[Gringo]

I've been to food courts but I wouldn't choose them over street eateries, more expensive, take longer, not as tasty IMO.

Quote:

If you want real authentic Thai then you need to go to a proper fancy restaurant.

Come on, don't be silly now. Considering Thailand in general is a pretty poor country and the majority of the population don't have funds to go to fancy restaurants I would say 'real authentic' thai is the sort of food your standard thai person is cooking and eating and not the stuff reserved for the well off and served in over priced restaurants.

The last time I was in BKK I stayed at Sukhumvit 71, Soi 42 for about 2 months, despite being Sukhumvit it's not a touristy area though there are a small selection of expat farangs living there and well off Thais. Lots of good street food and little cafes around.

[Mystik]

(05-22-2011 09:06 AM)Gringo Wrote:  

I've been to food courts but I wouldn't choose them over street eateries, more expensive, take longer, not as tasty IMO.

Longer? Are you kidding me? Are you being truthful about your experience in Thailand or that you have been here? They take 10 freaking seconds! Expensive? Yeah 10-15 Baht more but you also get the luxury of eating the stuff in an air conditioned place in a proper plate with a fork and spoon (they don't use knives here), not as tasty? Yes, this is a matter of personal taste but I think they use better quality ingredients and hence the food is tastier in food courts.

(05-22-2011 09:06 AM)Gringo Wrote:  

Quote:

If you want real authentic Thai then you need to go to a proper fancy restaurant.

Come on, don't be silly now. Considering Thailand in general is a pretty poor country and the majority of the population don't have funds to go to fancy restaurants I would say 'real authentic' thai is the sort of food your standard thai person is cooking and eating and not the stuff reserved for the well off and served in over priced restaurants.

Again a very generic response. Since, they are poor they cannot afford to cook the food in a proper way. Hence, the original recipes have been changed. Ever heard of Fried papaya salad being served on the streets?

(05-22-2011 09:06 AM)Gringo Wrote:  

The last time I was in BKK I stayed at Sukhumvit 71, Soi 42 for about 2 months, despite being Sukhumvit it's not a touristy area though there are a small selection of expat farangs living there and well off Thais. Lots of good street food and little cafes around.

You know what? I am going to check out this place and see if there can be any well off thais on Soi 71 which is the On nut area and is known for cheap places where the poorer Thais live.

[Vacancier Permanent]

Come on guys (Mystik and Gringo), don't get this into a heated argument over some futile stuff. Each of us travels differently. Some of us are backpackers, others are flashpackers while some are balling it. There's no right or wrong way to do things, specially in a greatly diverse city as BKK. So let's not get into a pissing match here. Let's keep the thread positive about providing valuable content/tips to those looking at BKK as a potential place to do a a mini retirement.

[Mystik]

You are right VP, it wasn't and still isn't my intention to spoil this thread. Gringo came on to me with a smart ass response and had no good reason to do so. I had to pick his brains so that he could enlighten us with his knowledge. But I am done here, if Gringo wants to continue this then he can start another thread.

[OSL]

Got my tourist visa for Thailand today. The day is coming closer and closer.....

I'm coming in probably May 30th. Haven't booked my ticket yet.

[Gringo]

Quote:

Longer? Are you kidding me? Are you being truthful about your experience in Thailand or that you have been here? They take 10 freaking seconds! Expensive? Yeah 10-15 Baht more but you also get the luxury of eating the stuff in an air conditioned place in a proper plate with a fork and spoon (they don't use knives here), not as tasty? Yes, this is a matter of personal taste but I think they use better quality ingredients and hence the food is tastier in food courts.

You don't need to go to a foodcourt to get a proper plate and some cutlery and yes I know they use a fork and a spoon, any small local cafe on a street corner will serve food like this. Food courts the world over are known for serving crap food, it's not different in Thailand.

Quote:

Since, they are poor they cannot afford to cook the food in a proper way

The 'proper' way? I'd say the way the majority of the population is cooking the food would be considered the norm and therefor proper and the majority of the country isn't cooking high class gourmet cuisine.

[Saladin]

Eating home made food is the best. When I eat at my Korean or Vietnamese friends house the flavor and taste is completely different than restaurant food. Its always a great experience.
I'm interested in Bangkok too, considering its pretty close to India and therefore easy for me to reach when I visit India during the summers.

[oldnemesis]

(05-12-2011 05:54 PM)Vacancier Permanent Wrote:  

LOL, just saw this now and gotta say it's slick!Damn man this is quite ingenius!

Oh c'mon. If you have a credit card, you can purchase a refundable return ticket on any major airline, and cancel it after you pass the customs. This has been used for ages by a lot of people when applying for the visa which required roundtrip tickets.

As a side note, presenting a fake return ticket to an immigration officer is likely to be considered the violation of immigration/entry/custom law. In this case you'll be denied entry to the country and will be deported back (at your expense) as you legally cannot be admitted. You may be also banned from entry the country again - the USA, for example, has a permanent ban (i.e. forever) if you lie to immigration officials. Legal processing is unlikely, but bribe extortion (especially in Asia and South America) is quite a real possibility.

And while checking return tickets doesn't happen often - never happened to me yet - it does happen, and I've seen it happening in Thailand.

[oldnemesis]

(05-22-2011 09:06 AM)Gringo Wrote:  

I've been to food courts but I wouldn't choose them over street eateries, more expensive, take longer, not as tasty IMO.

How can it take longer? Are you saying it takes more time to fry a piece of mean in food court than it would take on a street vendor? Same meat, same flame, same time. Yes, there may be a line, but so can be on a street vendor.

And how exactly would you get Tom Yum from a street vendor? From what I've seen their stuff is very limited - basically it is fried meat of some kind, fruits and drinks. Sure you can survive on that, but I wouldn't call it "enjoying food".

As for "more expensive", if paying extra $1 to eat my food from a clean plate in air conditioned building was a major strain on your budget, I would definitely stay at home and make more money instead of going anywhere.

[Gringo]

Street food is not just fried meat and I've said it a few times I'm talking about street food and little local cafes over food courts. It's nothing to do with budget, I enjoy eating food on the street or in the local corner cafes. Most of them are perfectly clean and I don't need aircon.

[oldnemesis]

Ate in those cafes as well, but never seen Tom Yum there. Carry and other stuff is usually available, but no soups. And no AC? Well, we definitely think differently.

[Gringo]

I've seen soups in pretty much all of them (the cafes).

[Vacancier Permanent]

Update:
I am pumped to say the least. With my membership, I got myself a killer deal on a 2 bedroom villa with a private swimming pool on Jomtien Beach for the 3rd week of July. Instead of paying $528/night or about $3700 for the week, I paid $550 for the WHOLE week. Private villa with a private swimming pool on the beach in Thailand, my mind is working at the speed of light at the thought of the wild parties to be had there. Couldn't have thought of a better way to return to LOS!!!! Anyone else in here that will be in LOS at the same time? Gringoed, clr, this is the perfect type of place to have those wild wild parties with hot hot girls...

[Gringo]

Jomtien beach is a fucking shit hole though. The beach is horrible, the sand is like gravel and the water is polluted. And it's in Pattaya, everything that is wrong with Thailand basically.

[OSL]

Mini retirement II planning has turned into Thai Food Wars thread.

Street food is great, indoor restaurant food is great. It's all sweet.

The receptionist lady at third place bangkok is hot, I want to take her to my first place.

[Vacancier Permanent]

YMG, yeah, a lot of "noise" and non-sensical and useles diatribe about trivial topics lately in here. Guys, let's please stick to the initial topic in here. So, who's going to be in LOS from July onward?

[Mystik]

I might come back in November if things work out, how long do you plan to stay this time around? I apologize for messing up your thread, that was not my intention.

[Vacancier Permanent]

No worries man. I'll be staying for at least 3 months then not sure whether I'll stay in Thailand or go to another country in the region. When are you leaving BKK?

[Mystik]

(06-02-2011 01:59 PM)Vacancier Permanent Wrote:  

No worries man. I'll be staying for at least 3 months then not sure whether I'll stay in Thailand or go to another country in the region. When are you leaving BKK?

The departure date on my ticket is the 23rd of this month but I might cut my trip short and leave earlier, haven't been feeling well for the past week.

[Vacancier Permanent]

I've been back from LOS less than a week and I'm already missing it terribly. I'm planning to return by the end of Oct/mid Nov for a 6 months stint this time. The more time I spend in Asia, the less and less I want to be in Canada. I mean you get soooo spoilt in Asia that coming back, you feel cheated and scammed everywhere here price wise. It's ridiculous. Not just price wise, but quality wise too. Not to mention the women and their attitudes...night and day literally.

Anyways, the places in mind are the usual suspects: 1st BKK followed by Bali and 3rd the Philiippines (either Davao, Cagayan de Oro, Puerto Princesa or somewhere in Palawan). Or I might do 2-3 months in each. Still not sure, but somehow, Bali is really intriguing me. So:
Anyone been to Davao, Cagayan de Oro, Puerto Princesa or Palawan? Preferably for an extended period?

Anyone in here has been to Bali could chip in about how is it to spend 1-3 months there? Safety, cost of living, quality and approachability of women and quality of food and speed of internet as fast wifi will be a must for me? Also, what's the visa situation there? How often do you have to do a visa run for a Canadian citizen? Of course, I'll do my research with the proper consulates as the dates draw closer but would like to hear first hand experiences from those who have done it already.

Thanks guys, much appreciated for your feedback and for chipping in.

Cheers.

[Danski]

(08-05-2011 06:19 PM)Vacancier Permanent Wrote:  

I've been back from LOS less than a week and I'm already missing it terribly. I'm planning to return by the end of Oct/mid Nov for a 6 months stint this time. The more time I spend in Asia, the less and less I want to be in Canada. I mean you get soooo spoilt in Asia that coming back, you feel cheated and scammed everywhere here price wise. It's ridiculous. Not just price wise, but quality wise too. Not to mention the women and their attitudes...night and day literally.

Anyways, the places in mind are the usual suspects: 1st BKK followed by Bali and 3rd the Philiippines (either Davao, Cagayan de Oro, Puerto Princesa or somewhere in Palawan). Or I might do 2-3 months in each. Still not sure, but somehow, Bali is really intriguing me. So:
Anyone been to Davao, Cagayan de Oro, Puerto Princesa or Palawan? Preferably for an extended period?

Anyone in here has been to Bali could chip in about how is it to spend 1-3 months there? Safety, cost of living, quality and approachability of women and quality of food and speed of internet as fast wifi will be a must for me? Also, what's the visa situation there? How often do you have to do a visa run for a Canadian citizen? Of course, I'll do my research with the proper consulates as the dates draw closer but would like to hear first hand experiences from those who have done it already.

Thanks guys, much appreciated for your feedback and for chipping in.

Cheers.

Agreed man I'm never going back.

I've spent a few weeks in Puerto Princessa and a year in the Philippines, probably don't have much to add there that you don't know. I currently live in Bali. Here's the rundown:

Saftey: super high except motorbike stuff. If you ride, it'll make the island way more fun, dating way easier, but you are risking your life.

Women: high quality, high volume, broad range... it's not a bang-fest like the Philippines, but I find better quality here... broader demographic range than elsewhere in SEAsia with exception of maybe BKK

Visa on arrival you can extend to 60 days must leave every 60 days (singapore cheapest/easiest). You can pre-arrange a 6 month social visa but it's single entry.

Food: super high quality and cheap. Broad range of options.

Recommend you live in Seminyak or Legian.

WIFI is shit in Bali relative to Thailand. Most WIFI cafes you'll get something like .75 down and it'll be spotty. There is a place called chat cafe that the internet folks hang out in and they are 24 hours 2.5 meg down consistent, but I think I've spent 400+ dollars in that place some months. It's possible to get monthly rentals with WIFI, it just takes some effort.

Please get in touch when you make it out here.

[Vacancier Permanent]

Danski,
Thanks for the feedback man. Are you in Bali?
When you lived in the PI, did you stay in the same city the whole time or did you try other cities as well? Which were they?
How would you compare Puerto Princesa to say Cebu City? Is it less dirty, with less beggers?

Thanks man.

[Danski]

(08-08-2011 12:11 PM)Vacancier Permanent Wrote:  

Danski,
Thanks for the feedback man. Are you in Bali?
When you lived in the PI, did you stay in the same city the whole time or did you try other cities as well? Which were they?
How would you compare Puerto Princesa to say Cebu City? Is it less dirty, with less beggers?

Thanks man.

Yes I ive in Bali.

PP and CC are like night and day. PP might be the cleanest town the Philippines (I haven't been to Davao). PP is also stunning, no beggers. All squatters have been given official govt housing there. PP is also real quiet. Party and girls way better in Cebu.

I've been all around the Philippines: spent time in a bunch of places including Manila, Cebu, Bohol, Dumaguete, Subic Bay, Angeles, Puerto Princessa, and a few places further out. Let me know if I can help.