At a loss in Thailand

I'm travelling in India for a month with some friends and am then going to Thailand for 10 days from the 10th Jan. My mate who was coming to Thailand has dropped out so I was wondering if any of you guys have suggestions where to go what to do during the time I am there?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObKpwmZkl24

pretty much everywhere in thailand is touristy or saturated with annoying backpackers with braids, but will probably feel quite welcome after time spent in India (a much more interesting place to visit IMO).

instead of trying to find something 'different' to do, just head south to Koh pan yan with everyone else and get drunk on the beach. or if you dont want to party, koh tao is the next island along and is more beautiful, quieter and has good diving.

if you re a real cnut, you might end up in Koh samui.

go to ka tao or ko phangan for the parties ko phi phi is uber nice as well and lo lanta it really nice as well but alot quiter then the other 3 thats it you want nice beaches warm water and lots of really drunken nights if you want culture go to chang mai and pie and chang rai up north

Rent a motorbike in Chiang Mai (scooter, anyway 125 cc, completely or half automatic) and do a journey. Mae Hong Son Loop in the North is great. Very easy but almost nobody does it with own transport. For some reason people like to be stuck on buses going through the best scenery Thailand has to offer.

www.osmosno.com

I guess I can handle getting drunk on a beach, might look into the motorbike rental as you say osmosno as that sounds like a class idea

Have you got somewhere to stay when you get to Thailand?

The Lonely Planet is your friend.

lonely planet guides are okish if you want to see a whole bunch of religious buildings and be told where not to go. I did the opposite while in south america and went where it said not to and had a much better time and met the nicest people ever.

One word. Ladyboys

Another word: soapy massage...

OK - two. whatever.

Koh Chang

Go to Laos. I hear its not full of cunts.

+1 Ko Chang. Was quite a long time ago since I was there right enough so it'll all be very different by now. Ko Samet, pretty close to Bangkok isn't too bad an island and fast to get to if you don't want the hassle to travelling and just ant to sit on a beach.

Travelled top to bottom, side to side for a few months quite a few years ago.
The East was the least touristy bit, probably the north the nicest, south the most tourist hell.
Saying that, Ko Mook (Muk I think is the proper spelling) has a brilliant lagoon/cave thing that you can swim thru from a boat. pretty scary as you have to swim thru a cave which at one point you can't see shit. Get there early morning before the main trips arrive with the lights and canoes and all that crap. The island itself was tiny.

Up north, heading into the mountains towards Burma is also pretty 'rustic'. just find out where everyone else is headed for and pick somewhere else from the lonely planet. By and large the people were really friendly. Dammed if I can recall the exact place name but it was out towards Mae Hong Son distric. Chaing rai way up north was pretty nice, much better than the larger Chang mai just south of it.

I can also suggest a mad north to south dash thru Laos.
Cross the border at Chiang Khong (I think it was ) across to Houei Xai in Laos then down the Meekong thru to Luang Prabang then overground to the capital Vientiane and back to Thailand.
Tho with only 10 days you might be pushing it. Although things have undoubtedly changed for the better transport and roads wise, it's still a couple of days on the river and a full day by road and thats just in Laos.

Think I'll give the ladyboys a miss, hopefully. Not got anywhere to stay, just flying into Bankok from Delhi and have to be back in Bangkok 10 days later for my flight back. Lots to think about there Daim, thanks for the all the suggestions -I guess I better do a bit of research although the front runners at the moment are motorbike loop / mad rush through Laos / soapy massage.

Ta

10 days isnt long, and its probably changed loads since I went, but after India, surely a beach rest !

Koh Phi Phi

or SukoThai ( up north )

Lonely planet....ftw

+1 Sukhothai, Chiang Mai or out in the north east where there are no tourists. The beaches and islands are beautiful but inundated with touristy shit. You can do some good trekking up in the north if that's your thing.

My bro owns a guesthouse just off the Sukhumvit Road. If you aim to pass through the manic streets of Bangkok he'd be a good person to act as a guide (if you needed some direction). Speaks fluent Thai (which is fuckin' hilarious... i keep thinking he's making it up!!!)

My mate used to own a bar/restaurant on Ko Lanta, never heard a bad word spoken about it, less cunts than the rest of thailand apparently.....

find an internet cafe and log into londonfgss and hit up the forum for 10 days
we'll keep you entertained

Lots of historical sightseeing + bars, clubs and parties + sex tourism = I don't understand how you can possibly be at a loss.

I would love to go one day fora few months, my GF is 1/2 Thai 1/2 Chinese (raised in Thailand, near the Malaysian border somewhere), sounds like an incredible place.

i'll ask her for some local things to do mate

The Lonely Planet is your friend.

This years lonely planet guides have drastically dropped in quality/content. They are all around a third thinner.

Rough guide and other books are better now.

Oh, I may like to also mention that if you want to go somewhere culturally rich, with nice food but nearly zero tourists in south east asia, go to bangladesh.

It is really quite awesome.

A friend has put me on to a 'guide' I think she may charge by the hour though

The one with the impressive hat, called pang, apparently