Bangkok bargains - Emails from Bangkok, August 2011

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Mel




Hopefully, the guesthouse rooms won't be as ridiculously hard to get when you get here. But here are some tips.
The cheapest you can get is a single fan room with shared bathroom.
Try to get one in the following guesthouses, in the order listed below, because that is also the order of best value. If you are arriving early in the morning, and you can't get what you want, ask them to keep the first one that becomes available. If none becomes available, then just take the best value one they can offer. All these guesthouses are on the same street as the Gecko bar and are beside each other. Most/all on the rest of the street are more expensive.
The order:
The Merry V Guesthouse
The Green Guesthouse(it now has a sign outside it with its name so easier to find than it used to be)
If none of those produce, then ask at the Gecko bar if they have a room.
At the 7 11 convenience shop be sure to get some kind of mosquito repellant. You have to use it day and night, because daytime indoor dwelling mosquitos spread dengue fever.
Cheapest water at the 7 11 is two 1.5 litre bottles for 22 bahts.
Cheapest cigarettes are Wonder cigarettes. Ask for them, as they are not often displayed with the other cigarettes. They cost around a Euro a packet.




Dirk Jan




I'll print this and keep it in mind ^^




Mel




Lydia slept for for hours in one of the Gecko bar chairs, while I was waiting for people to check out of the guesthouse.




Dirk Jan




Re: Kuala Lumpur guesthouse booking.
Booked, so you have one female dorm and one mixed dorm for Lydia




Mel




Cool! Thats great, because I don't think they will mind much if we both sleep in the same bed in the female dorm, as long as we have payed for 2. :)




Lydia just had her beauty treatment. It was 15 minutes of little fish eating the dead skin off her feet. We still had to pay 150 Bahts, even though she fed the fish. I didn't try it, because it looks yucky. Her feet do feel extra smooth after it though.




Earlier, we went down the river on the passanger boat to hang out at a shopping centre, but hung around the streets and a coffee bar instead, because the shopping center was very upmarket, and reminded us too much of the airports we have spent so much time at, on the way here.




And, then there was more hanging around near the Khao San Road, at a cafe with giant gold fish in a pond beside it. Lydia was allowed to feed them at feeding time, while I had a peaceful coffee, so happiness all round. :)




Mel




One of the internet cafes with free internet that I showed you on the map, has free internet 24 7. The other up until around 9PM. The one with 24 7 internet is an ok place to buy your bus ticket to Chumphon. They seem reliable and trustworthy. Don't buy it someplace else just because that would be cheaper. There are a lot of dodgy agents. Or else you could just go to the bus station and buy the ticket there, for the next bus going.
Remember : Taking a taxi to the bus station, tell the driver to switch on the meter, or else you get charged more.




We are off to Hat Yai on the night bus, after a day of sitting around in the Gecko bar, chatting with people we met.

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