Tag Archives: Thailand

Asia, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand

Why I love travelling South East Asia…

Many people have asked me why I travel to Asia more often than any other continent or region in the world. There’s not really a single answer to it.

I like the weather, the food, the people and the adventures and experiences you can have there.

In 2015 I did a Contiki tour called the “Asian Aventure“. I met many awesome people from around the globe on the tour and made a great new friend.  There where parties, of course, but the main reason why I loved this tour so much –  besides making new friends – were the places we visited and the experiences we had. We went to the North of Thailand, Laos and Cambodia.

Lets take  the following photo for instance:

Laos Pakbeng – In the morning

Have you every imagined waking up very early in the morning in a small village in Laos (“Pakbeng”). Going down to a small pier to catch a “slow boat” on the Mekong river even before the sun has fully risen ? 10 years ago I woudn’t even dreamed about it.

 

 

 

Cambodia Siem Reap – Temples

We also explored the amazing Angkor Wat and the other temples in Cambodia where one of the Tomb Raider movies was filmed.
There’s even a cocktail named after Lara Croft in one the bars in Siem Reap. 😉

I’ll definitely come back, because 2 days are not enough to see all the temples in this huge national park.

Or in 2012:

Bangkok – Dr. BJs’s Salon

I took a strawl though Bangkok and suddenly found this place. One of the many stores and venues with such a funny “In your face” name. You’ll find bars, restaurants, massage parlours and many other places with this very direct marketing. It makes me giggle. Every time.

In 2016 I went back to Thailand to visit some of the Islands  in the west. (Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, Koh Tao).
We also took a day trip to this paradise like island:

Thailand Koh Nang Yuan

 

 

 

 

 

More Asian Adventures to come…

Asia, Thailand, Tipps, Travel Advice

How to catch a Taxi in Bangkok

Here I am. Back in Bangkok,  Thailand. This time staying with a mate in the old town part of the city. Meaning no BTS sky train or MRT station nearby. The only way to get from our hotel to Downtown Bangkok with all the shopping malls (like MBK, Siam Paragon and others), are taxis. Unfortunately many Taxi drivers don’t speak English. So I used the “Bangkok method” to get around.

Getting from hotel to downtown/other places

First look for a small business card of the hotel at the reception desk. This will later be important when you want to go back to the hotel. Most hotels can give you a business id card which contains the address of the hotel in Thai letters and/or a small map of where the hotel is located. DONT FORGET TO TAKE ONE BEFORE LEAVING.

The easiest and simplest way is to ask the reception desk, or if available, the bell manager for a METERED Taxi and tell him/her where you want to go. He/Her will then use his radio to hail a cab for you and tell the driver in Thai where you want to go. This helps to avoid lost in translation situations. 😉

After entering the car make sure the driver turns on the meter. If he doesn’t, insist on it or you may end up with a “special price”, which can be twice or triple the official amount. Side note: One of the drivers offered us 200 THB special price, we insisted on the meter and ended up with 68 THB (rounded up to 70)

When you arrive at your destination round up the price to the next 5 or 10 baht. The drivers often dont have change and apprechiate a small tip.

 

Getting back to the hotel

Hailing a taxi on the street is an almost impossible mission.
Here’s the easy way: Just go to the next shopping mall.

Most shopping malls have a so called “taxi queue” or taxi stand at the ground level. When arrive at the front of the line give the taxi coordinator the card from your hotel. He will then ask all taxi (or tuk tuk) drivers nearby if anyone wants to take you to your destination. Jump into the one the he/she points at. Other drivers may try to pursway you by smiling or winking at you to take their taxi/tuktuk instead. Be careful this could lead to either a very expensive ride or a trip to an unknown destination.

After entering the taxi handover the card from the hotel to confirm your driver got the right address and double-check that he/she turned on the meter.

When you arrive at your destination round up the price to the next 5 or 10 baht. The drivers often dont have change and apprechiate a small tip.

Tips

  • Make sure you have a business card of your hotel
  • Double-check that you have all belongigs before leaving the car. Getting it back is an impossible mission.
  • Write down/take photo of the vehicle number (often a sticker on the inside of the window) if you want to report any bad incidents to the taxi queue service
  • Taxis have different designn (pink, yellow-green, orange), but the metered rates should be the same