Do you turn the water and electricity off when leaving Thailand?

honestly i'd turn off the main water valve inside your unit, not ask the juristic office. their shutoff is usually for the whole floor and they might not even bother. just check under the kitchen sink or near the water heater, takes 2 seconds. the bigger risk is a burst pipe while you're gone, and that valve stops it cold.

for electricity, don't flip the main breaker all the way off. leave it on but switch off individual breakers for the ACs and water heater. fridges need to stay on obviously, and your condo's security system or wifi router might need power too. in my building, some units have a balcony pump for the rain shower that can get finicky if it loses power for weeks. so partial is safer than full.

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yeah what they said about the water valve is spot on. but even if u do turn it off, leave a note for the maid or whoever checks ur unit, cause sometimes they open taps to test and forget to close it. i had a friend come back to a flooded bathroom cause the juristic guy turned the water back on for a leak check and didn't tell anyone.

for the electric side, i'd add unplug everything that's not on a surge protector, like the tv and microwave. lightning storms here are no joke and one strike near the building can fry random stuff even with the breaker on. also if u got a smart lock on the door, check if it runs on batteries or wired power, cause if it's wired and u kill the circuit it'll die and u'll be stuck outside when u land.

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the water valve thing is solid advice, but also think about your fridge. if u turn off the main breaker, the food inside will spoil and smell up the whole unit when u get back. better to leave the kitchen circuit on and just kill the ACs and water heater. also check your water heater, some models have a pilot light or a drain valve that needs to be emptied if u shut the water off, otherwise u might get air locked pipes when u return.

for the juristic office, even if u do ask them, they wont remember ur unit number by the time u land. just do it yourself and take a photo of the valve position so u know it's closed. oh and if ur gone more than 3 weeks, maybe have a friend swing by once to flush the toilets and run the taps for 5 minutes, keeps the water seals from drying out and letting sewer gas into the condo. that smell is nasty and hard to get rid of.

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Krua Dok Mai Kao is solid but I've always found their som tam a bit tame on the pla ra. If you want the real funky version, try the shophouse spots along Soi Udomsuk 26, near the night market end. They pound it fresh with fermented fish that'll clear your sinuses, and it's like 60 baht. Different style from the On Nut places, more Lao-leaning.

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for som tam specifically i'd say the Isaan spots in Chatuchak are underrated, weekdays only though since the weekend crowd ruins the vibe. there's a stall near gate 2 that does tam pa with fermented bamboo shoots, super sour and funky, not something you see much in On Nut. if you're already heading north for Or Tor Kor anyway its worth the detour.

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honestly the som tam at Krua Dok Mai Kao is good but what got me hooked is their nam prik pla raa dip with the raw veggies, that funk hits way harder than the papaya does. think most people sleep on it cuz they just order the som tam and gai yang. also pro tip, go before noon on weekdays, after that teh pla ra gets milder cuz they batch it for the lunch rush

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