mike2011

I often eat their sour dough. So for luckily no problems. If you have some time on your hands, you could inform the French baker about the problem. There is a chance that this is not an isolated case and that their storage is contaminated or that of their supplier. I found the French baker to be very reasonable and open for comment. THis way this ugly story could help to improve the situation in the interest of all customers.

You will get lucky with Thai Baht in Sisophon (Svay), Anlong Veng, Pailin, etc. Cities close to the border. In Phnom Penh you will do good to change them at the Central Market corner St. 136/Calmette without much loss at a better rate than the banks. Do it during banking hours of course and compare the rates offered.

You could do a day trip to Angkor Borei (look that up on the internet). On the way there are a few other temples. Visit the National Museum before going there as they have a lot pieces from those sites.

Money: If you come with Thai baht you can change those easily and without much loss at the Central Market, outside the market at the corner Street 136/Calmette. The one directly on the corner is usually not as good as the others. Also much better rates for USD. Change your USD there and pay with riel you will save a little money although carrying more bills around.

Guesthouses: What is your budget? I generally find Cambodian accommodation more reasonably priced than in Thailand.

Depending on how much time you have to extend think about Sihanoukville. Nice beaches, fresh air. 2-3 days there are worthwhile. Food is also good.

Be aware on tuktuk that thieves might try and snatch your bag. Same holds true for the Central Market area.

Final suggestion: Breakfast at a Chinese joint with Dim Sum and Wonton soup plus a lot of strong coffee.

The guy thought that he had got lucky and found out - a little late - that he got more than he had bargained for. The location of the corps etc suggest that he was not happy at all how his hot date turned out. Nothing special in a sense that newbies get tricked by katoeys. They work online for this and also in real life. The fact that the victim turned perpetrator was a marine drew some attention to the case as did the somewhat spectacular actions of his/her German boyfriend.

While the case does illustrate the common use of violence against transgenders at same time it also illustrates the mode of operation some parts of that community employ with the risks involved.

In the Phils I had to warn visiting friends more than once that the object of their desires was not what it seemed to be. The hint that they might end up face down in the mattress helped. The Marine lacked that advice.

I have taken a 2 AM Korat bus and Korat buses run 24/7. At night not as often as during the day but there will be at least one bus per hour.

Kickstart: getting a cab from the airport to MBK and then another from Chatuchak to Morchit will not generate huge savings. Maybe better to take a cab and DO NOT use the toll way to Ratchadapisek. Up Ratchada and on to Morchit mayb 350 baht total?

Chatuchak to Morchit will be at least 70-80 baht due to the traffic routing.

I have the same question as the OP. IS there a post-midnite public bus or a Van service out of the airport to the city.

you can visit Ho Tchi Minh's house. Nice place

Richard, I m sure you take the taxi and relax or you arrive in your own car overland.

The question was 'what is the cheapest way?'. Not if someone cannot afford his trip to Cambodia or what the prices in BKK or Phuket are. This matters are far off topic.

The options in PP are motorbike, which is fast and a bit cheaper but very dangerous in terms of accidents and risk of being robbed; tuktuk, USD 7 but sitting in the heat and fumes; a taxi, more expensive. These options vary somewhat according to where you pick your transport, i.e. at the terminal or outside the airport compound.

Now we know that we can have a USD 0.38 transfer to downtown in the municipal aircon bus. This not a perfect solution as one needs to get to the road, short walk, and to wait in the heat, and the busses are probably not the fanciest. However, once on the bus there is aircon and no fumes plus the bus get stucks or does not get stuck in the same traffic like the taxis and tuktuks. Moreover, no need to haggle about the price. In sum, for many this might probably be a useful, inexpensive, and common sense solution as it reduces traffic, fuel consumption, and air pollution.

Let me add that for those going to Sihanoukville the best way would be to get transport like above but in the opposite direction (= south or left hand when leaving) to the round about. At the roundabout are sales points run by the bus companies operating services to SHV. Going to the roundabout will save you a bit of money and, perhaps more importantly, it will cut your trip to SHV easily by 1.5 - 2 hrs or even more.

From the above one can figure that I do like the BKK airport link and connections to MRT and BTS. Really no need to pay extra for the privilege of haggling with taxi drivers or sitting in traffic after 20 hrs on the road.

I m currently not in Thailand but I will be flying out of BKK. If I would be in town it would be no issue at all, yet.....

My routing is rather simple BKK-ORD = Chicago, preferably ANA over UA, and then directly on to a Midwest destination on UA. The return would be again UA to ORD, interrupt for 2 weeks, and continue ORD-BKK preferably on ANA. I know these are co-shared flights. I prefer ANA as UA has service-wise gone down so much and I cant stand these flight-attendants in their 70s or 80s on the Narita-ORD flight. But it is, of course, just a preference.

I saw on the UA website that they still list a contact office in BKK:

Reservations
662-634-1640
662-634-1652 (Fax)

Office Address
PASO Tower, 10th Floor
88 Silom Road, Suriyawong
Bangrak, Bangkok 10500

Hours
Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Saturday, Sunday and holidays, closed

Does anyone know if this office does indeed exist? I thought they had closed down operations this year when they ceased their BKK-Narita flight.

I also used some travel agents in the past in BKK but that was years ago. Problem is I m not back till February but need to book rather soon. In the past, the tickets bought IN THAILAND were always a good deal cheaper than anything online. I flew UA of course.

Richard, this is about PP and I am also sure that the OP has enough funds to come to Cambodia since he is asking a question to that effect.

It is also not wrong to save money and thereby have more flexibility on how and where you spend your funds. Now we have online here a nice piece of information how one can get for approx. 38 cents USD to the city center. That is good news. The only thing we still need to know is when the busses start and stop running.

By the way, the nice airport train combined with MRT and BTS will get you downtown BKK for much less than 10 USD. The transport system runs, I think, from 6 AM to midnite or a bit later. For the night hours taxis from the departure level are a good and inexpensive option (again much less than 10 USD).

Thanks for the kind replies. I checked the websites. Problem is that interrupting the flight at ORD would cost me 500 or more USD.

In the good old days, I got a glass of water or a coffee from the ladies at the UA office while they were booking the flight. In those days, online was always more expensive and had some stupid restrictions. The ladies simply overwrote the program and I got my stopover for free.

To give you an idea. It would be cheaper to fly from my destination rountrip to Chicago in order to take an uninterrupted flight back to BKK than interrupting the flight in ORD.

As for calling ANA in the US, that's certainly an option. I was just wondering if they have local deals like the unpublished UA fare that was only available in BKK.

If you dont mind, let me ask again about a good travel agent who would not ripp me off with credit card?

Thanks for the replies and thoughts

edit: I need qualify some of the statements about the fares. They are fluctuating heavily. So dont nail me for it.

I need some advise with ANA tickets. Now that UA is gone I better by my flight with them, I guess. Buying early might save me some money. Right now, however, I am out of the country. Online does not really work as my test bookings showed that once I interrupt the return flight within the US prices go up 500-600. In the past with UA this was never a problem as 1 stopover was permitted while a second was 75 USD.

Apparently, ANA Bangkok has no email address, at least I cant find it. Does anyone has their email?

Secondly, I think it might be possible that a local travel agent has good deals. Problem here is that they need to be reliable as I would book with my cc. So second request is a recommendation for a good travel agent.

Too bad that UA is gone. With them it was a phone call and all was done...

Thanks for the help

This was posted (here: http://www.khmer440.com/chat_forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=46383) with two other maps showing two more buslines.

I trust that this should be the cheapest, relatively safe, and aircon way to go. I have not tried it yet but I think prices are like 50 cents USD.

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

ok, for the less than "elitist" tastes - the old Carrefour now BigC extra has a French baker working there and they produce pretty decent stuff. It is more bread and croissants than cakes and cream cakes but within in their limits they are doing fine. Bread is much easier than cakes and can be somewhat adapted to mass production. I should also mention the French baker on the road leading to Jomtien. Nice French-Thai family. They are descendants of generations of French bakers. The croissants were always very nice.

If you like a good cream cake, for instance, forget about the above. You better go to an Austrian or German 'Konditor' and enjoy their products. You wont go every day, maybe once a week. It is a treat and it is worthwhile. A good sign is when you can talk with an owner about his products and he will gladly fill you in. When I lived in Germany I went once a week to a Konditor and bought a "Mandelsemmel." They had them only on Fridays and Saturdays. It cost almost double than one in a supermarket or a chain outlet. I still remember the taste. I could never find anything similar outside Germany. The bread culture in Germany is unique, perhaps including Austria, parts of Switzerland and adjoining regions as they all share the same heritage.

A good and well-run German bakery is a welcome option.

If we are talking just about bakeries and breads, I was very much impressed with the bakery at Central,

I think it is part of the TOPs store on the ground floor. Very nice selection of various fresh breads (also

some Mediterranean variety, I go crazy for those, lol).

I think it was called CP, or something, I was lightheaded from the bread selection, can't remember

luudee

Ludee,

i fully agree. Last time in pattaya I made a routine to check what they have. Surprisingly, you find even Turkish stile bread there. The various kinds of "German" bread are ok and pretty good by Thai standards. For a good whole grain bread you still need a professional baker and one who had training in producing these. This holds true also for the BigC Extra bakery. The sour dough is good by local standards but in Germany it would be hardly average. I used to check both stores and take my pick.

As for a real German bakery with properly made bread it will cost you more. In German supermarkets you can get good bread and "Brotchen" (small white bread) and other items. The stuff in family owned small bake shops, however, is better in quality and freshness (no half-baked, frozen and ready to reheat products). You will pay more in these small places and yet they do exist. This is for a reason.

So let's not compare a real German bakery with a bakery outlet and the question price does exist but for a good reason. I think consumers get a good deal at BigC and the basement supermarket in Central, as Ludee rightly pointed out. For the little extra and a treat the Back Fabrik is obviously a go to place.

As far cakes are concerned - just save the money and when the budget is right go to the real place. The supermarket staff can do pastries to some extent but cakes? Maybe a poor imitation. Even pastries, you want that precision only a master baker can produce with the right materials. The baker in BigC Extra once told me about his problems in recruiting good local staff. It was not just teaching but also making sure that they do what they were told. So he was pretty much a stressed-out supervisor and staff has been rather rotating than just changing over the past years.

The last time I had a good cake in Thailand was in BKK in a 5* hotel and that piece of Schwarzwalderkirsch was not cheap. It was very good. So even if the new place charges double for a nice piece of cake, you still get a bargain. It is a treat and it is nice if it can be found.

ok, for the less than "elitist" tastes - the old Carrefour now BigC extra has a French baker working there and they produce pretty decent stuff. It is more bread and croissants than cakes and cream cakes but within in their limits they are doing fine. Bread is much easier than cakes and can be somewhat adapted to mass production. I should also mention the French baker on the road leading to Jomtien. Nice French-Thai family. They are descendants of generations of French bakers. The croissants were always very nice.

If you like a good cream cake, for instance, forget about the above. You better go to an Austrian or German 'Konditor' and enjoy their products. You wont go every day, maybe once a week. It is a treat and it is worthwhile. A good sign is when you can talk with an owner about his products and he will gladly fill you in. When I lived in Germany I went once a week to a Konditor and bought a "Mandelsemmel." They had them only on Fridays and Saturdays. It cost almost double than one in a supermarket or a chain outlet. I still remember the taste. I could never find anything similar outside Germany. The bread culture in Germany is unique, perhaps including Austria, parts of Switzerland and adjoining regions as they all share the same heritage.

A good and well-run German bakery is a welcome option.

Backfabrik is German for Backing Factory.

But it is, of course, not a factory but more like a traditional German bakery. Thus, comparisons with supermarkets in North America are out of place. The quality of the flour, artisanal production by a fully trained master baker is something different from processing pre-fabricated, half-ready, deep frozen, many months old, products that are sold as fresh in supermarkets.

Put differently and with reference to the country ant is culture, it is like going to a high-class business joint on ratchada instead of hanging out at the coconut bar. The latter might have its charms but sometimes people long for something different.

I walk at night in SHV - often alone. Also at the supposedly dangerous places. The trick is that I am sober and polite. There are mototaxis everywhere 24/7. And, yes, they ask you every 100 meters if you need a ride. Even in the dark I smile at them, thank them for their friendly offer and tell them it is just a short distance to my place. After a while the faces become more familiar.

I doubt that much of the violence against foreigners is random. I have seen enough bad behavior by some backpackers who insulted Khmers in a way that would land them in the next hospital if this would be Thailand. Khmers are very tolerant in comparison. Others were visible doing drugs and the motodrivers were selling. I guess sometimes the busines deal went south or the customer flashed around too many bills. Another source of trouble can be the rental date who could inform her protector on the things she learned about the customer.

Personally, I am much more alert in PP than in SHV, BKK, PTY etc. Walking to my guesthouse at night I see more people that attract my undevided attention than in any of the other places.

It might be a good idea to patronize the resident moto/tuktuk drivers at the restaurant/bar etc. They are known and will welcome your return business. Much safer this way.

Just an idea:

Did anyone ever try to hop on one of the buses coming in from SHV to PP? If they would accept that it would be perfect. Aircon, safe, and not really much slower than the other options.

RIP

He made certainly an important contribution to the expat community. The precise character of that contribution remains, however, very much open to debate and critical review. To say the least.

Poipet - they try it all the time and last time I went that direction they had a big sign up at the counter 25 USD. If you have 30 minutes left to make it to your bus you do not have too many choices. Yes, making a stand would probably work out - but not within 5 or 10 minutes. By the way, the passport had one or another Cambodian stamps/visa in it....

After a very long day in BKK and with a night trip to PP ahead of me, I opted to pay the 5 USD surcharge. I got to PP by 5 AM and was on time for breakfast at my favorite Chinese tea shop. Since then they are welcome only to admire my extended visa and no money for the honey.....

Perhaps, more useful to other readers. Make sure you have those 30 USD (or USD 35 to the extendable) in USD and exact change. Without the precise bills in the right currency trying to make a stand is pretty much useless.

While the scam is not nice, the Poipet crowd is considerably more reasonable and the crowd loitering around the checkpoint while looking for victims much less aggressive and potentially violent than those muggers at the Koh Kong crossing.

From what I understand from our "buffaloes" reporting on the Osmach crossing in Surin province, Poipet seems to beat those officials as well.

Long time since I crossed at Pailin and Anlong Veng. So no idea how those fellows behave. No real borders scams there at the time aside from the increased visa and demands to pay in THB.

Ombra, I would not buy Vietnamese products. Look for the whole beans from Laos. Alone the color, form and size of the beans will tell you what they are worth or not. The market in NK has these first class beans as does (did?) the border market in Ubon province.

Just dont buy anything from Vietnam or ground. The whole beans remove the danger of mixing in of inferior beans, soy beans and all the other junk.

Maybe during your next walk on the riverside you have time to check the place out closely.

Poipet. That's good news. Last time I paid 5 USD extra. They even had a sign established demanding the increased fee of USD 25 as opposed to USD 20. I paid USD 30 instead of 25 for the Ordinary Visa at the time as I had to catch a bus.

Richard, how long did the poster have to stand his ground before the officials gave in? Was he alone at the counter and when did this take place? I mean the time of the day.

I am aware that the fraudulent practice of increased fees was addressed and prohibited in an official memo by the Cambodian government. Not that this necessarily means much. I am also aware that over the years people got the official price by standing they ground and spending some time at Poipet (though Koh Kong border did not give in as far as I know).

You wont find anything around Chonburi and BKK. Simply impossible. THe area was part of the sea at that time. As for sites:

Add Nakon Pathom and also Ratchburi to your list for Djavarati sites.

Muang Sema (Sema old city) on the way from Saraburi to Korat as a phantastic reclining budda and some Djavarati artifacts.

You will also enjoy the collection of the nationa museum in bkk.

For the supposed origins of hinduism in the region go to Si Thammarat and the fine collections there and make a stop at Chaya (near Surat) on the way there.

In the north Lamphun is your principal location for such fine pieces and locations.

Preah Vehar is a Cambodian site and no longer directly accessible from Thailand.

In general the various national museums of Thailand are good places to learn more (some false identifications and nationalist myths left aside.....) and see exceptional pieces. You will be surprised what awaits visitors in the small museum at Nakhon Pathom.

If you have enough time, make the trip to Cambodia and Kampong Thom province. A spectacular site nearby one of the early places of what became later on Khmer culture.

As for Sri Thep archaeological park: You can go there by bus. Almost any bus going to Petchabun/Lomsak passes by. Shortly before reaching Sri Thep you need to get off at a crossing, the driver will know. From there another 20 min by motorbike taxi to the site. Part of the site is closed off because of excavations. The large area accessible has very nice art work to admire. Food and drinks available.

I follow some other online outlets and the topic of thieving and also burglary is becoming more prevalent. From those reports I learned that the motorbike attacks take place often in areas like the central market etc where people go for shopping. In other words, this practice is not necessarily linked to a residential area. It will be difficult to avoid be seen by those thugs. Quite rightly, people need to observe some common sense and prepare themselves as PP is not BKK in that regard.

Burglaries are also not limited to those cheap places. Certainly, some tenants had unsolicited renewed visits from their rental dates or their associates. Often construction workers are involved (like in Thailand). HOWEVER, the perhaps most horrific incicent involving a double murder (wife and baby) took place in an upscale neighbourhood. This is not to doubt SR's observations but to caution against the assumption that higher rents do provide better security. Maybe but maybe not as well. Perhaps a close review of the area, the landlord living nearby, how many tenants etc. are better indicators.

Having said this there are multiple apartments, included serviced, on offer online also for shorter periods. Try for instance, bongthom dot com for example. Some forums are exclusively dedicated to Cambodia have real estate sections that might be help and members have lots of experience.

Reportedly, major savings can be made by avoiding touts/agents. Also prepayment of rent will result also in strong savings. Combined this might amount easily to 40-50% of the asking price. So take the online offers as a ceiling and the maximum asking price. Most apartments are not on online offer. You will find them by scouting your preferred area.

Sorry if this is a little vague but it is more about an approach of how to do it and you apply it to your desired area.