Backpacking Abroad - Travel info for backpacking in Thailand, Laos, China & Vietnam

Can you buy clothes in all sizes in Thailand?

ReindeerF, May 27, 2008

The only thing I’d mention about clothes is that if you’re of above average size or you like to wear baseball caps or something you’ll want to prepare. I’m about 6′3″, I weigh about 90kg/190lbs and I wear a size 12 or 13 shoe. While it’s not impossible to find clothes here and while I’ve figured out more and more places to find them over time, there’s not a ton of variety at our sizes. The tourist night markets service tourists, so they tend to have a good spread sometimes, but not always. If you’re a runner I wouldn’t even bother buying running shoes here. If you like baseball caps, all they have are hardshell types that either grandpa or hip hop kids would wear. Most everything else you can get, but the larger the cut the higher percentage of some design flaw (shorts with the right waist size, but constrictive thigh openings - stuff like that). Again, don’t worry unless you’ve got some disproportionately large appendages.

Tell me about dirt-biking in Thailand?

There’s a good chance I’m going to rent a dirtbike at some point, how easy is it to fill up the tank? Are there gas stations all over the place, or am I going to have to be very careful about where I get out to if I want to make it back? Do you think I should expect to have to haggle over gas prices (since it will probably be pretty obvious I need the gas) or are they standard and posted as I’m expecting?

spog, May 14, 2008

I guess you plan to explore the countryside, right? I’ve never seen a dirtbike inside BKK - or at any of the beach resorts.

You should have no problem finding a gas station and they will be very familiar to you (proper pumps, price on display, etc).

More »

Tags: Motorbikes

I want to get out of Bangkok for the weekend, what is the beachside town of Bang Saen like?

Sassy Not Classy, Dec 27, 2007

Not a bad beach, lots of food vendors and junky tourist crap.  Near the end is a pier with a really good seafood restaurant.

As for what to do, well.. it’s a small town.  There’s a fairly large university though, so there’s no shortage of young people.  On Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays there is a night market in the parking lot of the strip mall that the church is in.  Also in that strip mall is a karaoke bar called 420 MaryJane, which I didn’t get to check out.  On the weekends there is a market called Chonburi Chatuchak, which is no where near the size of it’s Bangkok counterpart but is definitely worth checking out if you like shopping as much as I do.  About 30 minutes away is Sri Racha Tiger Zoo.  It’s an interactive zoo where you can feed tigers and taunt crocodiles with chickens on a fishing line, among other things.  All in all, it’s good for a weekend beach getaway since it’s only an hour from Bangkok, but there isn’t a whole lot to do when you live there.

More »

Tags: Accommodation, Attractions, Budget

Is Laos pronounced with the “S” or without?

Pompous Rhombus, May 24, 2008

Without (also, stretch the vowel sound). The “s” comes from a corruption of a French transliteration, or something.

Diatribe, June 1, 2009

It is without, although you will come across many people who pronounce the ‘S’, probably because it’s easier to say. Resist the temptation to join them!

What are those coloured trucks full of passengers that I see cruising around Bangkok?

ReindeerF, Jan 20, 2008

Those red, blue, green and purple covered trucks full of passengers in the back that go around constantly pulling aside to pick up and drop off people are called saengtaews (that you probably know).  Sometimes they’re called by the colour too, in Thai (rot daeng, etc).  Anyway, they run a constant loop in the same neighbourhood and you can ride as much of it as you want for 5 baht.  Just flag them down to get on and when you get off, hand them 5 baht.  These are really handy for getting around if you learn the route.