Two Shots

They do a real nice pork chop at Bully's.

One with the "Bull" outside........ Punted it before...Asoke.."Black Swan,"....not cheap but will fill you up..... Can't believe the Buss Stop sausage could get any smaller.

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I like it all.

Are you heading to see Angkor Wat ?

haven't done that trip overland for a long, long time, so my info would be out of date.. Good resource is the Lonly Planet Forum. Theres loads of back packing orientated travel services running out of Khao San road...some at unbelievable low prices.. Particularly the ones that head direct to Phnom Phen, cheap for a reason, some do very long stops at "truck stop " type places..captive customers and then pull into their destination...a guest house at night in the dark...therefore pressurising you to stay that establishment, with all the kick backs to the tour organisers...So ultra cheap is not always best. For sure theres public minibus, and bus services to the border, did it in reverse last time and picked up mini bus back to Bangkok. Thais like the Casino,s cross border. Can't give you specifics, because long time passed..but once on the ground it will be real easy to sort. I'll look up a Private minibus / bus service my LB friend uses to shuffle round the country...raves about it,"just like Aeroplane" ?

Interesting to note that some of the upper market hotels, such as Banyan Tree, operate the same taxi system as the airport, if you Pick up a cab within their site. The staff give you basically the same slip of paper they would give you at the airport, with number plate, driver ID. The taxi has to be on meter. This is the Hotel Rules to the drivers, who enter the hotel zone. They do this because prior to them implementing this system too many of their guests were getting fleeced by the taxis...which came back to them as a reflection on the hotel. I think if I was new to arriving at Bangkok, and reading this thread I'd be unnecessarily worried, when there really is no reason to be. Should one choose to do it the proper way, its easy..follow the signs to the public taxis....go to the booth...you pay no money there...and they give you a ticket like this. Basically this ticket logs the drivers ID....and telephone number listed to resolve should any problem occur. It lists in English what fees the passenger is expected to pay. Once in the taxi you will find a notice hanging right in front of you over the seat listing the same. You decide whether to use the express / toll route (Highway)...or non toll route road. Most nominate the toll route. To the city you will stop at two toll booths, (if heading to Nana) On the approach to the toll booth the fee to pay is plainly visible. Combined it currently is 75 Baht. The driver will usually ask you for the toll money on approach to booth.....Sometimes they don't...but add it on top to the metered price. When you arrive at your destination you pay...The meter -plus 50 baht airport pick up fee (see ticket)..The highway fee if not paid already. Any tip you feel appropriate. Simple....

I'm sure theres a couple of trip reports from active members in the pats site that involved hiring cars, drive to Issan etc. FD's road trip stands out for some reason. Perhaps they have info.

Anyone stayed at the "Stumble Inn" Soi 4 yet...?

Personally see absolutely no point in trying to be discreet. In fact the more discreet you try to be, the more attention one draws. It always amuses me, when you see a man who as obviously bar fined a LB but wants to walk down the road separate to them...well I find it funny any way. You can PU a girl in Nana, take them to the very near by short time room...and not that many people will see you. But really the need for discretion is mostly if not all in your head. This walk of shame people talk about...and most people felt at their beginning...the only shame is again in your head. Put it this way, when your in Soi 4, Bangkok...or out and about in Pattaya, there is not a man, woman, cat or dog that can take the moral high ground. Personally I think i'm a bigger man, and a better man for it, if I can go every where with a LB and I do. If you can't be out in the open, you will miss out on so many great laughs and experiences. And have some empathy for the lady..would you like it if someone didn't want to be seen with you, and would that change the way they behave towards you ? Discretion be damned.

I like the pictures...and 200 words how to get in a taxi.....well we are reading a forum that has hundreds of thousands of words telling us principaly how to get a shag in Thailand ! The forums entertainment, the writing of a post is just as entertaining as reading. However.....theres always a but.... Use the taxi booths for your taxi trip into Bangkok.....Its only costing 50 baht more on top of the metered price. And they are there for your SAFETY. The only people who need advice on how to get a Taxi into town at Bangkok airport are newbies, those more vulnerable. The savvy traveller should tell them unequivocally to use the taxi booths outside. And for newbies reading this thread, people died before that system was put in place.........Its £1.....2.5 ping pong balls. Thats all.

8 full days flies past. Being your first time the Dynasty group of hotels is a good bet, In my opinion Dynasty Grande the best choice of them all....You can book it online: http://www.dynastygrande.com/ but check prices on Agoda, or elsewhere to see best rates. I'd book two nights, which I've never had any problem extending longer if wanted. If I then decided I wanted to go to Pattaya the Dynasty group of hotels run a free mini bus down to their sister hotels in Pattaya. Its free if you book 3 or more nights in Pattaya. You'll end up being dropped off at the door to the Dynasty Inn Soi 13. Which is a good location. And the hotels fine too. If you knew you only wanted one or two nights in Pattaya, you can still use the hotel mini bus, but you pay around 400 baht. If your new to LOS, its a completely no hassle way of shuffling between the two locations. Again if you wanted to extend your stay in Pattaya, I've never had any problems adding more nights on to the Dynasty Inn. The mini bus does the return trip to Bangkok, but I believe the free transport option is a one way deal, so you'd pay..again around 400 baht. Bangkok or Pattaya.......well, I only go there, (Pattaya) if I've got a specific reason to do so, like an event, concert, show etc: For bars, girls, I'm not gaining anything, and thats all its got there. But if I spent 8 nights purely around Soi 4, and Sukumvit road Bangkok, I'd start to get bored if just doing the bars. But theres a whole lot more to the City than that zone. Phuket is, at the very least, a decade past its sell by date..........

Always looks empty to me...Perhaps its picked up....For me it was the wrong location for a Japanese restaurant...not just in terms of 'The Japanese' because theres a hugh indigenous demand for such food in Bangkok...But in Soi 4 ?? and at Soi 4 prices. Same as that construction within Rajah hotel car park.....always looks empty to me.

Used to go to the Hillary Bars a lot, mainly because of the pool playing regulars in Bangkok, and to be fair, with the exclusion of the Karaoke bar, who tried the 500 baht short change shuffle on me, Ive been treated fairly in the others. Probably because of my history as a customer and I also always tip the serving girls, who rack the tables every night. I give a girl a hundred baht every night I'm there, because they work hard and then they look after me, get me served, push my name on the tables. But I know they do try it on with a lot of punters, but same as most bars in Soi 4, because the clientele are just passing through and pissed up. For me, and again because I've used it a lot the bar that gets my "Customer Service award' is Strikers Bar. Often the management have given out free shots, and not cheap ones to their regulars, which gets reciprocated of course and on many occasions someones come along and have taken all the pool slips out my bin and dumped them. Its not a great bit of money, but little things like that ensure regular customers come back.

Don't forget your 20% discount card from hillary group. Hillary 1,2,3...Morning Night, Climax, Ball in hand...and possibly that karaoke bar close to Guess....but watch your change in there. Mind you even with 20% off its still not a bargain beer outfit.