%b%crWater %b%c* and other Bangkok, Thailand Warning Or Danger Tips

Water is safe to drink in the hotels, but it's best not to get ice cubes in drinks bought off the street. Overall, the dangers in Bangkok are more likely to involve your wallet than your health.

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Be very wary about buying jewellery and antiques - the market in Thailand is rife with fakes. If you think you're being asked to pay a lot of money for an inauthentic item, or you're being overcharged for a service, report the incident to the tourist police. Be careful if someone offers you a free tour of the Chao Phraya,it's likely that at some point, in some remote location, you'll be asked to 'contribute' some large sum of money to the venture. Watch your handbags and camera cases when you're shopping in the markets.
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Be aware that it is illegal to transport Thai Buddha images out of the country. It is also illegal to treat Buddha images with disrespect. There are severe penalties for doing so. No joking.
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Be very careful with what medication you take into Thailand. I was there just after an Australian girl was arrested for carrying Panadol (or something similar and common for headaches. It took some days to get her released. Before I went I checked with the Thai Embassy for some headache tablets I also carried with me.

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Bangkok's traffic is a nightmare. Don't even think about taking a taxi at rush hour - you'll get there a lot faster if you walk. Or take one of the city buses, which can use their own lanes.
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I put this in as a warning only because it happened to me and not to suggest that this is common practise. The tour company I was using in Bangkok (arranged in Australia) picked me up from the airport and took me to my hotel and over the course of the next few days I had a car/driver and guide taking me around to see the sights. They were also to pick me up from the hotel on the morning of my departure and take me to the airport. All of this was paid for. On the morning I was due to fly out, I waited and waited.. I was getting anxious as time was going by and knowing the traffic I would probably encounter enroute, I asked the hotel to try and ring the agents.. Unfortunately it was early morning and they were not open. In the end the Hotel manager suggested I grab a taxi and go myself otherwise miss my flight.

I grabbed the first taxi at the rank and this guy was amazing, he flew!!!! I got to the airport in time to catch my flight barely, however, the agents had not confirmed my seat as they said and I was down the back of the plane in smoking and trying to breathe with a cold. The young Australian guy took pity on me and fortunately went down the back to smoke.

Still my warning is, don't take anything for granted, recheck and reconfirm your plans and have a back up if necessary. Hopefully this was a one off incident.

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