Im heading to thailand in about a month for the first time and really want to get the most out of it
Staying in phuket for 10 days then to Bangkok for 4 days
If anyone can give me some ideas of the best things to do in both these places it would be really helpful and much appreciated
also i want to get a camera over there asap, where would be a good place to get a nice good one? we land in bangkok and are there for an hour and a half before flying to phuket, do i have time to get one in bangkok? or will they be just as good in phuket?

No don't buy a camera at Bangkok airport as there are limited selections and regulated prices, so you won't be able to shop around much like you can do at Phuket or Bangkok shopping centers. First decide what type and model camera you want to buy. Look in the camera magazines and talk to camera salespeople back home before leaving. If you have already decided what you want then this will streamline the shopping. At Phuket check the camera shops in Phuket town, and then check the superstores like Tesco Lotus, BigC, Makro, Carrefoure. I'm certain you'll find the prices better at the superstores AND a big big plus, you'll have a week to return the camera and get a full refund should there be any problems of even if you later change your mind and wished you'd got a different model.

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Thanks, ill definantly take your advice and wait until i get to phuket to find a camera it will give me more time to look around, i already have an idea of the one i want to get so ill be looking into the places you suggested

In early May I was in both Phuket and Bangkok, and after a compact digital camera, I found that the selection wasn't as good in Phuket City and Patong as in Bangkok.

I think I went to almost all the camera shops in Phuket, the camera I was after was a pretty new model, stock was short and prices were about the same as Australia.

In Bangkok I went Panthip Plaza (Big electronic Plaza) and got a really good price on the camera I wanted, just be aware many cameras don't have an International warranties, warranty is local, only applies to country of purchase.

Bob Mac lives in Thailand so has some good advice to offer.

I was prepared to risk it....so far no problems


Good luck, hope this helps.

Getting a camera duty-free at home before departing is also a very good option. Rachmj doesn't say where he/she comes from but if Oz then duty-free prices at home, also prices in general at discount stores, are very similar to prices in Thailand. As for warranty. I bought a HP laptop in Perth early this year, and last month the DVD drive died, I took the laptop to the HP agent here at Khon Kaen and a brand new drive was replaced totally free. However, I'm not sure if it'd work so well the other way round, I reckon the Aussies would pull some bull on you.

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You're only young once, but you can stay immature forever.

Just a quick tip for Rachmj and any other readers: get a small digital camera for travel, one you can put in your pocket. A couple of years ago when leaving Perth I bought a Panasonic Lumix camera with Leica lens, it's an absolutely fantastic camera, takes great photos and can do just about everything possible, but I hardly ever use it, it's just too big & heavy to take out every day. Also don't be blinded by pixel size, now they're up over 12MP, but the images will be too large for email and storage, you'll be reducing pics right down in order to email them. I have 2 digital cameras and both are on low MP settings. The average person doesn’t need more than 5MP. When was the last time you enlarged a photo to poster size?

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You're only young once, but you can stay immature forever.

Bobmac is spot on once again. I have been involved in electrical retail in one capacity or another for most of my adult life and I can confirm that you are going to be better off buying in Australia if that is where you are coming from. You no longer have to rely on duty free as there is no duty on camera's, only GST, and if you purchase at any Australian retail store no more than 30 days before your departure and the total purchase including acessories is over $300AUS, you will receive a GST refund at the airport as long as you have the camera in your carry-on luggage. The proceedure is very straight forward and takes a few minutes and only entails showing a receipt, the goods and then having your credit card swiped for the money to go back onto it. At Melbourne airport, you just turn to your right just after you go through passport control and before you go through the final scanning of your hand luggage and you will see a counter that says "GST REFUND FOR OS TRAVELLERS" I would presume it would be at a similar point at other Aust airports.
Electrical retail in Australia is a very competitive market, check out prices on the internet and go into any bulk store and they are most likely to match the best price you can find.

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I love Thailand this much