How good is it to have the board info before first visit?

[Guest]

I had my first trip to LOS before the Internet got popular. But I had many friends that had been going for years. They told me not a damned thing. I was totally wrecked.

But when I came back they then educated me.

Their reason being that it does not matter what you hear or read even here on this board that can really prepare you for your first trip especially on your own. I still feel they were right.

An interesting survey might be the percentage of sanuk seekers chewed up and spat out on their first trip be it emotionally, spiritually or financially

[Guest]

Interesting topic... I think another thing to consider is that MANY of the current frequent visitors and residents didn't know a thing about Thailand or the scene before they got here. (Myself included) They either came backpacking, on a business trip, on a stopover, on a work assignment, then discovered the scene later.

I think what you see a lot now is that people learn about the scene _first_ while browsing the web, THEN make plans to go with a very specific plan and target. (That's where all the "military plan" postings come from where they've already planned to the exact minute when they plan to hit Eden and where to have dinner afterwards.)

Anyway, back to the original question. Perhaps the adventure of it all may become less when you have all the info.. but on the other hand you'd feel more confident when you know what you're doing and Thailand is going to be awesome anyway. I have a feeling overall people are getting more business-like; perhaps quite a few of the residents giving advice are a bit jaded now, we may see more new visitors remaining in the "they're just whores" camp, which can't be a good thing.

MM

[spudsmck]

Great point Kratai and you're right, no matter what you read or hear nothing can prepare you for the initial shock of the whole scene, especially when you go by yourself.

Chalk me down as having been chewed up spiritually on my first visit.

[spudsmck]

Excellent post Millennium Man. I look back and think if I had known then what I know now (or even just the basic info from the board) it wouldn't have been as much fun, sort of like a lost childhood.

[ August 29, 2001: Message edited by: Spudsmck ]

[soongmak]

Mikem, I didn't know beforehand about the messageboards and sites on thai nightlife when I came here for the first time in '98. I

came here as a clueless newbie and had a chance to develop a view on the scene that was my own. I am glad I didn't read that much about it, because who knows, I might have become paranoid (scams, padding of bills, corrupt police, etc. etc.)

I went through your top ten list and added my own experiences in bewteen brackets;

1. Reasonable short-term/long-term rates: 1000b/1500b

(the first girl I stayed with asked 1000 Bhat. I didn't know about ST/LT, she stayed with me all night and I was so pleased I emptied my wallet and gave her an extra 500 bhat for the taxi)

2. Watch out for katoeys (ladyboys)--big hands and feet, deep voice, etc

(The first time I thought about a Katoey was when I was kissing with a girl who shaved her upperlip. She was selflubricating though, so I guess I still have a perfect record (?)).

3. Keep an eye on your bar tab for bill padding

(never worried about it, only happened to me once)

4. Carry a copy of your passport and tourist visa; lock the originals in your hotel safe

( I always walked around without my passport)

5. Avoid tuk-tuk drivers (I learned this the hard way. A tuktuk driver asked only 10 bhat for an hour and I saw a whole lot of jewelry shops)

6. Wear long pants (always did that. shorts are for beaches)

7. Only take metered taxis; at the airport, they're to the left and out the door (it took me 4 days before I found out that taxis are dirt cheap. I actually walked around town, soaked myself and it saved me some lousy bhat a day)

8. Avoid guest-unfriendly hotels (that would have come handy. I had to pay 500 bhat every night for my then regular BGt. what was worse that they made her feel like a prostitute what somehow spoiled the mood. We ended up going to her appartment in the end, where I met my current GF:-))

9. Save some baht for your tourist exit fee when flying home (I read that in the LP)

10. And above all, don't fall in love with the bargirls (hard not to do)(what was hard for you was hard for me too).

Cheers,

SOONGMAK

[francie34]

I've got to agree with Soongmak and going over there without any information is the best way it may be a bit more expensive but that is half the fun making mistakes. When I went there I didn’t even know what a barfine was. But things like that added to the excitement I didn’t know what was around the next corner.

[ August 29, 2001: Message edited by: francie34 ]

[CondomKing]

Mixed feelings on this one -- I think it's great to have a source of useful information to help guys from making major blunders on their first trip. On the other hand I didn't have that advantage and it all worked out fine for me, i.e., I'm still alive.

I came to Thailand through a work assignment and spent five months in Phuket, working all day and partying all night. I needed to learn everything the hard way, and that's exactly what I did. Boy, did I spend a lot of money needlessly, and loving every minute of it!

When I came back to Bangkok on my own a few months later (where I had really not spent any time), the courtesy desk at the airport booked me a room in The Maimi Hotel on Soi 15. After checking in I followed the crowd into an alley which led to the old Thermae. Once inside a beautiful girl asked me my name, came back with me to the hotel, stayed the night, refused to take more than 500 Baht, insisted that I check out and moved me to the Honey on Soi 19. She even carried my bags. Now, that's what I call service.

Before she left she asked me to meet her at the Soi 7 Beer Garden that evening and on her way out the door added, "If I don't show up by 7:15, don't wait for me, just have a good time." And, of course, I never saw her again. She was really a guardian angel.

[ALHOLK]

Hi!

When I came to Thailand the first time in 1982 I had only briefly heard of the internet as an American millitary project.

Evenso I wasn't copletely in the dark as I had read some travel guides and hooked up with people with more experience than me.

I agree to an extent with Soongmak that first hand experience is valuable. But as a former researcher at a Swedish university I also recognize the value of available information. The problem with the amount of information available today is partly the time it takes to read it. Another problem is that it is often conflicting.

To evaluate the the information you have to ask yourself if it is factual or if someone is expressing their opinions.

You must also ask yourself if the information provider has an agenda, political, religous or other.

You must try to figure out if there are other motives. Is someone trying to direct you to a business in which he/she has an interest.

You must try to figure out who the information provider is. I have occasionally read posts radiating with confidence by posters who have spent very little time in Thailand and evidently have a very vague concept of what they are talking about.

This said the information on the various boards, some more than others, can provide a valuable framework to put your first hand experience into a context. That is if you can evaluate it correctly.

regards

ALHOLK

[Guest]

Spud,

Without this board an others, I would have been totally lost. I got a good felling on what to do and how to be.....however my best advise was to myself...and that was to "go with the flow and always smile".

Actually, It's pretty funny. When i first got to LOS...I basically fell into a "groove" and wen tto the places that I liked, checked out a few places suggested by the board and just had a heck of alot of fun.

Really, one can read a message board like this for years...and still be nervous about going. My advice....get some good general info....and just GO!!!!!!! It seemed to work for me anyway.

cheers,

Tony