " Google how to Google better!" ...


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## gab-rob (Oct 16, 2014)

dhream said:


> gab-rob,
> You see the answer in your own post?
> 1. Your best experiences were 'personal discoveries' no guide book or post on a BB was required! This is the heart of tourism at it's most personal, go for a walk, if you see a resto full of thais, even if a street stall, that's your pot of gold!
> 
> ...


hmmm i was directed by some friends and colleagues about the pretzel and hot dog .. also chez papa .. 
oh i eat everything.. pork is totally on my top list of food ...  . tasted crocodile meat, frog ovaris, grasshopper already 

oneman, dhreams, i appreciate your kindness /effort to reply me anyway.


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