DO:  Take a trip to Terminal 21.  Located right outside the Asok metro stop in the Sukhumvit district this indoor mall is very easy to get to.  I know, I know, "mall?!?!?", you say, this is no ordinary mall, my friends.  Terminal 21 is a mall that is dedicated to different places around the world.  Each floor represents a different city.  Tokyo, San Francisco, Istanbul, just to name a few.  The best part, it's a mall of food; food from each city, ramen, kabob, san francisco food, it's all there.

DO, IF YOU HAVE TIME:  Go to a floating market (that is outside the city).  I actually did not get to do this, but, like muay thai, this is a Thai staple.  

DO(N'T) DO, AKA SKIP:  Don't do a temple tour.  For a number of reasons really.  1)  Have you seen a buddha statue? Have you been to a touristy temple in China, Taiwan, Japan, wherever really? If you answered "Yes", you know exactly what you will see when you go on a temple tour.  Go to one temple, but you definitely do not need to spend a day checking all of them out.  2)  At the end of the temple tour they will try and make you go to the silver store.  This is just a cheap ploy to rip you off.  If you don't believe me, google it.  3)  Bangkok is such a big city with so many things to do, this should be near the bottom of the list.

ADVICE:  Get a driver.  Like I mentioned before, Bangkok is huge.  The metro is good, but limited.  The taxi drivers, well quite frankly, suck.  They will try to rip you off by not using the meter (never fall for this trick, I repeat, never), they will get lost, and they don't know where anything is.  Even when you give them the address, show them the location on a map, they still can't figure it out.  Go figure.  Booking a driver beforehand (through a travel agent, or tour site) will really help you use your time efficiently in Bangkok and will allow you to really see everything you want in the city and its burbs.

ADVICE (BONUS):  It costs about $400 Baht to get from the airport to the city center of Bangkok.  This is around $12 USD.  Don't fall for any tricks, ask for a metered taxi and don't pay a dime over $15 USD. 

DO:  Take a muay thai class at Sitsongpeenong Phuket.  This place is legit, but the best part is the trainers seem to love what they are doing and have fun doing it.  Whether or not you've ever done muay thai before, you have to try Thailand's national pastime.  Plus, what better place to try this martial art than the country in which it was born.  Located in Surin beach, this really odd beach/family town that somehow has a block-long red light district isn't the most "exciting" place to be, so plan for a day trip; I wouldn't spend the night here.  

DO, IF YOU HAVE TIME:  Go play with some tigers at the Tiger Kingdom.  Also, you must drop in a "tiger uppercut!".  Go see a tiger named Hooper and tell him, "Matt says, 'TIGER UPPERCUT!'".

DO(N'T) DO, AKA SKIP:  Don't go to Patong beach.  Just ... don't ... go.  You are welcome.

ADVICE:  Stick to the east side of the island.  This is the Phuket you see in pictures: Phi Phi island, James Bond island, these are all on the east side.

DO (BONUS!):  Get solicited.  Ok, not really, you won't have a choice.  You will get solicited.  Everything and everyone will solicit you.  It's weird, yes, that is part of being in Phuket.