I'm going there in June, just a very fleeting visit, only 4 days.
What are the best things to see and do?
lol, I thought fortune teller was an unusual service, it would normally be massage.
hi punch,,,,,
Ive been to thailand about 6 times or so ... am actually leaving on my next trip on 17th Jan ... we go to either Chiang Mai, Pattaya & Bangkok ..
this year we are off to Pattaya and then Bangkok ...
in Bangkok if you want to see Patpong you can go there but be aware their prices are atrociously high and they wont come down much ... we dont go there anymore ... went a few times for the 'touristy look' .... MBK is a HUGE shopping complex with 7 floors ... some are expensive shops ... but there are floors that have cheaper things and you can barter with the shop owners.... love it there and we usually have some lunch or dinner there also at the food hall (there are 2) you buy coupons and then use those to purchase your dinner - very cheap and delicious ...
there is also Platinum - which is two buildings side by side with about 6 floors each .... lots and lots of clothes, one building has 2 entire floors of shoes and 2 of handbags ... as well as everything else you may want ... childrens, womens & mens clothes ... and all are pretty cheap ... they also have a food hall on one of the top floors and the food is also good there .
you can also go to China Town (Sampeng Lane) to be precise ... where there is a long lane that sells things wholesale ... the more you buy the cheaper they get ... and there is heaps and heaps of things to buy ,... we always go there at least 3 times when we go on holiday...
you can catch a river taxi and travel the river ... and get off at any stop along the way ... we usually go to the end of the line ... get off and wander through some markets then catch a taxi back to the hotel or MBK or Platinum ...
always get your meter turned on in the taxis or they can charge you what they like ... most are good ...but like everything there are some who try to rip off tourists ... we dont fall for that ...
its good to know some thai as has been said up in other posts ....
hello - sawadee ka ..... for a woman to say
hello - sawadee cup..... for a man to say ...
thank you - copkun ka - woman
thank you - copkun cup - man
they will be the most often used phrases .... and its nice to say hello & thank you ...
never eat of the street vendors .... and only drink bottled water ...
you can go to the zoo ... which is great - weve been a few times ... but will need to either do a tour through a travel agent or get a good taxi driver to do a deal for you to take you there ... wait and bring you back ... our preferred option ... as through a travel agent you are squished together in a mini van with other people ...
the kings palace is beautiful ... but always packed ... but worth a visit if you are wanting to do some sightseeing ...
just enjoy yourselves and start low when you bargain for something LOL .... if they want to sell it the will come down a bit ... but if you really want it ... pay a bit more and you will both be happy !
grrr ran out of time to include an edit ...
with the taxi fares ... we usually tip them a bit more .. as the fares start at about 37 bht ... which is just over a A$1 .... if the fare is about 60bht we may give them 70 or 80 bhts .... cos thats still cheap for an airconditioned taxi ride ... 😉
There is also a huge weekend market called Chatachuck (spelling maybe not right but sounds right LOL) .... its a bit out of Bangkok but if you want to wander around an open air market its huge about 3 football fields apparently .... you can either catch a taxi there ... or go on the train ... my sister went on the train and said it was much better than trying to find a taxi to get home ...
again ... enjoy yourself .... and buy something nice for yourself LOL
Thanks peela, all good advice.
I saw that market, looks great but I wont be there on a weekend. Arriving on a Sunday night and leaving Thursday night or Friday morning.
If I cant get the stupid flights worked out I may not even get there 
hey punch ....
I do our bookings myself ... online .... I booked our flights straight through Thai Airways (as we like to fly with them) and had no trouble .... last year I booked through Direct Flights and also had no trouble with them ...
I do the hotels also ... this year we are staying in the Indra Hotel in Bangkok .... usually we stay at Narai over on Silom Road, but there isnt much open over there now its more a business area, thats why we have moved to the Indra for this holiday.
you will have heaps of time to go a few place even if you arent there a weekend ... most places dont open too early though ... we usually go out and about at about 10am or thereabouts .... oh and if you like to have a drink (alcohol) then there are restrictions ... in the afternoon when the school kids get outta school there is a no sell policy in most places for a few hours .... but then after that its fine into the early hours of the morning ... doesnt bother us, although my mum & aunt like to have a beer sometimes in the late afternoon when we get back to the hotel, but if you have purchased some from a 7Eleven or some place and put them into your fridge in your room its ok ... 😉
good luck with it ... you will love thailand ... and want to go back again soon ♥
Thanks again peela, I'm pretty sure I'll be going with thai airways too. I'd looked at jetstar whiched seemed really cheap until I wanted to take luggage and eat. My biggest dilemma is getting all the flights to match up. My husband is flying to Laos and I'll be coming home so its trying to get flights that are close in times and I had it all worked out on the jetstar timetables and Thai airways is different, lol. and then you have to be careful you're not booking one that has 2 stopovers and takes 29 hours, so much to think about. Now I'm confusing myself even more 🙂
It'll work out, I'm gonna book them tomorrow and he may just have to spend a few hours waiting between flights, not really much I can do about it.
@donnashuggy wrote:I have been a few times, one memorable experience with my husband in patpong road, we went into one of the bars where the girls were doing their tricks, they seated us next to another Australian couple, one of them exclaimed "you don't get this in the RSL at home"
I enjoyed going on the river and trying all the beautiful fruits most of all.
did the tricks involve ping pong balls? 
