Thailand was the first overseas holiday we had together and for that reason will always be one of our most favourite places to visit. In 2004 we spent a week in Bangkok and a week in Koh Samui. Since then we have been back about 8 times. Thailand is such an amazing place but can be quite overwhelming for the first time traveller. Its easy to get caught up in the hype of market shopping and things that seem too good to be true. The best advice for travelling to Thailand is the old saying “if it seems to good to be true, it probably is”. On our first trip an expat convinced us we had won a rare prize on a scratch-it ticket. We almost spent the entire afternoon in a time share seminar but common sense kicked in when we realised that no one was going to give us $1000 USD for free. Thailand is full of touts and locals trying to make a dollar (or baht). They call Thailand the land of smiles, and thats because the locals are genuinely friendly and a polite no thanks has helped us avoid any real issues. Visiting the real tourist spots like Patong beach in Phuket and the Patpong night markets in Bangkok is a real experience. Good luck trying to avoid a massage from a pretty Thai girl who used to be a nice Thai boy. We used to think we were special when they yelled out “hey sexy boys”, but quickly realised that everyone gets the same special attention.
