Traveler - Emotional Dan Cell

For my first overseas self-driving trip, I chose Thailand, which I have been to before. During the 14-day self-driving trip, I took more than 500 photos, all the way from Bangkok. Going south to Phuket, I experienced climbing a building for the first time, going to the hospital for stitches, experiencing the wind and waves on the sea, and feeling the violent storm in Thailand. I came to Thailand in August to share with you my first overseas self-driving experience (there are many short videos included, hoping to see a more real Thailand).

Self-introduction

Before departure, there was constant turmoil. I lamented that everything should be done with a clear conscience. I am a fish. A fish with a memory of only seven seconds will forget what you just told me. Name, I will forget why I fell out with my enemy, I will forget that I visited this place a few years ago (the first part is false, this sentence is true)

Weibo Emotional Pill Cell

WeChat adandan888

WeChat public platform LC_dzzls

Trailer

Looking at Karen from a high altitude

Just because I saw the picture, I Decided to go to the big city

Lively and fragrant-Bangkok

"Thailand" can hit-Pattaya

Pretend to be in Santorini

Dusk at Cha Am Beach

Don’t want to see the sea when you arrive in Phuket?

Morning! Hua Hin

Photography Equipment

Canon EOS5D MarkIII

50mm F1.4, 16mm-35mm F2.8, 70mm-200mm F4

I only love wide-angle for landscapes. 16mm-35mm F2.8 is the lens I use most in daily life, and sometimes portraits are also done with it;

Portrait 50mm F1.4 is the lens with the largest aperture I have ever used. , I like the effect very much, and the price is not high 2000;

Telephoto 70mm-200mm F4 is rarely used, it is small in size, light in weight, and priced 4000;

Video Shooting

DJI Phantom 4Pro

Canon EOS5D MarkIII

iPhone 6S is used to complete most of the time-lapse videos posted in Moments;

GoPro Hero4 is easy to carry around, compact, super wide-angle, and waterproof. Because it has a waterproof case, I have never treated it with caution;

Post-processing software

Image processing: Lightroom

Small video processing: iMovie, VUE

Preparation before traveling to Thailand

1. Documents, passport, Thai visa, air tickets, ID card, domestic driving license, international Driving license

If you don’t have a photo to apply for a Thai visa, you can follow the customer service prompts to upload an electronic version of the photo. The fee is 24.80 yuan, including the 15 yuan express delivery fee for returning the passport and the photo printing fee. **PS: I am in August. From September 1, the fee for visa on arrival will be restored to 2,000 baht, which is about more than 400 yuan. It is more cost-effective to apply for it domestically in advance. It takes 7 working days to apply for a Thai visa. It is valid for 90 days and the stay period is 59 days, which is subject to the customs stamp. You can go to Thailand within the validity period and return home within the stay period.

Purchase air tickets on AirAsia official website/zh/home.page

There is a fee for checking in luggage on cheap flights. When booking a ticket according to the weight you need, book it together on the official website. Buying on site will be more expensive. Some. If both flights are connected with AirAsia, you do not need to collect your luggage, so be sure to confirm before departure.

Smokers who are transiting in Kuala Lumpur don’t need to worry. There is a smoking room in the Kuala Lumpur terminal, and their lighters can be brought on the plane. Are you happy? You will definitely not be able to stay idle at the airport. In addition to duty-free shops, there are also restaurants of various flavors. A few hours of shopping and eating will pass quickly. Be sure to allow time for transfers. Personally, I feel that two hours is a bit rushed. , you have to run a little later on the first leg, but you still like to take your time gracefully, like me, six hours is fine.

Tips: Another thing to note is that the time difference between Thailand and China is 1 hour. The boarding time for your connecting flight is based on the national time zone of your airport. Don’t make a mistake.

You need to show your domestic driver’s license when renting a car, so be sure to bring it with you;

Translated and certified international driver’s licenses can be processed on self-driving car rental platforms, which is equivalent to a translated copy of a Chinese driver’s license , most platforms only charge 15 yuan for express delivery and can handle it for free. You don’t need to rent a car in Thailand, but they will write this in the required documents. It is recommended to apply for one. It will be less troublesome when encountering the police. This time, rent a car. I have a car, so I did it here;

2.￥￥Money￥￥About tips, cash, online banking, credit cards, savings cards, domestic bank exchange for foreign exchange, Thai banks, Thai street exchange;

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Tipping Many foreign countries have the custom of tipping. Perhaps because of the tourist city, tipping has become normal in Thailand. For example, I would tip the waiter who helped me carry a bunch of luggage into the room. Pay;

You need to bring 20,000 baht or equivalent foreign currency with you when entering Thailand in cash. There are very few random checks. If you win the lottery, I will bring it anyway;

Online banking in Phuket Jiangxi Leng I saw that Alipay has a large number of payment promotions, and WeChat is also rampant here;

Credit cards VISA, MasterCard, and UnionPay are all available, but many small stores do not have UnionPay, so don’t only bring a single UnionPay credit card. ;

The savings card network recommends Huaxia Bank. The first overseas cash withdrawal of each month is free of charge. I always use the most unsophisticated method, bringing all the cash (RMB) required for the trip to the local exchange;

Domestic banks have low foreign exchange rates and need to make an appointment in advance. If you really need to exchange, just exchange a few dollars. There are exchange points all over Thailand;

Bank of Thailand. Common banks in Thailand include Bangkok Bank is blue, Siam Commercial Bank is purple, and Bank of Ayudhya is yellow.

Generally, I will exchange a small amount of local currency when I arrive at the airport. My experience is that the exchange rate here is not good, so I can exchange enough to get to my first destination after leaving the airport. 1 yuan at the airport = 4.47 baht;

Street exchange points are also regular exchange points on the streets. The exchange rates are slightly different in different regions and cities. If there are several exchange points together at the same time, be sure to compare them. There are two exchange points in Phuket. The points were closely together, and I didn’t look carefully at the time, but two exchange rates appeared;

3. Overseas travel insurance

Try to choose a relatively large overseas insurance company. A friend broke his tailbone in Thailand and was brought back to China by a special flight from Hong Kong for treatment. I fell down and broke the faucet while taking a shower in Meigong, which required two stitches on my face. The cost of the front and back surgery was less than RMB 600, and I spent a small amount of money to get great protection. , many things happen unexpectedly when you go out;

4. Internet phone card, portable WIFI

You can buy a phone card Happy Card in advance or buy it at the airport, and you can use it at FamilyMart or 7- 11 can be recharged. Pay attention to recharge in time when the data is used up. Personally, I don’t think it is very convenient. You have to save the data every day. There are too many times when you need to use the Internet when driving;

Pocket WIFI There are many portable WIFIs in the world. There are many kinds. This time I chose Roaming Baby, a magical product of this era. I used a phone card when I came to Thailand a few years ago. Now I can't live without this little guy. I don't dare to imagine how I can live without him. On a daily basis. You don’t have to worry about running out of data every day. You can watch videos as you like. It’s very convenient to pick up and return at the airport. The signal is stable and the price is not expensive. It’s no problem to use it with two laptops and three mobile phones at the same time. Nowadays, it’s almost impossible to connect to a hotel. WIFI is available;

5. Which travel APPs are used?

Google Maps is the main map used in foreign countries. The navigation is hard to understand, and walking is even more outrageous. Ahem, you still need to use it. La;

Chinese people have to rely on Baidu Maps, and walking navigation is extremely accurate;

Baidu Translate is accurate in translation, and there is no big difference in the translation of the entire sentence, as well as British Two pronunciations in American style;

Check the weather forecast every day to keep track of the travel weather;

Hanglv Zongheng knows flight status and boarding gate change information anytime and anywhere;

Rent a car this time I used it to rent a car and introduced a reliable company;

Mafengwo Agoda now offers a 20% discount on Agoda bookings through Mafengwo;

Itinerary and strategy I have been using Mafengwo since the first time I traveled alone. I don’t remember how I found out about it in the first place, but my habits have not changed over the years and cannot be changed;

6. Others

Clothes, long skirts, fairy long skirts, big silk scarves, long big silk scarves. It is best to bring two or three sets when going to sea, two of which are preferably gauze. Do it this way It's faster. You need to bring at least one set of jacket and trousers. The air conditioner here is not turned on as high as usual, especially at the airport. It almost froze me;

Umbrellas are a must-have tool for rain and sun protection. From time to time, it can also be used as a prop for taking photos;

Use sunscreen and skin care products for sun protection, and bring all the after-sun repair products. In fact, I found that these are of no use. There is only one way to avoid tanning. , that is, don’t expose yourself to the sun;

It is best to wear polarized sunglasses, which are essential for driving and taking photos. Who makes the sun shine here every day?

Toiletries recommendations It comes with a full set of toiletries. Bigger hotels have everything. However, a few youth apartments I stayed in were not very complete. Some of them didn’t have conditioner, and some even didn’t even have toothbrushes. And they were all gone during the 14 days. I have never seen a comb, not in any hotel, hahahaha, I don’t understand why;

It doesn’t hurt to have some gastrointestinal medicines, anti-inflammatory medicines, mosquito bites, band-aids and commonly used medicines, even if you are abroad. Even though I was worried about taking the medicine after successfully buying it, I still took pictures to show to my friends to double-check whether they were what I wanted;

Diving equipment is available in a certain treasure store at various price points, if it is just for snorkeling. Not much, just buy a mouthpiece on the boat, 150 baht each, otherwise you have to use someone else’s mouthpiece, and there is still one

It’s no problem to use a waterproof bag for mobile phones, for snorkeling. If necessary, you can buy one in advance on a certain store;

If it’s convenient, you can make a copy at a hotel or airport. Am I getting old? , I still think it will be more clear if I put it on paper;

Putboards and adapters in Thailand seem to be where everyone really comes for vacation, and no one will bring a bunch of electronic equipment like me. Hotels are not equipped with too many sockets. If there are many electronic products, it is best to bring a power strip. Thai sockets are generally American standard two-prong plugs, and both round and flat plugs are acceptable. China's oblique three-prong plugs cannot be used;

7. Rent a car. When renting a car by self-driving, you need documents and precautions for picking up the car, vehicle insurance, car model price renewal, road conditions and driving navigation (because it is a self-driving tour, I will say more in this part)

If you book a domestic self-driving car rental in advance on the rental car, you can pick up the car at Don Mueang Airport in Bangkok and return the car at Phuket Airport (also known as returning the car at another place). There is a discount for paying the entire fee online, and the vehicle is charged per day. There is no price for half a day or several hours. Calculate the time of arrival and return. There is no mileage limit. You need to have a full tank of gas when you pick up the car and return it with a full tank of gas. There are many gas stations near the airport. Select one on the map according to the situation. Refueling point;

Required documents and precautions for picking up the car. The location of the car rental company at the airport is included in the order. Renting a car in Thailand feels easier and faster than in China. It requires a pre-authorization of 5,000 baht, a Chinese driver's license, and a translation of the driver's license. Passport and immigration card (the immigration card is very important and must be kept well. It is needed for hotel, hospital and medical treatment, and for leaving the country). When picking up the car, they checked the four tires, spare tire, warning triangle, and tools. They recorded the appearance of the vehicle directly on site, took close-ups of the bruised areas, and took photos to save the fuel gauge and mileage. In fact, they really took care of everything. I just handed over the car;

In addition to the basic insurance, I also bought the car insurance which is equivalent to the domestic insurance without free companionship, which means you don’t have to pay out if you get into a collision (you don’t need to worry about ordinary minor scratches) , and vehicle occupant insurance (RMB: 1,360 yuan for rent, 200 yuan for supplementary insurance, 150 yuan for enhanced three-person insurance, and 350 yuan for full vehicle driving insurance); please note that users are required to pay in advance if there is a collision within THB 4,280, and apply for a claim with Car Rental after returning home. ; You need to pay 5,000 baht for pre-authorization when you take the car. They will give you two documents, one is the vehicle condition inspection form, and the other is the car rental form, which contains the address, phone number, and email address for returning the car. There is no illegal deposit when returning the car. When renewing the lease, please send an email directly stating the renewal time. The car rental company will reply with the rental amount after confirmation. When returning the car, you can just swipe your card at the airport. The customer service of renting a car also sends an email. It is not as fast as coming by yourself. ;

Road conditions and driving navigation

The road conditions in Thailand are very good, and there are not many highways. I encountered toll stations on the road from Bangkok to Ayutthaya, and I am not used to Google Maps. I don’t know how to avoid highways. There is a fee, and walking navigation is a pitfall. Baidu Maps can be used in Thailand.

It is not recommended to drive in Bangkok. The roads are extremely complicated and congested. We drove for two hours from the airport to the big city, one and a half of which were spent in circles in Bangkok. Most of the U-turn lines in Bangkok are in U-turn on the viaduct erected in the middle of the road, which is also known as the Horseshoe Bridge in China, but we are usually on the side of the road, and they are in the middle of the road. We have missed N places and slowly summarized it. We have never encountered them since leaving Bangkok. This kind of thing happens when you make a U-turn in the middle of the road. We drove to Khao San Road one day and spent an hour looking for a parking space. We suggested that it would be better to take public transportation in Bangkok.

In Thailand, right-hand drive vehicles drive on the left. If you turn left without a traffic light, you don’t need to pay attention to the red light. It’s just the opposite of China. In addition, the wipers and steering are also reversed. It must be certain at the beginning. Take your time, get used to it, and often turn on the wipers as soon as you turn a corner.

Almost no one in Thailand honks the horn or flashes the headlights. As long as the turn signal is turned on, the car will be eager to stop for you, and it will be an exaggerated situation to stop front, rear, left and right, even if there is a car parked on the roadside. If they overtake a car that is not occupying the lane, they will also use their turn signal;

When overtaking, they will stick closely to the rear of your car, so tight that they seem to be stuck together with you, and they will follow you all the time. , until you get out of the way. Although the speed limit is 80 on the road, it seems that there is no such thing as a speed limit. No matter you go 80, 90, 100 or faster, there are cars sticking behind you to overtake, so to this day I don’t know about Thailand. Is there any such thing as speeding? But on the way to Hua Hin, I clearly saw a policeman holding a camera at a corner;

Many places have security guards to assist you in reversing, even if you Instead of going to them, as long as you park there, they will come forward to help you stop the vehicle and help you direct it. In general, driving on the roads in Thailand is better than I expected. I can’t bear to hear the impatient horns when I return to China;

There are many gas stations, with 91 and 95 gasoline, corresponding to Domestic No. 95 and 97. Generally, the fuel number will be posted on the fuel tank cap. You can check it when renting a car;

One more thing. Later, I became familiar with Thailand and didn’t listen to the navigation when driving. I will read it. Following the route on the map, I would take whichever route I wanted to take. I would often take the closer Yanhai Highway. Although I couldn't see the sea, it felt very good.

8. Fill in the entry and exit card

About Thailand

1. A tourist country, when watching Muay Thai, everyone from the host, boxers to the girl holding the sign, Everyone will enter and exit from different fence heights, and there will be two people responsible for this. This shows that Thai people are perfect in every detail;

2. This country only has sour and spicy food, although they are all food stalls. However, the taste and price are very different, which will be introduced in Chonburi on the 5th day;

3. Thai people may have a local accent when speaking English, and many of them are difficult to understand;

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4. The air conditioner is very cold. Friends who are afraid of the cold should bring a small jacket. Those who are not afraid of the cold should also bring one. You will be afraid of the cold;

5. There are all smoking areas in Thailand. There are signs showing that even if it is outdoors, smoking is still not allowed in some places, such as under the arcade, otherwise you will be fined 2,000 baht. Some restaurants also do not allow smoking in outdoor seats. They will set up a smoking area further away from the door. The simple way is to see that there are ashtrays where you can smoke, and the airport is also equipped with a smoking area. Their lighters can be brought on board;

6. Pick up goods and tax refund at Phuket Airport after passing the security check If you can find it, it’s best to apply in advance to avoid queuing;

7. No matter you stay overnight at any airport in Thailand, you must wear more clothes, it’s really cold, very cold;

8. The airport is very big. In addition to the dining area on the second floor, there are many people sleeping on it. There are many flights in the middle of the night;

9. When driving in Thailand, in addition to listening to the navigation, at least you need to know who you are. The destination you are going to is written in English, so that the general direction will not be wrong when you look at the street signs. Ayuthaya, Bangkok, Chon Buri, Hua Hin, Mae Klong, Pattaya, Phuket;

10. There are several types of travel in Thailand, one is for diving, the other is to check out the beautiful scenery in various places, and the third is to visit the beach and hotel for leisure vacation;

11. There are 1 in Thailand and China There is a time difference of one hour. For example, eight o'clock in the morning for us is seven o'clock for them;

12. Nowadays, you can worship the deceased king everywhere in Thailand. Don't comment on the royal family in Thailand;