NO WORRIES |
| Everton kit |
We are much more
relaxed preparing for this trip to Thailand than we were for last year’s trek
through Vietnam and Cambodia. Perhaps it is because we’ve had several friends
visit Thailand and have returned unscathed and spoke glowingly about the
beaches and the sites and we were offered plenty of tips about the country?
With Vietnam and Cambodia,
we didn’t have a clue of what to expect and we were worried about the language
and culture barriers of the countries and thought it was best to travel with Overseas
Adventure Travel (OAT). They are a small touring company who limits participants
to 16 and their pace is not a constant slog from one place to another. The trip
to Vietnam and Cambodia was a very positive experience and we decided to book
our Thailand trip with OAT.
The difference this trip
though is we booked our own air travel, rather than through the company and
when the tour is over, we ain’t leaving Thailand. Instead, we will fly down to
Phuket for a week. We would never have considered doing something like this on
the last trip.
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| Thai Baht |
Armed with tales and advice from friends who have traveled to Thailand,
we are much less fearful this time. The enormity of the destination has
dissipated, and we are almost approaching this like a casual trip to the
Caribbean rather than to the other side of the globe.
YOUR PAPERS
Visas were required and
meticulously scrutinized by the customs agents in Vietnam and Cambodia, but
there is no such requirement for Thailand. There were approximately 35 million
visitors to Thailand last year and that number is expected to grow in 2025.
JUST IN CASE.jpg) |
you don't need it
until you need it |
Before our trip to
Vietnam, we got DTaP vaccines for protection from Diphtheria, Tetanus and
Pertussis (whooping cough) and a shot for Hepatitis A and a prescription for Z-Pak
for anti-diarrhea and we also packed at OTC for DiaResQ for even more
protection. For this trip we got the second part of our Hepatitis vaccine, but
that would have happened without the trip. We’re also packing more DiaResQ, just in case.
As in Vietnam and Cambodia
the tap water in Thailand is NOT for drinking, and NOT even for brushing your
teeth.
7-ELEVEN TO THE RESCUE
According to one friend
you can buy ANYTHING at a 7-ELEVEN convenience store including bottles of water
for about 10 cents. There are nearly 14,000 7-Elevens located in Thailand and
if you’re unsure about the bottled water they sell beer and alcohol too. An
individual can of Singha or Chang beer sells for about 40 THB at 7-Elevens. They are the two most popular beers in Thailand.
From 2004 to 2017 Chang
beer was the sponsor for the Everton Premier League team out of Liverpool. No
wonder the English like traveling to Thailand.
IT’S WORTH YOUR BAHT
In case you’re
wondering 40 THB or Baht is about $1.20 USD. Another bit of advice our friends
offered was to bring cash to exchange rather than withdraw from an ATM in Thailand.
There are exorbitant fees through an ATM, but you’ll get a better exchange rate
with crisp $100 notes.
Flights home will leave
Bangkok at an ungodly hour and rather than pay for two days the hotel will simply
charge you per hour over the allotted time.
SOME LIKE IT HOT
One last cautionary
note from a friend who has traveled to Thailand is about the food. Order it
MILD…it will be hot enough…
This is going to be a nice
trip. Just don't tell Raisin.
Come back and read more!
Love Janet and greg
© 2025 by Gregory
Dunaj
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