Bangkok Blogger|Tales from Thailand

Last weekend we made the trip down to Koh Samet which is the closest beach island to Bangkok and is about 200km plus a short boat ride away.  As there was a group of us going we hired a 10 seat minibus to take us on the two and a half hour journey down to the coast.  There are other cheaper ways to get there but as we were in a group this did not work out that much more expensive than getting the bus.  As we were heading down late on a Friday evening we had missed all the ferries that leave from Rayon Banphe so we had to charter a speedboat.  This was easy enough and was quicker than ferry taking about 20 minutes.  The speedboats are a bit more convenient too as they will drop you at the place you are staying at rather than at the main dock like the ferries do.

Most people say you don’t need to book accommodation before you arrive but as we were getting there after dark we decided it would be better to pre-book to save us the hassle of trying to find somewhere at night and as we hadn’t been there before we did not really know where to look.

The island looked amazing as we got closer.  The little beach huts were all subtly lighted and we could just about make out the beach and the sea.

The boat dropped us off on the beach outside the group of bungalow huts we would be staying at and after a short walk up the beach we arrived at the reception to check in.  There are reports that reservations aren’t always honoured if someone turns up before you and wants a room but all the huts we had booked we reserved for us.  We were led to our bungalow which was a modern looking wooden hut on stilts less than a minutes walk from the beach.  Inside the hut was lightly furnished but had a shower and toilet and a nice double bed.  We had opted for an air conditioned room instead of just a fan room.  This was my first time in a beach hut and I was really pleased with the place we had picked.  We weren’t on the beach front like some of the other places to stay on the island but were less than a minute walk to the sand and sea which was fine with me.

In the morning we got to see how beautiful the island really was.  People have told me that Koh Samet isn’t what it used to be and is far too build up but even though we were staying on the east coast which is the busiest part it looked fine to me.  There are hut along the beach but they are back behind the tree line so aren’t too imposing and there are beach bars and restaurants all along the main strip of coast but these are all tastefully done and don’t make a negative impact on the beach.  If you do want a more secluded beach head further south down the east side or head over to the much less populated west side.

The Weather on Koh Samet

Considering it is the rainy season which in Bangkok means it is very hot and humid Koh Samet was a breath of fresh air (literally).  The sun was out the whole time we were there and it wasn’t humid at all.  A few of us got sunburnt so make sure you bring plenty of sun cream. It did rain for about 20 minutes during the night but that was about it.  If you are looking to get away from the heat, humidity and smells of Bangkok Koh Samet is the ideal location.

Eating on Koh Samet

There are loads of places to eat along the eastern stretch of beach.  Most restaurants are attached to some accommodation but you can eat anywhere you chose.  Seafood is big here but there are many other styles available and most places had an extensive western menu if that is your thing.  I recommend the club sandwich from Silver Sands if you are looking for a nice lunch.   There are also people walking up and down the beach selling fruit and some even cook food as they walk on mini barbecues so you could get food without even leaving the beach if you wanted.

Drinking on Koh Samet

All of the places selling food sold alcoholic drinks throughout the day and at night.  We found a really nice, chilled place called the Lamp bar which had put cushions and coffee tables out amongst the rocks so you could sit on the beach at night with a drink looking out to sea.  They have a massive cocktail menu and were playing mellow reggae on the nights we were there.  The liveliest bar on the beach, and to be honest there was only one place playing loud music, was the Silver Sands bar.  The crowd here were mainly Thais from the mainland who had come down for the weekend for a break from Bangkok with their designer mini-dogs.  The bar had a roof but the sides were open air so you could sit on the beach or sit inside and still have a sea view.  There were people on the beach doing amazing fire tricks, spinning around burning sticks and balls of fire.  You can also buy fireworks on the beach which the English people enjoyed shooting at each other.  The bar sold the infamous bucket cocktails but there were smaller than I imagined they would be but were great value costing between 200 baht (£4 ) and 300 baht (£6) depending on what you ordered.  They also had bottled beer on sale.  Although this bar was quite loud there were lots of mellower ones along the beach where you could go for a quiet drink.  Lots of places were showing the football so if you wanted to watch a live Premier League game you could easily do so.

Things to do on Koh Samet

The amazing beach is probably the main attraction on Koh Samet.  It is long, clean and the water is warm and clear.  Where we were staying there was a diving platform out at sea which you could swim out to and sunbathe on or practice your diving from.  There are a couple of other uninhabited islands near by and you can take a boat cruise over to them to explore and go snorkelling.  You can also go diving from Koh Samet with one of the diving centres on the island.    To get around the island you can hire a moped or a quad bike or get in one of the open back pickup truck taxis that travel around the island.  There is a medical centre on the island should your motor biking skills not be up to scratch.  Jet skis can be hired and windsurfing is also available as well as kayaks and banana boats.

I don’t know how Koh Samet compares to the other Thai islands but I really enjoyed it there and will definitely be going back.  Once you are on the beach it is hard to remember you are only a few hours away from Bangkok.  A weekend was a perfect amount of time to spend here but if you are looking for a quiet week then Koh Samet would also be a perfect destination.  If you are looking to full on party it’s probably not the ideal place but for everyone else I highly recommend it.  Although do bring some mosquito repellent as a few of us got bitten when out at night.

A lot of Chinese people have settled in Bangkok so the Chinatown here is pretty big. The best way to get there is to catch river boat from the Central Pier, Sapan Taskin stop on the Skyrain, and get a boat going north to the N5 or N6 stop. This trip costs about 15 baht (30p). From the boat stop it is a short walk to the main market of Chinatown which is a long thin pathway that has stalls on either side. Be careful as motorbikes drive down this pathway through the market so keep your wits about you! I’m not sure what I was expecting to be on sale at the market but what was there wasn’t it. The goods on sale in the market were mainly the kind of things you associate with being made in China: cheap plastic goods like the things you would find inside a cracker at Christmas. The market vendors were pretty chilled out and we didn’t get hassled to buy anything or look inside their shops. Once we had passed through the market we walked up to the main road which was lined with lots of places to eat but most of them were selling Sharks Fin soups so we didn’t go in them. We finally found a place that did not do Sharks fin soup and went inside. Unsurprisingly we were the only customers in there! The place was the restaurant of the Chinatown Hotel but the food was rank and it was pretty expensive coming in at about 600 baht (£12) for two people. As we left it was around 6.30pm and the food street stalls were out in force. Lots of creative ways of exhibiting dead ducks were on display but none of them looked that appetising. We walked back to the river and got a boat back to Sapan Taskin and then a taxi home.

It was worth taking a trip to Chinatown and I will probably head back for a bit more exploring but it’s not that special. Food-wise it was a bit disappointing too and I am still looking for some great food in Thailand to match the Thai food I have eaten back in London.

Before coming to Thailand we had a few sessions with a Thai tutor to try and pickup some basics before we arrived in Bangkok.  We had about 6 lessons in total and thought we were doing ok but once we got here we realised just how hard the language is to speak and understand.  In my four weeks here I’ve hardly spoken any Thai except ‘hello’, ‘thank you’, ‘how much?’ and telling the taxi driver the address I want to be taken too.

Hopefully we can arrange some lessons soon and get learning Thai.  It really would be a shame to be out here for a few years and not pick any up.   There are lots of Thai language schools out here but I think a few of us will get together and hire a private tutor for one or two sessions a week.

I have a Thai phrase book which comes in handy but as Thai is a tonal language it can be hard to know how to pronounce the words.  I think I will get a few CDs and listen to them in the background from now on and hope some of it sinks in!

Here are some links to some Thai language schools in Bangkok and some Thai language websites if you are interested in learning the language:

• AUA Thai Language School
• Nisa Thai Language School

Here are some Thai language books and CDs that should help you to learn to speak Thai: Thai Language Instructional Books & CDs

Muay Thai in Bangkok Muay Thai is the Thai version of kickboxing which is very popular in Bangkok and throughout Thailand. There are matches on a few times a week at Lumpini Stadium in Bangkok but I have yet to attend one although it is on my list of things to do.

Before coming to Bangkok I did a bit of regular kickboxing and then a bit of MMA which mixed BJJ and Muay Thai but I only attended a few classes of this. One of the things I wanted to do when coming to Thailand was to take Muay Thai classes. After looking for some classes online I finally found two clubs that were easy to get to and ran classes rather than camps. Most places charge about 400 – 500 baht a session (£8-£10) which is about the same as back home in London. I was hoping learning Muay Thai would be cheaper in Thailand but like most things it is not. One of the clubs was nearer to me but was outdoors and in this humidity I don’t think I’d last more than five minutes so I opted for the other one a bit further away in Sukhumvit. It teaches many other styles of fighting but as I am in Thailand I opted for the Muay Thai. The classes run three times a week and I expect I will go just twice a week at first. It was a good beginner group although it appeared most of the others were more experience in fighting than me. The first session was good fun although very tiring and very hot. The air con was on but I was dripping in sweat! The next session was a little more hardcore and we did some clinch work which isn’t covered in regular kickboxing at all. This killed my neck and after the session I hobbled home a broken man vowing never to return. I didn’t attend any sessions this week as I am still recovering but am planning to go back next week. One thing I heave learnt is that western kickboxing doesn’t even compare to Thai kickboxing!

There are lots of Muay Thai camps you can stay at if you are thinking of coming to Thailand to learn Muay Thai and immerse yourself in the eat, train, sleep culture and these are spread out all over the country. You can find out more about the places to train on this website:

If you are looking for training equipment have a look at this website: MMA Gloves

This website has a list of places to train Muay Thai in Thailand: http://muaythailand.com/

I’m sure you will be as pleased as I was to learn that McDonald’s can be found in Thailand, well in Bangkok at least.

The price is pretty much the same as in the UK but there are a few extra options on the menu that are worth writing home about.  The main one is the double Big Mac.  This burger has four burgers in it which is twice as many as the standard.  Although this sounds like a good idea, in practice it is quite hard to eat and my one ended up failing a part and being a big mess.  Perhaps some sturdier buns are needed!

There is also a double Fillet-o-Fish which looks lush and a Pork Samurai burger which sounds interesting.  There is no Quarter pounder unfortunately.

The best thing about McDonald’s in Thailand is that they run a 24 hour home delivery service.   The number to call for a home delivery McDonald’s in Bangkok is 1711.

Today I went to Khao San road which is the main backpacker area of Bangkok and is in the Banglampoo area.  The main strip of Khao San road is definitely targeted towards the backpacker market with lots of hostels, hotels and guestrooms as well as market stalls selling fake dvds, clothes, fake driving licenses and degree certificates.  There are lots of places to eat and drink and I saw a few people eating fry-ups.  Most places I have been to so far have been all Thai people with one or two farang but here it was mostly westerners walking around in their flip flops and vests.   I went to a tiny Israeli place called Shoshana where I had a lush humus and falafel pitta with salad and fries which came to a very reasonable 90 baht (£1.60).  I only stayed until about midday as the heat and humidity was too much and there isn’t that much to see or do apart from eat.  If you were in Bangkok for a short stay and here for a laugh this  definitely looks like the place to stay and I imagine it has a good night life which I will have to check out at a later date.

Other things to see include the Wat Chana Songkhram and the Wat Bowonniwet & Buddhist University.  There is also the Banglampoo market and the National Gallery.

How to get to Khao San Road:

The best way to get there is to get a river boat with an orange flag to pier N13 which cost me 14 baht.  You can get the river boat from the Central Pier which is next to the BTS skytrain stop Saphan Taksin.