On my next visit I’m aiming for somewhere a bit different in Thailand and going to try the North East. Surin is famous for its ‘Elephant Round-up’. Nakhon Phanom on the Mekong is an area of outstanding beauty and offers a crossing into Laos. If you like your temples Preah Vihear is fascinating. It lies over the border in Cambodia but is only accessible from Thailand. Loei area produces great Chenin Blanc!

As for a budget you could get by on very little, but as a minimum I’d say $25 a day if it includes beer. 28Baht for a Chang may not seem a lot but it’ll soon eat away at the savings!
[url=‘http://www.colin-julie.com/travel.htm’]Thailand Travelogue[/url]

Well, you are going at one of the "lower seasons" so things will be MUCH cheaper than December/January which is high season. Well, the cost of accomodation should be 1/3 to a half lower or possibly more. It is called the rainys season but don’t be put off about that. There are a heap of threads in this forum about what the rainy season is like so search those out if you are concerned.

Accomodation is the biggest expense. Or it doesnt have to be. Like I said, your rooms will be much cheaper in the islands and coast. Bangkok doesnt move much as it gets people year around, but all prices in Bangkok are low – far lower than the islands are. In Bangkok the Khao San road is more expensive but one street off the prices tumble dramatically.

For getting around, always use a meter Taxi if possible. The tuk tuks will usually try to rip you off (during the day, anyhow) and you will end up paying to much. I love tuk tuks but I always negotiate after asking someone how much it should be or compare it to the taxi price – no way a tuk tuk should cost more!

Basically, everything can be dirt cheap if yo want it, you just have to choose what you want to splurge on.

And that, of course, should be on thai massages, good food, and mind-altering substances!

And formaldahyde with beer in it!

Or is it the other way around?

hi…
South east asia in general is extrmemly cheap compared with places such as europe, america, canada…so you may be surprised at how little you need to spend. And this is even on the Australian dollar. One of the few place in the world where the AUD is actually strong. I’ve spent in total over a month in thailand and I loved the place. Just to give you an idea on how cheap it is, in phuket (one fo the main tourist areas) a bottle of water was 9baht which equals approx 20 Australian cents which would equal 12 US cents, 8 brittish pents. Very very cheap and also you can barter almost anything in markets and tuk tuk’s.
enjoy thailand…north for its jungles, trekking, elephant riding and the golden triangle, south for its beautiful beaches, great islands and lovely people. And bangkok just to say you’ve been there. Not a huge fan of the poverty and poluation in bangkok but must admit it was an experience.
Safe travels.