Korean Job Discussion Forums

[gaychel]

Right now, my boyfriend is flying from America to Bangkok on Christmas. I'll be leaving Seoul on the 27th. We're going to be in Bangkok until the 29th, at which point we will migrate to a beach for a few days. This will be my first time to Thailand, and I'm completely overwhelmed with planning this.

And that's where I'm lost. We currently have a few nights reserved at some place in Pattaya, but I'm wanting something a little less crowded and sleazy than Pattaya. I knew about Pattaya's scene long before I reserved the room. Problem is, a lot of the hotels that take reservations in advance were jumping from around $30 USD per night to over $200 for New Year's Eve. When I found the place in Pattaya that was only raising their rate about $5 USD that night, I jumped on it. I know it's typically easy to walk in and find a room in Thailand, but I was warned off from doing that during peak season by this douche I work with.

Basically, Pattaya isn't my first pick, but it's close to Bangkok (I don't want to waste an entire day traveling to a beach and another day traveling back) and I found a place with the right price. We're easy-going enough that even if Pattaya isn't what we want for this trip, we'll still have a blast. We're not at all ABOVE sleazy and decadent, it's just not what we prefer for right now.

Oh, and Pattaya happens to fill the most important requisite for me: Elephant Village. I need to hang out with elephants. I need to touch them and play with them and ride them. I am SO excited about this that I'd be willing to comprimise the rest of my trip to spend a day with elephants. Call me a child. I don't care.

So in conclusion to this long winded, verbose post, is there anywhere that is:

a. easily accessible from bangkok
b. has a hotel that isn't going to charge me $200 for New Year's Eve
c. isn't Pattaya
d. has elephants i can frolic with

Thanks for your help. I'm being a complete tool about this, I know.

Oh, and this is, of course, provided that a coup doesn't break out in the next few days/weeks, dashing my dreams of sunshine and elephants.

[chris_J2]

Go to Si Racha on Ko Si Chang. Fallen Cave Beach is cheap & beautiful.

http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/photo58446.htm

http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Asia/Thailand/East/Chon_Buri/Si_Racha/

Or Ko Samet further south east. I don't know of anywhere in Thailand where you can 'frolic' with the elephants although they can be seen at Surin & Rose Garden. Bkk airport is closed at the moment.

[mediano tzu]

Koh Chang has some elephants and is about half a day's journey from Bangkok. It's also one of the cheaper island destinations and is less developed than most of the other large islands.

[chris_J2]

Ko Chang is about twice the distance from Bkk to Pattaya, & way over near the Cambodian border.