What can I say other than I love Bangkok? As hectic as it may seem, on my first trip, I didn’t like it as much. I suppose when you have 3 days in the capital you are rushed to see as much as you can, and you don’t really know the ins and outs of the place. Plus the idea of getting off to an island somewhere in the south of Thailand makes staying in the city even all that less exciting.
My second time around, I got to know Bangkok better and honestly, if I have to move here to work, I would definitely do it! Bangkok has so many beautiful places that are not too popular with the tourist.
My second time around, I got to know Bangkok better and honestly, if I have to move here to work, I would definitely do it! Bangkok has so many beautiful places that are not too popular with the tourist.
At Terminal 21.
Living close to a BTS station is a plus point. It connects you to everything in the city except perhaps the older part of the city where Khao San Road is located. The areas of interest along the BTS stops are Nana, Thong Lor and Ekkamai. All these stops are along the well-known Sukhumvit Road. These places are known for their nightlife, especially Sukhumvit Soi 11 (Nana). Top end bars on Nana are superb as well as those looking for a night of debauchery, it's just 2 streets away.
Thong Lor and Ekkamai on the other hand, have equally good night and day life. There are a few places in Thong Lor during the day that you can visit to have a quick meal or just browse. One little gem of a place we found was Erb, a little perfumery tucked away in Thong Lor’s Soi 12. The place or rather the square is known as Grass where there is a set of other stores, café’s and bars. Grass is quaint, easy to miss and just gorgeous.
Thong Lor and Ekkamai on the other hand, have equally good night and day life. There are a few places in Thong Lor during the day that you can visit to have a quick meal or just browse. One little gem of a place we found was Erb, a little perfumery tucked away in Thong Lor’s Soi 12. The place or rather the square is known as Grass where there is a set of other stores, café’s and bars. Grass is quaint, easy to miss and just gorgeous.
Chatuchak Weekend market.
The Erb perfumery here is just simply pretty and hell of a lot of fun. Making your own perfume is seriously fun. The specialist here is good at making scent according to your taste. Mind you I don’t know much about top notes and base notes so I smelt everything, told the expert what I like and got him to do the mixing for me. By the end of it, I got my perfume but my nose had one roller coaster ride between smelling different scents and coffee (to neutralise you sense of smell). From what would be a quick nip in became an hour-long affair for Aishah and me; she being my guide guru to Thong Lor. Yes, we did purchase our own perfumes at the end hence the hour-long affair!
Thong Lor is a Japanese expat area hence you’ll notice a lot of Japanese restaurant or Japanese themed outlets. Almost like little Japan I would say, but the streets branching off the main Thong Lor street is where the fun really begins. Lots of hidden little place you’ll come across when going through these side streets. Same applies to many other places.
Thong Lor is a Japanese expat area hence you’ll notice a lot of Japanese restaurant or Japanese themed outlets. Almost like little Japan I would say, but the streets branching off the main Thong Lor street is where the fun really begins. Lots of hidden little place you’ll come across when going through these side streets. Same applies to many other places.
Perfect little perfume bottles.
Most of the BTS stations are located next to a mall making your shopping trips a lot easier. The famous Siam Paragon is known for its high-end brands and its level 2, where you have car show rooms. The food court down stair is wonderful as well as the one of the 4th floor. If you’re looking for something chic and trendy then head to Siam Centre, where local designers show off their stuff. It’s really cool to see what they have to offer, even their interior space, from shop to shop differs.
Terminal 21 is one mall you should just visit for the heck of it! Each floor is themed after a different city and feels a little bit like being in an Airport. MBK on the other hand is one mall that’s you’ll hear a lot of people mentioning to you if you want to get souvenirs as they have floors dedicated to one specify thing. A floor just for Gold and Silver, a floor for just technology, a floor for souvenirs or Thai product and so on. The malls here are huge and take a jumper along, the Thai’s love air-conditioning.
The trains to the malls, I’ve been frozen one too many times! I would rush out just before I get frostbites to warm up in the heat. Call it exaggerating but honestly it really cold!
Terminal 21 is one mall you should just visit for the heck of it! Each floor is themed after a different city and feels a little bit like being in an Airport. MBK on the other hand is one mall that’s you’ll hear a lot of people mentioning to you if you want to get souvenirs as they have floors dedicated to one specify thing. A floor just for Gold and Silver, a floor for just technology, a floor for souvenirs or Thai product and so on. The malls here are huge and take a jumper along, the Thai’s love air-conditioning.
The trains to the malls, I’ve been frozen one too many times! I would rush out just before I get frostbites to warm up in the heat. Call it exaggerating but honestly it really cold!
This guy is superb at his job. He knows how to create the perfect scent just for you.
If you’re sick of malls (they have a lot and I didn’t even mention half of it) then Chatuchak weekend market can be a little exciting. I love going not to shop but rather people watch. The mass area covered in little alleys of clothing shops, to eateries its just fascinating. Watching cute fat chefs dancing and cooking to little kids learning to count, its just fun. You’ll come across a few characters too.
The temples are a whole other scene. Wat Arun, Wat Pho (temple of the reclining Buddha) and the Wat Saket (Golden Mount) are some of the most popular tourist temples to visit and I assure you that you should go. The Grand Palace is also another place not to be missed. But as always, you have to be dressed moderately or you can always rent a sarong to cover your knees when you get to the temples. The Grand Palace how ever shuts around 1530h so get there early!
*Almost all the temples require a entry fee which is usually under 100B per person.
I’ve seen touts telling tourist all sorts of stories like the temple is close for afternoon prayers and such and you should go here or there, just don’t bother. Get in, get to the information counter and confirm this. Plus never take a tuk tuk, unless you know how to haggle or just for the experience sake. If you can, always take the taxi’s cause they are cheaper and they go by the meter. Although I’ve had a few run-ins where they don’t want to use the meter.
The temples are a whole other scene. Wat Arun, Wat Pho (temple of the reclining Buddha) and the Wat Saket (Golden Mount) are some of the most popular tourist temples to visit and I assure you that you should go. The Grand Palace is also another place not to be missed. But as always, you have to be dressed moderately or you can always rent a sarong to cover your knees when you get to the temples. The Grand Palace how ever shuts around 1530h so get there early!
*Almost all the temples require a entry fee which is usually under 100B per person.
I’ve seen touts telling tourist all sorts of stories like the temple is close for afternoon prayers and such and you should go here or there, just don’t bother. Get in, get to the information counter and confirm this. Plus never take a tuk tuk, unless you know how to haggle or just for the experience sake. If you can, always take the taxi’s cause they are cheaper and they go by the meter. Although I’ve had a few run-ins where they don’t want to use the meter.
There are a few other temples within the Wat Arun grounds to visit.
I found a little place along the river that has superb view of Wat Arun during sunset, The Deck. Now getting here or to Wat Pho as its just not far from the temple:
*If you want to get to Wat Arun from here or vice versa, take the public ferry across. Its only 3Baht.
The Deck’s rooftop bar is a great place to unwind and watch the sun go down over Wat Arun. It’s also nice to see the boats go by and sip cocktails listening to Brazilian & Portuguese lounge music. There is a restaurant right below that serves pretty good dinner. They’ve taken the romantic-candle light dinner a tad bit too seriously as the lighting is so dim that I had to turn on my mobile to read the menu.
- BTS: Saphan Taksin
- Walk to the ferry stop and get ferry to Stop No.8 (where Wat Pho is)
- Turn right and walk to the end of the temple and you’ll see the sign The Deck.
*If you want to get to Wat Arun from here or vice versa, take the public ferry across. Its only 3Baht.
The Deck’s rooftop bar is a great place to unwind and watch the sun go down over Wat Arun. It’s also nice to see the boats go by and sip cocktails listening to Brazilian & Portuguese lounge music. There is a restaurant right below that serves pretty good dinner. They’ve taken the romantic-candle light dinner a tad bit too seriously as the lighting is so dim that I had to turn on my mobile to read the menu.
Wat Arun after dark is beautiful.
Apart from temples, weekend markets and wet markets Bangkok has a lot of places to explore. There are the floating markets, which have made Bangkok quite popular on postcards, but the best one is almost 2 hours away and the ones in the city are not as good. Although a boat ride through the floating village can be interesting. I’m not going to recommend it as I was a tiny bit disappointed as it wasn’t up to my expectation (those damned postcards!) so I would say skip it and enjoy the rest of city!
One of the best mode of transportation during traffic is the motor taxi! These guy will whizz their way through traffic and get you to your destination quicker than a taxi during peak hours!
Bangkok has a lot to offer. Just got to take your time and explore!
I seriously wouldn’t mind moving over.
View gallery for more photographs.
I seriously wouldn’t mind moving over.
View gallery for more photographs.
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