<p>We will be spending a month in Bangkok this summer. I would be interested about any suggestions or concerns we should be aware of before we make our plans. Did you feel safe moving around the city?</p>
<p>We weren’t there for a month, but yes, I felt safe moving around the city. Sometimes we had a driver, sometimes we took public transportation. It really didn’t seem that different than a very large US City. Getting anywhere takes forever. </p>
<p>My H speaks fluent Thai and two other SE Asian languages, but there were many times he’d ask me to approach someone because they were more likely to repond to a western English speaker! </p>
<p>Oh, and when you buy stuff from the street vendors, don’t pay more than half the original asking price.</p>
<p>Moderator, thank you for moving this to the Cafe, I meant to post there. </p>
<p>Thank you Ordinarylives! I assume that English speakers are fairly common in Bangkok. If we travel to a smaller city, do you know if it is also commonplace? Is it best to hire a car? How convenient is the public transport? </p>
<p>I will do my homework, but this forum is such a good source of info.</p>
<p>I have family in Bangkok, friends. People try with English, if broken, and are good humored. Though I have not been there for about 5 years or so, my step mom still lives there. </p>
<p>It is safe, but watch for folks telling you that destinations are closed. My sister and Ds, were a little naive, and believed when they were told the Grand Palace was closed for the day. So they got into a tuk tuk and were taken to jewelry stores and tailor shops. Waste of a day, if an adventure for the telling. But again, they were safe, and it was all done with a great deal of good cheer. </p>
<p>Learn the sky train system. Know that it is a bit of a mess of a city, with terrible traffic, some dirt that you’d not see in this country. But interesting as a result as well. I used public buses when outside the city and there is a slow train system. </p>
<p>Take the long boats on the Chao Praya, a very nice way to travel in Bangkok, and accessible from the sky train. </p>
<p>The street food is heavenly, but get Hepatitis A shots just in case. I never had a problem and have eaten plenty of it, but my step mom is a microbiologist and stated this was the greatest danger from street food. Thais are clean, clean people for the most part.</p>
<p>The skytrain is lovely. Taxis are plentiful, but often unwilling to go far because traffic is horrific (literally, you can sit at a light for 45 minutes because the person controlling the light has gone out for coffee). Beyond the fancy hotels, not much English is spoken in Bangkok.</p>
<p>The River Taxi’s on the Chao Praya River are great fun, and a good way to get to some of the tourist destinations like the Grand Palace. The BTS (Bangkok Sky Train) is a great way to get around. Sometimes, you have to ask two or three taxi drivers before you find one who speaks English and who knows where you want to go. You can also arrange a car and driver for the day if that is more comfortable for you.</p>
<p>If you are working in Bangkok, there is plenty to see that is easy to get to. The Textile Museum at the Grand Palace and the Royal Barges Museum are two of our favorites. There are amazing temples everywhere you go. The new Wat with a huge gold Buddha in Chinatown has a good exhibit about the history of the area.</p>
<p>Personally, I would only spend a couple of days in downtown Bangkok to do the tourist things that you want to do there. </p>
<p>I’d spend more time in some of the other cities… Ayuttya is amazing and you can take the train up for the day, or stay for a few nights. Kanchanaburi is great for WWII history buffs and the parks and waterfalls and Elephant’s World (definitely stay in Kanchanaburi for several days). Chiang Mai is wonderful also. If you get that far north, be sure to go to the Elephant Nature Park. The botanic garden is supposed to be wonderful, also. </p>
<p>Here are some good tips for some of the lesser known activities to do: [Ideas</a> for Day Trips Around Bangkok | Bangkok Daytrips by Richard Barrow](<a href=“http://www.bangkok-daytrips.com/ideas-for-day-trips-around-bangkok/]Ideas”>http://www.bangkok-daytrips.com/ideas-for-day-trips-around-bangkok/)</p>
<p>About safety… I pretty much follow the same guidelines that I would in San Francisco. Watch your valuables. Don’t walk in the city alone at night. Never leave your drink unattended. Ask questions about the neighborhood you are in, some are dodgier than others.</p>
<p>English speakers are not plentiful. If you are trying to arrange train or bus tickets, the staff at your hotel will be happy to help you arrange them. There is a set of flashcards available with the photo and Thai names of a tourist site on one side, with English on the back. I’ve had good luck with showing a photo from a guidebook. Menus usually have an English translation or photos for your benefit. We often just point at what we want.</p>
<p>Thailand is a great place to visit. Enjoy!</p>
<p>Thailand is foodie heaven. </p>
<p>In addition to the River Taxi’s on the Chao Praya River, ride the water taxis on the khlongs (canals). There is one that will drop you off at Jim Thompson’s house-- a not-to-miss site. Jim Thompson is a legend:
[Jim</a> Thompson (designer) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Thompson_(designer)]Jim”>Jim Thompson (designer) - Wikipedia)</p>
<p>For convenience, I would pick a hotel along the Sky Train route. </p>
<p>Visit Chatachuk market (it’s at the nothern end of the Sky Train line). It is only open on the weekend. The market is absolutely mind-blowing-- especially the section that sells pets:
[Chatuchak</a> Weekend Market - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chatuchak_Weekend_Market]Chatuchak”>Chatuchak Weekend Market - Wikipedia)</p>
<p>For an interesting perspective of the city, consider a bicycle tour:
[Bicylcle</a> and Boat Tours Bangkok Thailand - Co Van Kessel](<a href=“http://www.covankessel.com/]Bicylcle”>http://www.covankessel.com/)</p>
<p>Watch out for pick pockets…</p>
<p>Well, if you’re going to be traveling around the country/area – phuket, baby! We went a little further north of the main beach with all the yahts (Nai thon). Very quiet, beautiful beach. Small village. Safe enough that we let the kids (13 and 16 at the time) head into the village alone to go the internet cafe. And yes, the hotel concierge set up day trips for guests. Everything is very well run, very clean, etc. </p>
<p>If you can get there, I’d recommend a side trip into Cambodia. It’s a completely different experience. I actually liked the shopping better there. But, once again, we were with a friend who was a Cambodian citizen, spoke the language, understood the driving rules (cuz they seemed pretty arbitrary) etc. Ok, funny story. I found out, near the END of our visit, that the Health Department had approved just 3 brands of bottled water as consistently safe. Well, that explained a lot!</p>
<p>Yes, +1 on Cambodia, to see Angkor! There are cheap flights to Siem Reap from Bangkok. The temples of Angkor (think Tomb Raider) are among the premier attractions of SE Asia.</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies!</p>
<p>I guess I am a little nervous about the language, it is so beautiful in the written form but so undecipherable! The picture cards are a great idea. We will definitely take the sky train and river taxis.
We do have some plans to visit a couple of other cities so welcomed the suggestions.</p>
<p>Any issues with debit or credit cards? I assume there are ATM machines around where we can get cash? I have to educate myself in the currency.</p>
<p>Everything seems relatively cheap in comparison to a European city. I guess I will get a good travel book to learn the ins and out of the city and local practices and try not to come off as a uneducated American. 
</p>
<p>Don’t worry about the language. The places frequented by tourists will have English. The transportation signs are also in English. Taxi’s are probably the major challenge, but the airport taxi dispatchers & hotel staff will write your destination in thai to give to the taxi driver.</p>
<p>I go to Bangkok fairly often and don’t have any problems.</p>
<p>There are ATM’s everywhere. Credit cards widely accepted. Bangkok is a major metropolis. Lonely Planet guidebook has great insider tips.</p>
<p>If you’re staying in a hotel, carry it’s business card. Show it to a driver and learn to say, "How much? </p>
<p>Accommodations and food are inexpensive. Transportation may be your biggest cost if you hire a car for things. Gas is not cheap, and as others have said, you’ll spend a lot of time in traffic if you are going any distance. Public transportation is reasonable. Really, you’ll be fine. It’s amazing how quickly you’ll learn the monetary system.</p>
<p>@ great lakes mom,</p>
<p>Lol, yes we also got conned outside the Grand Palace by a tuk tuk driver who told us the palace was closed that day, but he could take us to see the Lucky Buddha. Of course, he then proceeded to take us to every jewelry store in Bangkok where he hoped to get a commission. To this day we laugh about seeing the Lucky Buddha. </p>
<p>Similar thing happened to us in Tunisia, but it involved oriental rugs instead of jewelry. We must look particularly stupid & gullible…</p>
<p>Two things to add - don’t touch drugs, because the Thai authorities are notoriously tough on anyone in possession, and I wouldn’t fancy being in a Thai prison, personally. </p>
<p>Secondly, when it comes to food then always follow the WHO advice of ‘cook it, boil it, peel it or forget it’. So that means no salad, ice, milk, ice cream etc. I decided to chance that one once in India and ended up with a rather violent bout of 24 hour D&V. Never again. Always buy bottled water, check the seal and ideally add your own purifying agent to it. Eat at places where the locals, not just tourists (or ideally, no tourists) are eating, and avoid anywhere that serves Western food. I say this partly for food safety reasons (the locals know where’s good and where to avoid, partly because I think you should try the local cuisine, and partly because anywhere that serves Western food is clearly trying to cater to tourists and they probably aren’t that great at cooking it anyway.</p>
<p>Thank you all for your input, I appreciate the advice and suggestions.</p>
<p>I have to differ with following the WHO advice. Thailand is a big step up from India in the food sanitation area. </p>
<p>You really will be missing out if you don’t try the Pomelo Salad, Green Mango Salad, Papaya Salad, etc. We have never had any problems and we eat salads, fresh fruit, coconut ice cream etc. from street vendors. I wouldn’t think twice about ordering those foods or a drink with ice in a restaurant. If you are leery, then don’t buy salad from the street vendors, but you should be fine in a restaurant. Really.</p>
<p>Also differ on the western food. My dad retired to Bangkok, partially because he loved the Thai adeptness at preparing the food of other cultures. There was Mexican in Bangkok before it existed elsewhere in Asian, and I’ve had wonderful Italian, Korean and Japanese food in Bangkok. There is a large expat community, and they are well served. </p>
<p>I have very happily eaten from one end of a Bangkok street to the other. Lovely stuff!</p>
<p>Yeah, we had fabulous pizza in Bangkok. However, on the issue of food safety . . . let’s just say I’m not all the careful at home. I eat a lot of stuff that would make other people uneasy. If it passes the sniff test and isn’t slimy, I’ll eat it. And still, street vender food in Bangkok’s China town? Oh, really REALLY bad idea. </p>
<p>My tour of Thailand and Cambodia was tasty, but . . . I came home 10 pounds lighter and it’s not because I didn’t eat. My kids lost weight, too. Again, not from not eating! Oh, but h? Gained 17 pounds. The man is a garbage can.</p>
<p>We each have different gut flora so I wouldn’t indulge in a lot of street food when you first arrive. I usually avoid vendors who sell raw food(peeled fruit and veg) on portable carts. I saw several fruit vendors who were not very sanitary with the knives they used to cut fruits. I am open to food cooked in high heat. Best to carry individual wrapped straws in your bag.
A friend of mine came home with a tapeworm from eating raw vegetables (salads) in Vietnam.</p>