thedistillers

What exactly are you looking for?

Fortune Town is a better shopping experience than Panthip (and it's right next to a subway station).

Maybe there are better bargains and choices in Singapore, so that could be an option too. (If you need to do a visa run or something).

I don't think there would be any issue with luggage and MRT

The pedestrian link between Makkassan and Petchaburi MRT will be ready in 2011, but right now you can still walk as it's only 200m. If you want to avoid that particular walk, you could exit at BTS Phaya Thai and transfer to the Silom MRT line at Sala Daeng.

700 baht.

Waiting 2 or 3 hours for a iPad I can understand, but for donuts? Who are those people? They don't have a job, or a life? I would be seriously interested if they would interview people in the queue to know who those people are, their job and family situation.

Also, I saw a couple of people on the street with 4 of 5 KK boxes, I'm assuming they're reselling them? I guess if there are people crazy enough to wait 3 hours for donuts, there are people crazy enough to buy KK donuts on the street.

Those people might have been sent to buy donuts for their entire office.

I meant, people sitting on a chair on the street, with the boxes in front of them on a table. It did look like they were selling them.

Went a couple of times to Central World food court. Unlike other food courts where you buy coupons or get a cash card before ordering food, they give you a 1000 baht card at the entrance, and you have to pay when you exit.

Any reason why they use this bizarre system? I guess people will spend more easily money, and if once in a while a person loses his card, it's 1000 baht more in their pocket.

Why not 500 baht, or even 300 baht, if it's one card per person?

Do they also give cards to children?

Waiting 2 or 3 hours for a iPad I can understand, but for donuts? Who are those people? They don't have a job, or a life? I would be seriously interested if they would interview people in the queue to know who those people are, their job and family situation.

Also, I saw a couple of people on the street with 4 of 5 KK boxes, I'm assuming they're reselling them? I guess if there are people crazy enough to wait 3 hours for donuts, there are people crazy enough to buy KK donuts on the street.

I'm not sure how can people argue against a subjective survey Best can mean 100 things. If you're into nature, Bangkok is one of the worst city in the world.

If blue is voted the best color by people, how relevant is it that "you" (the people who disagree) think blue sucks.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Ohhhh this must be a joke.

How could Bangkok beat out places like Berlin, Munich, Vienna, Sydney, Auckland, Tokyo, Nuremberg.

What a load of <deleted>.

I agree it's a bit of a joke, although I'd rather visit Bangkok than any of those cities on your list which are all boring and expensive in comparison. Someone mentioned Brisbane. While a nice place, it has to take the cake for most boring. In Europe, Barcelona has to be right up there.

I guess Bangkok does have a certain pizazz about it and is good value on the world stage, but 'world's best' (whatever that means) it is not.

Well, the person listed Auckland without even knowing the place. What does it say about the credibility of such reply?

I would like to know this: where in Hong Kong, Singapore, Shanghai, Tokyo, etc can I rent a centrally located, modern studio with Internet, Cable, a safe, a huge, comfortable bed for 12 000 bah a month? Where in these cities can I find a good hotel for 600 baht a day? Because that's what I'm paying when I'm here.

It might come as a shock to some people, but outside the bitter world of expat forum, a city that constantly get praised in blogs and on the Internet is Bangkok. There is simply no other city that I'm aware of that offer so much, combined with excellent value when you know where to look.

We already discussed this. The criterias were how affordable the city is, shopping, eating out, etc. There is nothing surprising about Bangkok being number 1, given the criterias. Bangkok's problems are mostly irrelevant for short term visitors.

Also, I'm ROFL that a poster mentioned that Auckland beat Bangkok. I'm not expressing my opinion; it's generally considered as one of the dullest city on earth.

The amount of business with tourists in MBK gone down to less than 25%.

Source?

I have been living here for 28 years and never once been involved in a shake down.

There's no mystery here; most taxis involved in a scam hang out near a hotel. If you take a taxi elsewhere, the odds lower dramatically. I don't think it has anything to do with looking like a tourist or not.

Why would anybody want to go all the way up there?? Ive been living here for 11 years and never occurred to me to go to CM. I presume the police and tourist scams are just as bad as BKK. Thailand is now an expensive holiday destination.Even Kaosan road,bkk is no longer a genuine backpacker district. Its full of renovated and expensive looking boutique bars and guest houses 800 b a night..HUH!!! Bali ,Fiji, and tahiti are looking better everyday. TAT will bury their head in the sand. maipen rai

Because it is arguably the best city of Thailand if you don't care about beaches, at least for a short term visit. If it never occured to you to go there, you probably aren't interested much in travel.

You presume wrong. There are scams but then again what city doesn't have them, but certainly not as bad as Bangkok. Don't know about the police.

Chiang Mai is a cheap holiday destination. Cheaper than Bali, and certainly much cheaper than Fiji and Tahiti?

800 baht a night is "expensive"? Wow. Anyway there's plenty of decent 600 baht / night room in Bangkok, if you know where to look.

I was begining to think there must be two Chiang Mai's in Thailand.

I'll be back in CM on Christmas day, but not in the shitty boring town that some posters atre portraying.

It's a great laid back place, maybe a place you'd want to live more than holiday in, but my wife and I are very happy visiting three times a each year, until about three years time when we intewnd spending about half the year there a la Ian Forbes.

Mind you I have to tell you it's a bit dearer than Bali,(spent a week in CM and a week in Bali in May), but certainly miles cheaper than Fiji & Thahiti.

I spent 6000 baht for one month for a clean, centrally located studio with relatively fast internet, cable tv and aircon in CM. You would have to spend at least twice, if not triple, to find the equivalent in Bali.

Why would anybody want to go all the way up there?? Ive been living here for 11 years and never occurred to me to go to CM. I presume the police and tourist scams are just as bad as BKK. Thailand is now an expensive holiday destination.Even Kaosan road,bkk is no longer a genuine backpacker district. Its full of renovated and expensive looking boutique bars and guest houses 800 b a night..HUH!!! Bali ,Fiji, and tahiti are looking better everyday. TAT will bury their head in the sand. maipen rai

Because it is arguably the best city of Thailand if you don't care about beaches, at least for a short term visit. If it never occured to you to go there, you probably aren't interested much in travel.

You presume wrong. There are scams but then again what city doesn't have them, but certainly not as bad as Bangkok. Don't know about the police.

Chiang Mai is a cheap holiday destination. Cheaper than Bali, and certainly much cheaper than Fiji and Tahiti?

800 baht a night is "expensive"? Wow. Anyway there's plenty of decent 600 baht / night room in Bangkok, if you know where to look.

I've been a couple times. Nothing to do. Very boring.

It's weird that a city that was recently listed the second best city in the world has nothing to do and is very boring.

The Saturday market, the Sunday market, the night bazaar, dozens and dozens of beautiful temples all over the city, Doi Suthep, a zoo, museums. Aerobics, ballooning, bird watching, bungy jumping, cinema, cooking classes, cricket, cycling, elephant riding, fishing, flying, golf, go-karts, hill-tribe treks, horse riding, karaoke, line-dancing, massage schools, pool, rafting, river boat trips, swimming, tennis, walking, water sports. Day trips around the city, festivals, etc. Considering the average tourist spend around 3 or 4 days in Chiang Mai, you're right, there's clearly nothing to do.

I've always maintained that Thais don't really want tourists per se. They would rather "tourists" just fly into the airport, deposit all their money in a box, get back on the plane and go away. With all the scams and outright theft so prevalent in Thailand, I have seen very few places around the world that are more hostile to tourism.

So just fly to Chiang Mai and put your money in the tourist box and go home please. :jap:

Thailand is one of the most tourist-friendly destination in the world, and it is no coincidence that Bangkok and Chiang Mai were voted the best cities in the world in a recent tourism survey. There are scams and theft in Asia, and much more in Vietnam and Cambodia.

And what is in Chiang Mai for tourists if they visit there?

Limited and restrictive nightlife, duel pricing at many tourist destinations, few decent restaurants and hardly any tour price concessions.

The TAT and police will need to collaborate and rethink their nightlife and adult entertainment restriction policies, better deals for tourists, outlaw duel pricing and more positive promotions of tourist areas and places of interest.

It doesn't require a genius to assess why the tourists are not coming to Chiang Mai.

It might not require a genius, but it certainly has nothing to do with the reasons you listed. Are you seriously telling me that people won't go to Chiang Mai because, gasp, they have to pay 100 baht to go to the zoo instead of 50? Since when are people going to CM for the nightlife and adult entertainment?

I've never been to Pattaya, but I was visiting Bangkok's Chinatown about 2 months ago and there were many, many sellers selling porn, but the most interesting part was seeing how popular those stands were (all Thai, didn't see any farang). I also saw dildos on sale.

We just can't know if what is being sold is child porn or not. Surely some porn producers, because they know there is a demand, are actively looking for 18 yo who look much younger than their age? Due to an illness or something, I don't see how it's impossible than a 18 y.o. girl looks like she is 9. Not only that, with a certain haircut, clothes (if there are any) and Photoshop, it's entirely possible to make a girl looks very young, at least on the DVD cover.

It just doesn't make sense that it's a new airport and that you sometimes have to take a BUS after getting off. For that reason alone, it would never make the top 10 for me.

I thought the domestic departures terminal was very poorly signed and organised.

One time recently I had to wait around 1 hour to pass immigration, the line was ridiculously long and not all immigration desks were opened.

Considering how new the airport is, it doesn't rank high in my view.

I was in Nha Trang last month for a week and I thought it was a shithole. How depressing it would be to move from the lovely Chiang Mai to Nha Trang.

1) Nothing to do 2) pushy sellers and motobike drivers everywhere 3) I went to the market, dirty... 4) Too touristy, most people who are doing Vietnam overland stop there for a day or 2. 5) Scammers and theives hang out in the beach, I was approached with the "my sister is a nurse in your country" line. 6) Did I say there's absolutely nothing to do. 7) Not entirely safe at night + rats.

There's not even a shuttle bus from the airport to downtown, which is far away.

The cost of living here is far cheaper than Thailand,e.g.for food drink and rent.I'm living in a small town on the South coast,not far from the Cambodian border,and as far as I know am the only foreigner living here

I don't think that is true at all. Perhaps if you live in a small town the cost of living will be low, but then the cost of living in Issan is low too...

I think if you re-read the post in slow mode , the poster said backpackers GO TO ALL those places , and you actualy agree ,

Backpackers go to all those places .

What was your comment again ?

My comment, again, was that backpackers like to visit Thailand just as much as the other countries listed.

Maybe you should re-read the posts in very slow mode.

The fact that some people are a bit careless in Bangkok does show that the city is overall safe. I don't know any person who would carelessly walk around with a BB and a laptop in Quito or Managua in DAY time, let alone night.

But considering a BB in Thailand is the luxury equivalent of a 3000$ Macbook Pro in the Western world (the only reason so many Thai have a BB is due to credit cards, no way so many people can afford it), there is no 1mil+ city in the world where you can safely walk at night with a 3000$ item visible.

When people talk about cost of living they're mostly thinking about housing.

Why would electronics, utilities, etc be less expensive? There is no reason to.

And, of course, like it was already mentioned, it's easier to spend money in a big city as there is more to do.

Traveled to Bangkok from Pattaya for a meeting and decided to stay the night.

First time in Bangkok in over 5 years.

It has changed for the worst. I did not feel safe walking down the small sois of the main street.

What has changed, how many small sois did you walk and why didn't you feel safe?

Overall countries in that region DO have a somewhat bad reputation. Syria, Jordan, Iran, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Israel, etc.

Dubai is somewhat an oddity. And Egypt actually does have a not very good reputation, but Egypt is Egypt, it is like Jerusalem, it is such an important and fascinating region that it will attract tourists no matter what.

And Western Turkey can be put in the same category as Greece, it is sort of considered part of Europe in most people's mind. The rest of the country does not have a very good reputation.

So IMO IanForbes is overall right, Muslim countries generally do not have a good reputation.