Is it worth to go to Thailand right now? I checked the weather and it looks like is is hot, humid or raining. Do most the entertainment locations have a/c ? How are the beaches and girls this time of year. I am wondering if I should go now or a different time of year.

Yes to everything you asked. Weather should never be an impediment to go to Thailand. With the exception of outdoor beer bars, all venues have AC, your hotel room has AC, the Skytrain has AC (if you are in Bangkok), malls and restaurants have AC, and the taxis have AC.

April and May are blistering hot, but what the hell, you're inside most of the time anyway.

I'm not so sure I agree although this depends on how heat affects you. For me, the worst thing about Thailand is the heat, and it often tires the hell out of me. Although I have been there in April (the hottest month) and somehow managed to survive (and have some fun thrown in), particularly if this is your first trip and you do not tolerate blistering heat well you may want to find a better time for it. But as above, it depends on how well you tolerate the heat.

OTOH, Murasaki is correct about the air conditioning, although they haven't figured out a good way to air condition the outdoors yet.

*

(Message edited by Xenono on May 17, 2009)

I totally agree with Xen.

* all the way - every day.

There are few people on this earth who are as heat intolerant as LAGuy. This is the man who can drench a shirt in sweat walking ten feet from his couch to the fridge.

Unless you are some freak of nature, and you have his "heat intolerance" genes, the heat probably won't have nearly the impact on you that it has on him. So pay no mind to him.

As for Xen and his mystical postings, I have this to say:

^#

The following table shows the average high temperature in Bangkok for the entire year.

Jan 89°F
Feb 90°F
Mar 92°F
Apr 94°F
May 92°F
Jun 91°F
Jul 90°F
Aug 90°F
Sep 89°F
Oct 89°F
Nov 88°F
Dec 87°F

For my money, there is not a big difference between 94 and 87. This is the tropics. It is always hot and humid there. The only seasons are hot and humid and hot, humid and rainy.

The best advice is to drink lots of water and take showers often. The heat is miserable there. But well worth it.

Murasaki: Aren't you the guy who packs about 10 gallons of water in your backpack when you are walking around in Bangkok and has berated me for not drinking enough water (i.e., about a quart every five minutes) because of what the heat can do to your body??

I rest my case.

Au contraire counsel, you have no case to rest. I have a high tolerance for heat. One reason is that I do stay well-hydrated. Drink lots of water, take lots of showers, and fuck lots of pooying. It's a recipe certain to make heat bearable. Especially when most of the showers are before and afters with said pooying.

And none of your sleight of hand should distract from the central tenet previously posted: you are a walking sweat factory, and I am not.

Xen: one day a few weeks ago it was unusually hot and dry in Bangkok. Without the usual humidity the dry heat was practically refreshing.
When I see the humidity getting to the locals I don't feel so bad about it. For about 5 seconds.

Last January there were a few nights when the temperature went below 70F, I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't experienced it myself.

The worst is after a rain, I call it 'dim sum weather,' and the dumplings are us.

I find the advice from Murasaki to be sage advice indeed. I will continue this path for the next couple weeks until I can be convinced otherwise.

I am going to go to Thailand now. Everyone says to pack light. If I need to but some clothes do they sell them in larger sizes ? I am normally a XL in the US. I guess there is enough expats and tourist there they sell large size clothes.

Rio

US XL size will be no problem in Thailand.

Now I am 2XL Tall--try to find that in Thailand !

I was in bangkok and pattaya during end of march and enjoyed the warmth. Certainly drank a lot of water and always put SPF 55 on before leaving hotel. Perhaps my heat tolerance has something to do with living in the Arizona desert the past 28 years. Xenono's table only shows a two degree increase in the hottest months.

i am here now and most of the places have really good a/c. it rained a little bit but not much. i am at the nana plaza hotel and the a/c works great. there room is really dark and quite also. i am on the 3rd floor. it is not the nicest hotel but i like the location. they give you three bottle waters everday. i have not been able to get their internet to work yet and i am at an internet cafe.

a lot of the bars are pretty empty.