johncocker Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 I only got food sick once from food once, iin Cambodia. Once, Out of what must have bewewn at least 1000 street meals. hygiene standards kitchens in airconditioned restaruants that charge ten times as much can be just as bad as in street stalls JUst assuming they're better because they cost more is spectacularly dumb.. Of course not everybody wants to eat sitting down oin the street in a hot, dusty, noisy, busy city, but that's another matyer entirely. south east Asia is not like India. Not all that many people report getting laid low with food poisoning. Biggest risk apart from road traffic accident is dengue fever., have you been out on the turps.read the post they're not going to cambodia.if you've been eating off the streets for over a 1000 meals = 2 years = in cambodia which I doubt very much and only got sick once you'd be in the guinness book of records.assuming hygiene standards are better just because you pay more i agree is dumb so why be spectaculary dumb and say it.as well as dengue fever which my crane driver caught in of all palces phnom penh you've got hepititus a and e which is transmitted by injesting contaminated food ,intestinal worms, from food also, common in cambodia is schistosomiasis or bilharzia which you get from the freshwater snails which as you would know is a local favorate sold on street stalls all over cambodia how do I know this I had two australia contracters come down withthis 2 years ago working with me in" svay rieng province "E cambodia.you might think you know your way round SE asia chaseing the little girls round the sihanoukville and phnom penh bars and being the big farang gone native eating banana pancakes on street stalls but keep your " spectaculary dumb" gung ho advise to yourself instead of misleading young people that have never been to asia before Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
callippo Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 sounds like you're struggling to shake off the dengue yourself judging by the state of your grammar. people simply don't report coming down with food poisoning anywhere near as often in south east Asia as they do in India, where even people on budgets deem it prudent to eat at more upmarket places than they would in Thailand. Cambodia cuisine in general and food hygiene standards yes, are normally inferior to Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore for sure, ditto Philippines where some of the food lying around in the caranderias can look bloody awful - in which case go somewhere else that looks better. There's always loads of places to choose from. just last week we were having dinner in a seafood resto in Ormoc, Leyte, when this massive cockroach crept on to the table and started having a go at a plate of rice. We just laughed and put it to one side. We didn't bother to call a waitress over or anything, or ask them to get us a new 7p plate of rice. You're never going to avoid stuff like that happening in the tropics completely, insects and reptiles get everywhere even in restos in the s****iest malls in the country, So short of never eating anything and starving to death, you have little choice except to look around at those places where standards seem higher than others. Simply them being busy, or having a healthy queue of customers is usually the best indicator. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fridayfeelin Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 I've come back from Thailand recently and the money you have will last you no problems as long as you are 'wary' about how you spend it! However, all this 'you can get a £5 a night beach hut' isn't quite right, yes you can if you don't mind a bug infested, mozzie biting, dirty hell hole otherwise you'll be paying around £20-£30 a night for a beach hut and standard one at that as Thai people arn't as clean and tidy as we are. Also it isn't as cheap in Southern Thailand, namely places like Ko Samui where an awful lots of scams go on, a huge scam a friend we made was hit by was they booked a coach and boat journey from Krabi to Ko Samui for about £10, however the bus stopped in Surat Thani for around 3hrs (before the boat to Ko Samui) and the driver made them get off and go and see the tourist office, they got ripped off by a seemingly really helpful tourist guide who promised them a room for the night on Ko Samui and a bus from the port to the hotel: they paid for the bus which didn't show at the other side and they found it was just a scam and so did everyone else who was waiting there. They went to the hotel they would've paid for had they not smelled a rat and found the helpful tourist office was wanting to charge then 3x times more than the rate they did pay for at the hotel. So at least they only lost out on paying for a bus that never showed. I enjoyed aspects of Thailand, however be on your guard as I got told 'Oh the Thai's are lovely', yes they are when they know or think you will buy from them!! We spoke to lots of travellers who had been ripped off by local Thai people. If the person is too friendly then be wary as you'll find you'll have been had. Any trips you make, buy them from a bus station yourself, don't go to a tourist office. We went to the bus station and paid £6 for a bus from Bangkok to Ban Pai then the boat to Ko Samet all in price: the tourist office wanted £25 for that!! I found places like Krabi province and Ko Samui and Ko Tao to be a rip off really, we travelled down there then flew back to BKK and went to Ko Samet on the east coast which was a lot cheaper and nicer! it just depends what you want from Thailand, I found it to be fairly dirty with rubbish strew all over the islands and the sea trash would come up at around 5pm: never have I seen a woman swim out of the sea with a black bin liner in her hand, but I did in Thailand. Such a shame too as parts of the country are beautiful! None of us got food poisoning and we ate from street stalls to posh places, we took a few small bottles of that hand gel though and I think that saved us! again if it doesn't look fresh or looks like it's baking in 36degree heat then don't choose it! The food in Bangkok isn't as great as I imagined but near the coast you will get gorgeous red curries with huge prawns. Some dishes cost around 30p in bangkok some are £5 near the coasts. I am in my 30's and I think if I had done Thailand when I was 18 I would've seen it totally differently. If you want any more info then please ask. Perhaps get on some websites like travelfish and others and talk to people who are there and have been. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willm Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 If your going to Laos, go up north in Thailand and take the slow river boat down the mekong into Laos. Luang Prabang is fantastic. I went to Laos 7 years ago for a month and can honestly say it was the highlight of my backupacking around S E Asia. Watch out for the rat served as chicken! If you get the chance go to Cambodia, I went last year and it was incredible. Take dollars into Laos rather than pounds. You'll have reams of notes since the value of their currency is so low. Take a mosquito net as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sky0000547 Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 I have been to Bangkok and Phuket on separate occasions. As others have mentioned just be wary when you are in Bangkok. Don't start following a stranger when he/she offers you a bargain, you might just get your pockets emptied. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeaFan Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 Where are you crossing into Laos? We spent some time in north east Thailand (Esarn) near the Cambodian and Laotian borders and it was lovely. It doesn't matter that the locals speak barely a word of English, you just point on a map where you want to go and they make sure you get there. Really lovely people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Classic Rock Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 I've travelled right round Thailand in two weeks. I must admit I loved Bangkok, although it's a heavily polluted city. The further up north you go, the less touristy it becomes. Chang Mai I agree is a wonderful place to explore, there are some great markets. Don't miss the floating market just north of Bangkok. It's an experience! I went across the border in the Golden Triangle area to Laos, but it was just over the border. There wasn't a lot going on there. If you get the chance to meet up with some of the tribes who live in the hills then do so. Great photo opportunities! I ended up in Pattaya at the end of the trip for a couple of days by the beach. I don't recommend this place. It's full of American GIs on shore leave and Thai ladies who will happily attach themselves for a price to you. There's lots of lady boys there too. So if that's what you want then head there, but I found it to be very seedy. Make sure you get a pair of fisherman's trousers when you're there - very comfortable! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
callippo Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 However, all this 'you can get a £5 a night beach hut' isn't quite right, yes you can if you don't mind a bug infested, mozzie biting, dirty hell hole otherwise you'll be paying around £20-£30 a night for a beach hut and standard one at that as Thai people arn't as clean and tidy as we are. 5 pound beach huts needn't be bug infested at all or dirty. Some probably are, but plenty are not. IOt's getting more and more difficult to get hold of 5 pound beach huts for sure, but Paradise Resort on ko Wai has been charging that price since 2003 for perfectly OK huts with mozzie nets, if you need them which you probably won't as the resort is on the leeward side of the island. as for your observation that Thais aren't as clean and tidy as we are, I've never heard anything as laughable in all my life. The streets may be dirty, but south east Asians in ge neral endeavour to keep their bodies and clothes clean much more than westerners do. They can bathe five times a day easily, even when they are so poor their homes don't have running water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fridayfeelin Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 as for your observation that Thais aren't as clean and tidy as we are, I've never heard anything as laughable in all my life. The streets may be dirty, but south east Asians in ge neral endeavour to keep their bodies and clothes clean much more than westerners do. They can bathe five times a day easily, even when they are so poor their homes don't have running water. I never mentioned their bodies but I accept that your standard of cleanliness is obviously not as high as mine is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johncocker Posted January 29, 2011 Share Posted January 29, 2011 they'll proberly end up reading lonely planet guide to thailand and veitnam and say what a load of <REMOVED> we are on sf:hihi:...everybody seems to have it when you're in asia and I suppose its quite a good guide ,but its a bit like being on one big package tour when everybody's getting the same imfo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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