diddagirl

I am starting to plan my trip to Thailand for thsi January. We will be going for a month, in which time we plan on making our way down to Malaysia and Singapore. Has anyone been to any of these places? I am a little bit nervous..... not quite sure what to expect. Are these places generally safe for Canadians or any tourist for that matter? If anybody has any info, or would like to share their expereinces with me that would be great!
We are also planning to have a stop over in Tokyo for a few nights on our way home, so any tips/info on that would be helpful too!

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guinnessgurl

not too much advice seeing as how I've never been myself, but I was planning a trip for myself and did quite some extensive research, some of which involved talking to an older couple who had travelled virtually everywhere, including Thailand a number of times. Their best advice was to get the Lonely Planets guide to Thailand and follow much of what it says. It will give you info about the safe/non-safe places to go and also good ideas for cheap places to stay (although practically everything in Thailand is cheap, lol). I've talked to lots of Canadians who have travelled there and their stories have been of nothing but good experiences. Both Malaysia and Singapore are very safe as well. My old boss was from Malaysia and he highly reccomended it as a place I should visit. Here's hoping that helped a bit, and let us know how everything works out. And keep a journal, so you can fill us in extensively when you get back

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PulpMind

If you like to dance and boogie down, check out the Full Moon parties on the Thailand coast (sometimes on the islands). I'd suggest checking one out that has music oriented on the goa / psychedelic trance tip, but that's just my preference =) ..most of these parties happen in our winter months around January...
and you're already safe, being that you're from Canada. I'm from the US and tend to tell people that I'm from Canada or the UK so I don't get killed overseas (not that I think that will be a problem in Thailand, where they just want your money=)

have fun!

Rodney

I went 15 years ago, and Thailand was pretty safe then. I personally had no problems. There was reported to be crime, but it was of the "snatch and run" type, not violent. And I think that today there's credit card fraud sometimes inflicted on tourists, not that we don't have that here at home. At any rate, I was a rookie at overseas travel, went alone, got off the beaten track sometimes, and did fine. You will, too.

But as Pulpmind said, they do want your money. So if somebody offers you something without mentioning the price, ask the price before you say yes!

Alyssa

I haven't been there, but my boyfriend Aaron went there by himself last August for three weeks. He LOVED it! He said it was very cheap and beautiful. While there he visited Cambodia, Ankor Wat, and some place called Tiger Temple where he got to pet a tiger and hold a baby. He said he liked Cambodia better than Thailand because it was less commercialized and the people were nicer. He has been trying to get me to go ever since.

diddagirl

Thanks for all the info guys!

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"Is it so small a thing to have enjoyed the sun, to have lived long in the spring, to have loved, to have thought, to have done."
-Matthew Arnold

Seer666

Just a few rules to remember in that area of the world.
1. Do NOT take a tour where they guide has a full auto weapon.
2. Get the price for the trip BEFORE getting into the cab
3. If she is tall, slim, drop dead beautiful and has legs for miles, it's a he.

Thailand is a awsome place to visit. Very cheep, the shoping is great, and if you are looking for "night life" there is lots to be had.
Thailand is a safe place for the most part. Keep an eye on the locals in that part of the world. If the street empties for no obvouse reason, find someplace else to be fast. Other then that, just don't go down dark dank back allies by your self and you should be safe. If you are going to Tokyo, try seeing the royal palace and Tokyo tower. both are very cool. Also, try to stop by Akihabara if you are looking for cool japaness toys and hi tech knick knacks. I got a friend that is still there, feel free to pm me if you want to know anything else about the area.

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Bad spellers of the world untie!!!

I am the one you warned me of

I seem to have misplaced the bullet with your name on it, but I have a whole box addressed to occupant.

WarriorBuddha

What Seer said, and play connect four with the bar girls, often if you win they give you.....discounts...hehe.

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Que

I have been there numeous times! Bangkok, Pattaya, Chang Mai and some other smaller villages, great food, great people, I promise you won't be disappointed.

will57

Didda,

Que is right. I have been to Bangkok and Chang Mai many times. It is safer than many US cities. The food is great and the people are very friendly. The dollar goes a long way even though not as far as it used to. The Novitel in Siam Square is where I stay in Bangkok and I highly recommend it. You can get clothes custom made in a day at low prices. Most everyone speaks English so thats not a problem. Cabs are cheap. You can go across town for less than a dollar. If you want any plastic surgery, you can get it done at Bumrungrad Hospital for about a third of the cost in the US. Its a world class hospital with American Board Certified doctors. A 1 hr. massage will cost you about $15 US. A facial is about $10. I used to get one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Have fun. I'm planning on going back sometime this winter myself. That is the best time to go because its much cooler then.

Amano

Be very wary of cab drivers that 1) want to give you "city tours" 2) try to convince you that it's some special holiday or 3) want to take you around for too cheap to be true prices (hard to judge sometimes since everything is so darn cheap already). Most likely they will take you to a (fake) precious stones store (whose owner is in cohorts with the driver) and pressure you to buy something, saying that there's a special sale because it's some national holiday. Sometimes there are huge intimidating men present.... Whatever you do, don't buy them. Better yet, don't get in cab in the first place

When I first heard about these scams i thought, this was too elaborate to be a widespread thing, but when for the two days I was in Bangkok, it happened twice. Luckily I was there with a friend who knew what was going on and made us walk away before anything happened.

Scuba diving on some of the islands in southern Thailand is amazing too, if you have the time. Transportation to and from the island plus hotel is amazingly cheap, and diving fees are also cheap.

steve urkel

The best thing to do is hire a local guy to guide you around. It's very cheap.

aKula

the credit card fraud in that area of the world is professional, they'll only take off a certain amount of money, so that the bank doesn't freeze the credit account. I've been to southern Thailand, the beaches there are amazing, as well as the beaches in Malaysia, Singapore is also a great place to visit, i guess it's more modern and comfortable. As mentioned above a travel guide is a good investment.

Glory's Sun

All I know about it is that it's home to the greatest sport ever.. Muay Thai Boxing! Try to watch a match..they're so much better of there than here.. (less regulations)

WarriorBuddha

I've been to Thailand myself a few times and know several people who have each made several trips there themselves. No one has ever had a complaint about their trip. Someone mentioned diving, if you're not licensed, it's really cheap to get your license there. Everything is dirt cheap. Cabs, girls, hotels, food, girls, souveniers, girls, drinks.

Been to Singapore a few times too, the navy does have some benifits. It's not quite as cheap, though very safe and a lot of fun. Just watch out for the ridiculous laws. It's illegal to bring chewing gum into the country, let alone chew it. I'm sure somewhere there are places where you can find out exactly what all the rules are. It's not really anything to worry about, you just gotta be a little careful. The laws they have go a long way in keeping the island country as beautiful as it is.

As far as Tokyo goes, I live there. If you're looking for drinking, go to Roppongi or Shibuya. If you want to go shopping, Shibuya, or Akihabara if your looking for electronics. Tokyo's a fantastic city with a train system that will take you anywhere easily. If you get lost the station workers, or even sometimes other natives, will do thier best to help you out. Great place.

Hope I've helped you out a little bit. Let us all know how things went when you get back.

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Thockmorton knew if he were ever to break wind in the echo chamber, he would never hear the end of it.

gcbrowni

My wife and I backbacked through Malaysia and Thailand for several months. We didn't enjoy Singapore. It's just a modern city. Same goes for Kuala Lumpor, nothing to see, move along, move along. We didn't enjoy our time in the cities of Malaysia and Thailand, but the smaller places were great. The east coast of Malaysia is different from the west, you may enjoy yourself more on the west coast. Most of rural Thailand is great. Once place to check out it Surat Thani Treetops, in a national park. We loved it. You should be able to find out more about it on the internet.

Thailand doesn't use a roman alphabet, so that may be a problem. The language problems in Thailand were worse (in terms of english speakers) than anywhere else we went, maybe exagerated by the alphabet, but even then there always seems to be someone around to help out.

One thing to note: the Thais take their Buddha's VERY seriously. DOn't fool around with it's/his image, and be respectfull around and statues. They are a laid back people, but man that gets them riled.

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Seer666

Sounds like there is a story in that comment there.....

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Bad spellers of the world untie!!!

I am the one you warned me of

I seem to have misplaced the bullet with your name on it, but I have a whole box addressed to occupant.

elcid

I've traveled throughout SE Asia many times and currently live in Nonthaburi, Thailand. 1) If you are not a fool, it is safe. 2) If you are on a budget, go to the backpacker areas, ignore the guidebook and pick the newest hotel that has a crowd. They're all pretty much the same and the newer ones will be relatively clean. 3) Be nice and relax--its all fairly cheap, especially transportation, food and lodging. 4) Don't always expect things to be straightforward--Thai culture includes a very hight tolerance for ambiguity and most Western cultures do not. N. Americans and N. Europeans are especially prone to uncertainty avoidance and the this mix causes most problems. 5) Have a good time and don't be in a hurry.

tarvuz

Elcid, I am uncertain what you mean by uncertainty avoidance..please give an example. Thanks

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funny quip

Rodney

Fortunately, street signs for principal streets in the larger cities are often subtitled in English, and any business that expects a tourist trade will have some kind of English signage and English speakers of some caliber, including most money changers and banks. For buying and selling stuff, especially if bargaining, keep a cheap pocket calculator on hand so you and the seller can at least punch in and display numbers, if they don't understand English at all. (The Thai word for "seven" sounds a lot like English "six," for example, so it's best to be clear.)

But a lot of people do understand at least some English, including cab drivers, so you'll never be too bad off. Thais who speak German aren't too hard to find, either, but French-speakers have a harder time.

iceburn

One time Bill O'Reilly went there and a whore took him into a backroom... She did some things that blew his god damn mind.

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... and shit.

flip

I'm also planning on hitting up Thailand in the coming months. It'll be great to get there right as it's getting cold here in the States. Any good places I should definitely not miss?

AxelF

About Singpore and chewing gums, it's all about them beeing fixed on keeping the city clean. (And it is!) Gums make nasty marks on the ground. But when I was there tourists could bring gums for their own use.

Beware of littering! On the front page of Singapore Times they wrote about three persons wanted for littering. One man had dropped some cardboard in a park and the Police expected him to have escaped to Malaysia.

Even though the city is largely more western than Bankok I found it very enjoying to visit. It has both a collonial heritage as well as beeing a stew of people of many cultures and religions. Get a Singapore Sling in the bar att Raffels Hotel, where it was invented.

Malaysia is a usually safe, muslim, country and very pleasant to visit. But check things like this before going:
http://travel.state.gov/travel/malaysia_announce.html

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tooblekane

2 friends and i have been "planning" a trip to thailand for about 2 years now. two of us are going into pharmacy school now though, but we want to try and do it after we finish our pre-reqs, just before we start school.

canucker

Singapore=Singabore, didn't like it just another big city. Don't forget to get a Singapore Sling at the Long Bar.

Kuala Lumpar, not bad city, got to see the two towers they are big!! Go south of KL, much nicer, less busier.

Thailand, loved it all, get to the islands, I liked Ko Samui. When in Bangkok make sure and get some taylor made clothes, very cheap and done in twenty four hours....

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