SAGuy

So as part of my promise to give back to the forum that has been so helpful to me, this is my first new topic. I started visiting the LOS in 2009 and this was the very first hotel that I stayed in in BKK. It was booked as it was close to where I was working on Soi 13. I stayed at S15, which is part of a small chain of 3-4 hotels for 3 visits between 2009-2010 and it is a great location, right on Sukhumvit and in walking distance of Robinsons and Terminal 21 and also the fleshpots on lower Sukhumvit. The hotel is very clean, serves a decent breakfast and is guest friendly. As this was my introduction to life in the LOS, the 'walk of shame' also wasn't too far LOL. I stopped staying there after midway 2010, as their rates kept climbing to around THB 3,500 per night and they weren't interested in a corporate discount deal. I still use the lunchtime buffet from time to time, as it changes every day and its a good venue to take a mixed group of people, with different dietary requirements. This hotel is also the scene of one of my favourite newbie mistakes, of which there have been many over the years, which I'll document in later posts. After checking in I tipped the hotel porter what I thought was THB 100. (It had been a long flight and in my defence I was unused to the Thai currency). Later that night I realised I had actually given him THB 1,000! Even in the States and Europe that would be an extraordinary tip for carrying one bag and also explains the smile from ear to ear that he had! So what do I do? I can't really ask him for THB 900 back? On the other hand, it just didn't seem right to let him get away with it. So a plan was hatched... After a wash and some food shopping I went to see him again and explained the situation and advised that he now needed to do me a favour. He could keep the THB 1,000 but had to procure me a decent looking GG. (Yes I do realise it was a newbie mistake, but it was my first night in BKK and little did I realise that there were GG a plenty literally outside the hotel or down the street outside the Ruamchit Hotel). This was before the days of Holly Coffee, which is also a great pick up spot. So I expected him to take about 30 minutes to 'procure' one, but within 5 minutes he was knocking on the room door with a great selection of 3! This is when I realised that BKK was like no other city I had ever been to before and its when I coined the phrase "you are never more than 10 metres away from a potential jump." Afterwards I also laughed at the difference between BKK and the big London Hotels, where the concierge would use the code phrase "would you like an extra pillow for your room Sir?" It was on my second stay at the S15 that I broke my LB cherry with Eye, from an escort agency, so happy memories! So in summary, S15 is a good hotel, in a great location, but is a bit pricey for what you get and some could find the rooms to be a bit austere. I swapped in 2010 to start staying at the Dream Hotel further down Soi 15. But that's another story and another hotel review. Here ends my first ever proactive post! SAG

I'm glad to see that its not just me and that was a funny story. In the end its just USD 30, so its not worth sweating over and I bet the maid told her family all about the very generous hi so farang that night, so its great that you made her day! Thanks for the story, it was a great one to chuckle over, as I could see myself doing exactly the same thing! Cheers SAG

The building next door is now completely gutted and you can actually walk through the ground floor as a short cut to get to CIB, if you don't want to take the first or second sois. SAG

Hey there Thanks From what I heard from the girls at CIB a few months back it has now transformed into a karaoke bar and knocking shop focused on the Koreans. So unless any BM wants to rent a room by the hour and also use to ear plugs to drown out the dulcet tones of 'sararymen' knocking out My Way on the hour, every hour, then its probably not appropriate for a farang as an accommodation option. Cheers SAG

Hey there Manga I've seen 2 in 10 years of visiting. One was a bright yellow/green one down by the canal path at the end of soi 15 and the other was a python in Chatuchak Park. But saying that, Oliver is right, the soi dogs and rats are a lot more prevalent! Your biggest risk will be some of the two-legged sharks you may encounter. Cheers SAG

Hey there Geronimo You are most probably right, but I was just repeating what we were taught in basic training many years ago. Saying that, like many things in that military it was probably wrong! Cheers SAG

Manga They milk the venom from the snakes to produce the antidotes. Top tip 1 - if you ever get bitten by snake - first thing is to try and kill it and then take it and yourself to the hospital pronto. Only when they can actually ID the snake can they know which ant-venom course they should use. Unfortunately there isn't a single antidote to all snake bites. Top tip 2 - tie a tourniquet around the part that has been bitten to slow down the spread of the poison within your blood stream. Top tip 3 - if you get bitten by a Black Mamba - make sure you get to the hospital within 30 minutes maximum! Cheers SAG

Thanks Taas I know Holly's well as its the best place to stop for a coffee in that area. I have also passed it late at night, but never been in then. If I have to resort to Plan B, I'll give it a go around the changing of the shift time. It adds new meaning to "would you like a shot with your coffee sir?" Cheers SAG

Thanks for the suggestions Taas. One of my favourite things about BKK is eating at recommended street food places that dont result in the Aztec Two-step. Cammy also had a great suggestion and I've been to that place just up soi 11 for noodles with quite a few of the LBs after their shifts end and prior to loom escapades. A great additional go-to I like to use during the day is the 24 hour restaurant at the New Business Inn on Soi 11, thats always a decent place for low cost and it has AC. Cheers SAG

Thanks for all the info Manga, these prices are very low and also some of the vaccines cant be found in many countries, e.g. Japanese Encephalitis. Make sure that you use an international inoculations book, which you normally get with a Yellow Fever jab, as that can then be used like a log book and so its easy for them to work out what you have had and when. Definitely make sure you get the Typhoid jab. I caught that in Ghana from forgetting to use bottled water to brush my teeth one morning and was man down for a month. Great info, thanks for taking the time, I never thought of using the CDC website and the HPV suggestion is also something I hadn't thought of. Cheers SAG

Roger I'd look at the final paragraph of Jonard's post, which puts it into perspective. You have a higher risk of your plane going down than catching it. Dont be daft, take all sensible precautions, but dont let the fear of the risk ruin your experience. The riskiest part of your trip is the car journey to and from the airports. Then its the flight. The lowest risk is the actual mongering! Cheers SAG

Hey there manga I travel a lot and mainly to third world rat holes so have to get a full course for everything. You are right, it does make sense to get them before, as they take a while to kick-in. One that I wouldn't overlook is rabies. If you get bitten by an infected soi dog, it can ruin your day and also the cure is a LOT worse than the prevention! It takes 2 shots and a booster, but the first 2 are 6 weeks apart so if you get the first before you go, you can then get the second when you return. Another easily overlooked one is tetanus, which is a good idea for cuts etc. I looked up the clinic that you mentioned and I was pretty impressed, it looks very professional and seems to specialise in our 'niche'. I am going to go there not for innoculations, but to get some tests, as the packages they have look pretty comprehensive. Thanks for the heads-up on that one. Cheers SAG

Hey there Manga Wouldn't it make more sense to get the jabs in your home country before you get to LOS? Cheers SAG

Hahaha@BGSC Touche! SAG

It could be worse - what the North American Mid West is going through at the moment looks like zero fun! SAG

Hi Thanks I think the election date may have slipped again, but don't know for sure. If this continues, then I'd probably plan on more indoor pursuits... Cheers SAG

Not to rain on the idea of rooftop bars in BKK, but here's a health warning from the Bangkok Post today! https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/environment/1620462/no-relief-from-intensifying-bangkok-smog-before-monday Hopefully it will improve for next month, but its not worth going up of you cant see anything. SAG

But sometimes to get your chrome polished you have to do these kind of things! SAG

Taas You are right as usual, but now you are thinking like a farang bloke! The opportunity for selfies (i.e. face points) is much greater on a roof top and that's why the Thai LBs love them as a destination. The farang who is needless to say paying USD 20+ for a watered down cocktail is less impressed. I took some chums to the Sky Bar on my last trip and they went missing for at least 30 minutes as they were in a selfie frenzy. Well that's how they explained the absence, who knows? Cheers SAG

Thanks for the info Boomerang. For some reason I never consider any hotels above soi 19, but as you say, its a good back-up plan. The great thing about the Citadines chain is that you know what to expect, as each room tends to be copy/paste from the other properties. Cheers SAG

So I am landing in BKK on the 14th February and am meeting a special friend that night. I've been to BKK 20+ times, but suffer from terminal lack of imagination and very low romantic DNA. (I work in software, so enough said!). Where would you recommend I take the friend? I was thinking of dinner plus somewhere afterwards, but have hit the imagination wall. It doesn't need to be cheap, I'd like to create a great impression. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated and you will be helping a fellow BM on his first steps to "true love." Cheers SAG

Manga - I took 2 friends to the Sky Bar on the last trip and loved re-living my own personal 'Hangover 2' movie. They really liked it up there and the selfies were almost non stop. It was also a great cure for my chronic reticence about being seen in public and it has cured me once and for all about shyness around LBs. Plus the looks on some of the Mid Western Americans faces were priceless! I think they're still relating the story to their neighbours back in Kansas City and Omaha! I'd definitely share the experience! SAG

Manga The best place to pick up a SIM is at the airport. The cell phone service providers counters are in the main arrivals area, after you clear immigration, pick up your bags and walk through the customs out the doors and into the main airport area where all the greeters are. The benefit of buying a sim and package at the airport or one of the service providers shops in the malls over 7-11 is that they offer packages - 15 and 30 days of call minutes and data for THB xxx, whereas 7-11 is straight top up. Also, you will have your passport on you so its more convenient than walking around BKK with your passport to do this later in the day. Sometimes the queues look long at the booths, but as Mikel says, they move fast and they sort everything out for you, whereas at 7-11 sometimes you are on your own, fiddling with a nano sim LOL. I normally go with DTAC as I was told they have better coverage in the city, but I dont know if thats true or not. Cheers SAG

Thanks Youngone - as you are from the industry, you can understand the dilemma LOL. Theres some great suggestions on the list and I think the cruise is a great idea. I've been on a few in the past, but they weren't that great. The Shangri-La one looks a lot better, so I'll do that one. I'll add all of these suggestions to collate 1 list and then work through them over the period I am in town. Maybe make a Gantt chart out of it LOL. The great thing about eating well in BKK is that it is significantly lower cost than other world cities, yet of a high standard. Cheers SAG

Thanks for the feedback on Kinaree Markm. Based on that I'll give it a pass. The great thing about Korean BBQ is that Korea Town is on soi 12, so a short walk to lots of places there, so thats really convenient. I think that may be the winner and then hit Maggie Choos afterwards. I'm around for almost 4 weeks, so will diligently work through many of the places that have been suggested. Not a martini fan! Cheers SAG