Delhi Vs Bangkok

iasis · Feb 20th, 2003, 19:16

Hiya.
Well this question has not to do only with India! I am planning to visit this summer Thailand and actually I would stay for more than 20 days in Bangkok!I would like to know from people that have been in N.Delhi and Bangkok what are the differences and similarities between these two Capital cities!
I really liked almost everything in Delhi....well except the horns that were blowing all the time....first it was funny, after few days it was quite annoying

! Although I believe that from PaharGanj to Connaught Place, Delhi has its own character and colour....and smell of course

! I just have a feeling that Bangkok is much more close to the Western Standards!
Anyway..I would like to listen your opinion about these two cities and If someone has to recomend an area close to the PaharGanj standards in Bangkok is very welcome!
Thank U in advance

Warm Regards
iasis

Feb 21st, 2003, 03:28

Bangkok is mostly heat and hookers - spend a few days see the sights then take a night train to chang mai or down south

steven_ber · Feb 21st, 2003, 15:48

i have never been to delhi so cannot compare it with bangkok, however, i had about 4 seperate weeks in bangkok and whilst i feel thailand is nothing special i fell in love with bangkok.

it took a while to get used to it, but once i knew my way around a bit i realy started to enjoy the city.

to add to the benifits mentioned by kate

, bangkok is clean, has fantastic food, is friendly, fantastic for shopping, has some amazing sights, and a nightlife to die for.

have a look at ko-san road, but do not stay there, it is poorly connected. if you are going to be there for 20 days you want to stay somewhere where you are close to the skytrain, the shopping areas, the nightlife and have easy access to the parts of bangkok the tourists dont go to.

if you stay close to Chitlom (near the start of sukhumvit) you would be close to the nightlife at either sukhumvit or siam square, close to the tourist shopping of siam square and the thai markets of pratunham, you would be next to the skytrain for fast access around town, and much better, close to the cannal boats that zoooom around bangkok at rediculasly low prices, these cannal boats give you great (fast) access to parts of bangkok that never see tourists, so everything is dirt cheap.

any more info required, just let me know.

picklepak · Feb 22nd, 2003, 11:38

I hated Bangkok and believe it to be one of my least favorite cities on the whole planet. Next time I'll limit my stay to one night and head south or north right away. Not sure why but I met all sorts of miserable and unfriendly people over the course of several weeks (I was waiting for a gf at the time), these were local as well as foreigners. It was depressing. But I'm not big on nightlife, buddying up with all the hoopla and slobbering over all the (admittedly, many attractive) women wearing skin-tight clothing on Ko San Road, so maybe that's one of the keys to the problem. I'm just not a bar guy.

iasis · Feb 25th, 2003, 18:30

Appreciate your replies...
The thing is that I want to take the thai massage courses in Wat Po...both of them last about 20-23 days...thats why I have to stay in Bangkok! I know that I can find similar courses in other parts of Thailand, Chiang Mai etc, but from reccomendations I will go for the Wat Po courses! If I'm not wrong I think that Wat Po is close to the Khao San road...is that right Steven (If its like that I will prefer to stay somewhere close to that place,since I will have to wake up early in the morning :-( ...)?
So after that I think I will head to North Thailand...any reccomendations...towns...vill ages...treks?
Warm Regards
iasis

steven_ber · Feb 26th, 2003, 16:55

Wat po is about 1 Km from KSRd. with a hellish road to cross.

stick to the road going down the side of Sanam Luang to get from KSRd to wat po, there is also a canal route you can take, but is is full of cheap hookers and drug dealers (although there is a crackdown on drug pushers in thailand at the moment, 600 shot dead in 2 weeks, a thai style crackdown, or should that be crackhead down)

you are a lucky person, very close to wat po (going north along thanon maharat) there is an area with hundreds of food places near or overlooking the river, it is mostly used by the university students and the prices are realy cheap, it is probibly the best overall place i found for food in thailand, for a different route back to KSRd walk straight through the Uni, nobody stops you, and then under the bridge, then take the next right.

as for the north, most people seem to like chiang mai, (i didn't), i stayed in a village close to nakhon sawan with some thai friends, if you can somehow do this kind of thing it is fascinating.

i am the wrong person to ask for tourist advice on thailand, i think the 'highlights' of thailand are the things we take for granted in india, i could give many examples, but that would indicate that i do not like thailand, when i do.

one bit of advice, forget india, force yourself, i never realy enjoyed thailand until i stoped comparing it with india.

i have a few friends who have only been to thailand and think it is paridise.

a good site for learning a little thai is

learn to speak thai

do you know about thais 'losing face', you MUST learn about this.

also, i hope you like karaoke, the thais love it.

i hope i dont sound too negative, it is a great place, you will love it there, but it's not india.

for advice on thailand click on the following link

lonely planet, thorn tree

Annie_T · Feb 27th, 2003, 03:15

Steven I know what you mean about not liking Thailand until you stopped comparing it with India.

About 2 and a half years ago I decided that I really ought to see more of Asia than India. So after 4 months on the road I headed for SE Asia. I lasted about four hours in Singapore after an overnight flight from Mumbai...the culture shock was awful and I remeber that day as one of my most miserable on the road ever. Having got into Malaysia I spent the next week hiding on a beach.

Anyway, I do like Bangkok...a lot actually. The rest of Thailand left me a bit unmoved. I found that a lot of the obviously recent development had left Thai towns pretty ugly and souless. The people I liked and found them to be more interesting if you got off the tourist trail a bit. I always travelled on public buses etc. But somwhow I never fell in love with Thailand the way I expected I would(on the basis of other traveller's stories).

Laos however was a different story. I loved it, although I did wonder at the time, and still do, whether I just need a high discomfort factor when travelling!

paan wallah · Feb 27th, 2003, 04:24

well annie I feel a bit the same,I do also love bangkok a lot,especially the food,it s amazing and really good!
I don t like the traffic and the pollution in bkk its really horrible.
Thailand is very good for people travelling the the first time to asia.Everything is so easy so organized.Too easy

I doesn t feel like travelling.It s more like going on a holyday.
But still in Thailand you can find very remote beaches without
electricity,running water is from a river,very unspoiled places.
You just have to know where to find them.
Mostly when I start travelling I start in Thailand.4 weeks or so just holyday,relaxing,taking it the easy way.But then it get s a bit boring.like I said everything is too easy.
I also liked Laos very very much:A great country to explore,travelling there is much more of a challenge.
The food is horrible but the people are great.I love their relaxed attitude.The nature in Laos is just fantastic.
I did a lot of jungle walking there.meeting tribes people armed with kalashnikowas

See you next time in Laos

iasis · Feb 27th, 2003, 18:57

Thanks for the Info Steven...really appreciated!
Well...I dont want to compare Thailand with India....Is just all these pictures,memories, from my last trip that keep coming to my mind...and how u can leave it out of your mind???Oh..I dont want to...I love India...and I am sure that I m going to like Thailand,maybe not that much but yeah...why not!Thanks for the "Learn to speak Thai" probably I am gonna need it if everything goes to plan!As about the LP....well...I have done many searches for many different matters..its just that most of the timew they are recycling the same things...well its getting a bit annoying...it doesnt has the attitude of Indiamike.com.....hehehe! Moreover,as I told U I dont know how much time I'm gonna have after Bangkok, my trip has more "educational" character this time, but yeah..I am thinking to go North!Probably I will start with Chiang Mai and then I will try to find a nice peacefull village to relax for a while!
Anyway....
thanks a lot for your replies
Warm Regards
iasis

Feb 20th, 2003, 19:16	#1
iasis Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: neverland Posts: 77	Delhi Vs Bangkok Hiya. Well this question has not to do only with India! I am planning to visit this summer Thailand and actually I would stay for more than 20 days in Bangkok!I would like to know from people that have been in N.Delhi and Bangkok what are the differences and similarities between these two Capital cities! I really liked almost everything in Delhi....well except the horns that were blowing all the time....first it was funny, after few days it was quite annoying! Although I believe that from PaharGanj to Connaught Place, Delhi has its own character and colour....and smell of course ! I just have a feeling that Bangkok is much more close to the Western Standards! Anyway..I would like to listen your opinion about these two cities and If someone has to recomend an area close to the PaharGanj standards in Bangkok is very welcome! Thank U in advance Warm Regards iasis

Feb 21st, 2003, 15:48	#3
steven_ber Member Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: South of England. Posts: 11,569	wonderfull bangkok i have never been to delhi so cannot compare it with bangkok, however, i had about 4 seperate weeks in bangkok and whilst i feel thailand is nothing special i fell in love with bangkok. it took a while to get used to it, but once i knew my way around a bit i realy started to enjoy the city. to add to the benifits mentioned by kate , bangkok is clean, has fantastic food, is friendly, fantastic for shopping, has some amazing sights, and a nightlife to die for. have a look at ko-san road, but do not stay there, it is poorly connected. if you are going to be there for 20 days you want to stay somewhere where you are close to the skytrain, the shopping areas, the nightlife and have easy access to the parts of bangkok the tourists dont go to. if you stay close to Chitlom (near the start of sukhumvit) you would be close to the nightlife at either sukhumvit or siam square, close to the tourist shopping of siam square and the thai markets of pratunham, you would be next to the skytrain for fast access around town, and much better, close to the cannal boats that zoooom around bangkok at rediculasly low prices, these cannal boats give you great (fast) access to parts of bangkok that never see tourists, so everything is dirt cheap. any more info required, just let me know.

Feb 26th, 2003, 16:55	#6
steven_ber Member Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: South of England. Posts: 11,569	Wat Po Wat po is about 1 Km from KSRd. with a hellish road to cross. stick to the road going down the side of Sanam Luang to get from KSRd to wat po, there is also a canal route you can take, but is is full of cheap hookers and drug dealers (although there is a crackdown on drug pushers in thailand at the moment, 600 shot dead in 2 weeks, a thai style crackdown, or should that be crackhead down) you are a lucky person, very close to wat po (going north along thanon maharat) there is an area with hundreds of food places near or overlooking the river, it is mostly used by the university students and the prices are realy cheap, it is probibly the best overall place i found for food in thailand, for a different route back to KSRd walk straight through the Uni, nobody stops you, and then under the bridge, then take the next right. as for the north, most people seem to like chiang mai, (i didn't), i stayed in a village close to nakhon sawan with some thai friends, if you can somehow do this kind of thing it is fascinating. i am the wrong person to ask for tourist advice on thailand, i think the 'highlights' of thailand are the things we take for granted in india, i could give many examples, but that would indicate that i do not like thailand, when i do. one bit of advice, forget india, force yourself, i never realy enjoyed thailand until i stoped comparing it with india. i have a few friends who have only been to thailand and think it is paridise. a good site for learning a little thai is learn to speak thai do you know about thais 'losing face', you MUST learn about this. also, i hope you like karaoke, the thais love it. i hope i dont sound too negative, it is a great place, you will love it there, but it's not india. for advice on thailand click on the following link lonely planet, thorn tree

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Feb 21st, 2003, 03:28	#2
kate_mccrew Posts: n/a	Bangkok is mostly heat and hookers - spend a few days see the sights then take a night train to chang mai or down south

Feb 22nd, 2003, 11:38	#4
picklepak Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Calgary, Canada Posts: 274	I hated Bangkok and believe it to be one of my least favorite cities on the whole planet. Next time I'll limit my stay to one night and head south or north right away. Not sure why but I met all sorts of miserable and unfriendly people over the course of several weeks (I was waiting for a gf at the time), these were local as well as foreigners. It was depressing. But I'm not big on nightlife, buddying up with all the hoopla and slobbering over all the (admittedly, many attractive) women wearing skin-tight clothing on Ko San Road, so maybe that's one of the keys to the problem. I'm just not a bar guy.

Feb 25th, 2003, 18:30	#5
iasis Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: neverland Posts: 77	Appreciate your replies... The thing is that I want to take the thai massage courses in Wat Po...both of them last about 20-23 days...thats why I have to stay in Bangkok! I know that I can find similar courses in other parts of Thailand, Chiang Mai etc, but from reccomendations I will go for the Wat Po courses! If I'm not wrong I think that Wat Po is close to the Khao San road...is that right Steven (If its like that I will prefer to stay somewhere close to that place,since I will have to wake up early in the morning :-( ...)? So after that I think I will head to North Thailand...any reccomendations...towns...vill ages...treks? Warm Regards iasis

Feb 27th, 2003, 03:15	#7
Annie_T Member Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Australia Posts: 61	Steven I know what you mean about not liking Thailand until you stopped comparing it with India. About 2 and a half years ago I decided that I really ought to see more of Asia than India. So after 4 months on the road I headed for SE Asia. I lasted about four hours in Singapore after an overnight flight from Mumbai...the culture shock was awful and I remeber that day as one of my most miserable on the road ever. Having got into Malaysia I spent the next week hiding on a beach. Anyway, I do like Bangkok...a lot actually. The rest of Thailand left me a bit unmoved. I found that a lot of the obviously recent development had left Thai towns pretty ugly and souless. The people I liked and found them to be more interesting if you got off the tourist trail a bit. I always travelled on public buses etc. But somwhow I never fell in love with Thailand the way I expected I would(on the basis of other traveller's stories). Laos however was a different story. I loved it, although I did wonder at the time, and still do, whether I just need a high discomfort factor when travelling!

Feb 27th, 2003, 04:24	#8
paan wallah kitchen guru Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: universe Posts: 344	well annie I feel a bit the same,I do also love bangkok a lot,especially the food,it s amazing and really good! I don t like the traffic and the pollution in bkk its really horrible. Thailand is very good for people travelling the the first time to asia.Everything is so easy so organized.Too easy I doesn t feel like travelling.It s more like going on a holyday. But still in Thailand you can find very remote beaches without electricity,running water is from a river,very unspoiled places. You just have to know where to find them. Mostly when I start travelling I start in Thailand.4 weeks or so just holyday,relaxing,taking it the easy way.But then it get s a bit boring.like I said everything is too easy. I also liked Laos very very much:A great country to explore,travelling there is much more of a challenge. The food is horrible but the people are great.I love their relaxed attitude.The nature in Laos is just fantastic. I did a lot of jungle walking there.meeting tribes people armed with kalashnikowas See you next time in Laos

Feb 27th, 2003, 18:57	#9
iasis Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: neverland Posts: 77	Thanks for the Info Steven...really appreciated! Well...I dont want to compare Thailand with India....Is just all these pictures,memories, from my last trip that keep coming to my mind...and how u can leave it out of your mind???Oh..I dont want to...I love India...and I am sure that I m going to like Thailand,maybe not that much but yeah...why not!Thanks for the "Learn to speak Thai" probably I am gonna need it if everything goes to plan!As about the LP....well...I have done many searches for many different matters..its just that most of the timew they are recycling the same things...well its getting a bit annoying...it doesnt has the attitude of Indiamike.com.....hehehe! Moreover,as I told U I dont know how much time I'm gonna have after Bangkok, my trip has more "educational" character this time, but yeah..I am thinking to go North!Probably I will start with Chiang Mai and then I will try to find a nice peacefull village to relax for a while! Anyway.... thanks a lot for your replies Warm Regards iasis