Bangkok is an exotic destination located in Southeast Asia that apparently is all the rage so my recommendation is to allow at least 3 days to adequately experience it. Everyone I’ve ever talked to who has visited Bangkok tells me they love it there and wish they could go back. So it really piqued my curiosity to see what all the buzz was about. But let me start by saying this is just the beginning of discovering this exciting city!
All I knew about Bangkok was that it is the capital of Thailand and known for their delicious, spicy food. Well, I am familiar with Thai food and love it so I was looking forward to tasting the authentic cuisine.
Oh, and I knew that Thailand was a predominantly Buddhist country but I’d never been inside a temple before. I started getting excited about the prospect of embarking on this new adventure.
“…where to begin?”
When I began my research I read everything about what things to do and which places I wanted to visit. From the river to the streets to the markets to the temples… where to begin?
OK, so yea, you got me. You can’t see all of Bangkok in 3 days. But that’s all I had so I began prioritizing my time. If I must say so myself, I was able to see quite a bit of this fascinating city in the relatively short period of time. It was, however, super difficult to decide what fell into my “must see” category and what would have to wait until next time. Let’s just start with lodging.
We arrived at “Suva” Airport midday and were greeted by our shuttle driver who took us directly to our poshtel.
What in the world is a “poshtel?”
So you’re probably thinking: what is a poshtel? I’d never heard of the term, either. Come to find out a poshtel is a portmanteau or blended word for an upscale or luxury hostel which combines the style and comfort of a boutique hotel but is offered at the price and practicality of a hostel.
Let me stop you here. If you think this “hostel” is just a room with a shared bathroom (don’t mind my feet in this pic HA!), you are so wrong. Not only do you have your own bathroom but it has absolutely NO resemblance to a hostel in any way, shape or form. This unbelievable find is a wonderful place to stay at an affordable price. Check out more at Bangkok Saran here.
A typical room at the Bangkok Saran is simple yet has every amenity you need: a safe, refrigerator, air conditioning, television, closet, shelves, desk and chair, wifi, comfortable bed and linens, a comfy chair (not shown) and last but certainly not least international electrical plugs. As a traveler this last item is a luxury! And as I said earlier, you have your own bathroom with a toilet, shower and they provide 2-in-1 shampoo and a liquid soap dispenser.
And we got super lucky with a gorgeous view of the cable-stayed Rama VIII Bridge which crosses the Chao Phraya River from our window.
“All the comforts of home”
The price of the room comes with a full breakfast each morning and you are welcome to help yourself to a refrigerator full of bottled water [no charge] as often as you’d like. And they even have a washer and dryer [for a fee]. I did a load on my last day. All the comforts of home.
I highly recommend the simple yet charming Bangkok Saran. It’s located in the Old District near the Grand Palace, Khao San Road and the Big Reclining Buddha as well as the local market. The front desk staff are not only warm and friendly but also very helpful and accommodating. And they speak English really well!
After reviewing all of the information I had collected on what to see and do in Bangkok I decided that my 3 days visit would not be complete without experiencing the beauty of the city’s most famous landmark: the Grand Palace, the spiritual heart of Thailand. So I made sure to get there first thing in the morning.
Grand Palace
The plan for the day was to get there early enough to beat the crowds. I was lucky enough to be amongst the first 50 people in line at 10am when the doors opened.
The dress code for the Grand Palace is very strict as it is the most sacred site in all of Thailand because it houses the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. Both men and women are required to have their shoulders and legs covered, no see-through clothes and you must wear socks (no bare feet). A t-shirt and long pants or skirt should suffice.
“that was on my list to buy, anyway”
My sleeveless shirt and Roydio’s shorts fell short of the required dress code so we just stopped at the little shop near the entrance where he bought some elephant pants [that was on my list to buy, anyway] and I got myself a souvenir t-shirt. The prices were very affordable and now we had ourselves a couple of souvenirs! Win-win!
Once inside the Grand Palace, I picked up a map that shows the lay of the land. There are several buildings within the complex including the most important Buddhist temple in Thailand :: Wat Phra Kaew [Temple of the Emerald Buddha]. So I headed there first. As I made my way over I couldn’t help but notice the exquisite detail on the facades of these impressive structures :: they were just jaw-dropping!
Inside Wat Phra Kaew is the highly revered Emerald Buddha which is meticulously carved from a single block of jade. Wow! Since this is the most sacred site in the complex I was not allowed to take pictures. I completely understood of course but I was pretty disappointed because this was truly an astonishing place. I now have to just keep this image ingrained in my memory for posterity.
Where in the World is Louise? Bangkok :: Grand Palace
The Grand Palace complex is filled with fascinating architecture. Everywhere I turned there was yet another beautiful statue or building made with intricate detail.
Most of the areas in the complex are accessible with the exception of the Inner Court which was once the residence of the King’s consorts and daughters. This space is completely off limits :: there are guards tending to making sure no one entered.
I seriously took at least a hundred pictures in the few hours I spent here but if I wanted to hit all of the must-do places on my list I had to make my way out. Plus the crowds were getting pretty heavy at that point and the perfect time to move on! I’m so glad I had the opportunity to have witnessed the overwhelming beauty of the Grand Palace.
Wat Arun :: Temple of Dawn
Certainly one of the world’s most famous landmarks the Wat Arun Temple stands tall above the city on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River. Leaving the Grand Palace I could see its tallest spire towering above everything else so it was not difficult to find. Just follow the spire. It called to me like a beacon in the night (ok, it was daytime, but you get what I’m saying).
The design of Wat Arun is quite different from other temples. The stunning beauty of its fine craftsmanship, the intricate patterns of colorful decorated spires made of fine Chinese porcelain, make it easy to see why many consider Wat Arun the most beautiful temple in all of Thailand.
Wat Arun is located on the river, the reflection of which makes this place even more captivating. If you were so inclined [see what I did there?] you can actually climb the inner spire which would have been a pretty amazing adventure in itself. But by this time in the day long lines were forming.
Tip :: if you are interested in doing this I’d suggest you get there very early in the day. I’ve heard the views from the top are spectacular. Louise missed her opportunity. Don’t be like Louise.
Chatuchak Weekend Market
One of my favorite things to do as I travel from place to place is to visit their local markets. I am always curious about how the local people live and the markets are a great way to get insight into their culture. Here in Bangkok, the sights and smells in the local markets are enchanting.
Where in the World is Louise? Bangkok :: market
35 acres. Over 8,000 market stalls. More than 200,000 visitors on a typical weekend. That’s an overview of what Chatuchak is about. It was pretty overwhelming :: I only covered a small portion on this trip. And as you can see from my pictures I spent most of my time in the food section.
Some of the other things for sale here are clothing, accessories, plants, art, ceramics, books, antiques… the list goes on and on. I wasn’t in the market for souvenirs at this point [see what I did there?] and I wanted to cover more than just one market so I moved through as quickly as possible.
Ta Tien Market
The next market I visited was Ta Tien on the riverfront, hidden behind Wat Pho [Temple of the Reclining Buddha] in a heritage-style building that looks more like a warehouse.
A discreet door easily missed by the public opens to a tunnel that leads to this market place in which you will see all kinds of dried sea products in large sacks and fresh produce ranging from the well-known fruit and vegetables to totally alien-looking ingredients. Originally set up as a wholesale market they now sell also to the general public. I wish I could have taken some of this home.
What makes trading places such as this so interesting to me is that they provide a fascinating window into the local daily life and exactly what I find so intriguing. Ta Tien is very intimate compared to Chatuchak which I personally am much more attracted to so I could have easily spent more time here and probably would have if I had it.
We didn’t visit the Night Markets but click here to read about where they are.
Chao Phraya River Tour
Another must-do in Bangkok is a river tour on the Chao Phraya River [translation: “River of Kings”]. Chao Phraya is considered the life blood or main artery of the city. Many locals use the ferries to cross this river to get to and from work every day. And there are many tourist boats that sail on its waters. My tour guide spoke both Thai and English which made it more informative. I’m told some only talk Thai. “You talk Thai?” (Do you know what movie is that quote is from?)
“…city of contradictions…”
The tour I took sailed us past the ancient temples such as Wat Pho, Grand Palace, Wat Phra Kaew and Wat Arun as well as the modern high rises such as Shangri-la Bangkok Hotel, the Super Tower, Mahanakhon Tower and Canapaya residences. Bangkok is yet another city of contradictions where old world charm meets the 20th century.
It was refreshing to be given a unique local perspective of Bangkok on this river tour and I would recommend it if you plan to visit. Wish I’d taken more pics but the boat got a little rocky at times.
Floating Market Tour
One of the things on my must-do list was seeing the Floating Markets. There are several in the area in and around Bangkok and I figured the best way to see most of them is by taking a boat tour.
“…food is a really. big. deal.”
By now you must know that I’m obsessed with food because that’s all I seem to be photographing. HA! Well, in my intro I think I did mention (I should have included the word: WARNING) that food would be making an appearance in my blog posts. And Thailand is one of the top destinations where food is a really. big. deal. I may have to do a blog post just on the food. Hmmmm….
Lots of interesting things to see at the floating markets. I had to take a video of the fish. It is un.be.lievable how many fish are in this river. I’ve never seen anything like it! Apparently a real popular thing for tourists is to feed these fish and watch the frenzy that unfolds. Of course there are lots of other things floating in that water as well…
As I walked through one of the floating markets it was a nice surprise to hear an ensemble playing the angklung which is a musical instrument made of bamboo originating in Indonesia, the place where both my parents were born. So I am very familiar with the sound which gave this floating market a really fun and ethnic vibe.
While on this “covered” boat tour and on this very warm day all of a sudden the sky turned dark, we heard super loud thunder and a couple of minutes later rains came pouring down for about 3-5 minutes. I mean HARD! I quickly learned another reason (besides the sun) why these boats are covered. Apparently this is a daily occurrence in Thailand. It actually kind of surprised me because it came on so suddenly! But boy did it cool down the temps… nature, doing its job.
I think some of the only English words this tour guide knew was “ok, everyone!” If you listen real closely you’ll hear her. It was quite comical. Turns out she is a karaoke singer. How do I know? At one of the stops she ran over to a stage and started singing karaoke. Oh, and then she continued singing on the boat! OMG best tour guide FAIL ever. Unless you like that kind of thing. I couldn’t bring myself to video-tape her because it really was bad. She sure was having fun though!
Khao San Road
Street food. Yep, that is one of the things Bangkok (probably all of Thailand) is best known for. And they really DO have the best street food on Khao San Road. If you’re a foodie or an amateur foodie like me you must come here to experience this food mania!
Tuk-tuk
If you’ve never taken a tuk-tuk before I highly recommend you try it. It is a popular mode of transportation among tourists and an experience you don’t want to miss. There are more practical and quicker ways to get around town but I guarantee it’s not as fun. And you get to see a lot on your way to wherever you’re going.
This particular trip we grabbed a tuk-tuk because it was starting to rain and it would have taken us a lot longer to get where we were going if we hadn’t grabbed it. As it turned out the rain stopped in about 5 minutes (as it always does) and we were able to get out and walk the rest of the way to Chinatown.
Chinatown
You will find a Chinatown in every major city in the world. Throughout history the Chinese worked hard to build up their own communities in wherever they had a mass migration. Food being a very important part of their culture bringing Chinatown to their new home was just a way of life.
Roydio’s grandmother who has long since passed away was full Chinese and so this heritage and culture have strongly influenced his life. Noodles and rice and soup have been staples in his family and continues to thrive with his generation and on. So whenever we travel to a different part of the world it is always a priority to find a Chinatown.
When we made it to Chinatown Roydio took the food game to a completely different level. One of his favorite foods in Southeast Asia has always been durian otherwise known as the “stinky fruit.” It can only be found in tropical climates which Thailand definitely is. So yea, he headed straight for the durian stand. I can’t get past the smell myself so I’ve never put it in my mouth. But he swears it tastes like heaven. You be the judge. Have you ever eaten durian?
Train Ride to Ayutthaya
Taking the train is probably the best and most efficient way to get to Ayutthaya from Bangkok. It is about a 2.5 hour train ride and I must say it’s quite an entertaining one.
Once onboard you can expect 6-7 vendors to come walking by at any given point to sell you snacks, drinks, toys and sometimes even full meals. They have a captive audience in you :: you’re not going anywhere :: so I’m sure they do really well.
We purchased a Thai iced coffee and felt as though we had done our part in keeping these people in business.
Once we arrived in Ayutthaya I was surprised at what a fun place it was. Again, food stalls abounded but everything seemed pretty affordable.
We caught the end of what appeared to be a cool fire show. Dang, we missed it. So we took a nice stroll around the facilities. What a cute place! They had a petting zoo, a small market like we’ve seen around Bangkok, a couple of cute little restaurants and shops…
We ended up having a few snacks and drinks there in an air conditioned shop with wifi that we had pretty much all to ourselves. It was nice to get out of the crowds for a bit.
- There is a very strict dress code for entering the sacred temples in Thailand so be sure to wear something that covers your shoulders and legs (no tank tops or shorts) and nothing see-through. And you must wear socks inside the temple (no bare feet).
- Another mode of transportation is “Grab” which is their version of Uber. Download the app. It works great!
Read more ::
Phuket :: Where the Action is… and Not
10 Reasons to Have Your Destination Birthday in Bali
My Favorite Travel Products :: Top 50
Bangkok was a pretty amazing city to visit but IMHO there are just too many places to see in just 3 days. It can be done as you see here. But next time I’d love to venture out and explore more down the Chao Phraya River to see where it would take me. I’m sure I’ll have more of the fried bananas on the street as well as the Pad Thai. My mouth is watering thinking about the Thai food. Yea, there will be food involved on my next trip for sure.
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