Author Topic: Korat discovered for tourism (Read 1010 times)

Johnnie F. · « **on:** November 23, 2011, 08:48:54 AM »

TOURISM

TAT alters domestic regional focus after flooding

CHIANG MAI : The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) will focus on inter-regional tourism in the North, South and Northeast as the central region recovers from the floods.

Residents in the central provinces, an important market for domestic tourism, are likely not in the mood to travel as they repair their damaged houses.

Therefore, the TAT will opt to promote cross-regional tourism. For example, tourist sites in flooded provinces will be promoted to tourists in non-flooded provinces.

Pattamat Wongpattanasiri, executive director for the northeastern region, said the agency would promote 10 tourism campaigns until January.

Key tourism destinations are Ubon Ratchathani and Nakhon Ratchasima, with a variety of activities such as a Cowboy Festival; the beginning of winter in Ubon Ratchathani; the first sunrise of Siam and a New Year countdown at Cha Na Dai Cliff; and winter flowering at Pha Taem.

The TAT projects domestic tourism to the Northeast this year will be equal to last year's figure of 17 million trips, with the first-half figure up 34.4%. Domestic tourism in 2012 will not be lower than in 2011, but revenue will be down slightly.

The agency is confident that new flights by Nok Air from Chiang Mai to Khon Kaen and Chiang Mai to Udon Thani, after the opening of the third Thailand-Laos Friendship Bridge, will attract both local and foreign tourists to the region.

Suharith Chanwanangkura, the director of the TAT's Nakhon Ratchasima office, said that during the flooding in Bangkok, hotels and resorts in the Pak Chong and Wang Nam Khieo districts gave discounts to help people who evacuated to temporary quarters.

"Our promotion was warmly welcomed and the occupancy rate there stands at 80-90%," he said. "This campaign also helps boost the low-profile image of hotels and resorts in the Wang Nam Khieo area."

Bangkok Post

Saf · « **Reply #1 on:** November 23, 2011, 10:10:38 AM »

Korat City is ideal for tourism with its traditional buildings, broken and obstructed sidewalks, worsening traffic congestion, confusing street layout, dual pricing, exchange rate rip offs and dodgy hotel website descriptions.

Baby Farts · « **Reply #2 on:** November 23, 2011, 01:21:56 PM »

LOL. ...couldn't have said it better, Saf. Don't forget all the exciting activities there are to do here....like going to The Mall, and getting swacked every day.

Johnnie F. · « **Reply #3 on:** November 23, 2011, 05:54:11 PM »

Stumbled over a recent thread on the travel forum http://www.lonelyplanet.com about Korat. If that is really all true, I wonder how I kept surviving those two decades here.

Quote from: cafavier

Hi! I'll be going to Korat for a few days and was wondering:
1. is there a minivan from Anusawari (Victory Monument)?
2. what sights shouldn't I miss? I've already been to Pimai...
3. how can I go to Wat Palak Roy by public transportation?
Thanks for any tips!

Quote from: titima

Save yourself a lot of grief ,your life and your money. take the train. its a big city with very little english. be ready to survive out of 7-11 like so many who wander off the beaten track. rumor has there are a few crappy farang bars there now,so you can drink yourself silly and play with the over priced girls. beware of the big public park at night time. its not the thais to worry about just some real creepy white guys looking for trouble. just a warning. again take the 3rd class train its far better than those over priced death traps.

Quote from: cafavier

Thanx for the tip, the train sounds fun and I'll stay away from the park and the farang bars after dark :-) I speak Thai by the way, so I don't worry about getting around.

Would you by any chance know how to get to Wat Palak Roy?

Quote from: titima

try the market its great, so happy that you are one of the less and 1% percent that visit here that can speak thai. the last time i was there the baht bus from the train station to the center of town was 10 baht. avoid the dodgy taxis at the train station. just ask where the main road is going towards the market ,its not far from the train station,once on that road you will see the baht buses. there are numerous good hotels near the market. lucky you can speak thai because there is zero thai at these hotels. the market food is great. but again beware there are some real scum farang there. not sure how they got there or survive but they are there. just the type that give us all a bad name. sorry not sure where the temple is off hand. happy to hear that you won,t have to survive on a typical farang diet of beer, coke, potato chips, chicken and more beer. watched a couple from whos no where a few years ago in issan. every time i saw them they were coming out of 7 with a huge bag of potato chips and beer. typical lost tourists off the beaten path.

TAT really has a tough job improving Korat's image!

thaiga · « **Reply #4 on:** November 23, 2011, 08:08:11 PM »

just some real creepy white guys (with name tags)looking for trouble.

Saf · « **Reply #5 on:** November 23, 2011, 09:04:15 PM »

Other things to do for tourists are:

Visit Tesco Lotus.

Go to Yamo statue and wonder what it's about.

Learn that there are two bus stations and two Klang Plazas.

Ask for directions to somewhere.

Wonder why farang ignore you when you smile at them.

Pay too much for a beer.

Find out which of the 30 odd coffee shops sell decent coffee. Clue - an expert says that there are only three.

Baby Farts · « **Reply #6 on:** November 24, 2011, 03:34:04 AM »

Some other things to ad to the list:

Visit Big C

Take taxis which no longer use the meter, but instead charge you by the destination you seek. Example, 200 baht for a trip just a few kilometers.

Take a train, and learn that the price of a ticket changes every day.....also learn that a VIP train isn't really a VIP train. There are no reserved seats for VIPs, although that's what they tell you. You don't find this out until you enter, what is supposed to be the VIP car and find it packed full with no where to sit.

Wonder why a meal with only three dishes costs 900 baht at restaurant which is supposed to be very cheap.

Learn that people love it when you leave 100-200 baht tips, instead of telling you that a 20 baht tip is enough.

Baby Farts · « **Reply #7 on:** November 24, 2011, 03:58:28 AM »

JF,

I saw the thread too. Funny how titima knows all these dodgy places. I assume he's talking about Suan-Rak next to Yamo. There aren't any farangs there looking for trouble. There is however, an abundance of freelancers who own heavily used yeast factories.

Did you see the hotel recommendation? That's actually a very popular short-time hotel with the car ports and curtains.......and special movies on certain channels.

If they really want to promote this place they should start a new advertising campaign with a slogan like....

"Save yourself a trip to Pattaya. Come to the source of the Nile."

Saf · « **Reply #8 on:** November 24, 2011, 07:37:38 AM »

More:

Take pics. of crazy suicidal bikers from the comfort of a dingy bar.

Enjoy a fairground ride in a tuk tuk.

Experience the empty supermarket shelves.

Be happy knowing that there is no poo-ridden sea.

Visit the pool at The Mall and see the cruisers looking for friends.

Baby Farts · « **Reply #9 on:** November 24, 2011, 08:37:38 AM »

Watch the construction of two 7-11's right next to each other.

Engage in the experience of having someone spy on you while you take a p.iss at The Mall bathrooms.

Enjoy the lovely sight of a mother holding her baby in one hand while trying to maneuver the motorcycle in the other hand. Throw in the mobile phone and it's really a sight to see.

Saf · « **Reply #10 on:** November 24, 2011, 09:43:10 AM »

Visit Yamo Market early in the morning and see the live rat show.

Taser · « **Reply #11 on:** November 24, 2011, 11:25:24 AM »

Korat is great for it's lack of foreigners here. That is an attraction in itself. The less foreign influence Korat has the better I say, keep Korat off the tourist radar and keep it "Thai".

That said, it's a good thing Korat doesn't offer a lot to the average foreigner experiencing their Thai "getaway". It's too "Thai" for most.

thaiga · « **Reply #12 on:** November 24, 2011, 11:36:47 AM »

Quote from: Saf on November 24, 2011, 09:43:10 AM

Visit Yamo Market early in the morning and see the live rat show.

Whats the entrance fee for us guys.

Saf · « **Reply #13 on:** November 24, 2011, 12:30:42 PM »

It's free but take your own sick bag. It's a filthy place.

Lebowski · « **Reply #14 on:** November 24, 2011, 07:40:27 PM »

Quote

Korat is great for it's lack of foreigners here.

Yes, but the lunatics that are here now make up for the ones that aren't. It is also not the deal it once was, used to be a nice place when you went out at night.

Quote

The less foreign influence Korat has the better I say..

Yes, but dream on as more are turning up all the time and are hardly the quality types.

Quote

....keep Korat off the tourist radar and keep it "Thai".

It's an industrial city with few tourist attractions but seems to be attracting many that cannot afford to live by the beach anymore and it's easy to see by the selection of fools at immigration every time you go that they are all slowly on-their-way here from other places.

Quote

It's too "Thai" for most.

Wish that was true...be prepared for the foreigner population to increase even more over the next 5-10 years along with wealthy Thais from BBK buying up plots of land or second houses here too.

If there's one thing amongst others that the BBK lot have learned from the floods is that a second home outside BBK is necessary.

Baby Farts · « **Reply #15 on:** November 26, 2011, 01:27:02 AM »

Well said, Lebowski. Used to be a nice place is correct. Back in 2001 you hardly ever saw a foreigner around unless the Americans were doing their war games stuff.

There used to be a Micro-Brewery next to the Dusit Princess called, "Hop Beer House." The place used to be packed every night, with live music and such. John was still playing at Bule Saloon. I think he's still in the States now. I don't recall there being any farang bars.

You're correct about immigration. The freak show can be seen there on almost any day. Even the clothes I wear to lay around the house are nicer than some of the stuff the freaks show up wearing....the stench of alcohol is so high at times, I wouldn't dare light a match in there. Some of these guys have also forgotten what a shower and bathing is. I almost always see at least one person (sometimes more) trying to get "another" and "another" extension on their tourist visa in order to remain in the Kingdom so they can spend more "quality" time with the dark-skinned girl they have attached to their arm.

The immigration people are really nice there, but I feel sorry for them having to endure this sort of thing on a daily basis.

*If you really want to see the cream of the crop, head over to the other immigration office where they do the investigations and such. They have a bulletin board there with the "Most Wanted." You might even recognize a few of them. This is NOT a racist comment, but there wasn't a single black guy on the list and maybe only one or two Asians. They are almost all white guys, many who look like regular ordinary people...some look absolutely nutz.

Taser · « **Reply #16 on:** November 26, 2011, 02:01:50 PM »

Quote from: Baby Farts on November 26, 2011, 01:27:02 AM

Well said, Lebowski. Used to be a nice place is correct. Back in 2001 you hardly ever saw a foreigner around unless the Americans were doing their war games stuff.

There used to be a Micro-Brewery next to the Dusit Princess called, "Hop Beer House." The place used to be packed every night, with live music and such. John was still playing at Bule Saloon. I think he's still in the States now. I don't recall there being any farang bars.

You're correct about immigration. The freak show can be seen there on almost any day. Even the clothes I wear to lay around the house are nicer than some of the stuff the freaks show up wearing....the stench of alcohol is so high at times, I wouldn't dare light a match in there. Some of these guys have also forgotten what a shower and bathing is. I almost always see at least one person (sometimes more) trying to get "another" and "another" extension on their tourist visa in order to remain in the Kingdom so they can spend more "quality" time with the dark-skinned girl they have attached to their arm.

The immigration people are really nice there, but I feel sorry for them having to endure this sort of thing on a daily basis.

*If you really want to see the cream of the crop, head over to the other immigration office where they do the investigations and such. They have a bulletin board there with the "Most Wanted." You might even recognize a few of them. This is NOT a racist comment, but there wasn't a single black guy on the list and maybe only one or two Asians. They are almost all white guys, many who look like regular ordinary people...some look absolutely nutz.

Do you think it's characters like the ones you describe above who use these community forums? i would guess they make up for 75% atleast.

Lebowski · « **Reply #17 on:** November 26, 2011, 06:10:58 PM »

Quote

I don't recall there being any farang bars.

True, only a couple of the older restaurants like Pizza Shop (RIP) and Balu's........ as a time marker for those interested, it all started going wrong around (and just afterwards/onwards from) when the "Palestinian" Restaurant opened, which was about 8 years ago or so.....can't remember exactly now.

Quote

I think he's still in the States now.

Think so too.

Quote

Do you think it's characters like the ones you describe above who use these community forums?

There are probably many of them that surf the forums here in Korat and enjoy their exchanges from behind a monitor or just be voyeurs of what others say.

Baby Farts · « **Reply #18 on:** November 27, 2011, 04:30:45 AM »

Quote from: Taser on November 26, 2011, 02:01:50 PM

Quote from: Baby Farts on November 26, 2011, 01:27:02 AM
Well said, Lebowski. Used to be a nice place is correct. Back in 2001 you hardly ever saw a foreigner around unless the Americans were doing their war games stuff.

There used to be a Micro-Brewery next to the Dusit Princess called, "Hop Beer House." The place used to be packed every night, with live music and such. John was still playing at Bule Saloon. I think he's still in the States now. I don't recall there being any farang bars.

You're correct about immigration. The freak show can be seen there on almost any day. Even the clothes I wear to lay around the house are nicer than some of the stuff the freaks show up wearing....the stench of alcohol is so high at times, I wouldn't dare light a match in there. Some of these guys have also forgotten what a shower and bathing is. I almost always see at least one person (sometimes more) trying to get "another" and "another" extension on their tourist visa in order to remain in the Kingdom so they can spend more "quality" time with the dark-skinned girl they have attached to their arm.

The immigration people are really nice there, but I feel sorry for them having to endure this sort of thing on a daily basis.

*If you really want to see the cream of the crop, head over to the other immigration office where they do the investigations and such. They have a bulletin board there with the "Most Wanted." You might even recognize a few of them. This is NOT a racist comment, but there wasn't a single black guy on the list and maybe only one or two Asians. They are almost all white guys, many who look like regular ordinary people...some look absolutely nutz.

Do you think it's characters like the ones you describe above who use these community forums? i would guess they make up for 75% atleast.

I think the number is higher than that. Many folks won't admit that they go on the forums, yet they will talk about and make references to specific things that are discussed on the forums. In other words, they are trying to conceal their identity and for some of them, I can understand why.

Baby Farts · « **Reply #19 on:** November 27, 2011, 04:39:42 AM »

Quote from: Lebowski on November 26, 2011, 06:10:58 PM

Quote
I don't recall there being any farang bars.

True, only a couple of the older restaurants like Pizza Shop (RIP) and Balu's........ as a time marker for those interested, it all started going wrong around (and just afterwards/onwards from) when the "Palestinian" Restaurant opened, which was about 8 years ago or so.....can't remember exactly now.

Quote
I think he's still in the States now.

Think so too.

Quote
Do you think it's characters like the ones you describe above who use these community forums?

There are probably many of them that surf the forums here in Korat and enjoy their exchanges from behind a monitor or just be voyeurs of what others say.

I remember it well...Pasinee.

Boy did you hit the nail on the head with that last sentence!

Take Mr Potter / Poshkid / and now currently using the name Salika Donga on k-f (G***Y). He is a perfect example of this. What a real real mental giant we have here. Really...what kind of person starts a topic about "the greatest man that ever lived" and puts "Shearer" on the list? Someone from Newcastle? Then if you disagree with him on a topic, he insults you and attempts to announce to the entire forum who you are.

thaiga · « **Reply #20 on:** November 27, 2011, 07:30:12 PM »

SHEARER i think it must be someone who cuts hair on sheep. ALFIES POST.today was,

Thanks a lot for your response, Koratchef.

I'm not sure what I'll make yet but I'd like to try Gingerbread men if I can get the ingredients. I might experiment with some form of bread, too, and possibly some cakes. Yummy. (What are they on)

thaiga · « **Reply #21 on:** November 27, 2011, 09:21:46 PM »

THIS IS A QUOTE FROM STICKMANBANG

I have seen the average foreigner here as a discredit to most. It used to be

that a foreigner would have a special status here. Now that is history.

The influx of these traveling poor and societal dropouts and bums from

their own countries has killed the image of a prosperous and sustainable foreign resident.

I have no respect for those.

including the ones with enough retirement income to squeeze by.

Most of the mix belong back in their home countries having real jobs.

the delusional freaks that come here that are the subject

of living high.

The aspect of racism is apparent and applies not only to Asia but also between Thais of

different regions and skin colors

This is the respect a foreigner used to automatically get due to his white race

which has been diminished by the foreign bums living here. Foreigners used to be

automatically seen as wealthy in a class society that makes income a primary part

of your social status. That has pretty much disappeared due to the backpacking tourists

those living in 300 baht guesthouses in the cities and scraping by no better than a working

class Thai.

bums mix in and make it look bad, but like everywhere there are low class hangers-on.

They are the social outcasts and the lazy of mind, spirit, and body that run away from

working, a family, responsibility, and their debts

Baby Farts · « **Reply #22 on:** November 28, 2011, 03:04:52 AM »

I know stickman personally and I can tell you he does know a lot about Thailand and the people that come here to live. I agree with the post above.

thaiga · « **Reply #23 on:** November 28, 2011, 04:49:57 PM »

LAST time i was at immi.There was an english guy talking thai to an officer she obviously didnt understand him and ask him to repeat the question,so he did in thai.not understanding him for the second time she said it would be easier if you spoke english.Boy was he ebarrassed.

Baby Farts · « **Reply #24 on:** December 02, 2011, 01:48:09 AM »

Thais do this to. I don't know if it's because they want to practice English or try to impress their friends. It's annoying when a foreigner does this....especially when they don't know the correct tones, which can completely change the meaning of a word. For example, telling a girl she is beautiful in Thai. Suay. Say it in the wrong tone and it means bad luck. When it comes to Thai nicknames, look out! A common nickname Muay, if not pronounced correctly means pubic hair. Imagine some dumb a.ss saying to a girl named Muay and attempting to tell her she's beautiful..."Nice to meet you Pubic hair. You are bad luck."

Another thing. Using filthy words in Thai has a huge impact....more than how most westerners curse. We use the F word on a daily basis. I know a guy who can't complete a single sentence without including the word "F-ing." We take it as the norm, but use it in Thai and around Thais and they will quickly look at you as a pig with a filthy mouth.

One thing that annoys me is two native English speakers speaking Thai to one another. If they're trying to practice their Thai language skills...fine....but it's the ones who do it in a regular conversation. I remember years ago there was this one American guy who had just arrived in Thailand. Every time he agreed with me on something he'd say, "Chai Chai Chai." I finally had to tell him, "I'm not Thai and you can speak English to me."

thaiga · « **Reply #25 on:** December 02, 2011, 07:55:12 PM »

As you say.I know some uk guys that speak fluent thai.But only speak it when they need to talk to th people.

QUOTE.Imagine some dumb a.ss saying to a girl named Muay and attempting to tell her she's beautiful..."Nice to meet you Pubic hair. You are bad f--k." LOL.

Baby Farts · « **Reply #26 on:** December 03, 2011, 01:30:39 AM »

Quote from: thaiga on December 02, 2011, 07:55:12 PM

As you say.I know some uk guys that speak fluent thai.But only speak it when they need to talk to th people.

QUOTE.Imagine some dumb a.ss saying to a girl named Muay and attempting to tell her she's beautiful..."Nice to meet you Pubic hair. You are bad f--k." LOL.

HAHAAHAH.

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Author Topic: Korat discovered for tourism (Read 1010 times)