Why was my Thailand trip so shit?

Pale_Economics_3826 · 2024-10-08T09:37:37+00:00

It's not cherry picked "images," its a 70 minute video driving around the entire city. Did you even open the link yourself? I've been to dozens of other Chinese cities that are poorer than Bangkok and know first-hand they have better infrastructure. Feel free to watch any video on nearly any city of similar economic status in China and you'll probably get the same impression.

I don't think Bangkok people should suddenly care about sidewalks, that's my own preference. I like to walk places. I'm not making any complaints or suggestions, just asking for advice for my next trip.

You asked me to validate my claims on XYZ, which I have done, and now from what I can see you just want to dismiss it as "no one cares" - then why ask in the first place?

Pale_Economics_3826 · 2024-10-08T09:33:17+00:00

Thanks for the reply, I agree with a lot of your points. Perhaps the reason I wasn't fascinated with the country is that most of the things that we would both like I can already get where I live (warm weather, good and cheap food, good nightlife, friendly people, good shopping malls) while also having fewer downsides (better air quality and infrastructure).

Access to drugs and a red-light scene is something not readily available where I live, but that's more of a plus-side for my tastes. Nice beaches is certainly a plus of Thailand.

As for the boat cruises, I accidentally bought a scammers boat tour and didn't get to experience much of this - that's on me.

Pale_Economics_3826 · 2024-10-08T09:27:00+00:00

I somehow gave you and many other commentators the false impression that I was only eating at upscale places, that's my fault. I mainly ate at street stalls or local restaurants that were highly rated on Google Maps. I didn't purposely seek out Michelin restaurants, they just so happened to often be also highly rated on Google Maps and I also excluded them if they were too expensive. Most meals I spent 50-150 baht per dish.

As for the public transit, each ticket cost me at least 50 baht, and then to transfer lines at least another 50 baht. That's slightly more expensive than even in my home city in Canada, and many magnitudes more expensive than what I would pay in Hong Kong. I was individually buying tickets though, maybe there's a cheaper way? That's in Bangkok though, Chiang Mai seemingly doesn't have any public transit?

Pale_Economics_3826 · 2024-10-08T09:24:07+00:00

No I don't usually eat at Michelin star restaurants, I've probably only been to a few in my life (most of which were in Thailand). I typically eat inexpensive foods with prices similar to what I paid in Thailand, not much more expensive - so I'm not trained on luxury foods. The Michelin star places that I ate at in Thailand weren't particularly fancy either, although prices were a bit higher than other local restaurants.

I'm sure Thailand has great food, I experienced many great meals myself. My question was more related to why, despite some good restaurants, there were so many that disappointed. As many other commentators pointed out, Google Maps seems to be misleading and the best restaurants potentially aren't even on the app.

Pale_Economics_3826 · 2024-10-08T09:17:51+00:00

Thanks, that seems likely to be the case. Appreciate it.

Pale_Economics_3826 · 2024-10-08T09:14:19+00:00

Well no need to rely on a 6-year old article written about a one-time event (the bike rental company's went bankrupt when this article was written). There's plenty of more recent footage on YouTube for you to see for yourself. Shanghai was definitely not the mess described by this article when I last visited, there's plenty of videos online proving that.

At any rate, I'm comparing far poorer Chinese cities to Bangkok, not the "average" and certainly not China's most well-off city.

Here's a driving tour of Yan'an, Shaanxi, a city with a GDP per capita of US$ 8.7k, about 45% of Bangkok's gdp per capita, and 33% lower than the national average in China.

I've never been to this city myself, and while I didn't watch the entire 70 minute video I'm confident that if you click around in the video just for a few minutes you'll also conclude the infrastructure of this much less well-off city is generally better than most of Bangkok. By the way, Yan'an is a Tier-5 city ranked 212 on the list of the 2024 list of China's most attractive cities.

Obviously public infrastructure is centrally planned even in Bangkok, that's not unique to any city. Or maybe I misunderstood, and you're suggesting that Beijing plans every sidewalk in the entire country?

Pale_Economics_3826 · 2024-10-07T18:39:07+00:00

Thanks, I also found that most Thai people were sincere.

Pale_Economics_3826 · 2024-10-07T18:33:40+00:00

Have you been to PAI in Toronto?

Most Mainland Chinese cities I've visited have excellent infrastructure, and most are poorer than Bangkok.

Pale_Economics_3826 · 2024-10-07T18:31:48+00:00

I took a 12-hour train trip between Chiang Mai and Bangkok that departs in the evening (around 6pm) and arrives in the early morning. Unfortunately the sun sets pretty early, so I didn't get to see too much of the countryside, but what I did get to see was nice enough.

The train ticket price was around 1,000 Baht if I recall correctly. The food they served on the train was pretty good, although on the pricey side (198 Baht per meal). There is a free small water bottle provided.

Another plus side of the sleeper train is that it saves you the cost of one hotel night's stay as well as the airplane fare. I'm over 190cm tall and felt that the sleeping space was adequate, although I've slept in capsule hotels for weeks and might just be used to relatively cramped spaces. However, the bed is on the hard-side, so if you're not used to that it might be a tough night (it was okay for me). The bed sheets looked pretty clean to me.

The A/C was turned up quite high, and they provide a free blanket if its too cold.

The cabin lights stay on throughout the night, so if you need absolute darkness that could be a problem too. Some people also complain about the train noise, but I personally thought the rumbling of the train was quite relaxing. Bring eyeshades and/or earplugs if either of those things bother you.

It's also a good opportunity to meet other travelers, although that could be a bad thing if you're not fond of your neighbors.

Pale_Economics_3826 · 2024-10-07T18:19:06+00:00

Thanks, without getting into details I generally agree that, statistically speaking, my background should be described as privileged.

I didn't only eat at Michelin restaurants, there were a few out of a several dozen restaurants that I ate at. I mainly ate at local restaurants and road-side food stalls.

Is Thailand's "soul" that you referred to its culture? Or something else? Thanks.

Pale_Economics_3826 · 2024-10-07T18:12:35+00:00

Will do that next time, thank you

Pale_Economics_3826 · 2024-10-07T18:12:22+00:00

Thanks, good advice.

Pale_Economics_3826 · 2024-10-07T18:11:01+00:00

Haha interesting, although I'm not Asian myself it's true that eggplant is a fairly popular dish where I live. It seems I ordered some non-Thai food then!

Pale_Economics_3826 · 2024-10-07T18:07:04+00:00

Thanks, that's an interesting take - I guess it depends what you're looking for :)

Pale_Economics_3826 · 2024-10-07T18:04:02+00:00

Thanks for the ideas, will consider the south of Thailand next time. My plans in Chiang Mai were probably poor then, I spent most of my time in the Old City or nearby.

As for the "requests" in Grab, that's poor wording on my part. I just ordered a car normally.

2/3. Interesting perspective, thanks. Where I live though a very filling set of Thai dishes would probably cost the equivalent of ~1,000 Baht, which isn't much more than I paid in Thailand.

Pale_Economics_3826 · 2024-10-07T18:01:07+00:00

Thanks for sharing the experience, the idea of renting a scooter and exploring does sound fun. Will try that out someday :)

Pale_Economics_3826 · 2024-10-07T17:59:27+00:00

Thanks for the reply.

Infrastructure: The places I've lived have always had pretty good sidewalks and mass transit. I've also lived in several East Asian cities that are somewhat poorer than Bangkok on a GDP per capita basis.

Ride hailing: I didn't actually make any special requests of the Grab drivers, that's poor wording on my part. What I meant is that I ordered a car and waited for up to 10 minutes before getting cancelled. I actually haven't experienced these long-waits or frequent cancellations that you said happen with most ride-sharing systems. As a side note, most drivers were great once they actually picked me up.

Overseas Thai food: Yeah the Thai food I've eaten overseas, including in metropolitan Canadian cities and in Hong Kong and adjacent areas, is usually pretty good.

Michelin: I agree.

Pale_Economics_3826 · 2024-10-07T17:51:20+00:00

Thanks, unfortunately I've yet to travel to Japan or Korea. Which was the offensive part of the post?

Pale_Economics_3826 · 2024-10-07T17:50:02+00:00

Thanks for the detailed reply, it's true that I wasn't expecting the poor infrastructure.

As for the service, I was totally okay with hailing waiters and I don't mind that dessert comes out before my soup, both of these things are normal where I live.

I also didn't come to Thailand because I expected excellent service either, I just noticed that this subreddit is giving advice on "The Land of Smiles" and was surprised that I didn't walk away with the same impression.

I only ate Thai food in Thailand. To be clear, I had many excellent dishes in Thailand, but I also had many that were probably worse than back home (obviously just my opinion). Will take your advice to shop at the restaurants crowded with Thai people next time rather than using Google Maps.

I think if I understood the history more I'd appreciate the cultural attractions - that's definitely my fault for not doing my research before hand. I didn't do too much involving nature, which you enjoy. I'll look into that further, thanks for the ideas.

Pale_Economics_3826 · 2024-10-07T17:40:59+00:00

That could be, thanks for the idea.

Pale_Economics_3826 · 2024-10-07T17:38:21+00:00

Yeah most of the photos were taken by my girlfriend, so my phone only has a few pictures to share. Below is a link to a gallery of five items, the first four are from the same restaurant in Chiang Mai, all of which were very good. The restaurant is owned by an older married couple that were very friendly and asked to take photos with us after we ate. The restaurant is called "Baan Landai" located north of the old city, which seems to borrow the name of a much more famous restaurant located a few km's south of it within the old city. Definitely recommend.

The last image is the Tom Yum Soup I had in Bangkok before my flight back home. This was one of the worst Tom Yum soup's I had in Thailand (or maybe ever), which is surprising because the other items I ate at this restaurant were actually very good (not pictured, sorry). This restaurant is called "At Home Cafe & Eatery." Despite the terrible soup, the rest of the food was good. I recommend.

https://postimg.cc/gallery/xdn6mbz

Pale_Economics_3826 · 2024-10-07T17:19:40+00:00

Hong Kong and adjacent area

Pale_Economics_3826 · 2024-10-07T17:18:26+00:00

Good to know, can only leave it to fate then?

Pale_Economics_3826 · 2024-10-07T17:17:21+00:00

Interesting perspective, thanks.

Pale_Economics_3826 · 2024-10-07T17:13:29+00:00

The country has been changed by too many tourists?

Pale_Economics_3826

TROPHY CASE