ULTIMATE THINGS TO DO IN BANGKOK

Kriselle Irish Bual-Malgapo
Sep 23, 2016
5 min read

Bangkok is considered to be one of the most visited cities in the world. People can do a bunch of things in this metropolis. Everything is within your reach through various means of transportation.

The capital of Thailand is a shopping destination, home of shrines/temples and vibrant night life.

I personally chose this city because I learned that it is almost similar to Philippines. Knowing this is my first trip abroad, I had essential things to consider such as close to my country and safe as well.

In this blog, you will find out how I and my friend Xylina explored Bangkok free and easy.

All Sorts of Transportation

1. Taxi

It is so common to ride a taxi from the airport to your hotel and any destination near the city. Outside the airport, we just got a number from the machine and waited for the corresponding taxi. This system seems safe for me.

Yet, upon traveling around the city, it's not so wise to ride a taxi cab because of heavy traffic especially during rush hours. Also, make sure that you pick up an honest drivers. Some just wants to circle around the place. In our experience, I thought we were able to get on the place we wanted safely.

2. Skytrain

Basically, it's a train above the highway. It's the opposite of subway. This is a good choice if you want to avoid traffic yet a little more expensive than the other means.

We used this often during our stay in traveling around Bangkok since it's the safest. However, one must the map so one can discover the nearest station or else once has to walk for a long time like we did. (hahaha!)

You will also enjoy the sights you can see while traveling though skytrain. Another thing, the voice of the announcer is too cute that I mimic her during the ride. (hahaha!)

3. Tuk2x

This means of transportation is like "tricycle" in the Philippines yet it's more spacious and a little bit faster.

I think this is a must-try if you visit Bangkok since we cannot find it a lot of countries. It's unique in its own way. This is part of Thailand's culture.

Word of caution: Just be careful. Just like some taxi drivers, there are also not so good Tuk2x drivers, according to my friends' experiences and even the locals. Perhaps because we are foreigners.

4. Boat

Going to our first destination (temples) we had to cross the famous Chao Phraya River by boat.

It was fun because everyone were all foreigners. We were all laughing and enjoying the water splashes on us. It was a bit scary for me because That was the first time when the water splashes so hard on me. In general, it's fun to relax and just enjoy the ride.

4. Bus

This is the one of the vehicles we haven't tried. I bet this is the most common means of transportation in the city because we always see a huge number of people at the bus stop waiting for buses especially after working hours. Many of them are non-air conditioned buses. I must try next time!

5. Motorcycle

Another means of travel is motorcycle. This is not new for me because I have tried this many times in our country. However, trying it in another country is a little different. We rode tricycle going to a Catholic church in Phloen Chit. There is no other means but this so we had no choice. We rode it after riding skytrain from Sukhumvit. It was good.

6. Subway/MRT

We almost tried this train under. Yet, we were running out time from the airport. Their subway doesn't operate after 12:00 MN. We haven't had any chance to ride it too because the BTS or Skytrain is truly favorable in our location.

I will definitely try their subway when I get back soon!

Temples

Yeah, Bangkok is known for it's golden Buddha and temples. So, I and my friend decided to take a look at these since it was our first time.

We went to Wat Arun, Wat Phra Kaew and Grand Palace. As expected, there were many people, foreigners to be exact, because it was a weekend. Their temples resemble Thai's most famous religion, Buddhism.

There are temples where we weren't allowed to take pictures. However, some stubborn individuals were caught doing it so they were interrogated. Clearly, reverence and respect in the place of worship is relevant.

We were also not allowed to wear shorts and sleeveless in some temples, so they provide some clothes. In short, they have a dress code.

There were a lot temples. I really admire each of them are made. The design is really detailed from the material to the colors. It reflects the vibrant culture of Thailand.

Massage on the Khao San Road

Khao San Road is famous for wandering foreigners and the perfect place for backpackers. They offer a lot of entertainment, food and souvenir items. Thai massage is also one of the things people would lie to experience. For only $3, I had good foot massage after a tiring walk around the city. There are also variety of massage to choose from.

Aside from the good massage, we tried their street food such as coconut shake and some fresh fruits. There were also cheap clothes and souvenir items. A lot of people try the henna tattoo also.

Shopping at Pratunam Market

Pratunam Market has a wide variety of choices of clothes, bags, shoes and souvenir items. The more items you buy, the cheaper the price will be.

The sellers are not all Thai. There are a hug number of foreign people who sell their products. Some products also come from other countries especially the neighboring places. I would like to believe that the quality of each product is good. In addition, there are also several choices for each design. The prices doesn't vary so much. But, it's always good to compare. Most of their displayed items are the ones I saw in some famous boutiques in our city.

Dining on a Hotel Rooftop

Going on top of a hotel wasn't really in our plan. Since our Japanese friend wanted to, we immediately loo for a hotel nearby. We decided to go to Marriott Hotel. They have two floors for different activity that you would like to. The lower floor is for dining while the upper floor is for drinking. We chose the upper floor as it will give us the view that we wanted.

Truly, the view is priceless. The city lights are stunning. The place offered varied choices of finger foods and drinks as well.

Munch on Thai Dishes

This is my another first time! My first Thai dish experience was when we went to the temples. There was an open restaurant nearby. It was full of people, mostly foreigners. I ate the famous Tom Yum Kun and tried their spring roll. Tom Yum's taste was cooked well and the smell of coriander (cilantro) makes their dishes unique and known to be authentic Thai cuisine.

During our stay, when I ate at any restaurant, expect that most dishes are spicy as Thai dishes are naturally hot and spicy.

Connect with People

People and culture are inseparable. These are two relevant things I am interested in knowing in a foreign place.

Thai people are approachable especially when they know how to speak English. They will assist you in anything you want to know about the place.

The business owners in Pratunam Market are mostly foreigners such as Nepalese, Cambodia, Myanmar, Arab and many more. English will be your medium of communication in dealing with them.