Most charming Thai towns

[bignok]

15 minutes ago, ChrisKC said:

Not sure what is meant by "charming" The scenery is spectacular in many parts of Thailand but I would like to introduce the aspect of the architecture and quaint little towns; interesting walks around them, with privately owned businesses, shops that are a little different from the main stuff, lovely restaurants. And of course a small matter of the locals being friendly.

You got it. Old town Songkhla, Old City Chiang Mai,  Prachuap for example. That sort of thing.

 

 

[freedomnow]

Pai is LIKE the Gen Y/Z epicentre toytown of the north...hear the word LIKE in every sentence...

"i was LIKE..and she was LIKE...let's LIKE get a beer and some LIKE pizza.....grab a chair over at LIKE at the LIKE roadside"

 

Take your Thai g/f to get looked at LIKE you have a modern sex slave in tow.

Edited May 17, 2023 by freedomnow

[bignok]

1 minute ago, freedomnow said:

Pai is LIKE the Gen Y/Z epicentre toytown of the north...hear the word LIKE in every sentence...

"i was LIKE..and she was LIKE...let's LIKE get a beer and some LIKE pizza.....grab a chair over at LIKE at the LIKE roadside"

 

Take your Thai g/f to get looked at LIKE you have a modern sex slave in tow.

Like cool man like pad thai man like crazy like

[freedomnow]

Just now, bignok said:

Like cool man like pad thai man like crazy like

Blame it on the LIKE icon on facebook/IG/TIKTOK...LIKE...LIKE...LIKE.

 

It's like the movie PONTYPOOL..

[daveAustin]

4 hours ago, MarcelV said:

Phrae, Phayao, Bueng Kan, Nakhon Phanom, Chanthaburi, Samut Songkhram, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Ranong, Phatthalung, Narathiwat, Betong, to name a few all over the country.

Google is your friend. ????

 

48 minutes ago, bkk6060 said:

Pai? Maybe at some point, but my last visit a few months ago it was full of hippie looking backpackers blowing weed all day and eating pizza then, getting drunk at night yelling and screaming and vomiting in the streets.  Charming to some I guess.

They still there then? Has always been the case but this current generation seems especially vocal. Pai itself is still nice though.

 

Lamphun also ok. Even CM was quaint back in the day. Songkhla old town alright to look at but quickly gets gridlocked with Chinese/Malay visitors taking pictures of random things like brick walls and manhole covers. Hua Hin still pleasant to stroll around when few tourists. Use to enjoy Sukothai but haven't been for years; Mae Hong Son too.

[LaosLover]

1 hour ago, bkk6060 said:

Pai? Maybe at some point, but my last visit a few months ago it was full of hippie looking backpackers getting drunk at night yelling and screaming and vomiting in the streets.  Charming to some I guess.

It's like a time traveler bearing a 1999 Lonely Planet Guide.

 

Pai is now a very mature resort destination, with plenty of 3,000 baht rooms and upscale restaurants. They even have a jazz bar. It's very mixed in age, purpose, and income.

 

It's not Khao San Road. To describe Pai as an out-take from The Beach is decades out of date, if it was ever true.

 

What were the hippies "yelling and screaming about"? Free love? If only.

 

Hippie-looking? You mean they were fake hippies? That's a lot of work to get a girl. Respect.

Edited May 17, 2023 by LaosLover

[freedomnow]

2 minutes ago, daveAustin said:

Google is your friend. ????

 

They still there then? Has always been the case but this current generation seems especially vocal. Pai itself is still nice though.

 

Lamphun also ok. Even CM was quaint back in the day. Songkhla old town alright to look at but quickly gets gridlocked with Chinese/Malay visitors taking pictures of random things like brick walls and manhole covers. Hua Hin still pleasant to stroll around when few tourists. Use to enjoy Sukothai but haven't been for years; Mae Hong Son too.

Lamphun looks like a time capsule of CM before the tourists came en masse !

[n00dle]

5 hours ago, asf6 said:

Lopburi is charming? ???? and it's hiding in the jungle? ???? 

 

What a lot of .....

well, the list does also include Chaweng, that hidden gem rife with traditonal thai town appeal.

[Expat68]

Chiang Khan, Nong Kai

[dingdongrb]

1 hour ago, freedomnow said:

Blame it on the LIKE icon on facebook/IG/TIKTOK...LIKE...LIKE...LIKE.

 

It's like the movie PONTYPOOL..

The 'like' saying came well before Facebook. I see it as highlighting with the Valley Girl era back in the 80s. 

 

One of my favorite places is Nan. 

[moose7117]

9 hours ago, MarcelV said:

Phrae, Phayao, Bueng Kan, Nakhon Phanom, Chanthaburi, Samut Songkhram, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Ranong, Phatthalung, Narathiwat, Betong, to name a few all over the country.

Prachuap Khiri Khan is rubbish, all you fat dodgy buggers stay away from there please.

[KhunLA]

11 minutes ago, moose7117 said:

Prachuap Khiri Khan is rubbish, all you fat dodgy buggers stay away from there please.

+1 ????

[bignok]

14 minutes ago, moose7117 said:

Prachuap Khiri Khan is rubbish, all you fat dodgy buggers stay away from there please.

Getting more popular these days. Guy there rents motorbikes has Elvis vinyl

[persimmon]

5 hours ago, ChrisKC said:

Not sure what is meant by "charming" The scenery is spectacular in many parts of Thailand but I would like to introduce the aspect of the architecture and quaint little towns; interesting walks around them, with privately owned businesses, shops that are a little different from the main stuff, lovely restaurants. And of course a small matter of the locals being friendly.

 

My brother-in-law is visiting Thailand for the first time in November and he asked me, what is the Thai architecture like? Although, I have been to many places all over Thailand, I have found that architecture amounts to temples and little else. To check this opinion I visited Google and architectural images of Thailand to discover- it is mostly about Temples.

 

I am sure there are pockets of interesting architecture and "charm" in Thailand; I have a found a few, particularly in Songkhla, especially the "old town"

 

The shophouse - Thailand`s contribution to global architecture . It`s the same everywhere , developers build endless boring shophouses wherever there is a space and access to a road . 

[pomchop]

Chiang Rai, Krabi.

[Mac Mickmanus]

1 hour ago, pomchop said:

Chiang Rai, Krabi.

What is charming about Chiang Rai ?

[bignok]

2 minutes ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

What is charming about Chiang Rai ?

The smoke.

[pomchop]

2 hours ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

What is charming about Chiang Rai ?

Go live there and you may find out...or not.

[Mac Mickmanus]

8 minutes ago, pomchop said:

Go live there and you may find out...or not.

I have lived there for a while 

[pomchop]

5 minutes ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

I have lived there for a while 

i found many charming things there...the downtown clock tower, the night market, the river front park...but especially the slow pace and the charming simplicity of many of the residents, It was a wonderful experience for me for several years except the smoke months which are no fun anywhere.

[fuehrio]

21 hours ago, MarcelV said:

Phrae, Phayao, Bueng Kan, Nakhon Phanom, Chanthaburi, Samut Songkhram, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Ranong, Phatthalung, Narathiwat, Betong, to name a few all over the country.

Lampang with its ponies and teak wood houses

[MarcelV]

5 hours ago, fuehrio said:

Lampang with its ponies and teak wood houses

I've never been there yet, but certainly looking to visit in the non-burning season.

[LaosLover]

A problem with quaintness is that it is so replicable.

 

This thread made me look at some Songkhla video's. 'Had me gagging for a roti, but it looks like a clone of Penang or Old Town Phuket.

 

Does anyone need to visit all 3? Is there a subset of tourists who can't get enough of too-tame street art and 3D-type murals? People who plan their vacation around visiting esoteric coffee bars with 50's decor?

 

Has anyone here travelled more than 4 hours for generic-style quaintness? I don't see myself getting on a plane to Songkhla when I'd pass half a dozen such places in between.

[bignok]

47 minutes ago, LaosLover said:

A problem with quaintness is that it is so replicable.

 

This thread made me look at some Songkhla video's. 'Had me gagging for a roti, but it looks like a clone of Penang or Old Town Phuket.

 

Does anyone need to visit all 3? Is there a subset of tourists who can't get enough of too-tame street art and 3D-type murals? People who plan their vacation around visiting esoteric coffee bars with 50's decor?

 

Has anyone here travelled more than 4 hours for generic-style quaintness? I don't see myself getting on a plane to Songkhla when I'd pass half a dozen such places in between.

Ko Yo is good in Songkhla. Add on Phattalung you got a nice trip.

[LaosLover]

They have nice noodles in an old teak house mere steps from where I live.

 

Nimman is Instagram-central with innocuous but perky murals and funny Mao statues tossed up for the Chinese onslought. Nope, just not feeling the identikit hipster places (and I have at least a foot in hipsterism myself).

 

'Can't think of any reason to leave my own. We have 2 Roaster8 mediocre, but very scientific coffee branches within 5 minutes of each other. I feel bad for the YouTubers who have to wildly over-react to a bog standard latte to fill up their 18 minutes.

 

Def recco Phrae for an untouched wander through old teak. But bring a book and expect to turn in early.

 

How many days did you kill in Phattalung?

Edited May 18, 2023 by LaosLover

[bignok]

9 hours ago, LaosLover said:

They have nice noodles in an old teak house mere steps from where I live.

 

Nimman is Instagram-central with innocuous but perky murals and funny Mao statues tossed up for the Chinese onslought. Nope, just not feeling the identikit hipster places (and I have at least a foot in hipsterism myself).

 

'Can't think of any reason to leave my own. We have 2 Roaster8 mediocre, but very scientific coffee branches within 5 minutes of each other. I feel bad for the YouTubers who have to wildly over-react to a bog standard latte to fill up their 18 minutes.

 

Def recco Phrae for an untouched wander through old teak. But bring a book and expect to turn in early.

 

How many days did you kill in Phattalung?

Phattalung worth 4 days. Nakhon Si Thammarat is worth 4 days plus you could add a few for beaches and Baan Khiriwong. Hat Yai 2 days, Songkhla 3 days. Chumphon 3 days, Ban Krut 3 days, Prachuap 4 days. Make a nice trip.

[KhunLA]

9 hours ago, LaosLover said:

They have nice noodles in an old teak house mere steps from where I live.

 

Nimman is Instagram-central with innocuous but perky murals and funny Mao statues tossed up for the Chinese onslought. Nope, just not feeling the identikit hipster places (and I have at least a foot in hipsterism myself).

 

'Can't think of any reason to leave my own. We have 2 Roaster8 mediocre, but very scientific coffee branches within 5 minutes of each other. I feel bad for the YouTubers who have to wildly over-react to a bog standard latte to fill up their 18 minutes.

 

Def recco Phrae for an untouched wander through old teak. But bring a book and expect to turn in early.

 

How many days did you kill in Phattalung?

Don't know about quaintness, but I get bored, doing, eating, seeing the same thing over & over, and simply need, want a change.

 

At one time you must have thought the same, or you would have simply stayed in your hometown, or someplace in the past that was acceptable.

 

I simply have to explore, to fill a curiously or a break in boredom.  A small sampling of past decade, since having 'location' on phone and Gtracking.

 

A lot missing, Issan and East of Patts to Cambodia border.  No tracking first 10+ yrs here.  Lot's of repeat visits, every year, except to places not shown.  Guess I wasn't too impressed first time and once or twice was enough, in the first decade here.

 

Coffee shops or restaurants with a view seem to be a top attraction for me of late.  Most TH 'attractions' don't do much for me any more.   Same same, not very different. 

 

Google a list of attractions at most locations, and you get a few mediocre Nat'l Parks, and yet another Wat.

 

Photography hobby, quest for a snap of another species of bird takes me a little further and slower through some area.  That's help fill in some time the past 5 years.   Don't fly the drones as much lately.

 

Many times the journey is more satisfying than the destination.

Edited May 19, 2023 by KhunLA

[LaosLover]

1 hour ago, KhunLA said:

 

 

Google a list of attractions at most locations, and you get a few mediocre Nat'l Parks, and yet another Wat.

 

It's down to how long you're here, how young you are, and how bad your case of Thai-itis is. When I look at that map, I see that you have done Thailand to death.

 

Nine months in living here, and after 20+ visits, my map looks the same; what's left is mainly in the south. At 70, I want at least 3 days in the same place. A week or 10 days (2 weeks max) and I'm usually ready to go back home.

 

A small Thailand Towns-itinerary means a string of 2 day stops in some very samey muangs. Day one, you get there, pop into a few amulet shops, and eat somewhere Youtube-ish. Day 2, you go out to see a few crumbly Khmer pillars in a field for 100 baht and go to the night market. Rinse, repeat. So, call me Songkhla, yes; Chumpheon, no.

 

Ko Lipe is my last southern hold out. Mildly daunting transit connections make it and Songkla two separate trips. 10 years ago, I'd have tossed in Hat Yi and that lake with houseboats too.

 

As per my name, I ran out of Laos to love too. Since it's a country with only 2 real towns, it happened fast. 

[KhunLA]

9 minutes ago, LaosLover said:

It's down to how long you're here, how young you are, and how bad your case of Thai-itis is. When I look at that map, I see that you have done Thailand to death.

 

Nine months in living here, and after 20+ visits, my map looks the same; what's left is mainly in the south. At 70, I want at least 3 days in the same place. A week or 10 days (2 weeks max) and I'm usually ready to go back home.

 

A small Thailand Towns-itinerary means a string of 2 day stops in some very samey muangs. Day one, you get there, pop into a few amulet shops, and eat somewhere Youtube-ish. Day 2, you go out to see a few crumbly Khmer pillars in a field for 100 baht and go to the night market. Rinse, repeat. So, call me Songkhla, yes; Chumpheon, no.

 

Ko Lipe is my last southern hold out. Mildly daunting transit connections make it and Songkla two separate trips. 10 years ago, I'd have tossed in Hat Yi and that lake with houseboats too.

 

As per my name, I ran out of Laos to love too. Since it's a country with only 2 real towns, it happened fast. 

Mine is strictly R&R now.  Just chillin' in a different location, different hill/valley, water view.  Bungalow, balcony, veranda, waiting for a different species of something to fly or crawl buy.   Coffee or smoothie / sweet tooth fix w/view.   Was actually going to start a thread, with 'pitstop' w/a view, if in the area thingy.

 

  But canned the idea, as sure to get too many trolls, telling me they don't care what or where I eat, as they'd rather enjoy there barstool view/people watching.

 

[bignok]

3 hours ago, KhunLA said:

Don't know about quaintness, but I get bored, doing, eating, seeing the same thing over & over, and simply need, want a change.

 

At one time you must have thought the same, or you would have simply stayed in your hometown, or someplace in the past that was acceptable.

 

I simply have to explore, to fill a curiously or a break in boredom.  A small sampling of past decade, since having 'location' on phone and Gtracking.

 

A lot missing, Issan and East of Patts to Cambodia border.  No tracking first 10+ yrs here.  Lot's of repeat visits, every year, except to places not shown.  Guess I wasn't too impressed first time and once or twice was enough, in the first decade here.

 

Coffee shops or restaurants with a view seem to be a top attraction for me of late.  Most TH 'attractions' don't do much for me any more.   Same same, not very different. 

 

Google a list of attractions at most locations, and you get a few mediocre Nat'l Parks, and yet another Wat.

 

Photography hobby, quest for a snap of another species of bird takes me a little further and slower through some area.  That's help fill in some time the past 5 years.   Don't fly the drones as much lately.

 

Many times the journey is more satisfying than the destination.

No love for Ubon?