Quote:
Originally Posted by ImpulZ
bangkok is a dirty city,koh samuia is awesome just like koh samet....go there :D
not to be rude, but i have lived here for too many years and for anyone to say Koh Samui is cleaner than Pattaya is a far stretch.
same/same!
all anyone does is throw stuff out the window all day, the locals, not the tourists. Koh Samet is famous for its mosquitoes and encroaching on the beach with buildings.
Pattaya is a city and being such it is urban and has urban problems like most anywhere. Koh Samui is an island, and a place that helped to motivate me to move here 20 years ago. i went back last year and i took 5 LBs from Nana with me. everyone agreed, Koh Samui is a sh*t hole now (rare occasion when a Thai speaks poorly of their homeland, that is a real sign of how bad it is). it may not appear that way to anyone who was never been there before, or was not there when it was beautiful, but it's environment has been totally degraded, (many pictures you see of Thailand are 10 or 15 years old and do not reflect the reality on the ground.) the locals (one of the biggest mafias in Thailand) are rude and unappreciative of your custom, and getting around the island is a suicide trip (as with most Thai islands). but, there are ladyboys there. similar to anything you will buy on an island it is more expensive there than most of Thailand.
budget has a lot to do with what i could suggest to you, so keep that in mind. Koh Chang is still not too bad for environment and water quality, but also, not a lot of bars and i saw only 1 or 2 LBs there. but if you find one you like and take her there, lots of fun.
i lived and worked in Pattaya for a few years. and being a bustling city (that province is only second to BKK for revenue) it has a lot to offer. but it also has its downside like any city. but, the pickings are good and the girls not too unreasonable.
price variations from place to place,
for a newbie, are pretty much a moot point. if you cannot speak Thai, do not know the game and smell fresh to them, they will always ask for more than what is the going rate. and many will not back down during high season. low season is a buyer’s market most anywhere.
Nana plaza is the place for choice/variety, price stability/fair trade, good rooms for short time and hotels that do not care, and just good fun. granted it is not the beach, but if it's LBs you want, you got 'em. every size, shape, color, and personality. probably the largest concentration of TG girls anywhere (i have not been to Sao Paulo).
in Thailand when you check in to a hotel, ask them for a joiner stamp on your guest card. that is the card they keep at reception. then when you go to get your key most times there is no fee. if you wait, then they will charge you. talk to reception when you check in and ask for joiner free or joiner rate. most rooms booked with double occupancy will include this if you are alone and TELL THEM AT CHECK IN. (i work in Thai hotels, believe me, this is the way to do it.) no need to say LB or GG, they care not, just a joiner. the fee covers breakfast, towels and water and amenities usage. if you book a single and use the room for 2 they feel you are cheating them. if you book a double, tell them the second person is a joiner, and she may vary from night to night. so do it all up front and save everyone a hassle.
Jomtien is just over the hill from Pattaya, another place i have lived, and the beach there is not too bad, and there is a good scene at the beach, too. it is all only an hour and a half bus ride from BKK and only costs a few dollars to get there. if you go and don't don’t like, get back on the bus and come back to BKK.
Pattaya has over 300 restaurants, much of them good, some of them excellent. also being a large community there are many things (food for one and song-tao transports) that are priced for locals. Koh Samui and Phuket have none of this. most Thais refuse to work on the islands because it is all so expensive, even for them. Pattaya is not like that, and neither is BKK.
as far as the “banana republic” kind of elements, you will find that all over SE Asia, just as you will in the southern hemisphere, so learn to avoid that stuff and just have a good time. there is a learning curve with all of this, so be prepared to have some ugly incidents, some “mis-understandings and a few blatant attempts to rip you off. just keep repeating the mantra - "i am here to have fun. i am here to have fun. i am here to have fun. not easy, but if you can achieve this grasshoppa, you will be totally chuffed about the great time you are having.
when you are spending money for rooms, transportation and girls (items where there is no menu or schedule of pricing) simply say “excuse me, how much is it?” or in Thai, “kaa-tord, tao-arrai, nah krap?”. prefacing most any question with “excuse me” disarms them and puts you on a level playing field, most times. never be afraid to speak to sex workers about what you want, politely. make sure they will do what you want. once in a room you will probably not be able to fix this if it is not to your liking.
never involve the authorities unless a real crime has been committed against you. it will only tie up your time, cost a lot more money, and you will feel like an ass. it is a big game and everyone there is involved, everyone. i know this from experience. even the tourist police, whose job it is to help and protect you are on the wrong side of the fence there, yours. they try to do what they can, but they are outnumbered by the regular police, have very little sympathy for punters who do not know how it all works, and have limited resources to help even when they try.
if you want a well rounded vacation, try Pattaya.
bottom line, if all you want is to rub some uglies and do the horizontal bop on your vacation, BKK is the place, and anywhere else will do, too. BUT ALL OF THIS IS JUST MY OPINION!
february is high season, if at all possible come after mid-april. yes it is raining more, but it is a buyer’s market. rainy season is fun, at least i think so. much more laid back, really cheap and not anywhere near as crowded. as soon as the Songkran festival is over, the entire country goes to lo-season rates, if you see otherwise, call them on it or go elsewhere. any booking you can make in person is cheaper, better and more secure. always ask to see a room and check the water pressure and temp, and also anything else like the TV and min-fridge that is important to you.
if you are in a room for a few days, and you are not going to use the mini-bar, call reception and ask them to ask housekeeping to empty it out for you so you do not have a girl eat and drink it all while you are on the toilet or asleep. that can add up and ruin your day. most hotels understand and will comply. when the maid or porter comes to do that, take a picture of them doing it. i think you know why. always cover your butt if you still haven't figured it out.
NOTE: LOOK OUT THE WINDOW OF THE ROOM, if you see construction, do not believe what anyone tells you about the noise. many construction jobs run around the clock. building season is high-season because it is dry, no rain, and they must get it done before the monsoons come.
and ask about joiners, always ask about joiners.
one additional note on joiners: reception in most places will ask for the girls ID card. this is for a few reasons. one, if there is a fire they need to know who is in which room and how many. second, if she steals from you or the hotel or creates a disturbance, they can control/find her. third, ask them while they are copying the ID card what her age is. again, COVER YOUR BUTT.
any more questions, just PM or ask here. glad to help.