Bangkok Offers Fun For Those On A Budget

Capital City Boasts Of Entertainment Including $1 Meals, 15 Cent Train Rides And $3.50 Accomodations

(AP)  From 15-cent train rides to excellent, one-dollar meals, Thailand's tropical capital is teeming with budget options for the penny-pinching traveler. Where else in the world can you get a free vasectomy?

It's easy to spend hundreds of dollars a day in Bangkok, home to some of the most luxurious hotels in the world. But following some guidelines, you can enjoy the city at a fraction of the price.

ACCOMMODATIONS: Most budget tourists head straight for Khao San Road, a lively, colorful area where you can pay as little as $4.50 a night for a bed in a dorm room. Despite the low price, the accommodations are perfectly decent. It's heaven for backpackers, but more recently is attracting more upmarket tourists as well.

In Bangkok's prime residential area of Sukhumvit Road, one budget option is Suk 11, a quirky guesthouse legendary among backpackers, where the halls have been remade with creaking wooden planks and hanging lanterns to look like old Bangkok alleyways. A bed in a clean, air-conditioned dorm room starts at $7.50.

GETTING AROUND: Buses in Bangkok charge only 15 cents for non-air-conditioned service, and up to 50 cents for AC vehicles.

Traveling in Bangkok during rush hour is an exercise in Zen patience, so tourists in a hurry would do best to use the excellent BTS Skytrain and underground Metro, with trips starting at 15 baht(US45 cents).

Trains in Bangkok are cheap. A third-class trip from some suburban areas to the heart of town cost as little as 15 cents. Or hop aboard one of the public ferries along the Chao Phraya River for some spectacular views from the water for US27 cents.

FOOD: You can pay as little as a dollar per meal at a neighborhood street stand. Follow the crowds. Any place packed with customers is bound to offer tasty, fresh fare.

Try the stalls at the Banana Family Park, near the Ari Road Skytrain stop, for tasty vegetarian options. Two meatless dishes cost 75 cents.

MASSAGE: For a cheap and novel Thai massage, head to the Skills Development Center for the Blind, where sightless trainees charge just US$3 per hour. The center is located just north of the city in Pak Kret.

Madame Joe's, staffed by graduates of the famous Wat Po Massage School, offers affordable massage in the Khao San area, at 5.37 for one hour.

BARS: Cheap Charlie's, a ramshackle but atmospheric outdoor bar in the Sukhumvit area, has been popular with frugal ex-pats for years. Just $1.80 for small bottle of local brew.

Some bars have ladies night specials. Try Coyote on Convent Road where waiters will keep your margarita glass overflowing for free 6-8 p.m. on Wednesdays. The trendy Q Bar, in Sukhumvit, allows women to forgo the US$15 cover on Wednesday nights.

ATTRACTIONS AND EVENTS: Museums and the more notable Buddhist temples in Bangkok are cheap, generally charging a dollar or two for entry, while parks, art galleries, less famous temples and outdoor shrines are free.

In the wee hours of the morning, the centrally located Lumpini Park fills up with fitness buffs. Look out for groups practicing yoga or tai chi. Instruction is in Thai, but most classes will allow you to join in for free. The fun ends at 8 a.m. when the National Anthem is played, but crowds return at sundown for more exercise, including aerobics classes.

The Lingam Shrine, filled with phallic symbols, is a must-see among Bangkok's free oddities. Traditional dances are performed without charge at the Erawan Shrine, near the Grand Hyatt Erawan hotel.

At Siam Square, a popular hangout for the younger crowd, free break dancing competitions and concerts take place in the shadows of chichi malls and high-end apartment complexes.

INSIDE INFO: Just saying "hello" ("sawadee kha" if you are a woman; "sawadee krap" if you are a man) and "thank you" ("khopkhun kha/krap") may well get you a lower price, especially when bargaining in markets.

Never throw the grown-up version of temper tantrums. Thais abhor them - and may add on some baht to your bill in revenge.

As for those free vasectomies? The Population and Community Development Association offers them to any man, any nationality, who has fathered two children already. How's that for a good deal?

[patriot12436]

The economy is hurting this country as well and a lot of people are out of work here. I find the crime rate to be almost non existent by American standards. A lot of elephants are out of work and it costs a lot to feed them every day. Some owners bring them to the neighborhoods and sell sugar cane so people can feed them. I have a full grown elephant come to my house every week. If i do not come when he calls me he rings my doorbell. I am going to miss him a lot when i leave here. I highly reccommend to anyone wanting a fantastic vacation to come to Thailand. It will be worth the cost. If anyone wants further information, email me at AOL.COM. I will be glad to answer any questions i can.

[patriot12436]

The best snake show i have foud is at Quanh Canh on the Laos border, about a 5 hour drive from Bangkok. It is a small place but the village worships king cobra''s and puts on a good show, after if you like you can get your picture taken holding one of these magnificent snakes, i did and had no fear of being bitten after i had been instructed how to handle and that is without holding the head. I thik one of the most wonderful things i did was go to a monastery north of Bangkok about three hours. The monks let wild animals come into the monastery, feed them and they are allowed o come and go as they like. They are accustomed to tourists and are completely safe. They have full grown bengal tigers ter and you can have your picture taken while sitting on a rock with them. When i was there they also had a pair of young cubs they brought out and let the tourists play wih. A 40 pound cub doesn''t know his own strength and can bring blood but is not intentional. (cont)

[patriot12436]

There are many ruins of ancietn times to see around Thailand Athatia (not sure if i spelled it right), is one of th best. They have elephant safaris and is a very enjoyable trip about two hours from Bangkok. For beaches i would reccommend Pukett first, 500 miles to the south and the most beautiful beach i have seen anywhere. It was where they filmed the James Bond movie The Man With The Golden Gun. Every activity you can imagine at the beach. You can rent an apartment furnished easily for 10k baht a month in Bangkok, about $300 American dollars. Chang Mai to the north is a beautiful area in the mountains. That is also where they grow orchids, near there you can see the golden triangle where they grow the poppies. I would reccommend seeing from a distance, it isn''t a friendly area for tourists . (cont)

[patriot12436]

I reccomend the river market, very colorful with many shops for souvenirs, never pay an asking price, always bargain for what you want. You will still pay more than it is worth but this is part of the fun. They just opened a new zoo in Bangkok that is fantastic. Locals admission is 50 baht, farangs get charged 100 baht. Don''t be offended being called a farang, it only means foreigner. These are hard working people and the average wage is about $3 to $11 a day. It is a poor country by American standards but do try to show respect for the people and the culture. Never insult the king or the royal family. He is very respected by the people and rightfully so. He does much to help his people. (cont)

[patriot12436]

I have lived in Thailand the last 18 months. Women say hello with sawadeca, men say sawadecup, not krap. Never pay more that 100 baht an hour for massage, anywhere, then i always add 100 basht tip so when i come back they rememeber me and always give good service. Thank you is khup en ca for women and same for men. Never take a taxi from airport for any distance. They will all rip you off as they figure you do not know what the rates are. Go to nearest location you can find to catch a city taxi and ask what the rate will be up front. They have meters so if they use it you will niot be cheated unless yiou find them driving thwe long way asround, so ask an approximate price up front. Many Thai''s speak english and are glad to assist. You will find they are some of the friendliest people in the world. I am, sure there are areas a tourist should stay out of but i have never found any and i go everywhere. here are so many places to go and things to do in Thailand it is hard to know where to start. (cont)