Bangkok's gems

From when I was a little boy, I've always wanted to go to Thailand, it was my dream trip. Now, my girlfriend ( Mary ) and I decided to visit Bangkok, the city with the name of Thailand's capital. It is a city that reveals itself to people who get away from the temples, touts, and tourists and get into the local way of life. Let me show you the wonders i've caught while in Bangkok.

Day 1,

We arrived in Suvarnabhumi Airport and we took a taxi to the hostel where we booked out rooms. The room costed aproximatively $25 ( 783 baht ) and it offered great services. It was modern and the balcony gave us a great view over Thailand. We ate breakfast at the hotel and we took an air-conditioned bus ( the weather was hot outside, being summer ), the ticket costs $0,4 (12 baht). You can also find the routes on panels displayed near bus stations. We took the bus to the city center, where we ate at a Thai Curry House. The maids were young, welcoming and the curries were delicious. Wish that there was a bit more rice to curry ratio. I liked that they offered several options for the level of spice. We wanted to dedicate this day to get to know the city better, integrate with the locals and not visit. After we ate lunch, we met a friend of ours who moved to Bangkok several years ago. He showed us the area and we were keen to explore more. After meeting our friend, we took a bus to Terminal 21, my favorite mall in the city. It’s airport-themed, and every floor features a different region of the world. There’s free Wi-Fi, restaurants on every floor, a movie theater on the top floor, and one of the best mall food courts in the city. The opening hours are form 10a.m. - 10p.m. daily. We wandered around the mall until evening came, then we took the bus back to the hostel and slept there.

Day 2,

We woke up full of energy and joy, ate breakfast and walked to The Grand Palace. The Royal Palace is also neighboring Wat Pho, home to the famous reclining Buddha and massage school. The Royal family doesn’t live in the palace and you can’t go into any of the buildings, but wandering the grounds and open temples is worth the visit. It’s beautiful and the craftsmanship in the architecture is amazing. If you visit this palace, make sure you go first thing in the morning, like we did, to avoid crowds. After visiting the Grand Palace, we saw the Wat Pho and went there. The Wat Pho complex fills a city block so while seeing the statues doesn’t take long, you could spend a solid hour wandering the maze-like temple grounds. Be sure to wear clothes that cover your legs and shoulders. It’s considered disrespectful to wear revealing clothes. If you don’t, you can rent pants or shirts at the palace. At Wat Pho, you cant rent clothes for free. After visiting the Wat Pho, we headed across the river to Wat Arun (Temple of the Dawn), to get stellar views of the city from the top of the temple. It’s my favorite temple in the city because of the view it gives over the city of Bangkok. It was a long visit and we didn't realize how much time it had passed until we saw the sun set. We took the bus to the hostel and chilled there for most of the evening.

Day 3,

We woke up to a call from our friend, who told us he was waiting at the coffee shop nearby to go to Jim Thompson's house. We agreed to join him, so we left the hostel to get coffee and a bus to the silk merchant's house. Jim Thompson was an American spy and silk merchant in Thailand during the ’50s and ’60s who vanished mysteriously in 1967 while in Malaysia. He made his home in the traditional Thai style, decorating it with a surrounding garden. The tours feature a lot of history about Jim, the silk industry, and how and why Thais design their homes the way they do. We haven't ate breakfast yet, so we went to Baan Mohmee restaurant, near Jim Thompson's house. The food and service were great, quality at it's best! We then took a bus to the Chao Phraya river. We bought a standard ticket, which is around $1 (20 baht). It was a very relaxing and beautiful experience. If you want to learn more about important sites on the river itself, you can buy an official ticket ( which costs more and has a guide giving brief descriptions about important sites as you go ). After our trip on Chao Phraya river, we were hungry and walked to Khlong Lat Mayon, one of Thailands floating markets.We loved the chaos, the smells, and the little ladies cooking and selling us various treats as they paddle by. You never leave hungry! We were full and decided to go back to the hotel and spend the rest of the day there.

Day 4,

When we woke up today, we agreed on eating at ChatuChak Weekend Market. The weekend market is one of the best things in Bangkok. It’s the size of many football fields and quite crowded. You’ll find everything and anything from authentic designer clothes to phones to knockoff movies to kitchenware. There’s a big dining area with great, cheap food. I've heard many great things abbout this market, it's a "must go" place if you travel to Thailand! After fueling our bodies, we took the bus to the Lumpini Park,Bangkok’s Central Park. This sizable green space is well worth a visit if you’re a people watcher. At all hours of the day, you’ll find people playing sports, walking, biking, practicing tai chi, or just relaxing. We wandered around the park for a couple of hours, then our friend called. He told me that a Muay Thai fight was taking place near the Central Park.Muay Thai (a combat sport involving striking and clinching) is everywhere in Thailand and Thais take it very seriously. Fighters train for years. I am a fighter myself and I told Mary it was worth a visit. If you are a fighter of any kind of martial arts or combat in general, you should watch one game of Muay Thai. You can learn new techniques, like I did. We went to the hostel to watch the sunset from our balcony. After the sun set, we gave Chinatown a visit. Chinatown in Bangkok is a culinary feast. You can go shopping here and buy lots of useless souvenirs, but what I love about this area is the food. On the chaotic vendor-lined streets, you’ll find a ton of vendors selling food you hardly see anywhere else in the city. At night, this is one of the best places to get seafood. It isn't too crowded and you will never get bored there. After we ate delicious seafood, we went back to the hostel and slept.

Day 5,

This was our last day in Bangkok, and the flight was at 6 p.m. , so we wanted to visit everything we haven't visited before leaving this amazing city. It was still morning, we decided to visit Thailand's National Museum. This museum, considered the largest in Southeast Asia, houses a vast collection of antiquities including prehistoric art, murals, bronzes, exhibits from other Asian countries and ceremonial carriages used by royal families. We learned alot about the culture and history of Thailand. It’s best to go when they offer English tours on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 9:30am. After leaving the museum, we took a bus to see the Siam Museum. This museum uses a variety of media to explore the origins of the Thais and their culture. The galleries deal with the origins of the country and its people told through various multimedia. It is open everyday from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. and the admission is $9.5 ( 300 baht ). We got hungry and decided to eat at Indus. One of the more fancy Indian restaurants in Bangkok, this place has a beautiful design and outdoor eating area. It’s high end but the food is delicious and the service is great! Unfortunately, time went by so fast and it was 4 p.m, 2 hours before the flight. We took a bus to the hotel, packed up and walked to the airport.

Overall, a great trip, cheap prices, beautiful history and culture and delicious food!

#thailand #bangkok #temple #palace #seafood