COST : 200Baht (double)

Value for money : 2

Cleanliness : 4

Friendliness : 3

Noise : 4

TOTAL : 13/20 (Rank : 9^th / 45)

COST : 90 Baht (single)

Value for money : 3

Cleanliness : 3

Friendliness : 3

Noise : 1

TOTAL : 10/20 (Rank : 36^th / 45)

My first impressions of this city were of awe. The traffic is something else – crazy yet everyone seems to be in control. People let others in at will and there are no signs of road rage. Khao San Road is the backpackers haven. The streets in this area are

littered with stalls selling identical fake merchandise, from fake watches to pirated tapes. There are many guest houses and

restaurants along this area so you can shot, eat and sleep all on the one street.

Tuk-Tuks are one of the maddest forms of transport on this earth. They are like a trike with room for two passengers. I took a trip around the city in one for 20 Baht, which turned out to be something of a scam. We were taken to a suit factory, which Bangkok is full of, and of course had no desire to spend 200 pounds on a suit. The tuk-tuk driver would have got commission if we’d bought one, thus the cheap price. He took us to our next location, the Marble Palace, and left us there. No great loss, the city seems to have more tuk-tuks and taxis than private vehicles.

Bangkok is certainly a polluted city, but you may be surprised to find that it has virtually no litter, or graffiti. The `smell’ does not

appear as bad as Hong Kong, and there is far less obvious poverty.

I must admit, I did not do too much sight seeing here. The heat does, I must admit, get to you pretty quickly. The Marble Temple is very impressive, the inside carpeted with a large golf Buddha statue. The surroundings are quite nice too, a stream and cute bridges with well maintained grass.

The Grand Palace is truly spectacular. Easily the best thing I saw in Bangkok. The main feature is in the Temple of the Emerald Buddha (TEB). There are many smaller buildings around, and the paintings in the temple of TEB are truly beautiful. If you go to Bangkok and miss this, you’ve missed Bangkok.

COST : 250Baht (double)

Value for money : 3

Cleanliness : 3

Friendliness : 3

Noise : 2

TOTAL : 11/20 (Rank : 26^th / 45)

COST : 200Baht (double)

Value for money : 4

Cleanliness : 3

Friendliness : 4

Noise : 4

TOTAL : 15/20 (Rank : 1^st / 45)

A bus from Bangkok takes all night (13 hours) and costs 400 Baht. This was a VIP bus – it had a toilet. Chiang Mai is a litter smaller and a little less hectic than Bangkok. Not much cooler, although it’s very north. I was fortunate to score a guesthouse with cable TV in my room for 200 Baht (about $9 Australian). The only main attraction in Chiang Mai is the night market. It’s like Khao San Road but at night, and the prices are just a little cheaper than in Bangkok.

Chiang Mai is a city in a city, a fair portion of which was once fortified, and still remains in a clear square block, with the remains of a wall surrounding it. The Thae Pae Gate remains on one side, an impressive structure. The city is littered with Thai attempts at German, Aussie, Irish etc. Pubs. The most amusing was one claiming to be `The only Belgian Pub in Chiang Mai.’ I never ventured inside, but I’m sure it was very authentic. I went to one temple (`Wat’) in Chiang Mai, the Wat Suan Dok. The whole temple was not quite as nice as it appeared in some postcards – obviously taken when the temple had just been cleaned. There’s also a giant Buddha there, and that was impressive, mainly due to its size. A few people were taking photos of him, which is not really something you should do, there are signs asking you not to. On the steps leading to the temple a lady was ‘selling’ birds in cages that you by and set free for a prayer. Well, it’s worth a small fee to free the birds. Around the back is a smaller temple, the walls are filled beautiful pictures telling a story of Buddha I could not quite decipher. Nevertheless the pictures were really beautiful. I also took the chance to go to the cinema here, I saw Good Will Hunting for 70 Baht (AUS $3.40) on a huge screen, in English with Dolby surround sound. They played the national anthem beforehand and well all had to stand for it.

Chiang Mai is a nice little place, but the main reason people come to Chiang Mai is to do a trek. There are many offered from different establishments, usually the guesthouses, and can be from one single day to several. I did a one-day trek, organized by the Kristi Guesthouse, at a price of 600 baht. Although I have heard bad stories about some treks, I had a great day and a trek really is a must for anyone visiting Chiang Mai. The entire day was executed as efficiently as anything was in Thailand. We were bussed to elephants, rode them for an hour, met a `Hill Tribe’ (who just happened to sell refreshments..hmmmm). Then a steepish walk to the bus and to lunch which was delicious, onto another Hill Tribe, then swimming at a waterfall (wonderful!!), bamboo rafting and back to Chiang Mai. The Hill Tribes are quite authentic, its just they’ve seen so many tourists they expect them. The King has apparently given them full citizenship and the right to vote (many originated in Burma and Laos).

The whole `trek’ was the most enjoyable day I spent in Thailand. A lot of people said they hated their treks. Treks are offered by so many people - you are taking potluck I guess. I had a terrific time.

COST : 600Baht (double)

Value for money : 0

Cleanliness : 2

Friendliness : 3

Noise : 4

TOTAL : 9/20 (Rank : 40^th / 45)

I flew in to Phuket and soon found looking for accommodation not as easy as I may have hoped. This time of the year is still the tourist season, and prices were through the roof - very expensive compared to the rest of Thailand, a 600 Baht bungalow wasn’t half as good as the 200 Baht room in Chiang Mai. The beach was pretty alright, but I got no photos of that, and I found myself in a less populated area. There were plenty of restaurants with some pretty good seafood, some nice bars and some, well, odd bars. The beaches are pretty nice, and the water was very warm indeed, and surprisingly deep close to the sand. A few jelly fish around though, and the stings pack quite a punch as I witnessed. To get the best out of Phuket though, you’re gonna want to stay in a resort.

COST : 120Baht

Value for money : 3

Cleanliness : 3

Friendliness : 2

Noise : 4

TOTAL : 12/20 (Rank : 20^th / 45)

An interesting `little’ town (pop. 35,000) with some excellent sights. At the top of a small mountain overlooking the city is a group of buildings, apparently where the King occasionally stayed. They have done a ‘museum’ up to how it used to be – apart from the new energy saver light bulbs – and it is quite impressive. Worth a visit if you have the time. A cable car takes you up the mountain, where you can walk about and avoid being jumped on by monkeys. There are quite a few buildings and structures to look at, and you’ll find most of the tourist are actually Thai, which makes a change.

Also in Phetchaburi, somewhere near the centre of town, stands the Wat Mahahtat. A huge white structure, quite tall that is lit up brilliantly at night. This whole town is a bit of an undiscovered secret from what I gather, and worth a stop whilst in Thailand.

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