Advice on vacation in Bangkok/Cambodia/Vietnam

[Lala81]

4 hours ago, Atrecord said:

Actually she doesn't normally use one, but we did ask for one for her at the airport, when she was going on trips with my father alone.

Using a wheelchair is quite ok lah. haha when i was admitted, i also had to seat in wheelchair to go up to the ward lol  She can always walk certain parts then sit in a wheelchair and still be mobile while the kids still have energy to walk around and do stuff. 

It's called using wheelchair in community.

Edited September 15, 2019 by Lala81

[Lala81]

4 hours ago, Atrecord said:

hmm... ok tks.

guess cambodia can rule out confirmed.

and hanoi also not that suitable, so that'll be down to BKK - which is a step forward. Wife was saying that's some promo ongoing for air tickets for a few days, so maybe we'll go for it.

Next will be to find out what to do and where to go in BKK, as we've never been there before.

So for a start, there's:

- Siam Paragon

- Central World

- Aquarium

ok, much appreciated. will go read up more. Anyone else with suggestions also welcomed. 😊

We'll probably go for 4D3N, or thereabout.

My BIL/SIL went to this during the NDP holiday.

https://www.klook.com/en-SG/activity/365-safari-world-bangkok/

 

[Locknload]

5 hours ago, Atrecord said:

Actually she doesn't normally use one, but we did ask for one for her at the airport, when she was going on trips with my father alone.

Suggestion;- Why not take a cruise as it'll offer something for everyone in your family.

The cruise staff are well-trained and they have facilities before check-in and onboard. If you go for offshore excursions (which are slightly more expensive) they have staff accompanying and your elderly folks will be well taken care of and special attention is a given, even during the numerous mealtimes. My personal experience.

[Shibadog]

9 hours ago, Atrecord said:

In some sense, we're trying to delay the eventuality of wheelchair, but it's worth considering your suggestion. But wheelchairs are not easy to bring along, judging from the one my late grandma used before she passed away.

 

aluminium ones are much lighter than the (heavy duty) steel ones and are more convenient for travel.

you can have a look at some examples here https://rehabmart.com.sg/wheelchair/lightweight-wheelchair

fm my experience, it's best to call Rehabmart before going to their outlets, as each outlet may have different inventory and may not stock every item. You can also discuss your requirements and concerns with them. I found them to be quite helpful both on the phone and at the shop.

 

[Ct3833]

TS, you can  skip Cambodia completely, there is nothing to see in Phnom Penh.  Ho Chih Minh and Hanoi ok for walking around but not much shopping to do. Halong bay is about more than 3 hours car journey from Hanoi airport  ,  not sure if your parents could take that long car ride.

That narrows down to bangkok. You can take taxi to visit Grand Palace. But dont trust anyone there who tell you they could bring you here and there, they will bring you to shopping  and charge you an exorbitant price.  If you all want to try tuk tuk , make sure you bargain for decent price. 

You all can take the BTS  to Taksin station, there is a free cruise to Asiatic  mall, you all can have dinner there , walk around to look at  some local handicrafts but nothing much worth buying, and take the free river cruise back to taksin stn.  For shopping of cheap and fake stuff  , you can take the BTS to National Stadium  stn and walk the bridge to Mah Boon Krong(MBK), you can shop there for a few hours.  You can find cheap rolex, branded bags, local handi craft, cheap T shirts , electronics etc there. There are eating outlets and foodcourt  on the upper floor as well. 

For high end shopping , you can visit Siam Paragon at BTS Siam stn , there is even rolls Royce's showroom in three.  

 

 

Edited September 15, 2019 by Ct3833

[Ct3833]

By the way , platinum mall is a place that your wife will not regret going as well. 

If you happen to be staying over weekend, chatucak is a very very big weekend market  that you can try but your parents wont be able to cover the place, it is located at BT Mochit stn.   They sell  anything everything that you could possibly think off.  It is best  you study the layout to decide where to walk before visiting, it is difficult to cover the whole place. The place can  be quite hot and no aircon. 

 

Transport wise ,  BTS and MRT are the best option especially to best traffic jam. I take MRT and BTS for meeting most of the time, taxi only for my last mile destination.   But that does not mean you should  not take taxi, they are very cheap. Some taxi will bargain for fix price instead of meter  , because they are cheap,  if you feel that  the price is fair after  currency conversion, just go for it after some bargaining. Best is you ask for meter pricing, mind you, dont try to us GPS to guide the taxi, Bangkok traffic is so bad that GPS would not be able to work out a good route most of the time, just pay a fare and leave the job to the taxi guy.

 

Edited September 15, 2019 by Ct3833

[Ct3833]

Airport transfer wise, AOT is the best but a little costly, you can find AOT counter everywhere at the airport, a new Camry to town will cost about usd40. They have  van for more people as well, ask the counter staff for info, no obligation, Thai people are mild and gentle. 

Taxi to town should not cost you more than 300 bhat, that is about less than S$15. You can also take the airport rail link to city and transfer to BTS or MRT, but some walking is needed. The airport rail link has both express and normal, it depends on what you want to experience. Express should be about $5 to$7 one way, I can't remember the rate. So if you have more people, taxi might be more viable. 

Edited September 15, 2019 by Ct3833

[Aventador]

Bangkok is the best tourist destination, but can your parents take the MRT and stand during the journey?

forget about taxis in BKK, the traffic is terrible. And BKK actually requires quite a lot of walking

if trains are not good for your parents, you can consider Ho Chi Minh

it is like Bangkok 15 years before. Shopping and food is cheap, and the city sights are all very close together

and you can go everywhere by Grab

i got a feeling it might suit your parents more if they have mobility issues

[Tohto]

1 hour ago, Aventador said:

Bangkok is the best tourist destination, but can your parents take the MRT and stand during the journey?

forget about taxis in BKK, the traffic is terrible. And BKK actually requires quite a lot of walking

if trains are not good for your parents, you can consider Ho Chi Minh

it is like Bangkok 15 years before. Shopping and food is cheap, and the city sights are all very close together

and you can go everywhere by Grab

i got a feeling it might suit your parents more if they have mobility issues

Does really agreed on HCM.

The parents may have problem crossing the road.

[Lala81]

9 hours ago, Ct3833 said:

Airport transfer wise, AOT is the best but a little costly, you can find AOT counter everywhere at the airport, a new Camry to town will cost about usd40. They have  van for more people as well, ask the counter staff for info, no obligation, Thai people are mild and gentle. 

Taxi to town should not cost you more than 300 bhat, that is about less than S$15. You can also take the airport rail link to city and transfer to BTS or MRT, but some walking is needed. The airport rail link has both express and normal, it depends on what you want to experience. Express should be about $5 to$7 one way, I can't remember the rate. So if you have more people, taxi might be more viable. 

eh airport taxi to town where got so cheap LOL.
It's 500-750 depending on what cab u take lah. Excluding toll which is about 100+.

It's about 40mins to reach central BKK. If traffic is not good, maybe even 1 hr

[Lala81]

40 minutes ago, Tohto said:

Does really agreed on HCM.

The parents may have problem crossing the road.

I won't usually think of bringing elderly or young children to vietnam.
While the traffic might avoid you most of the times, I've had scooters front wheel roll over my foot before. In hanoi, their staircases also bloody steep. My mum fell down one cos it was not well lit and she missed a step. Lucky she only bruised her knee. Came back to do MRI.

Their staircases inside their shophouses, fall down can really die one.

 

[Tohto]

49 minutes ago, Tohto said:

Does really agreed on HCM.

The parents may have problem crossing the road.

Typo and cannot edit already.

I do not agreed on going to HCM. 

Traffic is a mess for old people to cross.

[Atrecord]

20 hours ago, JohnSHL said:

i personally don't like going BKK for holiday, but I've spent some time there for work.

There are two airports in BKK so do check which one your airline uses. Most will use Suvarnabhumi (the "i" at the end is silent). Don Mueang mostly serves budget airlines.

the usual things people go BKK for:

- shopping (either at malls or night market) but beware crowds.

- makan (street food, thai food, thai-chinese food) @steveluv has a good thread on this.

- visit temples.

- river cruise (not sure abt accessibility for old folk)

- massage/spa (check if family type or other type)

 

transport: I like BTS when travelling within the city area, as it avoids the traffic but do check if the elevators are working. Taxis are aplenty too. Not all taxis will use meter... Tuk-tuk may not be an option for old folk as need to climb in/out.

Dec weather is usually less hot and humid.

if you search google for "things to do in Bangkok", your internet connection will probably hang!

have fun on the trip!

Thanks! Very useful these. Yup, i read the Thailand food thread once in a while. All looks delicious.
Temples: my mother's favourite, but not so sure about the rest 😅

BTS sounds do-able, as long as there's either lifts or elevators.
Are Thais more or less gracious than Singaporeans, in terms of giving up their seats to the elderly/needy, do you know?

Will google more on these.

[Atrecord]

18 hours ago, TameDriver said:

The need for a wheelchair while overseas don't mean that she'll be reliant on it after she returns.  Its for convenience; afterall, going away on trip is to see as many places or do as much as time permits. U won't want to remember it as tedious one with lost opportunities to see or do things u all want to do.  

Get a light weight foldable chair-like type without bulky armrests. Not as bulky as a full wheelchair. Still can use on other trips. In fact, smaller than some baby prams. 

Personal experience with my own mother; her weight & size neccessitate the use of a big bulky extra large wheelchair when outdoors in SG or overseas. She's mobile by herself at home with a walker.  

I find that Asian countries like Japan & big cities in Taiwan & even Okinawa are very wheelchair friendly. 

I understand what you mean, and think it's a good suggestion.

Haven't spoken to my mum, but yesterday going out, had mentioned this to my family. My wife said that we could make it a short and relax-pace trip, and no need to plan too ambitious itinerary, so there will be places to sit down here and there. My son raised the same issue i mentioned yesterday - that grandma might resist 😅

Japan is famous for respecting the elderly, so i'm sure they're wheelchair friendly. Too bad my folks can't take the cold and we tend to travel year-end. If we ever bring my parents there, then it'll likely be a longer trip and wheelchair is definitely worth considering.

[Atrecord]

17 hours ago, Lala81 said:

Using a wheelchair is quite ok lah. haha when i was admitted, i also had to seat in wheelchair to go up to the ward lol  She can always walk certain parts then sit in a wheelchair and still be mobile while the kids still have energy to walk around and do stuff. 

It's called using wheelchair in community.

Yup, she will use it when really necessary.

Even my son had used it for maybe week+ in Apr, when he fell down playing soccer in school. Couldn't walk and gave me a scare. Warded at KK for 2 nights to do a MRI, but diagnosed as soft tissues badly bruised (and not fracture) around the hip... When he went back to school, his classmates took turn to wheel him around for about a week+ 😅

[Atrecord]

18 hours ago, TameDriver said:

Agree with u that using walking stick is hazardous in crowded places. I had to use a walking stick for several weeks earlier this year after a foot surgery. Personally experienced it being kicked out fr under my hand. Luckily that time I was just using it for balancing at times, or else would have fallen flat on my face.   Imagine it happening to a much older & frail person. 

Wah that bad?
My mother did say that when she uses the walking stick, people tend to be more careful when they see it/her. But maybe she doesn't go to the extremely crowded places, with MRT station (off-peak mostly) and the supermarkets being about the most crowded places she goes.

Maybe it's the fast pace here during peak hours where people will rush and perhaps not see you - and likely also never anticipated that your mobility was affected - that they kicked or knocked you. 😅

My mother - gray hair and walks slowly with a slanted frame - so far quite ok when she uses the walking stick.

[Atrecord]

17 hours ago, Lala81 said:

My BIL/SIL went to this during the NDP holiday.

https://www.klook.com/en-SG/activity/365-safari-world-bangkok/

 

Looks good this. 👍

[Atrecord]

15 hours ago, Locknload said:

Suggestion;- Why not take a cruise as it'll offer something for everyone in your family.

The cruise staff are well-trained and they have facilities before check-in and onboard. If you go for offshore excursions (which are slightly more expensive) they have staff accompanying and your elderly folks will be well taken care of and special attention is a given, even during the numerous mealtimes. My personal experience.

Thanks! We went on a Royal Caribbean cruise before, in the last year before my mum went for the knee ops - which means it was at the most painful year 😅

Yes, it was ideal for her, walk everywhere leisurely as and when she liked.

That was just 4 yr ago, so we're not considering it again so soon.