If we were to summarize Bangkok in a single word, it would be energy!. This city is full of energy fueled by its hospitable residents, rich culture and amazing food.
After quitting my previous job, I did nothing for 6 months and only planned to travel. The first place I wanted to see was Angkor Wat, Cambodia. Since there is no direct flight to Cambodia from South Africa, the logical wide point where I can transfer seemed to be Bangkok. Of course, I have to admit that one of the subliminal reasons I wanted to go to Bangkok was Thai food. I was wondering how it would be to eat Tom Yam Goong, Green Curry Chicken and Satay sauce skewers that I tried in many Thai restaurants in South Africa.
Bangkok is generally used as a connection point to the famous islands of Thailand, Chiang Mai in the north and other nearby countries (Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam).
When to visit Bangkok?
The ideal time to go is November - February, which is the dry season. Outside of these months, it becomes a bit difficult to travel due to the increase in humidity. I went in February, the weather was similar to the summer of Istanbul in terms of humidity.
How to get around?
Bangkok's central airport, Suvarnabhumi, is one of the busiest airports in the world. There are direct flights from Istanbul, but the most affordable options are usually connecting to the Middle East. Dubai (Emirates) and Doha (Qatar Airways) are the airports with the most connections to Bangkok. I flew with Thai Airways from Johannesburg, I liked both the planes and their hospitality, also it was a place of orientation in the air without going to Thailand! Airport taxi (public or private) or Grab app can be used for transportation to the city. Generally, airport taxis do not talk fluent English. We preferred to go with Grab and came to our hotel in Siam region in 30 minutes in the morning for 350 bahts
Program:
Day 1 - Wat Pho, Grand Palace and Wat Arun
If you only have 24 hours in Bangkok, I say get up early in the morning and try to see this trio. Let's start with the first one: Wat Pho is the temple that houses the famous 'Reclining Buddha' statue. This gold-plated colossal statue symbolizes Buddha's ascension to Nirvana. This statue, which tourists from all over the world (including me) examine for a long time, is really impressive. I was surprised to see some tourists looking at the feet of the statue, when I asked, I learned that the symbols on the sole of the foot show how many times Buddha was reborn. Temple guardians (Tossakan) statues at the exit are also very impressive structures with their colors and sizes. (Add fee) You can walk to the Grand Palace in the immediate vicinity of Wat Pho. This is important: By the way, there is a dress code at the entrance to the temples in the city. Shorts are prohibited for both men and women, but you can rent clothes at the entrance in most of them. For this reason, we could not enter the palace. The palace has an impressive architecture, but I think the main attraction here is the Wat Phra Kaew temple in the complex. It is both impressive in appearance and the holiest temple for Buddhists in Thailand, due to a rather small Buddha made of emerald. This can be understood from the respect shown by the people around and the high number of priests around. Right next to the palace, after the sweltering heat and humidity, it is very good to cool off with fresh fruit and coconut water. Again in this region, painters and other artists sell their engravings and paintings. I learned some history by asking an old uncle what his work was about and bought a few engravings depicting Thai myths that I liked.
This is important!: I suggest you bargain in Bangkok while shopping on the street because.the prices for tourists start very high at first ask. After a round of bargaing though the prices will drop by half or even more. In our experience instead of asking for a discount, it works better if you share your price point directly and walk away if it is not accepted by the buyer.
It's easy to find boats to go to Wat Arun, just across the river, when you leave the palace. Wat Arun is a very impressive pyramid temple complex built in the Hindu style. It is reached up to the top with very narrow and steep stairs. It's a bit tiring, so I suggest you have water with you. The view you see when you get out is indescribably beautiful, especially if you are there towards the sunset, it is much more enjoyable. This is important! You need to allocate 1000 Baht cash per person for the entrance to the three important historical buildings above. There are no credit cards at the entrances😞 ATMs are usually around 500-600 meters, but believe me, you don't want to do that extra walk in the heat 🙂 unfortunately Thailand is not a place where credit cards are used a lot. Credit cards are not available in most places, and you have to pay higher prices in places where they pass. Finally, we recommend that you change your money at the airport or exchange offices because every transaction you make from the ATM costs you 220 baht. Since we left the cash withdrawal to the last minute, we did this twice on the first day and spent about 14 dollars - a low figure for many countries, but you can have a very nice meal in Bangkok for this amount - we spent extra on this.
Day 2 - Thai massage, shopping and partying at Khao San Road
If you have a second day in Bangkok, spend it fun! . The area I would recommend first is one of the most modern areas in Bangkok, home to Siam and Sukhumvit shopping malls, fine restaurants and high-end spa/massage complexes. For shopping, MBK Center is a place where you can find many different items from electronics to clothing. I bought my Nikon SLR camera from here and the price was quite affordable compared to Dubai. Siam Center is also a shopping mall with clothing and some more luxury brands. If you're hungry, I suggest you try the street restaurants on the side street just across Siam Square, sit in a busy one and go great with a green chicken curry or chicken egg noodles with fresh fruit or cold beer! MBK Center's Food Court is also very rich in variety and can be preferred for meals. We chose Ban Su Khae because we wanted to eat Thai food. Prices are a little above the city average, but they were really delicious. (Photos)
In Sukhumvit, there are different options such as French, Italian and Chinese besides Thai; we tried a French restaurant, it was quite unsuccessful and expensive. Local dishes are much more successful! For the night, I recommend at least stopping by Sky Bar, Bangkok's best-known roof-top bar on the top floor of a hotel. That's why the prices are quite expensive. Afterwards, it can be continued at clubs where local DJs play. It can be visited in Downtown bars where mostly tourists go, I can say that expats living and working in Bangkok don't go there much. There are quite luxurious complexes where you can get a hand, foot or whole body massage in this region, which is a good place to relieve the tiredness of the previous day. After reading a few massage places on Google Maps, we went to Natura Thai, which has high ratings and reviews. A really clean and spacious massage parlor. When we read that it is very busy and works with a reservation, we went around 2 pm, we were taken to a spacious massage without waiting in line. This is Important! Massage money in advance, credit card is not accepted. Depending on the massage you choose, have a minimum of 700 Baht with you for 60 minutes. This is also important! Which massage? In Bangkok, we tried the Head-Shoulder-Neck-Back and Foot massage and Thai massage, which they call 5in1. We were very satisfied with the first one. I think this 60-minute massage in Bangkok is perfect for relieving the tiredness of the road on the day you arrive by plane. Thai massage, on the other hand, is more like stretching and frankly, we were not very satisfied.
Beyond the two days...
Bangkok is a very lively city. Among the different activities that can be done, the first ones that come to mind are Floating market (the market set up on the river) and Thai Boxing (it is not easy to find tickets).
Accommodation in Bangkok:
The Sukhumvit area in Bangkok is often recommended on blogs as the place where expats live. There are many options here, suitable for different levels in terms of budget. Recommendation: One Tree Hotel.
If you want to be more central, Siam area can be preferred within walking distance to BTS (airrail) trains and shopping centers such as Siam Paragon and MBK Center. Daraya Boutique Hotel, which I stayed close to, was much better in terms of comfort, cleanliness and budget. If you want a stylish hotel experience, Siam Siam or if you are thinking of a more affordable budget, Ibis can be among the other alternatives.
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