FAQ

1. What kind of clothes should I bring to Thailand?
Comfortable clothes for summer time weather but bring a light sweater, a hoodie or a jacket for Chiang Mai. The weather in Chiang Mai will range from 50’s to 80’s. The higher you up in the mountain, the cooler it gets (in the 40’s). It’s cool and misty in the morning and at night (in the low-mid 60’s) even in the city. It’s not as humid in Chiang Mai.
Bangkok and down south by the beach is hot and humid. Bring a hat and sunglasses.
Bring a light pair of long pants like khaki or linen pants.
Bill and I usually rock flip flop or comfortable walking shoes.
Ladies, cover your shoulder and wear long skirt or pants (goes below your knees) when visit temples. Maybe, bring a shawl or a scarf with you for cover up.

2. Is there a dress code for welcome dinner on Jan 3rd?
Nope.

3. What should I wear to the wedding?
Good Question! There is no strict dress-code for the wedding. We do, however, encourage you to wear traditional Lanna clothes that you can rent at the Monfai Cultural Center for 400 THB (approximately $13). Alternatively, if you arrive in Chiang Mai with enough time to spare, you could go shopping at the local market and pick up an outfit yourself. You could probably get something very reasonably-priced.

4. If I want to rent traditional outfit from Baan Monfai, when can I go choose what I want to wear?
You can visit Baan Monfai on Jan 2nd or Jan 3rd between 10:30am – 2pm to pick out your outfit.

5. If I rent an outfit there, what time should I arrive to get dressed?
Please arrive between 7am-8am.

6. Who will help me to get into this traditional outfit?
Monfai staffs will help you get dressed. It should take about 5 minutes.

7. Can I pick one out on the day of the wedding?
Yes, you can but the staff will be busy helping those who already picked ones prior to get dressed.

8. How can I use my phone in Thailand?
Using cell phone in Thailand is very easy and cheap if you have an unlocked phone. You can buy sim card at the airport or some times even get one for free upon arrival.

At BKK Airport: Visit service booths on the 2nd floor of the arrivals hall at BKK airport (custom and immigration on the 3rd floor). The staff at these booths speak english well and will set everything up for you.
At Chiang Mai Airport at the baggage claim area.
You can also get one and/or refill your credits at any 7-11.
We bought 550 THB package last time with AIS when we were there in April 2014. This was the promotion they have at the time.
This post has detailed and very useful information about using cell phone in Thailand.

9. Where can I get custom made suit in Bangkok?
We went to Roberto Regio. It was recommended to us by the people who work at the US Embassy in Bangkok. There are two stores not far from each other. I called Bobby Rajas to schedule the time to come in to get measurement. Mr. Heera took care of us at the Soi 11/1 location. Call Mr. Heera to schedule an appointment. I will look for their cell phone numbers if you’re interested.

10. Should I take airport taxi? Will I get ripped off?
We always take airport taxi. It’s convenient and not expensive.

The fare is 50 Baht airport surcharge + metered fair + express way (if any. It shouldn’t be more than 100 baht). Expect to pay around 400-ish Baht in total. If he is nice, I would tip him a little bit. Like 20-40 baht or just round up. Tipping is not customary in Thailand but I always tip.

Try not to get ripped off! Ignore everyone who ask you when you first come out of the Immigration/Customs. Look for signs that direct you to the taxi stand. When you get to the taxi stand, you might have to wait in line. The taxi queue manager will ask you where to go and he/she will write it on a taxi slip. He/she will give your driver the smaller half of this slip and give you a bigger half of the slip. It looks like this. If the driver ask you to give him your bigger half, DO NOT give it to him. It’s your copy to keep. It has the info of the driver and how you can file a complaint if there is a problem with your trip. If the driver asks for it, he would probably try to rip you off and would tell you a fixed price for the cab ride. If the driver doesn’t put on the meter when he starts driving, ask him to turn it on. They have to use meter by law. The driver will ask you if you want to take express way (he might call it a toll way), I would suggest you agree to take it. When you get to the toll booth, your driver will ask you for the money, hand him the exact amount if you have it or just hand him 100 baht, he will give you back the change and a receipt. If the driver has an EZ pass, just try to look at the toll booth to see the price and try to remember it.

11. Where should I exchange money?
Wait until you get to Thailand to buy Thai Baht. It’s cheaper there. It’s also very easy and convenient. We usually exchange a few hundred dollars when we arrive at the Bangkok airport. There are a few exchange counters when you pick up your luggage and after you get out of customs and immigration as well as at the arrival hall. Get some small banknotes in 10/20/50 Baht as well. You will need it for the cab ride to the hotel/condo. Some times drivers won’t have change for 500 or 1000 baht banknotes.
If you bring cash, $100 banknotes give you the best exchange rate.
Do not use traveler check unless you can get the higher denominator (higher than $100), the fee went up in March 2014 and it’s no longer the best option if you have $100 traveler check.

12. How much cash should I bring with me?
In the past, we brought around $500-$600 with us and traveler checks. We didn’t like to bring that much cash with us because we didn’t want to carry a lot of cash with us and risk losing cash. This time, we are considering bringing more cash this time because we do not want to pay fees to use traveler checks.

13. Can I use my ATM card in Thailand?
Yes, you can. The exchange rate is not bad. There are a few ATMs at the airport. When you use your ATM card to get money out, there are usually fees charge by your bank and the ATMs. I think there is a limit on how much you can take out per day from the ATM so you might want to check with your bank before you leave.

14. Can I use my credit card in Thailand?
Yes, major credit cards are accepted in Thailand…..not at food stalls on the side walk obviously. Cash is the most common but you can use your credit card. There will be fees associate with using credit cards there both by the vendors (usually around 3%) and your credit card company. We have United mileage plus card and Bank of America traveler credit card, and there is not fees for us to use our cards overseas.

15. What travel books/maps would you recommend?
We usually refer to Lonely Planet Thailand to get general idea of the places we interested in. We have an old copy that we plan to bring to Thailand with us. We like Nancy Chandler’s Chiang Mai and Bangkok maps. Here are some of what I have on Thailand.
We also spend a lot of time on the internet searching and reading on google, wikipedia, wikitravel, tripadvisor, travel blog, etc.

16. What can I do around Chiang Mai?
1. Visit Wat Pratat Doi Suthep
2. Visit Elephant Nature Park
3. Go to Sunday night walking street market
4. Visit Warorot Market
5. Visit Wat Chedi Luang, Wat Pra singh and other Wats in the city (Wat = temple)
6. Go hike at Doi Inthanon
7. Go give alms to monks at the morning market like the locals
8. Take a day trip to Chiang Rai or Pai or Lamphun
9. Stop by one of the riverside restaurant/cafes
10. Eat Khao Soi (egg noodles curry)
11. Eat Khan Tok dinner….well you will be eating Khan Tok Lunch at the wedding 🙂
12. Visit Wua Lai street (silver making village/street). Also they have Walking street on Sat night here
13. ………

17. Where should I stay in Bangkok?
We like to stay near the skytrain along Sukhumvit road. This time we will be staying near Chidlom station…walking distant to Central Chidlom shopping mall, Siam Center shopping area, MBK mall, a short sky train ride to the Emporium, walking distant to all the food near the watergate area, and food stalls all over the place. Need I say more? It’s also easy to get to/from the international airport if you take taxi. You can have the driver take the tollway. In the past for us, it took no more than 40 minutes to and from the airport.

18. What can I do around Bangkok?
1. Eat street food. The best kind of Thai food. It usually very very safe. The food is made to order and served pipping hot. We never had problems eating at street vendors in Thailand.
2. Visit the Grand Palace, the Emerald Buddha temple, Wat Po (big reclining buddha with the original Thai massage school)
3. Get massage at Wat Po.
4. Go across the river to visit the Temple of Dawn (Wat Arun)
5. Take the river taxi to do no. 2, 3 and 4. We did the tourist boat last time and it was fun. We did the normal commuter boat/ferry before and that was really fun too.
6. Stop by Tha Prachan pier to eat cheap and good food near Thummasat University before getting back on the boat.
7. Or stop by other nicer restaurants on the river to get lunch/dinner.
8. Go to Bangkok China town. Amazing food from street vendors as well as restaurants. One of my favorite places to visit as a local.
9. Go to Chatuchak weekend market (pronouced Jatujak, the locals also call this market JJ for short). It can be overwhelming but mind blowing. You can find everything here: clothes, jewelry, accessories, food, massages, puppies (NOT FOR FOOD!!), pets, kitchen stuff, flowers, trees, books, music, furnitures, antiques stuff, etc. There are a few shipping companies onsite to pick up your stuff from the vendors and ship them for you.
10. Go across the street from Chatuchak weekend market to eat at Talad “Or Tor Kor” (silent ‘R’ when you say it). The upper scale and possibly best fresh market. This place has high quality fresh produce and ready made food/made to order food is very good here. A good spot for lunch after shopping at the Chatuchak. A must-visit for food lovers.
11. Take a trip to a Floating Market
12. Take a trip to Talad Maeklong (Maeklong Market), the market on the rail track. The locals call this market, talad rom hoop (umbrella closing market) or talad siang tay (dare devil market). Why? Watch this video, this video, or go see it for yourself.
13. Take a day trip to Kanchanaburi to see the dead railway and visit the WW II museum/cemetery.
14. Take a day trip to Ayutthaya the old capital of Siam kingdom.
15. Take a day trip to Hua Hin, a seaside town where the king has his summer palace.
16….