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The area where we live in near Kasetsart University is called Ratchayothin / Chatuchak. There area is really nice and peaceful with a lot of services within a short distance. Here are some practical tips for the future KU exchange students concerning the Ratchayothin area!
I believe it's the biggest market in Thailand, but also one of the biggest in Asia - Chatuchak Weekend Market. Also known as JJ Market (as in Jatujak Market). Located next to the Mo Chit BTS station and Chatuchak Park MRT station. You can buy literally anything from there, even puppies! You should go into the small corridors between the vending stalls, as it is packed with stores. The JJ market can have up to 300 000 visitors per day, so you will not be alone there! Best to go quite early in the morning or afternoon, as it is nicer to walk around. An irritating thing while visiting the JJ market is that there are a lot of tourists, so taxi drivers usually won't put the meter on as they sense an opportunity to trick a farang. But just be patient, there will always be someone who will put the meter on! Chatuchak Park is a beautiful park next to the JJ market. The park is very well kept and the perfect place for lazy Sunday afternoons!
Major Ratchayothin (Major Cineplex) is a small mall with a movie theater, restaurants and a small market outside located on Phahon Yothin right across the Elephant Building. There are some restaurants like Scoozi, Mehang (quite terrible service!), Sizzler's (try the salad table!), Black Canyon Coffee and then fast food. We go a lot here to the movies, especially on Wednesdays when it costs 60 B (a little over a euro!). Take something a bit warm with you when you go to the movies in Thailand, as it is very well air-conditioned! Also remember that there is a short video honoring the King of Thailand before the movie starts, so stand up! Across the street there is Union Mall, which is a more MBK-like mall with small vendors and negotiable prices!
If you want to go to super market, there is large Tesco Lotus on Phahon Yothin, quite close to Major Ratchayothin. There is also a few Tops Super Markets in the area and of course Seven Eleven in every street corner, if you need something quickly. If you want to treat yourself, you should go to Villa Market in Major Ratchayothin. It's a bit more upscale super market, which is quite popular within our friends because of its selection of candies!
If you need to go to the hospital, it is quite easy here. There is one on Phahon Yothin, the Mayo Hospital, which is located across the street from Sawasdee Place. Then there is Vibhavadi Hospital, which I hear is quite good. Be prepared to get a mini check up (weight, height, blood pressure) even if you go get malaria prevention medicine prescription! There might be some frustrations, as the hospital staff doesn't always speak perfect English, so be patient! The doctor appointments will cost around 5 euros and the medicines are very cheap compared to Europe. All of our friends and us have only had positive experiences with Thai doctors and hospitals.
You can find a post office a Phahon Yothin at least on Soi 37 (Columbia). It's not that expensive to send a package via post, which is nice especially now that the exchange is almost over and we have quite a lot of things to get to Finland! There are a lot of hairdressers in the area, which I've heard have been very affordable! For a men's haircut, it's 80 B (under two euros!). In Thailand, it's common that women don't wash their own hair, but just go to salons and get it washed, get a conditioning treatment and get it blow-dried. This will all cost you 100B, so I would recommend trying it!
Then something that you should remember as an exchange student in Thailand! If you have the six months visa, you have to get it sort of 'renewed' during that period. This can be done by either getting it 'stamped' by a government authority in a bureau, which will cost you something like a few thousand baht. The other way of getting this is when you travel abroad during the first three months and they put a stamp with the new date on your visa. This might sound obvious, but a lot people start their exchange by travelling first in Thailand and then abroad. This procedure might vary with different countries, but at least with the Finnish passport and visa, you have to do this. I don't know why! I just heard about some exchange students who had to pay a lot of money (around 200 euros!), because they hadn't even heard about this procedure. So do it!
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