Is Thailand that scary?

[rnbwtrout]

depends on where you go.

the beach resorts are nice and modern. be extra careful in pattaya though, ladyboys run that place; unless of course you're into that sort of thing (im not judging).

bangkok is a modern city but traffic is a nightmare. *tip - always make sure your taxi guy turns on his meter; if they don't they will try to scam much more money than the regular fare. dogs are everywhere. some parts of town are really run-down and shady. but dang, you will probably never see so many street vendors in your life. did i mention its hot? and humid?

not a lot to see in eastern thailand.

northern thailand is a little cooler, less developed and there are numerous hill tribes to see. lots of thai culture to experience in the north.

thais are generally good to foreigners. the only time you'll run into trouble with gangsters in thailand is drug-related stuff. if you're in thailand for other reasons than drug-related interactions, you don't need to worry about crime/gangsters.

[Bakis]

Only thing you need to fear is the traffic, as pretty much all of Asia they drive like crazies.
Dont get any ideas of renting a bike or moped and travel on the roads etc.

[aztr0]

Every place has its bad areas. As long as you stick to the tourist places, you'll be fine.

[kivipää]

Every place has its bad areas. As long as you stick to the tourist places, you'll be fine.

The rabid monkeys populate tourist beaches (more food availaible), and antire branches of crime described in this topic exist solely for tourists and as such, actually concentrate in tourist locales.

[oblivionx]

Thailand was a nice experience, I had no issues there at all. The people are friendly and like most Asian countries love Americans.

The only real negative I saw was Bangkok When you see police on the main road (with all the arches and what not) wearing military gas masks... well, that's a sign that pollution might be a bit out of hand. Chang-Mai is a really nice place, it's all the way up north, I found it was a far better experience than Bangkok was. There are things to see in Bangkok for sure (the temples of the kings, for instance), but the less time spent there the better. Southern beaches were nice, but the main source of issues in Thailand originates from the southern regions (muslims).

[Deleted]

Short answer 'No'

Long answer, kinda just watch where you go:

http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-...eania/thailand

I'm going back for my 3rd visit in June because me and my girlfriend just love the place, the people and the food the second time we went we took her 11 year old daughter and 16 year old niece and thought nothing of taking tuk tuks (little local taxis) out of the hotel or walking up the beach to the nearest town.

All in honesty anyone can pick a horror story (that may or may not be true) and apply it to any country, however being on the internet it's a bit sad that people can ignore the whole world of actual information about a place and live by what 'some people said'

For comparison here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of..._homicide_rate

You'll find the murder rate per 100,000 people is the same as the US

[Deleted]

"Hey guys I got the chance to visit a different part of our planet and world culture.... sooooo I heard this country is completely evil."

This made me cringe so much, just enjoy that god damn trip and learn about different culture.

Nothing bad will happen to you if you don't search for it like a maniac.

[Vasti]

My parents are dragging me to Thailand for ungodly reasons, and from what I've heard, the place is extremely frightening. Gangsters roam the streets, terror attacks, rapes, and poisonous air.

This is what people I know tell me, but if any of you have been there, can you confirm?

Been there on two vacations (all of which had Thailand as the main destination next to a few neighbouring countries)

IT

IS

AMAZING!!!!!!


The first time I was there it was sooooo awesome!!!!
The second time was mostly a repeat of the first, so not that interesting, but for a first time it is awesome (also, it becomes less awesome over time as more and more tourists go there and more tourists = less fun, because it drives the prices up and locals are more fun to meet than other tourists)

However there are a few things that you should watch out for:
1-Ladyboys. Most of them are obvious, but some are harder to tell, so be careful. (I just tried looking at thai ladies in general)
2-Watch your wallet, especially in crowded markets. Personally have never seen anything get stolen, but you can never be careful enough.
3-The toilets......(the first time I was there they wanted you to throw used toilet paper in the bin, because flushing it would clog the drains and boy did it clog, because using the bin was just too gross for us. However it has improved over the years so last december I had no problems with the toilets there, but be careful nonetheless)
4-Don't say ANYTHING bad about their King. People REALLY like their king and won't stand for someone badmouthing him. (also try going to the movies in Thailand....quite the experience....fun experience....we went several times to see movies there)
5-Ask locals what the price of a taxi/tuk-tuk is to travel to your destination, because the drivers will try to rip you off BADLY! Always ask for the meter to be turned on or settle on a fixed price. If you don't mind stopping at some local stores you can get really low fares (as they get some money/gas for bringing tourists to those stores)
6-Despite what other people say, the traffic, though unorganized, is not that bad. Use walkways to cross the street, but know that those people are used to that hectic so they have quick reflexes when something unexpected happens. Just don't do anything stupid. Also outside the major cities, you can easily rent a car/moped and cruise around by yourself: Phuket, Huahin
7-NEVER hand over your drivers license/pasport. If police stops you anywhere, you can show it to them, but never hand it to them. In some cases it might be better to just say you left it in the hotel. Because when they have it in their possession they know you need it back and thus can charge HUGE fines, whereas without it you might jsut get a warning or pocket change fine.

(I actually logged in just to post this)

[starkey]

Whatever you do don't show airport security your threads on MMO-C they will you think your mentally unbalanced and wont let you board the plane.

[Kalis]

To summarise the advice from this thread:

1) Don't drink the water.
2) Don't eat the food.
3) Don't breathe in the cities.
4) Don't use the toilets.
5) Don't enter a bar or you will end up in a porn movie (and you probably won't even get a speaking part).
6) Most of the women are men.
7) The women who are women can all kill you with one kick.
8) Steer clear of the packs of rabid monkeys, man eating tigers, and various other deadly wildlife.
9) Some of your body parts may be removed, but possibly not the really vital ones.
10) If you manage to survive, then you will love it.

[Deleted]

not scary , what you don't want to do is rent shit there like bikes (mopeds) or jetski's , they usually try to scam you for money for damages they claim you cost.
And don't do or take any drugs , thai prison is not a fun place.

[Bryntrollian]

Reading this, I doubt I will survive. I hope you guys will remember me.

I will teach them of your legacy, I won't let you die in vain...

[Judgedredd]

if you are heading to the island resort areas, you will have the time of your life. if heading to bangkok then the one cardinal rule is to ignore the people hollering at you to come inside a certain building. if they know you are under 18 then they will bother you more. that said the good parts of bangkok are nice though. best time to head there is during that water festival of theirs. just watch it when there is political infighting though. when i went there last you could see soldiers with m-16's at train stations.

that said, bangkok is your typically third world city, if compared to kuala lumpur in malaysia down south and singapore.

[Tureni]

Just remember....



Oh, and whatever you do, don't insult their king. That means like "don't step on their money with his picture on it" don't insult.

[Deleted]

My parents are dragging me to Thailand for ungodly reasons, and from what I've heard, the place is extremely frightening. Gangsters roam the streets, terror attacks, rapes, and poisonous air.

This is what people I know tell me, but if any of you have been there, can you confirm?

Um what?

Love Thailand, if you can get away from the tacky tourist areas its such a vibrant country full of life.

[ifrah]

Yeah it's a war going out there...

No, really. Just like you would be visiting any tourist-infested (Asian) country. Don't lose your common sense, know a bit of the local habits and dos & don'ts and you're good. All those horror tales just come from people who weren't able to think for the slightest. People who were idiots and got in problems with the police, got way too hammered, did not realize that tourist scams are for real, go apeshit if anything differs from how things are at home.. etc. For some odd reason, people who pay attention and own a functional set of brains usually get along just fine in places light years more notorious than Thailand.