Bangkok Warning or Danger Tips by trisanna

This is a big scam. When we first came to Bangkok and talked to our concierge he warned us about this scam. This is how it works. You will be innocently walking around the sides of the Wat Phra Kaew/Grand Palace-maybe you came from Wat Pho -like we did. Tuk Tuk drivers will stop you and keep telling you(very convincingly) that the wat and palace are closed to a holiday or reason of the King. They want you to go with them-so they can show you around to other sites( Grand mount for instance) and they can make some money. I am sure it's not easy to make money as a tuk tuk driver, but it would be nice if they could tell people various attractions are not closed. Most won't do this -only a few. Just be warned.

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Bangkok can be a very hot and humid city. After a few days you will get used to the weather (well especially if you are from somewhere hot, humid). The humidity can really drain visitors -especially people not used to the weather or jetlagged visitors.

You need to be patient with yourself and remember to hydrate yourself. You should be drinking atleast two litres of water a day. If you feel lightheaded, nauseous -you should add more salt to your diet. (since you lose all that when you sweat). Eat potato chips, fries -whatever. There are many isotonic drinks at the market and are available at 7 elevens all over thailand. Some are 100 plus and Poki Sweat (or something like that). They taste like a salty less sweet Sprite. Very pleasant.

If you have a sensitive digestive system-you should ask for drinks without ice, brush your teeth with bottled water. Many hotels will put bottled water in the bathrooms for this purpose. Hotels that have filtrated water systems-will say so on the sink or they will tell you during check in. I know the Oriental hotel has this.

If you start to feel sick-stop eating most fruit. Bananas are good for a suffering digestive system.

Also, it's important not to push yourself too much. If you feel quite drained-head to Siam Sq and go into some of the airconditioned malls for relief.

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Most countries include the country's departure tax in the price of the airline ticket you buy. Unfortunately, Thailand isn't one of those countries. You need to remember to put aside 500 baht(per person) for the departure tax. As soon as you check in-there will be kiosks, where you can pay the money to a person or use the machine. I prefer the machine, since they are much faster and you can pay for departure tax for a whole family/group of friends at the same time. You will give the receipt of the tax to the man/woman who punches a whole in it -before you go thru customs.

The departure tax must be paid in cash. One time i ran out of cash and had to get a credit card advance to pay the tax. Just put the money aside as soon as you enter Thailand.

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Never go with anyone, who says they have a friend, who has a good deal on some jewerly. Never go with a cab driver or tuk tuk driver, who says this.

A lot of tourists have beens scamed by this. The government is trying to educate tourists about these scams. On city maps(which are free at the airport) you may see an ad about this. Just be careful and if it seems like a too good deal-it probably is. Use jewerly stores that are listed in reputable guide books.

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