Pearlgirl

Just got back from Hanoi - so glad to be back to Thailand. What I have to say here sounds like we had a nasty time in Hanoi - we didn't, but it was exhausting and the city really has a lot to offer in the way of things to see, shopping, and the food - there are some e xcellent chefs and restaurants, even better than anything I've had here, especially the french cuisine (no offense to our fine french restaurants here but these chefs were mostly over-the-top inventive)

I've read and heard people say that the Vietnamese people are much friendlier and more apt to smile than the Thais - and they do, mostly,  but they only do it when they want something from you and you will more easily find the Thai's that are friendly just for the sake of being friendly.   Seriously, everyone, and I mean everyone in that city wants your money and they will do whatever it takes to get it.  I read up on the scams before we left but that didn't prepare us nearly enough.   Have you ever had a massage here where the girl point-blank asks for a tip then says the tip isn't enough (25% of the massage)?  Have you been approached by shoe shine people at the rate of 10/hour here, or have you been continuously scammed by taxi/pedicab drivers, even when there's a meter running or you have an agreed-upon price?  Now I know that the taxi scams are well-known and there are a lot of "legit" taxis there, but even those guys try to scam you in the end - take longer routes, ask for a tip, turning the meter off at destination then back on and asking you to pay the 10,000 VND because now he's responsible for the meter reading and he can't afford to pay it?  It was 6 days of non-stop scamming.  It got very tiring after a few days.  Even outside the city in places like HaLong Bay - I could go on and on, but as I said it was tiring.

Now mind you the City and surrounding areas are very pleasant to site-see in, as long as you can keep your driver away from those tourist traps that sell everything from marble statutes to embrodiered pictures where the prices are way way overboard, you'll enjoy it.  Its very different than here, they even wear helmuts!  And if you're going to hire a travel company to take you to different places, be aware that a lot of them are either fakes and give you bargain priced rides/accommodations, etc. when you pay top dollar for it.

And, don't take Thai Baht thinking you can exchange it for VNDong - definitely can't do it at the airport and there's only one Bank in Hanoi that "might" exchange it if they have any (that's turning the VND back into Thai Baht).  We arrived thinking the airport would exchange the Baht to VND - definitely not.  So the next morning, after our higher-end hotel refused to exchange the currency for us, we found a bank that would but you had to sign away your life.  We ended up using the ATM for money although half wouldn't let us access our account in America and each transaction cost anywhere from $5 US to $10 US.  You're better off taking US dollars and either using them there or exchanging them at a bank or your hotel.  When shopping, more than half the stores post their prices in US dollars.  Its definitely a tourist city.

And then there's Bangkok's airport - what a mess.  As a friend of mine said, its like having to go through your elbow to get to your backside.  $15 US dollars for 2 burgers and fries - seriously (only had the burgers because it looked like the fastest option and even with 3 hours at the airport, barely had enough time to eat and find a smoking room?  Asking directions from airport staff there to help you and being sent in the wrong direction?

So, beware - you've been warned but its a city and part of the country you really do want to go and see

Does anyone know of a place that rents out costumes - Santa Claus to be more specific?  Or, does anyone know where I can buy one?  Or, does someone have one that they are willing to sell?  We are doing a Christmas party in our village this year and are handing out gifts to the children, both Thai and farang.  

We are thinking of going there in a couple of weeks - we live in Thailand on a retirement visa, will we need to get a re-entry permit to do that shopping trip?  I'm asking because I've heard from others than no re-entry is needed for some weird reason?   I know that leaving the country changes your 90 checkup, but wouldn't you still need permission to leave and re-enter the country, regardless of where that happens on a retirement visa?

Rim Ping used to carry it, but haven't had any in stock for a few months.  Does anyone know of somewhere to get imported Crest toothpaste?

In early August my husband and I are planning a car trip to Bangkok for about 4 or 5 days and plan on doing some shopping and maybe some sight-seeing.  Its been about 5 years since we've been to Bangkok and have stayed in the areas where there's a lot of trendy upscale shopping malls, but this time we are looking for somewhere that isn't quite so expensive - clothing, furniture, home fixtures, that sort of thing.  I suppose we could just stumble around in Bangkok and hopefully find areas on our own, but I thought it would be easier to ask you gals who live there where you would recommend shopping and staying.  Some places with good restaurants and shops and decent hotels.  I've been doing some research on the internet but most of the recommendations are for those shops that cater to the rich and famous.  

You're probably asking yourself why we want to shop in Bangkok when Chiang Mai has all the amenities we need right here - well, its just an excuse to get away for a road trip and perhaps see a side of Bangkok we haven't seen yet.

Any suggestions would be very much appreciated.