Thailand (Thread 6)

[cuteapril_1215]

sis ms.wanderholic, hindi siya sulit kasi 3 days 2 nights lang kayo
to-date ang airfare, accommodation w/ transfers, breakfast & half-day city tour namin umabot lang ng P12,500 (4 nights na yun sa amin sis) mas ideal at makakamura talaga pag DIY

[ms.wanderholic]

Thanks for the input sis yby2476 and sis cuteapril_1215! 

Nagtry ako if DIY, ang mahal ng airfare.

PAL              - 290USD or PHP12,470
Cebu Pacific  - PHP14,576.47

Ang budget ko sana is 15k below per pax.

E sa airfare pa lang butas na bulsa ko 

[cuteapril_1215]

^ abang ka lang sis ng seat sale...halos 4 months ago pa ako nagpurchase ng ticket...sa Feb 17 pa lang byahe namin :-)

[ms.wanderholic]

^ abang ka [textspeak!] sis ng seat sale...halos 4 months ago pa ako nagpurchase ng ticket...sa Feb 17 pa lang byahe namin :-)

Anong airline mo sis?

Sana magka-seat sale pa.. March na ang travel date namin.

[cuteapril_1215]

^ Cebupac sis...hndi lang convenient yung time, pero ito kasi ang pasok sa budget namin :-)

[ms.wanderholic]

Ok thanks sis ha.

I asked for proposals pa from other travel agencies, I'll post it again and will ask for your opinions if ok yung package na ibibigay sakin 

[yby2476]

kami naman, we went to bkk last year around sep...we got the seat sale of PAL, mga 2 months before that yata...mas makakamura ka kung aabangan mo ang mga seat sale...we were there for 5 days...walang airport transfer, kasi nga nag-mrt kami going to downtown from the airport...mas makakamura ka talaga kung DIY, kaysa yung mga may travel agencies...malaki din ang cut nila...and then dadalhin ka sa mga packages na wala namang kwenta...:-)

basta kami mga around 15k yata yung nagastos namin (airfare,hotel,taxes,transpo around bkk) and that's for 5 days...we went pa to ayuttaya for 1 whole day...

[dazzle]

hiyee! can anyone help me with the border crossing? we'll be coming from siem reap kase and i haven't arranged anything yet para sa travel from SR to BKK. overland crossing lang kase. can you suggest a good bus company? or is it better to take a cab? thanks!

[theflygirl]

^^wow, 15k for 5days! Good for you! How many were you? DIY ako all the time but on this upcoming trip, mag-avail muna ko ng "the works"...kalowka nga lang kasi 4d/3n namin 60k+ na. Whew! La pa dun pocket/shopping/meals money. No airfare pa yan! Taxes only. Grabe, I salute you

[sachism]

Lugi palitan sa airpprt. Sa downtown ka magpapalot, make sure you have usd in at 100 denomination kasi kapag lower, lower din ang rate.

15k? Sis galing! Airfare pa lang ata at pang river cruise ko yan

[beady]

Will go Thailand in March gusto sana namin manud ng cabaret shows, ask ko lang sana kung open pa yung Mambo Cabaret? I heard nag sara na sila before pero nag open uli in a different location. is this true? we would like to watch sana, they're much better daw compared to Calypso or Tiffany's or Alcazar.. baka may ma-share kayong mga feedbacks

[iamcaren18]

i am planning to visit thailand and malaysia this year. may mga suggestions ba kayo na budget friendly hotel and tour? thanks a lot

[yby2476]

^^wow, 15k for 5days! Good for you! How many were you? DIY ako all the time but on this upcoming trip, mag-avail muna ko ng "the works"...kalowka nga lang kasi 4d/3n namin 60k+ na. Whew! La pa dun pocket/shopping/meals money. No airfare pa yan! Taxes only. Grabe, I salute you

-sis, 3 kami...we usually go out of the country mga ganyan lang dapat ang magagastos sa airfare and hotel accomodation...more or less sabihin na natin hinde dapat lalagpas ng 20k (hotel/airfare/food/) and usually 2 countries pa ang ginagawa namin...our first amazing race was 2008-malaysia and sg-5 days mga 15k ang nagastos, second amazing race 2009-hk and macau- 4 days, yan medyo magastos kasi nag disneyland kami, say 20k yata, pero lahat na yun, kasama na pocket money...2010- vietnam/cambodia- 5 days- mga 15k plus din, then last year-thailand lang 15k for 5 days...lahat yan, PAL ang airplane pero hinahabol namin lagi yung seat sale nila...yung mga hotel naman namin, yung mga first 3 amazing races, medyo mga 3 star hotel kami, pero nung nag vietnam, first time namin magstay sa mga backpacker's area, pero yung cambodia namin, medyo 4 star hotel yun, kaso medyo big discount kami, kasi yung kasama namin na family, chummy-chummy sa manager...:-) yung sa thailand, backpackers area din kami...

kasi kung tutuusin, di naman kami nagi-stay ng matagal sa hotel, so why avai the 4 star hotel? iniiwan lang namin dun yung mga luggages namin, then larga sa lakwatsa hanggang sumakit ang mga paa...our food naman, we usually bring those noodle thing, and energy foods...kasi kumakain naman kami sa labas (fast food chain/restaurant/pagkain kalye)...and most of all, minsan lang kami nagta-taxi...kung talagang di na kaya ng mga paa...sanay kaming mag-mrt/mag train/mag-bus and kung kayang lakarin, eh di lakarin...sabi ko nga sa inyo, when we went to ayutthaya, plano namin is lakarin, kaso hinde pala pwede talaga...:-) pero naglakad kami ng 200meters from the train station to the nearest temple, only thinking na kung yung mga swimmers, nakakaya ang 200 meters, so isipin na lang natin yun...:-)

then piling-pili yung mga attractions na pupuntahan namin, yung tipong di touristy type, kasi we want to experience yung culture ng bawat country like what locals do

[cuteeisha]

Hello.. Aside from wacoal and naturalizer, do you know any cheaper brands in Thailand? TIA! 

[theflygirl]

^^well, per country iba-iba rin rates Ng hotels. Kaya may destinations na kahit mag5 star, like VN or Cambodia, commonly mura na. Sabi ko na nga ba mostly pang "backpacking" yang ganyang expenses. =)

Naalala ko yung feature ni Sandra Aguinaldo Ng ilang days sa Vietnam Cambodia etc USD100 per country Lang target. Kaaliw.

I travel out of the country at least 2x a year since I was a kid and lived/studied overseas for a year kaya like you, I know how important it is to treasure a country's local color. Not just the usual touristy stuff. =)

Although on trips, baliktad naman tayo. Tho nagdDIY ako most of the time, #1 sa priority namin (pati si hubby ko same thinking kami hehe) yung accomodations. Di ko carry mag"backpacking" na travel kaya saludo ako sa inyo. Ok nga now super dami na opportunity Ng mga Tao magtravel. Low airfares, inexpensive but clean hostels and the like. Ewan ko ba, basta what comes to my mind always is Leo DiCaprio's movie, The Beach. Haha...

Teka, para hindi OT, I made a 4d/3n booking at The Peninsula w round trip airport transfers & daily breakfast. Day 1 we'll go on the grand pearl river cruise.

Day 2 I booked a private tour to see the grand palace & emerald Buddha. After that plan ko to go to pratunam, Siam paragon, mbk, etc. I originally wanted to do Siam niramit for the 2nd night kaso ayaw ni hubby. He's not into theater thingies kasi. So instead of that, dinner at baiyoke sky na Lang. Which is better, Bangkok balcony or Bangkok sky?

Day 3 full day kanchanaburi tour (river Kwai & cemetery)...since my hubby & I are both military brats, we will not miss this...wanted to visit the floating market sana kaso sa PEX Sabi parang flooded navotas w overpriced souvenirs Lang so skip na Lang yun. Haha...spa & dinner sa evening at the hotel

Day 4 slowww day na check out day n time for our 2pm flt...

[yby2476]

the last 3 years na amazing races namin, yup, backpacker's area kami, sayang yung bayad sa mga hotels kasi kung di naman namin gagamitin yung mga amenities since we are always out...basta makahiga kami ng maayos, at may konting aircon, fine na...:-) and we try to carry light talaga, unless papunta ka ng europe and america...feeling ko di ko talaga kayang mag-carry ng light dun...:-)

swerte nga ngayon, kasi ang daming cheap airfare deals...i remember before, yung kami lang ng sister ko ang nag-aamazing race, naku, airfare palang 30k na each,wala pang hotel yun ha?  tapos we opted out the tour guides thing, after we started doing our amazing races, narealized namin ang laki ng cut ng mga tour packages, tapos dadalhin ka lang kung saan-saan...pero syempre, depende pa rin sa kung anong country ka papasok, kasi may mga ibang countries na you really need to have a tour guide, yun ang kailangan na bonggang-bongga na budget...:-)

ok,back to bangkok, if ever na babalik kami dito, since its really good for shopping and grocery shopping hehe), gusto ko rin mag-floating market, although, tama ka sis, para ngang navotas lang nga daw...and mahal ang fare yata...pero pwede ka raw tumawad naman...:-) parang 1,000baht yata...then gusto ko makita yung mga cabaret shows din nila...and yung isang restaurant na puro condoms ang nakalagay...and also i would like to see their night life...when we went there kasi last year, maliban sa mag-visit ng mga malls and yung mga tiangge nila buong araw hanggang magdamag, eh di ko talaga nakita yung night life nila...di kasi sa downtown bangkok yun eh...may isang area dun na pupuntahan, sabi nila malapit, kaso tinamad na kami...basta masaya pumunta ng bangkok kung marami kang pera tlaga, kasi talagang shopping haven eh...:-)

[chubbycheeks]

Is it true that ATM rates are better than money exchange? 

[yby2476]

^sis, basta may charge rate lang ng Php200 per transaction yata...kami pag wala kaming makitang magandang rate sa money exchange sa bansang pinupuntahan namin, mag-widraw na lang sa atm, ganun din naman..

[mama squeak!]

^^My experience with withdrawing money from BKK and HKG ATMs competitive ang currency exchange with the money changers. While for the US naman mas maganda ang exchange rates. No service fee for withdrawals using my Citibank card. For other banks like BPI and BDO meron service charge.

[chubbycheeks]

Thanks!  In that case, I won't worry much about changing currencies.