Bangkok: A City of Endless Possibilities

The city of Bangkok needs very little introduction. It is a city known worldwide and is a favorite tourist destination in Asia for its big-city feel, captivating culture, incredible food, and friendly locals. It is also home to one of the largest and most traveled through airports in Asia, making it a convenient stop on the way to other nearby destinations. Sarah and I stayed in Bangkok for a total of 5 days and could have easily spent more time there.

Where to Stay

For our first 4 nights in Bangkok, we stayed at Sinad Guesthouse located a short walk from the famous Koh San Road and other popular destinations in the city. It was about 750 baht each for the 4 nights there (approximately $24.50), and it served as a nice home base to go from. 

We unexpectedly had to stay in Bangkok a fifth night after our trip to Ayutthaya (we missed our train, but that’s another story in itself). We decided to stay at a cheap hostel on Koh San Road because of the convenient location. Unfortunately, we soon discovered the reason some people advise travelers not to stay on Koh San Road during their time in Bangkok. Literally a minute or two after we laid down to go to sleep, loud (and I mean LOUD) music began blaring from one of the bar/clubs next door. This didn’t stop until around 5:30am, at which point we were already leaving to catch our train to Cambodia. Needless to say, I pretty much didn’t sleep that night and grumpily regretted staying where we did (but hey, it’s a learning experience). So unless you want to spend your nights out partying (and if you do, then by all means stay on Koh San Road), avoid accommodation here at all costs! You’ve been warned. 

Activities in the City

Bangkok is full of endless sights to see and things to do. Here are a few of the highlights from our time there:

Wat Saket (The Golden Mountain) is a Buddhist temple in Bangkok. “The Golden Mountain” is a huge hill inside of Wat Saket with a large staircase leading to the top. There is no cost to climb the hill, and at the top you can enjoy breathtaking panoramic views of Bangkok in all directions. It’s well worth the walk up simply for this reason. 

View from The Golden Mountain

Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn) is located on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River and legend says that this is the temple King Taksin arrived at (as dawn was breaking) after escaping the Burmese army when they advanced upon the city of Ayutthaya. It costs 3 baht to cross the river on the local ferry and visit the temple, which costs another 50 baht (approximately $1.65) to enter. It is well worth the small fee as the structure itself is absolutely beautiful. If you are in good shape and manage to climb your way up the incredibly steep staircases, the top of the temple also affords stunning views of the river and other nearby areas. Definitely worth a visit!

Temple of Dawn

The Grand Palace is one of the most famous places among tourists to visit in Bangkok. This well known landmark was once home to the Thai King and is admired for its dazzling architecture both inside and outside the palace. It costs 400 baht to enter it (approximately $12.75), and Sarah and I decided not to explore the insides of the palace mainly for this reason. We walked around the outside though, and if money is not really an issue for you it might be worth checking out!

Chinatown is a fun place to visit and admire all the interesting foods and fun stalls in the area. It is best to go here during dinnertime, at which point Chinatown is at its liveliest. We went there for dinner one night and both ordered a tasty-looking noodle soup we saw some others eating at a food stall. About halfway through the bowl, I realized that what I had thought was pork was actually the organs of some unidentified animal. Yum! Well, it makes for a great story anyhow.

Dinner in Chinatown!

The MBK Shopping Center is a huge multi-level shopping mall that is vastly popular among tourists and locals alike. Shops and stalls on the 8 different floors sell clothing, shoes, food, electronics, furniture, DVDs, souvenirs, and much more. There are over 2,000 shops in this mall and it is unlikely you will be unable to find what you are looking for. Another huge plus is that the building is air conditioned, which is a big deal if you are in Thailand during the warmer times of  the year. Be ready to bargain at a lot of these shops - many good deals can be found here! My favorite purchases of the day from this shopping mall were a 6-inch Subway sandwich for 49 baht (about $1.65) and a large chocolate dipped ice cream cone covered in colorful sprinkles from Dairy Queen for 20 baht (about 65 cents). So great!

MBK Shopping Center

Chatuchak Market is the largest market in Thailand and contains more than 5,000 stalls, covering approximately 35 acres. It takes place every weekend, and any tuk-tuk driver can take you there if you ask them. You can find everything from clothing to food to souvenirs and more. My favorite part of the market was the HUGE pet section. Seriously, we got lost in it because it was so vast. There was every type of pet you could possibly imagine being sold there: puppies, kittens, rabbits, large bugs, snakes, monkeys, black-tip sharks, squirrels, and many more things. I found an adorable black pug puppy for only $200 and seriously considered buying it and bringing it home with me. But really. 

Although Koh San Road isn’t the greatest place to stay in Bangkok, that doesn’t mean it should be completely overlooked! It is known as the “touristy” part of Bangkok, but you can find a lot of great souvenirs and food there for really cheap prices. And if you are into the hipster scene, there are an endless number of stalls selling cheap hipster tank tops and t-shirts (don’t ask why). Most of the food stalls on Koh San Road sell pad thai, springs rolls, fried rice, sticky rice with mango, and other popular Thai dishes that are popular in Western countries. Here’s a tip though: if you order food from one of these food stalls, make sure it is piping hot when you get it and is cooked right in front of you. I got sick on one of our last days in Bangkok from some spring rolls I ate on Koh San Road. They weren’t warm when I got them (other ones I had eaten during previous days had been hot when I ate them and didn’t give me any stomach problems), and I later got sick from them. They had probably just been sitting in the cart for too long and had gone bad. But if you’re careful, I would definitely recommend eating at these food stalls if you’re looking for a cheap bite to eat!

Koh San Road

One Final Tip

Many of the tuk-tuk drivers in Bangkok have an agreement with certain travel agencies and tailor shops where they get commission or free petrol if they bring tourists there. Many will offer to take you to a couple of temples for a really low price and then spring the tailor shop/ travel agency idea on you during the ride. So if you get offered a ridiculously cheap fare from a tuk-tuk driver, be a bit suspicious. One tuk-tuk driver made this offer while we stopped on the sidewalk to look at a map which was hanging on the trunk of a tree, but we firmly told him we were not interested (despite his numerous attempts to convince us we were missing out on a great offer). After our final refusal, he angrily ripped the map Sarah and I were looking at off the tree and stormed away with it (you know, like a five year old would). But don’t worry, the vast majority of the people in Thailand are incredibly helpful and friendly! And again, it just makes for another great story.