Thailand, lab, photo shops, safty.

Hej All

 

I will go to Thailand on a photo trip, north to south and Bangkok , in the last to weeks of

March and like to now of you experience with:

 

Photo labs, Photo shops, Safty, Language, local custom, dress code and more......

 

Any coments are welcomm, and if you now about som good web links, let me now

 

thank you

 

www.micbach.dk

Thailand is a very friendly, safe place. Just use common sense and you'll have no problems at all.

 

Photo Labs:

I can't say much about photo labs, except that most of the 1-hour places actually do pretty good work and are much cheaper than what you'd pay at home. I took some 35mm print film to one that was a few blocks from my hotel in Bangkok ( I can't remember the name of the lab, but it was on Sukhumvit Soi 22, a couple blocks down from Sukhumvit Road) and they gave me some excellent prints, and you could tell they basically custom-printed the entire batch, because they wrote down density and color corrections on the negative sleeving on a frame-by-frame basis.

 

Camera Stores:

I know of one place in Bangkok that has a large selection of professional and semi-professional quality gear. There may well be others, but I don't know. The one I know is on the ground floor of the Mahboonkrong Centre (MBK Centre) shopping centre. They carried new and used gear, including Contax, Nikon, Leica, Canon and more.

 

Shopping in general:

Bangkok is a shoppers paradise. All along Sukhumvit Road and its' extensions, Phloenchit Rd and Rama I Rd, there are major shopping centres the likes of which you probably haven't experienced unless you've been to Asia before. The MBK Centre being a prime example- their parking garage is 18 stories. The shopping gallery is 9 levels, with a multi-screen movie theater on the top floor, and then a 30 story office/residential tower above it.

 

For an authentic experience of shopping in Thailand, try the Chatuchak weekend market. It is the size of several football pitches combined, with over 1000 vendors selling everything from books to plants to antiques to clothes to fake Rolexes to rocks for landscaping your garden to pets and more. Shopping there is not for the faint of heart or the claustrophobic, as it is very crowded, and the pathways between stalls are very narrow and dark. There are some very good bargains to be had there, if you know how to haggle. The best way to haggle is to act disinterested, and let the vendor lower their own prices to get you to stay and buy something. Another tip is to go very early in the morning, when they first open. Frequently vendors will give you a good price on something for being their first customer of the day - they believe it will bring them good luck for the rest of the day.

 

Dining out:

When you eat out at a restaurant, unlike in America (Not sure what the tipping custom is where you are from), you leave a small tip for your waiter, and it does not go up in proportion to the size of the bill, unless you are eating at a fancy, expensive dress-up restaurant. Typically a gratuity of 15-25 baht is standard (this may have changed since I was there in 2000, but with the dollar=baht exchange ratio being about the same, it shouldn't be too different). You will get a fork and a spoon to eat with at most Thai restaurants - you use the fork to put the food on your spoon, and eat from the spoon. You do not eat with the fork. If you forget, and eat with the fork, you will be excused as a white barbarian, but it is considered poor table manners. Food in sit-down table service restaurants is quite cheap - a nice dinner with main course, beverage, tax and gratuity should not come to more than $4-5 USD.

 

If you want to eat VERY cheaply, you can get food from street vendors. The general rule about street vendor food is that if it is cooked, and you see them cooking it in front of you, it's safe. If it is not cooked, or you don't see them cooking it, don't eat it. While the fresh fruit chunks will seem very appetizing especially on a hot day, you have no idea how clean the water is that they were washed in, or how clean the ice is they are stored on.

 

Dress Code and local customs:

like in much of Europe, the Thais don't really wear short pants unless they are participating in a sporting activity. If you are going to visit temples, you will be required to take off your shoes before entering. You can wear short-sleeve shirts, but do not wear sleeveless shirts or short pants into any kind of temple or other religious building. In general, dress VERY light- cotton shirts and pants. Get some of the socks they sell at outdoor activity stores that will pull water away from your skin. Casual clothes are fine for every day, unless you have a specific dress-up event you are planning to attend.

 

Thailand is an officially Buddhist nation, and they have a religious tolerance law that says that no one can speak ill of any religion. Most Thais are Buddhist, even if non-practicing, and may take offense if you criticize or make fun of Buddha or the Buddhist practices. The King of Thailand is the official head of state, although he largely refrains from entering politics. He is regarded by most Thais as beyond reproach, and still technically derives his power by divine decree. Therefore, DO NOT CRITICIZE THE KING. If you go to the movies, before every film, they play a short film clip honoring the King. EVERYONE stands for this film clip, even if there's only 2 people in the theater.

 

Language:

Of course, the official language is Thai. In most big cities and in tourist areas, a significant portion of the people you meet will speak at least some basic English. If you get away from Bangkok, you may find lots of people (especially kids) who want to practice English with you (English is the most popular choice of foreign language for children there to study). In Ayutthaya, I had a group of teenage boys come up to me and try to interview me for a school project, then take pictures with me.

 

Getting Around:

In Bangkok, major street signs are in Thai AND English. If you are going somewhere in Bangkok that is not a clear-cut tourist destination, get someone to write down your destination and your return destination for you so you can hand the card to the taxi driver, to be on the safe side. I took a cab out of the main tourist areas once to attend a function a friend of mine was organizing. The function was at a university campus in the suburbs. After the function was over, I had to get a cab back to downtown. The first taxi to stop, the driver was listening to english language songs on the radio, but he barely spoke any. Fortunately my friend gave me a useful tip - in Bangkok, shopping malls are used as landmarks for navigation. If you ask someone where they live or work, often they will tell you in relation to a particular shopping centre. In my case, my hotel was near a well-known shopping mall, so I told him to take me to the mall, and he knew exactly where to drop me off.

 

Taxis are now on meters, so you pay the same rate that a local would for a trip now. Many cab drivers will try to encourage you to let them turn off the meter and have you hire them for some period of time, to take you where you're going and wait while you do your errand, etc. This is usually a bad deal for you, because the price will be several hundred baht. If you just take point-to-point taxis and don't pay the driver to wait around for you, you can get the same trip for half what he would quote. If a cab driver insists on turning off the meter, don't get in and walk away. There is another cab waiting, or coming along in a few minutes.

 

More on Personal Safety:

While violent crime exists, it is extremely rare to have it perpetrated on foreigners. The Thais know how much of their economy depends on tourism, and will not do things to jeopardize the tourist dollars. While I wouldn't recommend it, if you do get stuck somewhere out late at night, and can't find a cab, you can probably walk home without a problem, by yourself. If you were dumb and brought your camera gear with you, then you might get mugged for your gear. Stay in a decent hotel that has some level of security so that you have someplace secure to keep your camera gear when you are not using it. Just use common sense and don't do things to make yourself a target. Don't show off lots of cash around strangers, especially if you go out to a bar or club at night. Don't drink a lot so that you are disoriented or unsteady on your feet. Keep your wallet in your front pants pocket to make it harder to steal.

Having been to Thailand 4 times, I would like to add to what Scott said ,but he really gave you the important information you need. Have a great trip.

Hej Scoot

 

Thanks a loot, you information is wery help full.

 

What is the price level for new and secondhand gear and film.

 

Again thank you

 

www.micbach.dk

i thought i posted here yesterday, but i guess it was lost in cyber space....

 

in chaing mai the best photo shop is photobug on 42 chaitapoom rd. 053232058. they are great and the lab work is top notch. http://www.iqlab.co.th/ is the best "pro lab" in SE asia. bkk and chaing mai are the only places for E6 processing if you need it. both places have a wide array of film available.

 

i disagree with the above poster....the thais do NOT tip. in the really fancy restaurants they may leave a few baht....NOT a %. you must remember not to throw money around in these countries. it has a neg. long lasting effect.

 

enjoy thailand and enjoy the food. i wish i was there. eddie

Hej Eddie

 

Thanks for the link, the IQ-lab looks wery good and cheap, if I under the price corect.

 

Again thank you all.

 

www.micbach.dk

Michael - pricing for used equipment was slightly below US prices - maybe 10% less, if that. I didn't price new equipment myself as I wasn't in the market for any at the time.

 

I may not have made it clear about the tipping policy - If I gave the impression that tips are given in percentages, that is wrong. It is usually in the amount of small change - 20-30 baht or so. Now it is commonplace for nicer restaurants there to add a 10% service charge to the bill. If the restaurant does not do this, then give a small tip, depending on the price of the meal. I just confirmed this information with a Thai friend of mine in BKK.

IQ Lab is cheap compared to the west, but it isn't the cheapest in town. Pro Color Lab's prices are much cheaper. Today I picked up an order or 37 rolls of 120, processed and with contact sheets, for about US$80. Only thing is that's it's a bit of a PITA to get to Huay Kwang. And they don't really speak English, which might be hard for some.

hej Ian

 

Can you give me a www for the pro color lab and in what part of Bangkok is the lab.

Is it worth to buy a semi pro/pro, digi camera like the Nikon D 200 in Bangkok.

 

thank you

 

www.micbach.dk

If you want to buy a high-end digital camera, you are probably better off buying it at home. Consumer electronics are not significantly cheaper in Asia anymore, especially in 3rd world countries where they have to import the cameras as a luxury good. I did some quick price shopping online at some Thai retailers, and while I can't get a price on a D200 (it is too new, apparently), they do have prices published on other Nikon DSLR kits. The D-50 with 18-55 lens kit is over $900 USD. The Canon 5D is $3500 USD.

 

The store in the MBK Centre I mentioned before is Foto File - http://www.fotofile.net/ They have a very nice website in both Thai and English. To give you a general idea of the cost of things, right now the Thai Baht is around 39.5:$1.

Michael,

Procolor site is:

http://procolorlab.com/

 

All in Thai, so tough unless you read. More important thing is the map:

 

http://procolorlab.com/image/map.gif

 

Print it.

 

Take the subway to Huay Kwang station, take the #4 exit to the NE corner of the intersection and then take a motorcycle taxi to Soi 24. About 2/3 of the way down Soi 24, on the left hand side is a small soi. That's where it is.

Thank you all.

Photo Labs:

 

IQ has a branch at Silom, as well as Sukhumvit 63

http://www.iqlab.co.th/about.asp

 

Pro Colour

Cheaper, but not so easy to get to. Good stock of film in their fridge:

http://procolorlab.com/

 

BW Developing / Printing: Halfmoonlab

Surat Suvanich

http://www.halfmoonlab.net

 

Shops:

 

Fotofile in MBK www.fotofile.net

 

AV Camera www.avcamera.com

 

Camera Collection has moved to the Charn Isarn Building on Rama IV

 

Photohobby

3rd floor Silom Plaza

Sorry to only have stumbled on this thread now. I hope your trip went well, Michael.

 

Just to add to the discussion in general, Photo Bug is definitely the go-to lab in Chiang Mai. However, they no longer process bw or E6. In fact, you can't get bw supplies in Chiang Mai. The best shop for that is Shine Photo in Bangkok's Chinatown. If you search PNet for those terms, Eddie Gunks gives spot-on directions to that shop.

 

On that trip to BKK, I had intended to get prices on a Nikon D200 myself. AV Camera (Silom line, Sala Daeng stop?) and Sunny Camera in MBK were supposed to be the best bets, but neither had them. This was late February. All the quotes I got were 77,000-80,000 baht. Then I came home to Chiang Mai, and it turned out that Photo Bug actually had one in-store. It cost 81,000 baht with an extra battery and 1GB Sandisk Extreme card. Silly, considering the D200 is made in Thailand, but the price seems par for the course with everywhere else in the world. (The camera is exported to Malaysia and re-imported, hence the "normal" price.) But, if you are traveling through, you can also get a 7% return on your VAT. To get it you must request the forms at time of purchase, and bring the forms and equipment with you when you fly out of the airport (AFAIK, only CNX and BKK).

 

Hope this helps someone else in the future.

 

Cheers,

Rick