I guess the same things can be applied when you travel to Bangkok too :p
1. Do not bring any of your toiletries.
You can buy them all in 7-11 which is everywhere you go, you can find those familiar brand like Darlie and L'oreal in travel pack size which cost you so much cheaper than M'sia! For eg: Toothpaste is around 50baht and shampoo is around 20baht.
2. Do not bring extra clothing.
To be safe perhaps you may bring the bottoms, T-shirt is cheap there, you maybe get it at 100/150baht after bargaining! You may find clothing range from grandma style to baby. It applies to shoes as well :)
3. Shop at Boots.
A UK brand which sells healthy and beauty products. Boots Cucumber series are quite recommended from what I've researched, from skincare to lotion, reasonable price, and it smells nice too :) Another brand recommended by friend is No.7, which price is cheaper over there. (On my shopping list next time ;p)
4. Bargain!
Remember to bargain for whatever you buy! (Except those fixed price item, no one would bargain at McD or 7-11, heh.) Counter it with half of the price they offer you, then slowly increase the price you wanna pay if they reject. (That's what i do, and it works for me :)) Do smile and be friendly when bargaining, it helps. And when you're shopping with friends, bargain together! NO bargain NO gain! Oh, speak Hokkien do help to shop at Hatyai too!
5. Try Chinese food at Hat Yai
Surprisingly there're lotsa chinese food at Hat Yai, prolly it's near to M'sia and lotsa chinese there. Most of them can speak Hokkien dialect. Lotsa pork dishes there! Must try their dim sum, which they only steam it when you order, it costs around 15baht per plate, cheap! And they do have dim sum with bak kut teh, which i don't understand why, but don't worry they are still as delicious as they're supposed to be!
6. Eat! Makan makan and makan.
Street food are yums! List of must makan food - bird nest (100baht, cheap), fruits (especially pineapple! damn sweet!), mango sticky rice (signature dish of thai), seafood (but please beware of the price, some restaurant may con tourist and you may have to pay more than the local), roasted coconut water (oh me love!), coconut ice-cream (which i can't find it yet)... The list may go on.
7. Check the price before getting on tuk tuk.
The standard price to travel within the town area is 20baht per trip per person. But if you are planning to travel further like to the floating market, please ensure the price is acceptable for you before taking the tuk tuk, some is negotiable!
8. Massage (Everyday!)
It's everywhere on the street, the prices are mostly are 50% cheaper than M'sia! Recommended foot massage for the first timer! Standard price is 250baht per hour, but i do heard people getting cheaper price than this. Thai massage is another good choice too (200baht per hour). And yea some may be bargained as well!
9. Learn simple Thai language or Hokkien
Most of the Thai people can understand Mandarin and simple English, not much of communication problem there. However some locals may only speak and understand Thai and Hokkien, so it's always easier to communicate with them if you can speak Hokkien. Just learn some simple words/lines like numbers do help in negotiating and bargaining. You may pretend as local if you can speak a lil more Thai language :p
10. Try Samurai pork burger at McD.
Everyone said that, so i did :p It's not extremely delicious to me, but anyhow the burger is quite soft, plus it's not selling at M'sia so i guess it's worth to try. Anyway, you may try to pork burger at 7-11 too, which is so much cheaper than McD (only 20baht), recommended by my online research and it tastes good too! As a sidenote, 7-11 chicken burger is another cheap good food too!
Anyway, it's my personal opinion from my research and my merely first visit to Hatyai, and yea I did not visit any temple during this 3 days trip, opps. Hat Yai is good for a short relaxing trip of massage, food and shopping :) For those who have travelled to Bangkok may not find it fun at Hat yai as it's really a small city. Well, I shall tell you that after I visit Bangkok *wink*
x
No comments:
Post a Comment