thailand :: bangkok :: general

[dinolif]

this is my first post and i already need help..

I'm heading down to phuket (8nights) and then Bangkok (3nights) for christmas and a little after new years. I'm looking for some cool places to shop and check out.

I'm looking for some interesting t-shirts and sneakers.. can you help? I've just heard so much about thailand that i don't know where to actually start.. i found the bangkoker and will be checking that out for t-shirts.

It's my first time to thailand, any clue if the muythai fighting in phuket is any good to watch or should i save it for bangkok?

I'm also looking for some good seedy hangouts and dives to check out.. any tips on a good tranny cabaret show?

thanks a lot in advance for your help..

[Analyst]

You might want to do a quick search as a lot has already been posted regarding your questions. England can speak to Pattaya if you're interested.

Can't help you much on Phuket but Koh Phi Phi is an nice, chill island in the Andaman Sea. The diving is excellent and you can expect about at least 20m visibility this time of year. Muay Thai matches are held around Lumpini in the same area as the Suan Lum Night Bazaar, a large market selling everything from pugs to sarongs to big chinese lanterns that opens at dusk to about midnight. I haven't been to a match in a long time, but I hear Monday and Thursday are the best nights to go.

For shopping, it depends on exactly what you're looking for:

Villians in Siam Square sells tons of Camper, Adidas and some Evisu slip-ons.

Sneaka Villa in Siam Square (next to the Ice Monster) sells limited edition Nike SBs, which have become very popular as of late.

Next to Sneaka Villa is Denim Style, a small-wonder hole-in-the-wall-shop selling Japanese selvedge denim like Evisu, Studio D'artisan, Denime, Samurai...

Playground on Thong Lor 18 is a concept store that sells Mandarina Duck bags, Jean Paul Gaultier umbrellas, some APC, Yanuk denim, X Large, Camper shoes, Adidas, and other street wear.

Playground also opened a new high-end street wear store called Manga at the newly remodeled Central World mall (get off at Chit Lom BTS and walk there). I haven't been there yet but they might have Supreme, etc.

Also in Chit Lom is the Erawan mall, where there is Blackjack and Club 21, a high-end retailer originally based out of Singapore. Blackjack sells a lot of Y-3 and Maharishi and Nice Collective. Club 21 will have Comme des Garcons, Dior Homme, Issey Miyake, etc.

For shopping, a trip to MBK center in Siam Square is probably worth a look. Fake Supreme, lots of watches: fake Pateks and real Panerais and IWC Portugueses, DVDs, fake Levis and Evisu, etc. I've never been to the Chatuchak Market around Mo Chit but I hear the shopping is good. THe best time to go is on the weekend and in the morning, as the weather gets really really hot and humid.

Finding shady dives in BKK is easier that finding good ketchup (Heintz). You'll what you're looking for around Silom Soi 2. Also, the lower part of Sukhumvit namely Soi 4 and around the Asoke area should also suffice. Have fun! and make sure you wear a hat if going for a swim.....

[englandmj7]

Shopping in Phuket is horrible. There aren't many vendors of great authentic products, and the fakes there are, in my opinion, the worst in SE Asia. There are actually alot of Middle Eastern vendors there and they insist on trying to sell you pairs of fake Nikes for damn near the retail price of authentic ones.....they are also much more persistent and harsh in terms of bargaining as well.

There are a few small malls/shopping centers, but few are near Patong beach, which is where I imagine you are staying. Check out Robinsons, Tesco Lotus, Big C, and Central Festival if you REALLY feel the desire to go shopping. Otherwise, there is absolutely nothing worth going to these places for. Phuket is for lounging, not shopping. Also, there are no crazy dive bars to recommend, the entire country is full of awesome dive bars.......shit if that is what you are into, than there is no better place than Pattaya, but that is another story

As Analyst noted, there are good places in Bangkok to shop. I also absolutely suggest a visit to Patpong if you want to see something along the lines of a tranny cabaret show. Sure, Soi Cowboy, and other areas have dive bars, but Patpong is undisputably the most gritty, quintessential part of Bangkok's sleazy nightlife/sex scene. Be sure to also check out some of the "upstairs bars".....DO NOT go alone, and be prepared to be hassled, but hey, how else can you see a girl paint a picture with her vagina?

Patpong also has excellent shopping, although 99.9% of products sold there are fake. At night, the entire main street and attached alleys turn into vendor stalls selling everything from Gucci cufflinks to vintage Levi's. It is an awesome experience.

[Tisswat]

If you want to see a Muay Thai fight, go for Lumphini Stadium in Bangkok. You can buy ring-side at various ticketshops around Bangkok. All the tourists have seats around the ring, but if you really want to soak up the atmosphere, go for a place on the stands where the gambling, roaring takes place.. and where the occasional fist fight breaks out. Be sure to have some local friends to escort you, as you will attract more than a fair bit of attention as a farang.

[ally fu]

Phuket has many pretty decent muay thay shows, obviously a big show at the Lumpini or Raja is going to be better but as a farang you will pay 4 or 5 times what the Thais pay to get in. My advice would be check out a few cheaper bouts in Phuket and then catch one good show in BKK.

[englandmj7]

I miss pussy shows.

[dinolif]

thanks a lot for your help..

since i'm only spending 3 nights in Bangkok, i want to try and squeeze as much as humanly possible - no pun intended.. going with the missus (i know i know) but she's just as interested in seeing some wild tranny cabaret show as me..

in phuket, we're planning on staying close to Surin, and just relaxing.. i do want to get a muythai fight in.. but is there anything essnetial i should check out while i'm there? i don't mind the cultural stuff.. but maybe something i shouldn't miss?

any good live music joints in Patong?

[Analyst]

I miss pussy shows.

Aside from the razor blades show, blowing out birthday candles, smoking a cigarette, popping balloons with a dart from a blowgun, opening a bottle or shooting ping pong balls, the most fascinating feat I've seen is turning a bottle of what appears to be cola into water and then back again into cola. Wow...

Patpong is the seediest RLD in many regards as probably for the shows, BJ bars, HJ bars, etc. but Soi Cowboy is probably the most charming of the strips. It's a small street right off the Asoke BTS station lined with tiny bars lit in neon. Check out Baccara or Rawhide or Long Gun for the best time.

Some people prefer the strip mall like Nana Entertainment Plaza, but to me it takes too much work trying to walk up all the stairs. On the other hand, the best hamburger can be found at the kiosk right at the entrance on Soi 4 called Nana Burger. Try the cheeseburger with a fried egg on top. All for 70 baht....

[Serge d Nimes]

Phi Phi is all dialed in. We will be in Bangkok from Dec, 29 till Jan, 2. At this point, we plan on partying all night and sleeping all day. I have read about Bed and some other hot spots. Are these cool, or are they full of cheesy people?

[xcoldricex]

bed is pretty cool, pretty good food also. maybe i'll see ya there

[Cue]

just been down to ko tao and a heap of other islands, ko tao is def the pick i reckon. really chilled with nice beaches and good food. all good.

[englandmj7]

Phi Phi is all dialed in. We will be in Bangkok from Dec, 29 till Jan, 2. At this point, we plan on partying all night and sleeping all day. I have read about Bed and some other hot spots. Are these cool, or are they full of cheesy people?

What area in BK are you going to be staying in?

There was an article in my latest Wallpaper mag about this place:

http://dream.th66.com/

Looks damn cool and the lounge got great reviews. It is in central BK as well.

[Serge d Nimes]

We don't have a hotel in BK, we are planning on winging it so we can be more flexable. We actually have a bit of buyers remorse for jumping on Phi Phi so quickly. It seems like Koh Lanta would probably suit us better. Dream hotel looks pretty nice! I think we are going to slum it a little in BK so we have more jean money in Japan, but luxury might be nice. I think I am only going to buy one pair of jeans anyway.

[dizzhizz]

Sege,

You should really reconsider about your hotel options because traveling through Bangkok during peak season might make the trip a bit difficult and even more so expensive.

DH'

[Analyst]

Dream is nice. Metropolitan on Sathorn or the Sukhothai is also excellent.

The Davis is a good boutique hotel and won't run the 300+ USD per night like at the Met or Dream.

Ok, back to work... on the flip side, I'm starting to get homesick and missing the states

[poly800rock]

We don't have a hotel in BK, we are planning on winging it so we can be more flexable. We actually have a bit of buyers remorse for jumping on Phi Phi so quickly. It seems like Koh Lanta would probably suit us better. Dream hotel looks pretty nice! I think we are going to slum it a little in BK so we have more jean money in Japan, but luxury might be nice. I think I am only going to buy one pair of jeans anyway.

if you decide to "slum" it in BK, than head on down to ko san and D&D inn. Rooftop pool and backpackers galore. But to be honest, for the first time around Bangkok, it probably wouldn't be a bad idea to hang around there, just so you won't be completly overwhelmed by BKK. Lanta was amazing, but Phi Phi is also nice, a bit more developed and expensive but if there is one thing about thailand i've learned, you can find something to make yourself happy no matter the place...have fun.

[poly800rock]

Dream is nice. Metropolitan on Sathorn or the Sukhothai is also excellent.

The Davis is a good boutique hotel and won't run the 300+ USD per night like at the Met or Dream.

Ok, back to work... on the flip side, I'm starting to get homesick and missing the states

permanant or vacation? you're already on permanant vacation in my mind....

[Serge d Nimes]

I tried to book the D&D inn, but they did not respond. That place looks pretty nice. I will check out the Davis hotel. I think we can afford to splurge a little.

[poly800rock]

it's like $15-20 there for a basic room. better rooms are like $30-50 i think. probably better off just going down there when you're in BKK as if you book through the internet, you're rates are much higher than in person.

[tweeds]

i'll be in bangkok come the 25th till the new year, and i have always had good memories of the place. only that before i visited as a tourist and now i'm just shamelessly heading there to shop. i've read around jetset and it appears that playground is a must visit, and siam square's sneaker and denim shops listed by Analyst have been duly noted. anywhere else i should hit up? i'm not looking for streetwear in particular (allover hoodies do nothing for me), nor MBK/chattuchak's faux-witty tees with their terrible quality (graphics faded out on me barely a month after i bought it), but at the same time i don't really want to shop for luxury or designer goods either, so club21 and blackjack are probably not on my list. more on the lookout for places where i can find pieces with good design, whether local or imported.

i'm not sure if i've properly communicated what i'm looking for...but any ideas?

[xcoldricex]

huh. my tees from thailand have lasted years... i did notice the quality and fit of the tshirts they used to go down considerably. could go for the local brands greyhound and such in siam? popaganda for cheap design oriented things? playground is pretty expensive, but i guess its worth it to check out. mbk first floor has a bunch of denim shops... i think they might have been my first intro to japanese denim like 6-7 years ago? evisu, denime, samurai, etc... tons and tons of old levi's too. chattuchak has good stuff if you look hard enough... lots of independent people making their own clothes and stuff - just takes patience, lots of water drinking, etc. haha i'll be there too, maybe we'll run into each other

[Analyst]

I'm not sure if I mentioned this place but also check out Manga in Central World, which just opened between Siam and ChitLom (accessible from the SkyWalk between the two places). If you're going to Playground, then also check this place out.

From your posting, I think the tiny boutiques in Siam Square will be your best bet. Get lost in the tiny corridors and alleys around Centrepoint, where you'll find MTV Thailand VJ's interviewing local teens. There's a small hole-in-the-wall store that sells imported stuff from Korea. I can't remember the name of the store. Come to think of it, I don't think it even has a name. It's about two stores to the left of RotiBoy (sells hot coffeebuns that were the rage about 7 months ago). Anyway, the Korean store has great hats, belts, etc.

The stores inside Siam Square turnover really quickly. But it's the place to find funky stuff from both local designers' and imported clothes i.e., True Religion, Ever, old school Diesel, Seven, etc. Preduce, a skateshop in Siam, is great. The Vault, right next to ice cream joint I-Berry, will also have Nike dunks and associated gear.

Another place that hasn't been mentioned is the Suan Lum Night Bazaar, which is around Lumpini. Massive market which opens at dusk until midnight. Lots of souvenirs, Thai silk, lanterns, triangle pillows, etc., and also tons of local designed clothes.

It sounds like you know what you're looking for. I hope this helps! Cheers...

[tweeds]

thanks coldrice and analyst!

now the question is...can i do it with just under 5 days to spend there?

[poof]

ah i see. i'll going to bangkok on the 14th dec.

anyone recommendations?

[Analyst]

thanks coldrice and analyst!

now the question is...can i do it with just under 5 days to spend there?

five days are plenty...you probably won't be sleeping much in BKK...

[poof]

five days are plenty...you probably won't be sleeping much in BKK...

really? how come?

i'll be going tml.

[flyraid]

its not a bad place... i like the food.

[Serge d Nimes]

I'm there right now! Everybody (except the tourists) are wearing awesomely faded selvage Thai Levis. Crazy town!

[Serge d Nimes]

D&D was a bit of a dump, but not too bad. I think that they are a bit steep for the quality of the room. That said, we decided to splurge and go 4 star (at 190 USD/ night) for 3 nights. There goes some of my jean money!

[poly800rock]

D&D was a bit of a dump, but not too bad. I think that they are a bit steep for the quality of the room. That said, we decided to splurge and go 4 star (at 190 USD/ night) for 3 nights. There goes some of my jean money!

well, it is ko san road. now that i look back on it, maybe that wasnt the best suggestion for your honeymoon trip, but you can't argue that the view from the rooftop pool isn't clutch. don't know how hot it is there now, but in may, that pool was amazing after a long day of running around in bangkok weather. Sad to say, but after backpacking southeast asia for 4 months, D&D was probably the nicest place i stayed in. Hope all is going well in thailand, it's an amazing place that gets better everytime you go, maybe this summer i'll head back and hang with analyst if he's still there.