Expenses holiday 20.12.2011-10.01.2012 Bangkok Pattaya Bangk

[christianpfc]

Expenses holiday 20.12.2011-10.01.2012 Bangkok Pattaya Bangkok

Here my complete expenses for the most recent holiday in Thailand. All numbers are Thai Baht. Writing down expenses serves many purposes: I know where my money went and I can reconstruct most of my holiday from this data. I have papers of A4 format folded twice so they fit into my pocket. Of course, you have to know where to start writing so after unfolding itтАЩs well arranged (when I started, I had text upside down after unfolding). Compared to a notebook this has the advantage that you donтАЩt have to flip pages, itтАЩs easier to copy or to scan and I can lay it out so I can everything at one glance.

As no times are on the sheets, here some general information: getting up usually between 10am and 2pm, going to bed usually between midnight and 4am. Meals are spread over the whole day, I eat whenever I am hungry, usually street food when IтАЩm alone or in restaurants when IтАЩm with friends.

New: now includes money I found on the street and amounts smaller than one baht (some busses in Bangkok cost 6.50 Baht).

And here data for the holiday in slightly edited form (costs for hotel spread evenly over the days even if paid all in advance or on checking out, name and numbers of boys removed, explanations where necessary):

20.12.2011 Tuesday arrive in Bangkok total 2437
-25-45-260 toll and taxi to Penguin House Sathorn
-50 taxi to Silom Soi 4
-100-20 drink Super A (first number is drink price, second number is tip)
-200 drink Screw Boys
-500 off Screw Boys
-50 pancake (2) (this means the food is for two people)
-80 mangosteen 1kg
-60 taxi to Penguin House
-1000 tip
-40 for taxi for friend
-7 water

21.12.2011 Wednesday Bangkok total 2710.50
-850 room
-60 internet 2 h
-62 mouthwash
-50 cinema Laem Tong
-30 food
-15 watermelon
-6.50 bus
-40 food
-15 pineapple
-150 drink Nature Boy 21:50-22:10 (time I spend in the bar)
-250 X-Size 22:30-0:15
-270 underwear (3 pieces on Silom, discount from 100 per piece)
-10 chicken heart
-60 taxi to Isaan Disco with Thai friends
-540 tower beer + ice (4)
-100 food (4)
-100 taxi
-100 for taxi for friend

22.12.2011 Thursday Bangkok total 3503.50
-850 room
-100 mobile phone
-60 food Moon House (my favorite restaurant in Sri Bamphen)
-1500 Thai Boy Massage (highest single expense)
-8 bus
-6.50 bus
(invitation to Telephone bar)
-69-11 drink MaxiтАЩs
-250 drink Classic Boys 21:00-45 only customer
+1 found
-70 taxi to Saran Rom 22:00-15
-80 taxi to Penguin House
-500 money for taxi for friend (from Sathorn to On Nut; as a friend said, you can go to the airport and come back for 500 baht)

23.12.2011 Friday Bangkok total 1953.50
-850 room
-100 food (2) Moon House
-20 internet (30/h)
-220 taxi Thai friend
-40 MRT (2) тАУ 50 BTS (2)
-22 drinks (2)
-40 BTS to Aree
-50 sweet tamarind
-55 food
-250 Chakran Sauna 18:50-21:40
-40 sticky rice with mango
-6.50 bus
-99-11 drinks (2) Balcony (opposite For Fun, too loud!)
-85-15 drinks (2)

24.12.2011 Saturday Bangkok and Nakhon Nayok Ganesha Park total 1789
-850 room
-50 laundry
-120-20 food (2) Moon House
-10 bus (2) to Victory monument (friend pays part of his fare тАУ those who take bus know that 10 baht for 2 doesnтАЩt add up)
-260 minibus (2) to Nakhon Nayok 14:00-16:50 (time of travel)
-28 drinks (2)
-25 cake
-100 minibus (2) to Bangkok 18:45-19:50
-16 bus (2)
-100 taxi one Thai friend arrives
-100 taxi other Thai friend leaves
-345-15 dinner (2)
-600 Thai friend for taxi and other expenses

25.12.2011 Sunday Bangkok total 2348.50
-850 room
-70-10 food
-30 internet 1h
-20 MRT
-350 book
-20 coconut water
-300 two books Dasa Book Caf├й
-12 bus тАУ6.50 bus to Ramkhamhaeng University
-30 sushi
-20 sugar cane syrup
-30 mini tomatoes
-100 taxi Ramkhamhaeng to Sathorn 22:10-40 (The meter was 101 baht, usually I round up to the next 10 baht, but in this case the driver stopped on the way to pee, so I gave just 100 baht and he didnтАЩt complain. He can pee when he has no customer, not when IтАЩm on my way back to my hotel with a friend.)
-500 registration fee for 3rd year in Ramkhamhaeng for Thai friend

26.12.2011 Monday Bangkok total 2134
-850 room
-100 mobile phone
-60-10 food Moon House
-136 book (170 тАУ 20% Silom Complex)
-160-100 foot massage 1 h Semra (160 massage parlor, 100 tip; I can recommend Semra Silom Soi 1: low prices, real massage, handsome masseurs)
-130 Heaven Sauna 18:30-19:30
+1 found
-8 bus
-25 mangosteen 0.5 kg
-46 cakes
-280-20 dinner Lido
-10 drink
-50 taxi
-100 DJ-station
-50 taxi

27.12.2011 Tuesday Bangkok to Pattaya total 2468
-850 room
-80 taxi to Ekkamai
-113 bus to Pattaya 15:10-17:10
-10-10 to Howards arrive 18:00
-110-10 food+drink Eden bar
-100 drink Vassa Boys
-20 tip boy
-45 mangosteen 1 kg
-100 food (2)
-20 drink friend
-1000 tip

28.12.2011 Wednesday Pattaya total 2170
-600 room
-30 internet 1.5 h
-10 to Jomtien
-30 pancake
-30 chair
-30 coconut water
-70-70-20 drink+cake
-10 to Pattaya
-40 pomelo
-30 mango
-120 laundry
-630-20 dinner (2)
-200 cinema (2) Mission Impossible 4
-160 Wild West Boys
-100 tip friend

29.12.2011 Thursday Pattaya, Satthaheep and Golden Buddha Mountain total 1115
-600 room
-10 to Pratamnak
+20 found
-55 food
-10 to Howards
-440-20 dinner (2)

30.12.2011 Friday Pattaya total 1704
-600 room
-12 internet (20/h)
-10 to Jomtien
-30 chair
-30 coconut water
-40 shrimps tempura at gay beach
-10 to Pattaya
-20 +20 motorcycle for Thai friend (He returned the money he borrowed! Or rather we were reading each otherтАЩs passport, I found 20 Baht in his, showed it to him and kept it.)
-520 тАУ20 dinner (2)
-240 cinema (2) Sherlock Holmes 2
-105 drink + popcorn
-20 fried grasshopper
-20 friend
-20 rose apple
-27 drinks (2)

31.12.2011 Saturday Pattaya and Bang Saen Wang Saen Suk Buddhist Hell Garden total 2622
-600 room
-20 baht-bus (2)
-160 bus to Bang Saen (2) 13:20-14:55
-20 jackfruit
-60 food (2)
(I think I forgot one baht-bus ride here from town to beach)
-60 beach chair (2)
-100 pocket money for friend
-25 drink for friend
-20 baht bus (2) to Soi 19 Buddhist Hell Garden
-10 popcorn for friend
-30 lotus + candle + incense stick
-20 drink for friend
-2 throw coin for good luck (2)
-50 oranges 1 kg
-20 baht bus (2)
-160 bus to Pattaya (2) 18:05-19:15
-20 baht-bus (2)
-600 tip friend
-505-20 dinner (2) with other friend
-90-10 drinks (2) Question Mark bar
-20 baht-bus (2)

01.01.2012 Sunday Pattaya total 3370
-600 room
-30 mangosteen 0.5 kg
-1200 for friend Buriram-Pattaya return
-130 food (2)
-80 haircut friend
-30 drinks (2)
-25 drink
-20 baht-bus (2)
-85 laundry
-130 dinner (2)
-150 Splash Boys 20:45-21:15 10 boys
-140 Cupidol 21:20-21:50 ~9 boys (time I stayed in bar, approximate number of boys present)
-150-10 Happy Place 21:55-22:10 ~12 boys
-140 Toy Boys 22:50-23:10 10 boys
-180 X-Boys 23:20-0:10
-270 Euro Boys and New Sawadee Boys (friend paid first bar, I second)

02.01.2012 Monday Pattaya total 1876
-600 room
-120 food (3)
-280 trousers for friend
-100 mobile phone
-20 food for friend
-20 baht-bus (2)
-85 cake
-117 food (2)
-20 sharon fruit (3 pieces)
-50 mangosteen 1 kg
-10 water melon
-10 sticky rice fried
+1 found
-20 baht-bus (2)
-280 cinema (2) тАЬThe KickтАЭ
-145 popcorn and drink for friend

03.01.2012 Tuesday Pattaya total 2968.50
-600 room
-150 food (2)
-17 internet (20/h)
+12 found
-300 friend for haircut (at least thatтАЩs what he told me he intended to spend the money on)
-60 sticky rice with mango
-20 orange juice
-20 rose apple
-30 to Naklua (had to change twice, which makes 3*10 Baht)
-14 water for friend
-680-40 dinner (2)
-20 baht-bus (2)
-1010 beer 3 l + ice + popcorn + table at NAB ~0:15-3:55
+0.50 found (Yes, ChristianPFC will bend over for 50 Satang. Pun intended.)
-20 baht-bus (2)

04.01.2012 Wednesday Pattaya total 3620
-600 room
-130 food (2)
-120 hair styling for friend
-20 baht-bus (2)
-40 ice cream (2)
-100 monorail (2) at Pattaya Park
-300-150 tower jump Pattaya Park
-500 tip friend
-150 Themae Sauna 17:40-19:20
-10 baht-bus
-50 laundry
-110 drink + sandwich WanтАЩs Place
-115-5 drink Eros 21:10-40 13 boys
-140 drink Tom Yum 21:45-22:15 13 boys
-40 pancake
-130-20 drink Lucky Seven 23:00-00:40 up to 6 boys
-100 tip boy
-40 cake
-360 drinks (3) ZAP Walking Street ~0:15-1:45
-260 drinks (2) for friends
-130 drink (1) for friends

05.01.2012 Thursday Pattaya to Bangkok total 3989
-600 room
-1000 tip
-500 tip (other friend)
-200 food (3)
-50 use computer to copy pictures from camera
-400-200 massage hot press 1.5 h
-100 tip friend at Howards
-20 baht-bus
+1 found
-113 bus to Ekkamai 15:40-17:25
-11 bus to Silom
-86 taxi
-150 fish massage 15 min
-170 food тАУ69 drink тАУ11 tip MaxiтАЩs
-240 drink Fresh Beach Boys 21:15-22:00
(free bus to Sanam Luang)
-70 taxi

06.01.2012 Friday Bangkok total 1329
-850 room
-8 bus
-100 mobile phone
-100 mobile phone (transfer balance to a friend and keep validity)
-8 bus
-13 bus
-160 Farose II
-90 taxi

07.01.2012 Saturday Bangkok total 2649
-850 room
-110-10 food Moon House
-200 mobile phone
-40 MRT to Jatuchak weekend market
-10 book
-100 books (3 pieces) (one of the books is for resale in Germany, I expect 5 EUR ~ 200 THB)
-150 book
-30 fried bamboo worm
-359 new pair of shoes
-40 MRT
-10 chicken heart
-10 to Hua Lampong
-70 food (2)
-60 taxi
-100 mobile phone (transfer balace to a friend and keep validity)
-500 tip

08.01.2012 Sunday Bangkok total 1685.50
-850 room
-6.50 bus
-30 BTS to Wongwian Yai
-10 watermelon
-10 train to Mahachai
-18 drink
-10 cake
-3 ferry
-12 drin
-3 ferry
-10 train back to Bangkok
-11 bus to Hua Lampong
-20 drink
-11 bus
-30 mangosteen 1 kg
-8 cake
-70 taxi to Phaya Thai
-50 taxi to Surawong
-35 pancake
-200 drink Hotmale (discounted from 250)
-20 fried bamboo worm
-113 cake
-100 DJ station
-50 taxi

09.01.2012 Monday Bangkok total 2294
-850 room
-100 food Moon House
-40 internet (30/h)
-8 bus to Central World
-200 mobile phone (180 days validity for 180 baht)
-200-80-20 food drink tip For Fun
-10-6.50 bus
+0.50 found
-80 taxi to Saran Rom
-20 fried grasshopper
-10 batteries
-70 taxi
-600 tip boy from Saran Rom (100 for taxi)

10.01.2012 Tuesday Bangkok to Paris total 1253
-850 room
-60 food Moon House
-45-20-280 taxi to airport
+1 found
+1 found
(I wanted to buy тАЬThai for intermediate learnersтАЭ after check-in and security check, but found that books are more expensive at the airport, in this case 344 THB compared to 325 THB, so I didnтАЩt.)

A total of 51,989 THB spent on 21 nights and 20 full days which is 2476 THB per night.

Getting to Thailand was 834 EUR for return flight plus twice 12 EUR public transport to and from airport is 858 EUR which is about 34,320 THB. (Current exchange rate about 40 Baht per Euro.)

Once again, I came to Thailand with wads of money and couldnтАЩt spend all of it because my well laid plans were thwarted by unreliability of my Thai friends or lack of boys who meet my (admittedly high) requirements. I plan a maximum of 4000 Baht per day (including hotel). I put this amount into my wallet each day, and itтАЩs getting more and more (in my wallet).

Detailed reports about how I spend the days and nights and which places I visited will appear soon.

:banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead:

[Neal]

Well fuck! Ya could have left the leftover with me!! I would saved it for you for the next time you came! Promise. :3some:

[SlaveDriver]

How stupid I am?

Thats what I polish in 3 days ........ :party

[thenorthguy]

Fuck, going on holidays with you would certainly be a bore, daddy can I have some money to spend.....Really, you need to get a life....I can't wait to see your report...."Yawn"

[frequentflier]

who cares..

[lukylok]

It all depends of what is your pleasure and that of the others you meet.
You derive pleasure of spending as litle as you can. I am sure you could arrive to spend far less.
So it's no record.
Have you ever thought of the people you meet ? And the pleasure they could have in meeting you ?
How do you think they remember you ?
The thriftyest ever customer ?

Have you ever had real fun ?????? I wonder

[Brisboy82]

Once upon a time I thought spending 2000 baht per day in Thailand was very excessive. Lately I have been known to spend up to 7000 baht per day. What happened! I need to practice some self control.

Christianpfc, I'm sorry to point this out but there is a serious discrepancy in your Accounts!

We know for a fact that you hand out model Eiffel Towers to the boys.

We know also that these Eiffel Towers are not the cheap and shoddy plastic version that any cheap charlie might give out - we know you splash out on the DELUXE metal models (5 for a Euro).

And yet, there is no mention of these in your Accounts!!

What are we to make of this glaring omission?

:occasion9:

[joe552]

Sad enough to keep detailed expenses, but even more sad to publish. Why? Who cares what someone else spends on holidays? Our spending is relative to what we can afford. It's different for everyone.

[anonone]

Once upon a time I thought spending 2000 baht per day in Thailand was very excessive. Lately I have been known to spend up to 7000 baht per day. What happened! I need to practice some self control.

I was thinking the exact same thing. But I sure have one hell of a time. :party

[francois]

Expenses holiday 20.12.2011-10.01.2012 Bangkok Pattaya Bangkok
Detailed reports about how I spend the days and nights and which places I visited will appear soon.

Francois puts Christian on ignore rhymes with bore.

[Dalewood]

Thanks, Christian....I am sure some found your post boring. BUT, I am thinking of coming to Thailand for the first time in 20 years and it gives me a good idea of price levels. We seem to enjoy the same food and hotels.

Or should I go to Bali?? I have never been there and can get decent prices via Singapore Airlines from the USA East Coast.

[Dani69]

:sleepy2: asleep after reading about the third day :sleepy1:

[christianpfc]

Scottish-guy, are you stalking me? You were the first to reply on my last thread about holiday expenses (July-August). Furthermore, I wonder how you can read, understand, assess, form an opinion and reply within two minutes after I posted. The Eiffel Tower key rings were on my previous holiday.


It all depends of what is your pleasure and that of the others you meet.
You derive pleasure of spending as litle as you can. I am sure you could arrive to spend far less.
So it's no record.
Have you ever thought of the people you meet ? And the pleasure they could have in meeting you ?
How do you think they remember you ?
The thriftyest ever customer ?

Have you ever had real fun ?????? I wonder
I think of the people I meat and try to maximise pleasure for both sides and minimise costs. I have plenty of Thai friends who are happy to meet me again, money involved or not. Treating someone well does not necessary mean spending a lot of money on him.

Your post is based on the assumption that the fun I have is proportional to the money I spend, which is wrong. On the contrary, the highest expense (1500 Baht at Thai Boy Massage) led to a forgettable experience. On the other hand, some of the best things in life can be free.

I do not want to sorround myself with people who want to be my friend and smile at me because I throw money around.


+0.50 found (Yes, ChristianPFC will bend over for 50 Satang. Pun intended.)
I discussed this (I was not sure how to use bend down, bend over, go down on someone) with friends over lunch. The difference of "bend over" and "bend down" is:

I will bend down for 1 Cent and I will bend over for 100 Euro.


Sad enough to keep detailed expenses, but even more sad to publish. Why? Who cares what someone else spends on holidays? Our spending is relative to what we can afford. It's different for everyone.
Others take pictures and publish them. How sad is that?

I am very curious what others spend and how they spend it. My post is an incentive for others to write down their expenses and share them with us. It doesn't take that much time and gives valuable insight (e.g. if you wonder where all your money went).

My spending is not relative to what I can afford, I could afford to spend much more, but it wouldn't increase the fun I have. Money is not the limiting factor. How much fun and how many new experiences I have depends on things I cannot influence, often just good luck, being at the right place at the right time, you cannot buy that.


Once upon a time I thought spending 2000 baht per day in Thailand was very excessive. Lately I have been known to spend up to 7000 baht per day. What happened! I need to practice some self control.
How do you manage to spend 7000 Baht per day? Detailed description, please.

....How do you manage to spend 7000 Baht per day? Detailed description, please.

I will speak for myself only when I tell you how 7000B can vanish in a few hours -

2000B - Hotel Room (I include it because you include it in your Accounts)
200B - Lunch
3000B - 1 bottle JWBL @ Copa
300B Off Fee
1500B Tip (LT)

So there's 7000B without even a thought - and it doesn't even include half of what I would do in a day nor any incidental drinks, snacks, transport, or tips.
Now you might say, "well you wouldn't go to Copa every night", and that would be correct - but the booze bill would be the same or more wherever I went.
You might also say "Well, I wouldn't stay in a hotel @ 2000B a night" - but I would reply "Well, I wouldn't stay in Howard's"

:occasion9:

[Neal]

Christian, they are just having a go with you. Relax baby DaBoss still loves ya!
:sumo: :love7:
Scottish, why spend 3,000 for a bottle of JWBL when you can get it at HP for 1,400 and be with me. :love4:

Christian, they are just having a go with you. Relax baby DaBoss still loves ya!
:sumo: :love7:
Scottish, why spend 3,000 for a bottle of JWBL when you can get it at HP for 1,400 and be with me. :love4:

Darling, you know how it is - when one is in such demand one must spread oneself around.


:sign5:

[colmx]

:blackeye:
....How do you manage to spend 7000 Baht per day? Detailed description, please.
Ok seeing as you are looking for figures my final spend was тВм4800 (excluding flights @тВм1080) for 19 nights from December 29th-17th
Thats ~190000B or 10,000 B per night

Memorable costs:
8000B room rental
3000B Electricity and water
3000B Hospital fees after MoCy accident (another days story! :dontknow: )

1-2000B per day in MicMy or another gogo on 1-2 bottles of 100 Pipers
2-3000 B per day in Dave/Nab/Idol/TumNan
2-3000B per day in Step up/Karaoke/Si Saket
6-700B per day on food (2 people)
400B every 3 days on laundry (2 people)
100B every 2 days on Petrol
3000B on Phone credit
11,000B on my Birthday (there was 16+ people and it was a looonnnng night!)
Taxi From/to Pattaya @ 1500/1200

The rest was spent on boys, booze, clothes, tips, coyote drinks, 3 massages, and miscellaneous expenses
At the end of the holiday.... did I enjoy Myself? Yessss!
Did i blow my budget? Yessss
Did my BF enjoy himself? Yessss.... In fact i still can't get him to go back home from Pattaya!
Did everyone/most people i met enjoy themselves? I think/hope so... if not its their problem... not mine!
Lots of FB friends chatting about when the next trip will happen already....

CdnMatt and LatinTop call going out with Thai guys "buying friends"... My only comments on that are that they are the miserable/moaney ones on this forum and in their outlooks... so personally i think its the misers that are at a loss :blackeye: :blackeye:

[Beachlover]

He's done it again! :rolling:


Your post is based on the assumption that the fun I have is proportional to the money I spend, which is wrong... some of the best things in life can be free.

I do not want to sorround myself with people who want to be my friend and smile at me because I throw money around...

My spending is not relative to what I can afford, I could afford to spend much more, but it wouldn't increase the fun I have. Money is not the limiting factor. How much fun and how many new experiences I have depends on things I cannot influence, often just good luck, being at the right place at the right time, you cannot buy that.
I actually agree with these comments... the amount of money you spend is important but it's just ONE of many factors, which determine how much fun you have. ChristianPFC just doesn't seem like the kind of guy who enjoys partying in loud nightclubs and spend thousands of baht on drinks.

ChristianPFC, having said that... I reckon you should take a risk, spend more and see what it gets you. Otherwise you remain ignorant to what you don't know. Sometimes being at the "right place at the right time" means spending money to be there... luck is when preparation meets opportunity.


I will bend down for 1 Cent and I will bend over for 100 Euro.
Neal... take note. :bootyshake:

I say he is worth it. Every PENNY!

[Beachlover]

....How do you manage to spend 7000 Baht per day? Detailed description, please.
I will speak for myself only when I tell you how 7000B can vanish in a few hours...

2000B - Hotel Room (I include it because you include it in your Accounts)
200B - Lunch
3000B - 1 bottle JWBL @ Copa
300B Off Fee
1500B Tip (LT)

So there's 7000B without even a thought...
Not that I want to boast but in the interest of broadening ChristianPFC's perspective, this is how 20,000 baht typically goes in a few hours on my first night in Bangkok...

8,000 baht - Hotel
300 baht - taxi to hotel
470 baht - internet access at hotel
4,000 baht - massage at hotel spa... more if I decide to have a scrub and body wrap too
700 baht - meal and drink while lounging around the pool waiting for my BF to finish work
2,000 baht - couple of drinks for two at a really nice bar somewhere (BF usually pays for half)
5,500 baht - dinner for two at a good restaurant (BF usually pays for lunch and then I pay for dinner)
600 baht - reflexology food massage for two (BF usually pays for this)

Doesn't include shopping, laundry, breakfast, lunch or a bunch of other things I do during the day! We usually stay in on the first night, apart from having dinner and drinks out, but if we go out with his friends on other nights it costs more!


Once upon a time I thought spending 2000 baht per day in Thailand was very excessive. Lately I have been known to spend up to 7000 baht per day. What happened! I need to practice some self control.
Yeah... back when I was on a backpacker's budget I would only spend 2,000-3,000 baht/day at most. Then gradually increased to around $250/day and now I just spend whatever because convenience and getting the most out of the time I have takes priority.

[stevehadders]

Spending 7000 a day - very easy really:Have dinner then Pop into your favourite gogo, take 3/4 drinks with 2 boys, off them and take them to the disco, their friends join later (I always find this great fun ), dance and drink bottle whisky with many mixers,then take the 2 original boys back and pay decent tip - 7000 gone in the evening! Just another day in paradise (word of caution: I probably do drink too much, but its holiday so don't care!!!) :party

[MARK]

I am not sure if this guy needs to get a life or I do for reading it half way through. :dontknow: :hello2:

[Rush, Yet Again]

Christian, is the bug eating thing new for you? I donтАЩt remember seeing that expense on your previous accountings (and please donтАЩt make me go look!). If so, just feeling daring? Or were you with Thai friends and joined in on the meal? Did you find a favorite, or do they all taste as equally bad? Just curious . . .

[christianpfc]

Thanks for your replies. Now we are getting closer to the truth. I cannot justify (to myself) spending more than 1000 Baht per night for a hotel room. On my first and second holiday I staid in Ibis Sathorn (~1600 / night), but now I stay in cheaper hotels/guesthouses, because there are better ways to spend the difference. I don't drink any liquors and very little beer (between 5 and 10 litres per year, all of it in Thailand - numbers I wrote in earlier posts were lower, but a quick estimate showed that I drank about 5 litres during this holiday). Therefore, I am very hesitant to buy a bottle of whisky for friends (I did so three times on previous holidays, but it wasn't worth the expense).

So staying in cheap hotels/guesthouses and not drinking Whisk(e)y makes already a difference of about 2000 Bath per day.


ChristianPFC just doesn't seem like the kind of guy who enjoys partying in loud nightclubs and spend thousands of baht on drinks.
Exactly!


ChristianPFC, having said that... I reckon you should take a risk, spend more and see what it gets you. Otherwise you remain ignorant to what you don't know.
I will try next time. Actually, there were two occasions in this holiday, going to disco with friends, that cost more than expected (~800 Baht in total), but were worth it.


Christian, is the bug eating thing new for you? I donтАЩt remember seeing that expense on your previous accountings (and please donтАЩt make me go look!). If so, just feeling daring? Or were you with Thai friends and joined in on the meal? Did you find a favorite, or do they all taste as equally bad? Just curious . . .
I tried on my first holiday and have been sampling most of what's available on subsequent holidays. Some stuff is so-so (Maeng Da - giant water bug, big grasshoppers), others really tasty (I brought some fried bamboo worm - rot duan - back to Europe for consumption, and I have been searching the internet for recipies and substitutes available in Europe). Fried unhatched chicken is ok (I didn't find any on this holiday), so is dried salted (?) frog. Many of my Thai friend find eating insects as disgusting as it seems to Europeans. One even refused to kiss me if I don't stop.

T...Many of my Thai friend find eating insects as disgusting as it seems to Europeans. One even refused to kiss me if I don't stop.

This is fairly commom - many Thais I have spoken to (even madams and prostitutes) regard the eating of bugs as indicating "low-class".

:occasion9:

[stevehadders]

I guess the moral of the story is - do what makes you happy. I want to stay in a reasonable hotel - but if you can manage in a guesthouse (and many of my friends do), then that is absolutely fine.........It is not a competition to outspend each other, indeed I spend far too much and would love to cut it down, but excess gets in the way .
Sanuk, sanuk

Thanks for your replies. Now we are getting closer to the truth. I cannot justify (to myself) spending more than 1000 Baht per night for a hotel room.....

I can understand that, but I hope you can understand that I would simply not stay in the hotel you have mentioned in your expenses - and before I am atacked for saying so, I would point out I have direct experience.

My standards (and financial means) are obviously not as particular as Beachlover's who pays 8000B a night, but a minimum for me is cleanliness, good decor, and total lack of cockroaches.

If I see even 1 cockroach I cannot sleep in the room - the thought of even one of these creatures being on my bed during the night just makes me recoil in horror. Probably this phobia is aggravated by the fact that the damned things are not native to Scotland (too bloody cold I suppose!) so I have no direct experience of co-existing with them. I understand in USA for example they are relatively common.

Now, don't get me wrong - I stayed in a hotel in BKK @2800B a night Which, for me, is expensive) and the room was infested to the extent that when the bellboy opened the door to put my luggage in, the cockroaches were running up the walls and there were several on the bed. So price is not always an indicator of "quality" - but in my experience it generally is. Needless to say I checked out immediately and have never been back.

I need to make it plain that the cockroach issue is unrelated to the hotel which christianpfc mentioned.
I am not suggesting in any way that they have such a problem.

:occasion9:

i dont belive the amount you spend has much to do with how much you can enjoy yourself ..
i mean look at poor beachy he goes to these wonderful swanky bars and drink 1000 baht beers ... yet it seems to be full of creaps who try to hit on him as he goes to the bog ... maybe what an aussie calls swanky has an s where it shouldnt be .. and 1 2 many 0's on the menu ..
and why would you want to go drinking in a place that is full of twats.. har har har har ... give me normal anyday

[loke]

Its interesting to read that some of you guys spend more in one day than the average monthly salary for a Thai. :occasion9:

Anyway its possible to have fun in Bangkok for less than 2000 baht pr day , you dont need a budget , just enjoy the company of thai friends (not money boys), and dont expect to pay for everyhing when you are with a group of friends.

But if you really wanna go for it , sure , I envy you rich people .

[Beachlover]

cockroaches... I have no direct experience of co-existing with them.
From one gay man to another...

You don't "co-exist" with cockroaches. You exterminate every last one of the fuckers and then barrier spray all possible entry points and anywhere they might've plopped an egg.

Thankfully, I've never seen a cockroach while indoors Thailand. But I've slept in places knowing they were infested with fleas and bed bugs (thankfully never caught any).

:occasion9:


its possible to have fun in Bangkok for less than 2000 baht pr day
You can even spend less than 300 baht a day, excluding accommodation, and still have plenty of fun...

I recall a few days staying in the Dusit Thani once and some days I spent less than 300 baht... breakfast was included in the room cost and I was working most of the day so all I did for lunch and dinner was pop downstairs and grab some tasty street food for 20-50 baht.

Come midnight, I went to DJ Station and only bought the compulsory two drinks (200 baht) all night as I spent most of the time dancing. Chatted up a cute Thai guy and got him away from his friends and back to my hotel!

Less than 300 baht... beat that, Christian!

:party

cockroaches... I have no direct experience of co-existing with them.
From one gay man to another...

You don't "co-exist" with cockroaches....

Come on Beachy you know exactly what I meant - I never see cockroaches in my home country therefore it maybe comes as more of a shock to me when I'm confronted with them.

:occasion9:

[christianpfc]

Less than 300 baht... beat that, Christian!
You forgot to include the cost of the hotel:

I recall a few days staying in the Dusit Thani once and some days I spent less than 300 baht...

Ah, so scottish-guy has a cockroach-phobia! Brace yourself, they might come to Scotland during your lifetime. When I was living in England (East Midlands), there were cockroaches in the communal kitchen (I saw about ten per year), and I found one in my room as well. With climate change, they might move northwards. Now in France, I spotted one in the communal kitchen as well.

Talking about vermin, there were silverfish in my bathroom in England and rats in the bin area.

Of course, cockroaches in Europe are considerably smaller (about 1 cm long) than those in Thailand (about 5 cm long). I would prefer to live without cockroaches, but have no problem co-existing with them. When I was living in Bangkok, I had a room in a Thai area and one day, I was showering (even in winter, cold water is ok for showering in Bangkok), when I felt something above my ankle. It was a fully grown cockroach, which probaly came in through the drain. That was a shock for a moment, but no further problem.

More facts about cockroaches: I read somewhere that every year 100 (or was it 1000) US-Americans get deaf on one ear because a cockroach crawls in while they sleep and can't get out backwards.

You are entitled to a discount if you find more then 10 cockroaches in your hotel room.

So I can live with cockroaches, but I don't like big dark hairy spiders. In a bungalow in Koh Samui, I saw one in the bahtroom, I had to kill it, because I would not be able to sleep knowing there is a big fat hairy spider in my bathroom.

Christian, that is fascinating.

I too could not sleep in a room where I had observed a spider - whether it is fat and hairy or slim and spindly doesn't matter to me - both kinds are equally repellant.

Further, I could not stay in a room with a moth fluttering about or a crane-fly - I would have to get out the room and find a big butch boy to go in and kill it in cold blood. Of course I would give a tip for this service.

Butterflies I can tolerate for some strange reason - but not flying near my face of course.

May I suggest that in future you make a note of numbers and types of all bugs or other unwelcome insects you find in hotel rooms during your travels.

You could collate this data quarterly, on a excel spreadsheet, for posting right here on SGT forum.
I would certainly refer to your research when choosing a hotel or guesthouse.

Also, you state that a discount is merited if one was to find 10 or more cockroaches in the room - well, as I have said, if I saw a single cockroach I would not be staying long enough to get a discount! But I'm sure other SGT members would be highly interested in knowing what level of discount various establishments would give in the event.

Off the top of my head I would imagine that the more salubrious the Hotel the more discount they could give - and maybe the more expensive Hotels would not insist on there being exactly 10 cockroaches to qualify, perhaps 8 might suffice! It would be most interesting to know the cockroach to discount ratio at various Hotels.



:occasion9:

[RonanTheBarbarian]

Scottish guy, You really are a wooly moof if you are afraid of a crane fly (or daddy-longlegs as we call them in Ireland. I had to look up 'crane fly' in Wikipedia. I had presumed it was was some sort of gigantic scottish mosquito!)

I found Christians account rather humourous in its detail. Loved the bit where he added the really anal bits llike "+50 satang - found on street". :notworthy:

Some of it hinted at some accounts of more interest to come. The brief mentions of outings to Saranrom were quite tantalising....

[Beachlover]

Further, I could not stay in a room with a moth fluttering about or a crane-fly - I would have to get out the room and find a big butch boy to go in and kill it in cold blood. Of course I would give a tip for this service.

Butterflies I can tolerate for some strange reason - but not flying near my face of course.
Scottish... how do you function?! :scratch:

You remind me of a relative I used to live with... couldn't stand anything either! Even a bloody moth! I used to get woken up at 2am if they found something in their room. I would catch it and release it outside so they can get their precious beauty sleep!

I don't like spiders. The big ones freak me out. The little ones don't freak me out but I still kill them because they can be quite venomous and require a trip to hospital if bitten. Except Daddy Long Legs.

This is why the proposed "Christian's Quarterly Bug Report" would be essential reading.

I feel certain that within a very short space of time it would prove so popular that people would say "Hey, I better check out the CQBR before I stay in that hotel.."

[christianpfc]

I don't mind daddy longleg or crane fly or other insects or even lizards, only big black hairy spiders. On one single occasion I saw a cockroach in a hotel room in Thailand, and that wasn't even in my room, and it was dead.


I found Christians account rather humourous in its detail. Loved the bit where he added the really anal bits llike "+50 satang - found on street".

Finally someone who understands me! Everything in my report is true, but not everything is meant seriously.

Christian - if you wish to see multiple cockroaches in your room I can recommend a hotel in BKK.

[cdnmatt]

I think I can safely say I'm scared of cockroaches myself. Haven't used the upstairs bathroom in over two hours, because I seen one in there a while ago. It's 3am now, so still waiting for Kim to come home, so he can kill it. Like Scottish, we don't have these things in Canada. Same with maggots. Throughout my entire life, never once worried about maggots until I moved here, and I can safely say I hate them with a passion.

Kim will think I'm an idiot, but that's ok, because I bet he'd be scared shitless if he was in Canada watching TV, and a large deer came up to the house, and started staring at him through the window. :-) Or if he went outside and seen a bunch of racoons running around, or heard the coyotes howling at night, etc. So I don't feel too bad.

[martin911]

This topic has gone way off subject fascinating and all as it was --

But its one of the things that i like about staying in Thailand -- at any given moment u dont know whats going to scurry up the walls/over the floors
Coming home morning while opening the front door i noticed one of them small lizard things on top of the doorframe looking at me -
same next day he was there again !! not moved !
One evening while doing wash up after dinner i saw one on the wall opp kitchen window ,must have been a 1 1/2 foot long -- glaring in at us !!
The dog has great fun with them outside also

Matt do u see many snakes where u are --they i cannot stand --not seen any myself but one of the boys said there was one at the front gates --pretty big from what he described !!!

[Neal]

While it has gone off topic I think it is quite humourous and really deserves to have someone open up a thread of its own on this subject.
If you all want to you can either go back to the topic or ask me and I will open a topic for this and transfer the buggy comments over to there and you can all have fun with spiders, ants, rats and all sorts of things. :sign5:

[Jellybean]

One thought that occurred to me, as a former accounts investigator, after looking through your accounts Christianpfc was, where is the audit certificate? You cannot present them to us as a true account without a certificate. Now does anyone here know of an auditor who could step in and assist Christianpfc? тАУ Only joking!

Actually, your topic has generated more interesting and humorous posts than I would have expected from such a subject and has even broadened out to include the subject of cockroaches (ma-leeng-saap ) in Thai, as you probably already know. IтАЩm sorry to say Beachlover and RonanTheBarbrian, but I also share Scottish GuyтАЩs phobia. In fact I will go even further and say I cannot stand any sort of creepy-crawlies тАУ spiders (ma-leeng-mum) especially тАУ all of which were to be found in my former boyfriendтАЩs house in a village in Issan. I also cannot abide geckos (jing-jok) in Thai, despite the fact that they are regarded as the тАШgood guysтАЩ because they eat the annoying mosquitoes (yung).

Oddly enough I learned the names of all these critters fairly easily as I had reason to call out their names on a regular basis to alert my Thai hosts to whatever creature was crawling into their Thai toilet at any particular time. It would go something like this:

Me: Aaaaagggh!

BF: bpen aray? or aray na? (What happened? or what did you say?)

Me: ma-leeng-mum yai! (A big spider!)

Everybody: Ha, ha, ha!

What an embarrassment! Of course they all thought it was pretty hilarious. But thankfully, my apartment in Bangkok is on a high floor is not bothered by any unwanted visitors тАУ the monthly pest control visit is very effective as IтАЩve never had any problem over the last three years.

But to return to the subject of expenses whilst in Thailand, IтАЩve just returned to Bangkok after a three month absence and thought you may be interested in reading about the sort of expenditure a semi-permanent resident has to cough up. Thankfully January is not typical; in fact I regard it as the most expensive month of the year.

Foolishly I forgot to bring a computer cable and adaptor, I thought I had left one in Bangkok, but had only left a cable. So one trip to Pantip Plaza. This was a needless and wasteful expense. 1,700 Baht.

Whilst there I also purchased 4 new ink cartridges - 1,600 Baht.

Quarterly maintenance charges - 16,124.22 Baht.

Top up car with diesel + 20 Baht tip -1,620 Baht.

Tip to driver for keeping my battery charged - 500 Baht.

Top up Sky Train card - 200 Baht.

Top up for my mobile 300 Baht.

I went to Central Silom to top on grocery supplies only to find the whole shopping mall is closed. I checked up on the Internet and found that it has just been closed for a huge 250,000,000 Baht renovation. It will be closed for between 6 and 9 months. Actually I thought the mall was looking rather tired compared with other shopping malls in Bangkok. The artistтАЩs impression looks impressive.

So I drove to Tesco lotus on Rama III and bought my groceries there - 1,700 Baht.

A new office block has just been completed opposite my apartment called Sathorn Square. And a new five star hotel called тАЬW BangkokтАЭ is also near completion. I am told that the complex is going to have a shopping mall so that should make life a little easier for me.

Next week I am going to Hua Hin for 3 days and will have to sign and pay for the annual accounts which cover my house - E 13,000 Baht.

I shall also have to pay House & Land Tax, something my accountant sprung on me last year when I was asked to cough up 5 years back taxes (9,000 x 5 = 45,000 Baht)! Why wasnтАЩt I asked at the time? He had no explanation and said he was sorry. So E 9,000 Baht

House insurance renewal - E 3,750 Baht.

Car tax renewal - E 7,500 Baht.

Car Insurance renewal and 2,000 fees to agent to deal with all the paperwork - E 21,500 Baht.

Hotel costs for 3 days. Regrettably I am on a budget and cannot afford to spend 8,000 Baht a night like my esteemed fellow poster Beachlover - 4,500 Baht.

I shall say again here, with the benefit of hindsight I wish I had not opted to buy property in Thailand and wish I had gone down the rental route. IтАЩm convinced it would have been so much cheaper and definitely far more flexible.

Payment to Thai Boys

I have also had a little time in the last week for some socialising.

Boy number 1, a guy whom IтАЩve known for about 2 years. He is studying at university. Sadly his father died last year and he is now having trouble meeting his expenses. He complained that he had just paid 30,000 Baht in uniтАЩ fees and he had two monthsтАЩ rent, 10,000 Baht, to pay but did not have enough money. Despite me outlining all of the above expenses that I had recently paid or will have to pay, this did not seem to move him.

He would like to be my permanent boyfriend but I am not sure, IтАЩd prefer to keep it as a loose relationship. Okay, I said I could help him a little this month but the rest he would have to find. I gave him 3,000 Baht to add to 2,000 Baht he already had and 800 Baht for books. Now not sure if I want to continue seeing him if it means paying his monthly rent.

Boy number 2, someone from тАЬSoi SleazeтАЭ whom I met on 2 occasions back in October. He called me and asked to come round - 1,200 Baht.

Boy number 3, a guy I had been chatting to on the Internet. We met at Siam Paragon. We were going to see a movie but I didnтАЩt like any of the films he liked, in any case they were the 3rd or 4th sequels when I hadnтАЩt seen the originals.

My first reaction on seeing him was that he had a badly pock marked face, nothing too bad, but very noticeable. But the worst aspect was his teeth - they were horrible and looked like fallen tombstones and badly discoloured. Surprisingly, despite this I still found something very sexy about him.

However, getting him to communicate was like drawing teeth тАУ there was no immediate chemistry between us. I suggested going for lunch (forward note to myself тАУ just do coffee at future first meetings) I let him choose the restaurant, it was one of those restaurant chains. Well, just typical, he ordered a heap of food to my simple chicken fried rice and orange juice. The bill came to a whopping 875 Baht, about no more than 150Baht was my share! So after leaving the restaurant and knowing that nothing was going to happen between us I suggested seeing him in a weekтАЩs time and said goodbye etc. Then, surprisingly, he turned to me and said, тАЬGive me 300 Baht for taxi.тАЭ I said, тАЬWhat?тАЭ He said, тАЬGive me 300 Baht.тАЭ I started to fumble in my pocket, and then I thought, no way, why should I pay for his taxi when IтАЩve no intention of seeing him again and I had not agreed to pay him anything. Maybe this was mean spirited of me and in hindsight I should perhaps have just paid him and walked away.

Boy number 4 was an old boyfriend from 2-3 years ago. He had contacted me on Facebook. He has now left the bar scene and works in a shop 6 days a week. I met him on his day off. It was great to see him again, he looked almost the same as before, only darker skinned. During the time we had been apart he had been in the army and his mother had died. Now he is looking after his father who has become an alcoholic. Everyone I meet has a sad story to tell and sometimes I think I am like a character in one of PeterUKтАЩs books!

He would like us to get back together, but there are several obstacles to this. He works in Bang Na which is quite a distance from me and not an easy commute for him. He will need to look after his father and I am only here for 3 months and am not sure when IтАЩll be back. And, importantly, IтАЩm not sure if I really want a relationship at the moment. So we have agreed to proceed slowly for the time being with me seeing him once a week. IтАЩll just have to play it by ear until I see how we are together. I gave him 1,500 Baht for clothes etc тАУ he was still wearing the same jeans I had bought him 2-3 years ago and they did look rather ragged and shabby.

So there you have it, a rough breakdown of my expenditure for my first week in Bangkok and my estimated expenditure for next week. I hope it was sufficiently detailed for you Christianpfc because I know you like the detail.

Thank you Jellybean for (eventually) dragging us back on-topic.

Whilst "divergence" doesn't bother me, I feel sure that the anally-retentive amongst us who think that any discussion must stick rigidly to the original topic will be close to ecstatic now that we can get back to analysing that 50 satang that Christianpfc found in the street, or how much you spent at Tesco Lotus on Rama III .

Now that the topic is back on track, we can all sleep easily in our beds tonight - provided there's no spiders around.

:occasion9:

[Neal]

As I have mentioned prior, I have no problems with topics going astray although I know some do. It is all part of grown ups (uggh! Did I say that? having discussions. Eventually the topic comes back around. Only problem with going too far off topic for too long is that others may want to join in if they knew the topic had changed to something they may want to add to.

[Beachlover]

Less than 300 baht... beat that, Christian!
You forgot to include the cost of the hotel:
I did say the 300 baht was excluding the cost of the hotel... because everyone has different preferences. I recall Dusit Thani was 3,000 baht/night including breakfast for a deluxe room (awesome view of Bangkok skyline overlooking Lumpini Park).

Alright, throw your 850 baht hotel room into it and say, fun for 1,150 baht per day! Beat that!


One thought that occurred to me, as a former accounts investigator, after looking through your accounts Christianpfc was, where is the audit certificate? You cannot present them to us as a true account without a certificate. Now does anyone here know of an auditor who could step in and assist Christianpfc? тАУ Only joking!
You hear that ChristianPFC?! All that effort you made to record everything means nothing until you've paid an auditor $400/hr to check everything and give you that letter! :rolling:


Haven't used the upstairs bathroom in over two hours, because I seen one in there a while ago. It's 3am now, so still waiting for Kim to come home, so he can kill it.
Matt! By the time Kim gets back the cockroach will have gone to another room and then you won't know where to kill it! If I see a spider or something in my place I kill it right away because I don't want it "surprising" me later! I used to get Huntsman (big, hairy and quick) and Funnel Webs (can kill you within hours) at home. Never let them out of my sight once sighted, until they're dead or caught in a take away food box to be flung back outside.

Get some bug spray and give them a nice whiff of that as soon as you see one! You can ask Kim to clean up the mess when he gets back or use a vacuum cleaner so you never have to have your hands less than a metre from touching it hahaha!