Sometimes all you want before you go is to know what you can expect, to prepare yourself for what is about to come. Here are some of the thoughts Edd and I had during our travels so that you can arrive and live like a local (you never want to be like a tourist lets be honest — they’re so annoying! :p).
Singapore was our first stop and a good way to start our journey as it’s a modern city yet still has quite a different culture from that of New Zealand — a teaser for what to come. I would recommend spending at least a few days in Singapore just to experience the food — you could eat all day in fact if you wanted especially considering how cheap the food is! We spent six and I think that would be the maximum — two to four would be fine I think.
If you are flying Singapore Airlines, take a look at the Stopover packages which could end up being a good deal if you want hotel, transfers, and entrance to attractions such as Universal Studios, Sentosa attractions, Gardens by the Bay, Singapore Flyer, and some free meals. They advertise all up the attractions are worth more than S$450 so its not a bad deal if you do a whole heap. We stayed at the Chancellor @ Orchard through this and found the twin room perfectly fine, even if the service was a little stilted, much like we did at the Orchard Hotel for our single night en route to Dubai.
Also, if you are flying Singapore or Air New Zealand, get the S$40 voucher that can be used for food or off duty-free. Free spending money is always a bonus.
If you want the best food, then go to the hawker markets. Yes you can go to fancy restaurants (where the food may be brilliant and better than what you might get in their home country) but there isn’t any need to if you want good food, and as a bonus it’s cheap. The best one in our opinion is the Maxwell St Food Market. It’s near Chinatown, but it’s where all the locals go so you know its good. Also, the shops close once they’ve cooked all the food for the day so don’t be alarmed if most of it is closed — it just means a lot of people got there before you.
Be aware that some places don’t include tax and service fees in the listed price. This won’t be a problem at like hawker markets but in other food places, it will be something you need to factor in. Normally this can add 18% to the bill so remember what may seem cheap may not end up being that way. If it doesn’t include, this is normally signalled by three + after the price like $12+++ in what’s called triple plus. At least tipping isn’t required.
Also, use the MRT to get around. It’s fast, clean, and simple to use. Taxi’s will be more expensive and not necessarily any faster sometimes. If you are near Orchard Road, there are a number of stations around, and often will stop near most attractions, including Chinatown and Marina Bay Sands.
We spent S$200 over the six days in Singapore for everything that wasn’t included in the Stopover holiday — so that’s food, MRT tickets, and experiences not included in the Stopover like the Waterpark at Sentosa. Oh, and an overpriced but good Singapore Sling at Raffles. Sometimes, it just needs to be done.
Thailand is a great many things. It can be relaxing and chaotic. It can be foreign and familiar. It can be wonderful and not so. Which one it is that you experience all very well depends on where you go. I would definitely recommend going to Koh Samui and Koh Chang, lovely islands where you can truely relax. However I wouldn’t say Bangkok which is just a large city.
Things are cheap in Thailand. However, you need to adjust your thinking. The baht deals in hundreds, which can make something you are buying seem a lot more than it actually is. Remember, NZ$1 is ฿25 (its less but is a good approximate amount) and you’ll soon realise your dinner that only cost ฿200 was about NZ$8.
When you do want to buy something, make sure you shop around and haggle. Never buy something from the first store that has what you want. You will be walking around so browse, compare prices, and reward those that give you the best price and/or service. You will often find that those at the beginning of a market will charge you more, just because they are first. Further, don’t be afraid to haggle when buying in a market environment. It’s normal. You will always get a better deal if you buy more than one, but if you are buying one, set an amount that is the maximum you are prepared to pay and start below there. Hopefully, you will arrive at a lower price.
When it comes to drinks, learn to drink beer or spirits. Wine is expensive as there is a 300% luxury tax on it, meaning it is the same if not more expensive than a bottle of spirits. Wine will be a no no for anyone in Thailand (unless you have millions of dollars).
In Bangkok with transport, take the boats. They are cheap, but not if you do the tourist boat. That starts at ฿40 one way, whereas you can get a local boat for ฿15 for the orange flag boat, cheaper with other colours flags, though orange is the most frequent. You will buy the ticket before you board or on the boat, but there is a chance you will get missed and not have to pay as it is quite disorganised really, but don’t take it for certain. Prepare to pay, celebrate if you don’t.
Now if you are going in or out of DMK airport, where Nok, Scoot, and AirAsia all fly to, take the bus and BTS/MRT. It is a lot cheaper than the taxi (฿300), which includes multiple surcharges including paying for the expressway (฿50) which avoids the gridlock of Bangkok. The A1 bus and the BTS and/or MRT (about ฿70) will save you a lot more which you will appreciate. Talking about flights, you can get a Visa on arrival for New Zealanders — no fee.
If you are going to Koh Samui, if you want to party, go to Chaweng and maybe check out the Full Moon Party or associated parties throughout the month at nearby Koh Phangan — though be away there are more tourists and those on the younger end here. We were up in Maenam/Bophut which was still touristy but not so much and more families and couples etc. You can though catch a local bus/truck thing and get to Chaweng and back for not too much. Our accommodation here was the Escape Beach Resort in Bophut and it was perfect. Right on the beach and shallow water for swimming, it was lovely — indeed you share the beach with the W Resort and you pay quite a bit more for that privilege. Yes, there is a hill to climb but it is nothing too strenuous and you can always rent mopeds if you can’t be bothered with the walk into town.
Koh Chang is recommended if you want to escape most of the tourists and the island itself is a National Park. Its a quiet place, laid back and not as developed as other parts of Thailand. Its not to say there are amenities with things not that more expensive. It’s just not the place for you if you want to party. We stayed at a lovely little resort called Aana and it was like heaven. It is definitely a place that you would go for like a honeymoon or something but its lovely and there is a good place down the road for good food called Bang-On Klong-Ploo.
While you can fly to Koh Chang via Trat, get a shuttle organised through your accommodation who can pick and drop you off from Bangkok at your hotel or airport. These are cheaper than flying and include the ferry crossing and getting around the island, which the flight does not. You can catch the buses which are cheaper but certainly take a braver person than me with the language barrier and how crowded they can apparently get with the lack of A/C in some.
Our last stop in South-East Asia but not least was Cambodia and the city of Siem Reap. Of course the one thing that you should do if you go to Siem Reap is see the temples. Get at least a three day pass as if you are going anywhere through the park, you need a pass, and a couple of things besides the temples are within the borders of it.
While there is the main temple complexes all close to each other, make sure you go to Banteay Srei. Its a small temple and quite a drive out from the rest but it is well worth the drive. Its beautifully decorated as you may have seen in my blog posts and I would highly recommend it. Further, since you are going out this way, you should stop at the Landmine Museum and learn the story of Cambodia and the mines, and the work this one man Aki Ra has done to make the place safer. Also, the entrance fee is a donation to helping to run the orphanage and helping those youth to succeed.
Food in Siem Reap is amazing, whether its the local cuisine, Italian, Mexican, or French. The food here is amazing and cheap, just like the drinks. Beers can start from 50 c during happy hour (which can last all day) and cocktails $1.50. Our local while we were there was called Viva just off Pub Street, the main place in town for night life. Highly recommended. Nothing quite enjoying a cold beer on a warm night.
We stayed at the Golden Temple Villa which is a great little hotel. TripAdvisor gives it highly rated reviews and I can understand why. The service is amazing, they are so willing to help and there is no doubt that I have never experienced as good as service as I did at this hotel. You get welcome drinks and snacks, free transfer from the airport, free massage, able to print off things for free, and competitive rates for getting tours around the temples or other sites. They will help with all the planning, organise your tuk tuk, and its only a five minute walk from Pub Street. Perfection.
In Cambodia, they use US dollars, but make sure you have small notes — big notes will probably cause a problem. Further, any change you get will probably be in Cambodian Riel but they do so at a flat rate of ៛4000 for every US$1. This means ៛2000 is 50 c or a beer at Viva.
Also, you will need to have a visa, which you can get on arrival but you need passport photos and US dollars to pay the fee — we paid US$30 when we went in July 2015. It doesn’t take long to get it but if you don’t have these things, it can delay you a fair bit at immigration and you will have already had to fill in millions of forms, maybe even a health form at the arrival hall.
