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What’s the best way to get the feeling of local culture in Thailand?
We are arriving to Bang Kok on 18th June and departing same city on 2nd July. We are planning to spend two days in Bang Kok (depending on things to do and see and sales in shops for my girlfriend. Mind you, I’m interested in digital cameras and electronics) and the rest of ten days in Koh Samui island. By writing “culture” in my question I also meant activities (I’m not kind of person who would lay on the beach all day every day), unusual and weird things to try, places to visit or things to buy. I’m very much in motoring so planning to hire a car and it would be much more fun to drive not Avis brand new car, but something local, old or authentic (or at least 4×4). We like luxury, but would be much nicer to hire a little log cabin (beach house) on the seaside. We’re into mountain, water activities, cycling, trying local cusine, meeting local people, etc. Thank you in advance 
i spent a month in thailand from bankok to chiang mai and also to koh samui. thailand is so poor that you’re going to have a good cultural experience no matter what. in bankok, i would recommend taking a tuk tuk around, you can’t miss em, little three wheeled carts. i would also check out the palace adn the reclining buddha. make sure to take the water taxis. these can be found under almost every bridge and are unmarked. when you find one, don’t take the first one, just watch what everyone else does when getting on/off. the drive doesn’t really watch and so you need to make a quick on/off or else fall in very nasty, sewagey water. once on you sit next to a fifty gallon drum that is the fuel tank, but you wanted a cultural experience, right?
i think a good day trip, or two, from bankok is to go see the old capital, now in ruins, of Ayutthaya. very beautiful and it is great to see the old ruins. also, being in a smaller city, not as many people speak english and menus rarely have it either. there are monks around the ruins as well that you can talk to and who are interesting.
in koh samui, i rented a car with some friends. there are little 4×4 outfits everywhere there and it is relatively cheap. i don’t know how we found a way to the mountains, but it was pretty much a no braineer, i don’t think that there are that many roads, you’ll figure it out. also, when doing this, i highly highly highly recommend going to see the waterfalls. they are not that crowded adn if you go all the way to the top, you have solo swimming in a cool pool underneath a waterfall in the middle of the jungle. one of the trip highlights for sure.
all in all, i would say as a general theme to your trip, don’t stay in bankok and don’t go to phuket. stay in places that are right in the center of things and stay in small cities where you’re not as likely to find a mcdonalds.
have fun!
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