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    Offbeat Thailand
    Offbeat Thailand
    Offbeat Thailand
    Ebook361 pages2 hours

    Offbeat Thailand

    By Chris Backe

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    About this ebook

    Save time and energy, and find what's worthy in Thailand!

    Worthy Go guidebooks are your guide to the best places to enjoy in Thailand. 

    See Thailand with an experienced travel writer by your side! 

    Whether this is your first time abroad or you've been traveling for years, Worthy Go guidebooks have three goals: 

    • Make the most of your time, money, and energy while traveling

    • Help you go your own way but still provide some guidance

    • Curate the very best places to enjoy in the country

    This guidebook has been completely updated for 2020, and includes:

    • No affiliate links, no ads, no fluff, and no BS.

    • Over 100 of Thailand's best off-the-beaten-path places.

    • Detailed, step-by-step directions to reach every place in the book.

    • Succinct descriptions, exact addresses, and GPS coordinates for every place.

    • First-hand knowledge and advice: where to stay, what to bring, safety and scam warnings, and more.

    • All the basics you'll need to know: do you tip? Can you drink the tap water? What SIM card should you get? What public transportation tickets do you need?

    • Advice on being a considerate, respectful, and sensitive traveler.

    Guidebooks are carefully formatted to display well on any device, and links take you to Google Maps (internet connection required).

    About the author: Chris Backe (rhymes with hockey) has written about travel since 2008 and has been around the world a couple of times. He's written over 30 books, and has been seen in Atlas Obscura, io9, Mental Floss, Everything Everywhere, Perceptive Travel, Travel Wire Asia, and many other publications. When not traveling, he loves tabletop games and a glass of white wine.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherWorthy Go
    Release dateJan 1, 2020
    ISBN9781519908490
    Offbeat Thailand

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      Book preview

      Offbeat Thailand - Chris Backe

      Other itineraries in the Worthy Go series

      Cities: Amsterdam, Bangkok, Bogota, Bucharest, Budapest, Chiang Mai, Istanbul, Lima, Medellin, Quito, Seattle, Seoul, Tallinn, Toronto, Vientiane, Zagreb

      Countries / regions: Laos, Central Thailand, Northern Thailand, South Korea

      More info at worthygo.com.

      Other guidebooks by Chris Backe

      48 Daytrip Destinations From Seoul

      Becoming a Digital Nomad

      An Introduction to Thailand

      Korean for Tourists

      Korean Made Easy

      Offbeat Korea

      Offbeat Thailand

      What the Florida

      Warning / Disclaimer

      Although the author has made every effort to ensure that the information in this book was correct at publication time (© January 2020), the author does not assume and hereby disclaims any liability to any party for any loss, damage, or disruption caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause.

      Be aware that traveling in a foreign country has inherent risks, and seemingly anything can change overnight. Places may close, admission fees may rise, drivers will drive crazy, and public transportation routes can be altered. Stay aware of your surroundings, employ street smarts and common sense, and in general be suspicious of locals that approach you speaking English.

      Unless otherwise noted, all material in this book is the legal property of the author and may not be reprinted or republished without the author's express written consent, with the exception of short quotes for academic or review purposes.

      Acknowledgements

      Thanks to my wonderful wife and constant traveling partner, Laura. For years, she's been patient as we got lost, followed bad directions, got on the wrong bus, arrived at places that was closed, or while I took pictures or notes.

      Thanks to the blogs / websites who suggested or wrote about interesting destinations:

      ●  Atlas Obscura at atlasobscura.com

      ●  Christian Fuchs at christianpfc.blogspot.com (some posts NSFW)

      ●  Eric Lim at tour-bangkok-legacies.com

      ●  Greg Jorgenson at gregtodiffer.com

      ●  Ian Ord at wheresidewalksend.com

      ●  Richard Barrow at richardbarrow.com

      Table of contents

      Introduction

      Where to stay in Bangkok

      Before you arrive

      Amulet Market: the accidental tourist destination

      Ao Nam Mao: A great little secret beach

      Ayutthaya sword village: Buy a machete at wholesale prices

      Baan Jang Nak: The museum of carved elephants

      Baan Tawai Handicrafts Center: Your home for kitschy wooden crafts

      Baan Teelanka: Phuket’s upside-down house

      Ban Prasat Archaeological Site: Lots of excavated prehistoric skeletons

      Bangkok’s snake farm: Watch, pose, and don’t get bit by them

      Batcat Museum: The biggest collection of Batman stuff in Thailand

      Black House: Home to tons of skulls and horns

      Bridge over the River Kwai: Real history at a fictitious bridge

      Buranathai Buddha Image Foundry: See how Buddha statues are made

      Cat Conservatory / the Thai Cat Center: Dozens of locally bred cute felines

      Chalong Bay Rum Distillery: Get a taste of Thai sugarcane

      Chao Mae Tuptim: Bangkok’s own phallic shrine

      Chat Room Cafe: Finely sculptured trees aplenty

      Chatuchak Market: the source for souvenirs and much more

      Chokchai Museum: Swarovski crystals and scads of skulls

      Dairy Hut Sheep Farm: Get your selfies with multi-colored sheep

      Death Railway Museum: honor POWs with a moment of silence

      Dhanabadee Ceramic Museum: where the chicken bowls are made

      Dragon Descendants Museum: learn all about Chinese heritage

      Elephant kraal: The last one standing in Thailand

      Elephant Poo Paper Park: where paper really is made from poo

      Ganesh Himal Museum: thousands of images of the elephant god

      Hall of Opium and the Golden Triangle: see some of Thailand's addictive past

      Hilltribe Museum of Chiang Rai: how the rural half lives

      House of Museums: a look back to Thailand’s yesteryear

      Hug You Sheep Farm: a haven for selfie-takers!

      Institute for Southern Thai Studies / Folklore Museum: a little bit of oddness everywhere you look

      JEATH War Museum (the fake one): a weird look at World War II

      Jesada Technik Museum: hundreds of awesome and rare cars

      Jungle Market: the Thai market with edible insects

      Khon Kaen horse racing: be the only foreigners around!

      Ko Jum: take a step back to rural Thailand

      Ko Kret: Ceramic Coke cups and deep-fried flowers

      Ko Lanta Animal Welfare Centre: take a tour to pet all the cats and dogs

      Ko Mook: the beach with the cave you swim through to reach it

      Kosamphi Forest Park: full of banana-eating monkeys

      Krabi Coastal Fisheries Research and Development Centre: watch fish get their freak on

      Kumphawapi: the park full of monkeys

      Million Toy Museum: plenty of dancing dolls and plush bunnies

      Museum of Counterfeit Goods: try to tell real from fake

      Museum of World Insects and Natural Wonders: two floors of creepy crawlies

      Nakhon Ratchasima Petrified Wood Museum: surprisingly entertaining

      Nang Talung Museum: Thai shadowplay made awesome

      Papaya Vintage Market: from hundreds of chairs to eight life-size Jar-Jar Binks doing the conga

      Phra Nang beach: the phallic statues accessible only by boat

      Phra Prang Sam Yod: an ancient temple overrun by monkeys

      Phu Foi Lom dinosaur park: get a sense of how big the beasts were

      Phu Phra Bat Historical Park: prehistoric rock paintings, anyone?

      Phu Wiang Dinosaur Museum: discovering the past

      Phuket Seashell Museum: complete with the biggest shell store in Thailand

      Puek Tian Beach: a naked ascetic, a dragon ridden like a horse, and a six-meter tall she-demon

      Sai Ngam: the creepiest-looking forest in Thailand

      Sala Kaeoku: a Nong Khai ‘temple’ with bizarre statues

      Sanctuary of Truth: an exquisitely carved wood building that redefines irony

      Sankampaeng Hot Springs: boil eggs and soak your feet

      Sanpatong Buffalo Market: where you too can buy a buffalo!

      Sergeant Major Thawee Folk Museum: see how Thais used to fish, hunt, and live

      Siam Fighting Fish Gallery: beautiful fish with a killer instinct

      Siam Flag Museum: a very patriotic destination

      Sirindhorn Museum: an awesome dinosaur museum

      Siriraj Medical Museum: some awesome human bodies on display

      Swimming monkeys!

      Swiss sheep farm: complete with country music and a Hulk

      Talad Rot Fai, AKA the train market: perfect for Bangkok's hipsters

      Thai Buffalo Conservation Village: get up close with the beasts of burden

      Thai Film Museum: a glimpse back in time, through movies

      Thai Human Imagery Museum: the off-the-beaten-path wax museum

      Thavorn Hotel Lobby Museum: two steps to go decades back in time

      Thip Samai: where Bangkok first tasted Pad Thai

      Wat Analayo: a Buddhist temple with a bit of everything

      Wat Baan Rai: the most psychedelic temple around

      Wat Ban Waeng: a temple showing heaven and hell

      Wat Chedi Hoi: the temple made with millions of shells

      Wat Hua Krabue: buffalo skulls and decades-old cars

      Wat Kai: the only hell temple with monkeys

      Wat Ket Karam: where the bizarre museum tells the story

      Wat Kok Mai Daeng: go inside a reclining Buddha

      Wat Lan Kuad: the temple made with millions of beer bottles

      Wat Mae Kaet Noi: the creepiest, scariest hell temple around

      Wat Mahathat: an ancient Indiana-Jones-like temple

      Wat Muang: the Biggest Buddha and a hell temple

      Wat Pa Lak Roy: Colorful monkeys and a hell temple

      Wat Pa Non Sawan: a weird hell temple with dinosaurs

      Wat Pa Thewapithak: the hell temple with Santa Claus

      Wat Phai Rong Wua: a hell temple with a huge Buddha

      Wat Pho Bang Khla: the temple known more for its bats

      Wat Phrao: AKA the Bat Sanctuary

      Wat Prathong: A half-buried Golden Buddha and quirky temple museum

      Wat Puet Udom: a freaky, colorful hell temple

      Wat Rong Meng: ever seen an elephant drivers license?

      Wat Saen Suk: a crazy hell temple

      Wat Sam Pa Siew: hidden cartoon characters inside!

      Wat Sri Khom Kham: a hell temple with dinosaurs

      Wat Tha Meru: a creepier-than-usual hell temple

      Wat Tham Mangkon Thong: where the nuns float on water

      Wat Tham Pa Archa Thong: the temple with horses and a boxing ring

      Wat Tham Ta Pan: offering views of heaven and hell

      Wat Thawet: A slowly decaying hell temple

      Wat Tilok Aram: Phayao's submerged temple

      Wat Umong: the peaceful temple with tunnels

      Wat Yannawa: the temple shaped like a boat

      White Temple: a shiny, artistic take on Buddhist beliefs

      World Sand Sculpture theme park: 20,000 meters of sandy awesomeness

      Thai Glossary

      Location index

      Subject index

      Alphabetical index

      Introduction

      Thailand: home of pad thai, ladyboys, and tuk-tuks.

      The country retains the crown as Southeast Asia's best-known tourist destination, yet the vast majority of tourists stick to only a handful of Thailand's 77 provinces. For every well-known destination (like the Grand Palace), however, there's an offbeat secret like the Amulet Market just across the street. In some cases, the offbeat requires a journey to a smaller town, or even the middle of nowhere! The reward, of course, is discovering a place few others have been — and some awesome stories that come from traveling.

      One of Thailand's strongest selling points is your ability to visit on virtually any budget. Pay $200 US a night to sleep and dine like a king or queen, or get by at a $10-$15 US a night at a small hostel. Eat lavish steak dinners or buffets in five-star hotels or some humble noodles from a street stall. Get around via tuk-tuk or taxi driver by the day or on your own rented scooter or car — or even the local bus or songthaew. Drink cheaply by heading to the local 7/11, or take back the night by discovering Bangkok’s wild nightlife.

      Statistically, Bangkok has the highest average yearly temperature in the world, so you probably won't be wearing jeans or a jacket while there. If you're visiting northern Thailand during the winter months (November to February), you may find a pair of jeans or a light jacket to be necessary. Southern Thailand, much like Bangkok, rarely gets cold enough to need much more than shorts and t-shirts. The weather turns hot from March to June, while wet season (June to October) adds in some stickiness and humidity on top of that. The actual rain comes in fits and starts, so it's wise to keep an umbrella or poncho with you.

      The high season runs from November to April, roughly, while October and May are 'shoulder' seasons — the weather is still mostly nice, but the high-season rates have likely come down. Book ahead or avoid traveling during Thailand's three major holidays: the Solar New Year, the Lunar New Year, and Songkran, Thailand's major water festival and new year celebrations.

      Even during the height of the rainy season, it's unlikely to rain the whole day. Some clouds may linger in the sky, and it's wise to keep your plans flexible, but hotel rates drop by 30-50% and deals can come out of the woodworks to convince you to stay another few days.

      Every place in this book comes complete with detailed directions and GPS coordinates, along with some suggestions on nearby destinations. To make the most of the GPS coordinates, you'll want a smartphone or tablet with a data connection (some offline map apps may work, but you typically get a GPS fix much faster with an internet connection). The links go straight to Google Maps — if you have the Google Maps app installed on your device, they should open directly in the app. If you have a specialized GPS device (like those used in geocaching or hiking), simply input the coordinates and away you go.

      Cultural pro-tips:

      ●  Duck into any convenience store or mall for a quick burst of air-conditioning. Whether you need some bottled water or just need to 'look', heat stroke is nobody's idea of fun.

      ●  Buddhist temples are places where modesty is expected. In general, cover your knees and shoulders and you’ll be fine. Take off your sandals or shoes before entering most temple buildings, then step over the raised step before the threshold.

      ●  Speaking of Buddhist temples, expect to pay a small admission fee or donation at most of them. Feel free to leave an additional donation while there to help with upkeep.

      ●  Geckos rock. Go ahead and get some pictures if you can, but don’t think of them as threats. They eat a lot of insects that would otherwise be bothering you.

      ●  Women should avoid sitting next to or touching orange-robed male monks. (This is a pretty big faux pas — if a monk needs to give their money to a female attendant on the bus, the monk will lay it on the seat next to them, the attendant will collect it, and leave the change and ticket in its place so no touching ever occurs.) Female followers (maechi) do not typically qualify for the same treatment, but male tourists can show respect by not sitting next to them.

      ●  Avoid touching anyone on the head, even accidentally. If it happens, apologize and walk on.

      ●  Be careful where you point your feet. Feet are the 'lowest' part of your body, and should be kept on the floor or pointed away from things. You might notice the way locals sit when facing a Buddha image — their feet are folded underneath their legs or are off to the side.

      ●  Respect the King and anything having to do with royalty — Thailand has some of the strictest lèse majesté rules on the planet. More than a few tourists and locals have found themselves in hot water for doing something deemed disrespectful. While it probably won’t come up in conversation, hold the royalty in the highest regard if it does.

      Where to stay in Bangkok

      Places mentioned here are chosen based on personal experiences, the experiences of friends, and other reviews. Worthy Go does not accept money or favors to include hotels in this itinerary.

      Budget

      Honey House 1 — it would be hard to get more central or closer to the BTS and MRT at this price. Clean, classy, quiet. 6 Sukhumvit soi 22, 02-663-7418, honeyhouse.co.th, GPS: 13.733153, 100.565049.

      Lub d Bangkok — a hostel offering dorm-style rooms near Silom road and the MBK mall. Walking distance to the BTS and plenty of restaurants. 4 Decho road, lubd.com, GPS: 13.746727, 100.528678.

      Mid-range

      Bally's Studio Suites — walking distance to BTS, close to Sukhumvit, and a rooftop pool to boot. 172 Sukhumvit soi 20, 02-261-3411, ballys-studio.com, GPS: 13.728828, 100.56405.

      Narai Hotel — straightforward three-star hotel along Silom road. Walking distance to restaurants and nightlife. 222 Silom road, 02-237-0100, naraihotel.co.th, GPS: 13.725159, 100.524461.

      High-end

      Adelphi Grande Bangkok — in the heart of Sukhumvit, within walking distance of Thong Lo and the BTS. Claims to have some of the biggest rooms in the area. King-sized beds, kitchenette, and washer and dryer in all rooms, whether you opt for a studio or a suite. 16 Sukhumvit soi 41, 02-695-0555. GPS: 13.734575, 100.557249.

      S31 — easy access to BTS and MRT, member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World. On-site spa, outdoor saltwater swimming pool with jacuzzi, and fitness center. Remember to leave the hotel to see the city! 545 Sukhumvit soi 31, 02-260-1111. GPS: 13.733471, 100.566114.

      Before you arrive

      What to bring

      Bangkok has the highest average yearly temperature in the world, with typical highs in the low 30's (low 90's in Fahrenheit) and typical lows in the low-to-mid 20's (mid-to-high 70's in Fahrenheit) year-round. Needless to say, you'll want to bring plenty of shorts and t-shirts!

      Women, you'll want at least one pair of longer pants (or long skirt) and a shirt with sleeves to be properly modest at Buddhist temples. As a rule, ensure your knees and shoulders are covered.

      A smartphone is helpful for plenty of reasons (buy a SIM card at the airport or at any convenience store). If it's the rainy season, ensure a poncho is always in your bag — an umbrella just isn't as effective.

      Getting around

      Around Bangkok
      Best: the metros (BTS and MRT)

      The best ways of getting around Bangkok are the metros: specifically, the multiple lines of the BTS (also called the Skytrain since it's mostly seen above your head) and the MRT (Bangkok's two lines of underground subways). The ARL (Airport Rail Link) is a one-line metro that's great for getting to and from the airport, but won't be very useful for getting around the city.

      Paying for your ride can be confusing, unfortunately. Each of these systems has historically had their own stored-value card and single-use tickets or tokens, which only work on that system. A combined stored-value card called Mangmoom (Thai for 'spider') has been in the works since 2015, but has suffered plenty of delays, technical issues, and disagreements. They are officially available as of publication, but between incompatibilities and delays, I can't recommend buying one of these unless you can see for yourself it works everywhere.

      Be aware you will pass through a metal detector and cursory bag search at MRT stations. Some things are not allowed on MRT trains, including flammable liquids, ‘large belongings’, balloons, and strong smelling food, such as durians.

      For this itinerary, I would pick up a BTS card (called a Rabbit) for convenience and get the single-use tokens for the small number of times you'll use the MRT. If you'll be traveling around Bangkok for a week or more, pick up an MRT Plus card. A card starts with 100 baht loaded onto it when you purchase it, and expect to pay a deposit and issuing fee as well. Child, student, and senior cards are available, though you'll want to have paperwork and ID's for these. For this itinerary, I'd recommend loading 400 baht per adult per BTS card.

      One thing virtually every Bangkok transportation system has in common: fares vary based on distance traveled. You won't save much (if any) money from the stored-value cards, but they will save some time since you won't need to queue.

      Next-best: buses

      Bangkok has plenty of buses ranging from decades-old and decrepit to still-new. Fares went up on most buses in January 2019, with fares now 8 baht (for the older, non-air-conditioned cream-red buses — these are flat fares, not based on distance) or from 10 to 25 baht for air-conditioned buses, based on distance. Pay the attendant / ticket person in cash, and offer small bills or coins. Expect to receive a small slip of paper for the scrapbook. If you purchased a Mangmoom card, some buses will also have card readers installed. With fares based on distance, you'll want to show or say the name of the place you're going in Thai so the attendant can calculate the current fare.

      Buses come in several different colors: blue, orange, white, and cream-blue, and all will have signs in Thai about where they go. Aim to use Google Maps while on the bus, and don't hesitate to get off if it makes an unexpected turn.

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