some answers

Gibby was asking about costs here and a few others that might be coming were asking about the toilet situation, so I thought I'd just put it on the blog so anyone interested could see.



As far as money goes, it's incredibly cheap if you're just travelling around, it gets a bit more expensive, still very cheap though if you do lots of activities. Bangkok is the most expensive as are the southern resort islands. The high season nov-feb has the highest prices after that things can drop 30% they say.

I'll put things in baht as the dollar exhange rate is bound to fluxuate wildly. My book published in 2007 lists the 1 dollar equals 45 baht. Currently it is 1 dollar equals 33 baht.



A cheap guesthouse with shared bathroom and cold shower is about 50-200 baht. the upper end sometimes has private bathroom and hot shower (read, not cold). If you're with another person you can get even nicer places for 200-300 baht, which of course would be divided by two. If you spend just a bit more 600-1000baht for a two person room, you can get quite the luxury

Taxi rides in bangkok are all about 50 baht or less, 400 to the airport and 100 to far out places Tuk tuks range from 20-100 baht.

Tuk tuks to most places in the towns I've been to (train and bus stations seem to be pretty far out) are 50-100 baht. But in town I try to walk if I can.

Meals the way I do them are about 25-40 baht for lunch and dinners. These are eating at the market stalls, street food, or thai restaurants. Very tasty, but some people are scared of them for some reason. Much more of a thai experience if you ask me! If you eat at the tourist places or bars, you'll probably pay about 70-100 baht for thai food and 100-200 for american, european food (pastas, steaks, burgers). For breakfast I buy a few bananas (10 baht) or some other fruit. I also regularly spend about 50 baht a day on snacks...there are so many crazy things to try on the streets and in the markets, and they're so cheap.



I get 1 to 2 1.5L bottled waters a day. at 7-11 if you get the cheapest brand it's 12 baht. They also have "western" ones for 15 baht. If you buy water in more touristy areas it can be from 15 to 25 baht. I have found 7-11's to be the cheapest.

beers range from a can of chang or leo or singha at 25 baht to bottles at 35 baht to large bottles at 50baht, even at bars. I would guess that they are cheaper at stores. Fruit smoothies and shakes are about 30 baht.

long haul busses going 2nd class from bangkok to chaing mai for example are about 180 baht, 300 for first class with air con. the overnight sleepr train with beds and fans is 350 baht, with ac is 550 baht., with no bed is 200 baht I think. Most transport seems to be in the 100-300 baht range via bus as long as you go by public bus.

15-40 baht an hour for internet

So that's the basic cost if you're just living and traveling around. Very easy to keep it at 400-500 baht for the day and be very comfortable. But it gets dramatically more when you start doing the fun things: rafting, trekking, hiring boats for snorkelling, etc.

National park fees are 400 baht for westerns (50 for thais)

elephant trekking is about 500-1000 baht depending on the place

my 3 day trekking including rafting, elephant riding, and 3 nights of accomadation at a nice place with a pool and private bathrooms and all meals during the trek and np fees was 2700 baht. Don't know what it would be like if you booked up front in chang mai. A scooter is about 100-150 baht for the day, a bike is 30-50 baht. I hear scuba averages about 25-50 US$ for 2 dives. Most temples are free, the really amazing ones are 50-200 baht entrance fees. Then there are lots of little costs you don't think of i.e. 30 US here or there for visas.

laundry is 30-40baht per kilo, though I've been doing mine in the shower. western toiletries (your favorite contact solution, deoderant, shampoo are quite expensive comparatively here). You can buy clothes here incredibly cheap t-shirts 100baht starting before the bartering part. The key is to always buy things in thai rather than tourist areas!! Just wander a couple streets down and you'll find the local markets and shops...don't be the lazy tourist!! And also barter like heck on most things. For example my tuk tuk ride today started at 200 baht and I got him down to 40. always decide on the price BEFORE you go or hand any money to anyone.



The toilets are a fun situation here. THey have the typical asian squat toilets. Much better than the longdrops experienced in east africa, but nowhere near the heated accessorized japanese toilets. Unless you're in a touristy area or nice guesthouse you have the squat toilet. Just a hole in the ground that you squat over. There's no TP (unless you bring your own), but there is a bucket of water beside the toilet and a cup. You use the cup to clean the behind first and then also use it to flush the toilet via scooping water into the toilet. A couple of the more remote, off the beaten track places I've been to just send you out back behind the main street. There is a big pit dug and then a wooden plank over the pit. You walk onto the plank and squat from there....I suggest that you definitely have your squating down to a T before that b/c a fall into the pit would be quite disastrous. If you do have TP never put it into the toilet. Just
put it into the provided waste bucket.