Street Food
What I Actually Eat in Bangkok, and the Twelve Things I Do Not
After eleven years of eating in this city I have a short list and a long list, and the two lists have almost nothing in common with the ones in the guidebooks.
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Practicalities
The Motorbike Deposit Scam, and the Two Words That End It
I have watched a man lose 8,000 baht in eleven minutes over a photocopy, and I have seen the same argument end in thirty seconds because he said 'photo first'.
Slow Travel
Chiang Mai in October: The Two Weeks Everyone Waits For
The smoke clears in the first week of October and the city changes character completely. The two weeks either side of that are the worst of the year.
Visas & Immigration
Visa on Arrival or eVisa: Which One You Should Actually Pick
Both get you through the same door. One of them takes forty minutes in a queue with a heat gun pointed at your passport, and the other takes nine minutes on a sofa with a phone.
Money & Costs
The 220 Baht Your Bank Does Not Tell You About
Every fee at a Thai ATM is in baht, printed nowhere, and charged per withdrawal rather than per transaction, which is why a 500 baht withdrawal costs you more than a 5,000 baht one.
Islands & Beaches
Railay, Where the Climbs Are Worth It and the Weather Is Not
Four hundred routes on limestone two hours from a beach town, which is why half the world's top climbers spend a season there, which is also why you should not turn up in May.
Temples & Culture
The Temple Rule Nobody Writes Down, and the Fine That Enforces It
The sign at the gate says shoulders and knees covered. It does not say that the enforcement is done by an uncle with a roll of tape who will absolutely wrap your knee without asking you first.
Temples & Culture
Songkran in Chiang Mai, From Someone Who Has Lived Through Four
For three days the entire city turns into a water fight with 40,000 people who have all independently decided to soak strangers, and the only correct strategy is to stop trying to keep your phone dry.
Visas & Immigration
What Happens If Your Arrival Card Does Not Match Your Passport
A typo in the TDAC is not a fine. But a wrong passport number at immigration is a fifteen-minute conversation with someone who can end your trip.
Islands & Beaches
Koh Lanta, Koh Phangan, or Koh Tao: Picking the Right One in 60 Seconds
These three islands get grouped together in every list and they are not remotely interchangeable. One is for staying put, one is for the full moon, and one is for diving.
Islands & Beaches
How to Book a Longtail Boat Without Paying Twice
A charter for four people to the islands should cost between 1,200 and 2,500 baht for the day. If you are being quoted per person, or told the fuel is extra, you are being quoted the tourist price.
Slow Travel
The Chao Phraya Boat Is the Best Transport in Bangkok and Nobody Uses It
Eleven baht, fifteen minutes, and a view of the city most people pay four hundred baht to see from a rooftop bar. The reason the river is empty of foreigners is that nobody explains it.