First stop: Bangkok, Thailand
First stop on my travels is the capital of Thailand, Bangkok.
This was my first experience of Asia so I didn't really know what to expect. From the movies (like the Hangover), I kind of expected a lot of people, lights and crazy things being sold at me. I wasn't far wrong!
This post covers:
You should either:
Tip: go into any hostel, even if you're not staying there, because they're bound to have leaflets and discounts they can give you. We got 20% off our boat ticket.
You can also get the local boats, which if I remember correctly are the orange and yellow ones. These are a lot cheaper and more fun. You can get a ticket for about 13 baht.
This post covers:
- how to get around Bangkok
- good places to eat and have coffee
- where we stayed
- how much we spent
- overall impressions
Getting around
Bangkok isn’t that great for walking around, especially if you don’t know where you’re going - like us. Although, the times when we did walking around you get a real sense of the city. Your noise is filled with all the food smells (especially durian fruit) and your eyes are daunted by neon signs and people - everywhere.Taxis
We got a few taxis to places, but you have to be careful they don't rip you off.You should either:
- agree on a price before you get into the taxi
- ask them to put the metre on - apparently an 180 baht ride would be about 30 baht if the metre was on
- get the hostel to book one for you - there's a 25 baht charge but it saves you haggling for a price
Skyline
You can also use the Skyline train. There's not many stops to it, but it's pretty cheap and decent to get you from A to somewhere near B.By boat
We got the Hop on and off boat (don't know if it's actually called that), which takes you down the Chao Phraya river. It was about 180 baht each for the day, which isn't bad as it lasts till 6pm in the evening. It was a really scenic way to see the city too, as you can get off at all the landmarks such as the Grand Palace and Chinatown.Tip: go into any hostel, even if you're not staying there, because they're bound to have leaflets and discounts they can give you. We got 20% off our boat ticket.
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View of the city from the boat
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You can also get the local boats, which if I remember correctly are the orange and yellow ones. These are a lot cheaper and more fun. You can get a ticket for about 13 baht.
Food and drinks (mainly coffee)
Like I said, you won't go hungry in Bangkok with the amount of food on offer.Food markets
Food is life in Bangkok. Every street corner and in every alleyway there's someone selling food of some sort. If you're a veggie though, you'd best be prepared to go on search for places that serve no meat. We found it a bit hard to find anywhere to be honest.Bangrak Food Centre
Address: 48/1 Soi Charoen Krung 46, Khwaeng Bang Rak, Khet Bang Rak, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10500, Thailand Open: Everyday from 6am till 11pm.
The first taste of market food was at Bangrak Food Centre, near where we were staying in the Bangrak area.
You do have to take the plunge when it comes to market food. Yes, they don't have food hygiene stickers and there's stray dogs running around, but this is their culture. To really get to know it you need to be part of it.
We paid 30 baht each for 2 main dishes and a side of morning glory, which seems to be a favourite in Bangkok. Watch out though, it's spicy! But it was all delicious - I would highly recommend it.
I had my first real taste of what spicy is in Thailand. I was defeated by Laeng saeb, a dish of pork bones and ridiculous amounts of green chilies. This seems to be the most popular dish in Bangkok.
We managed to find a veggie cafe near Kosan Road, and boy was it good
For just a few 100 baht, you get a beautiful selection of vegetables such as lotus root, which I had never tried before.
If you want a nice coffee and a bit of fun then go to the Pooltime cafe. It has a pool and also raccoons which you could play with (an obvious combination). For 500 baht (with discount if you buy food and drink in the cafe), you get 15 mins with the raccoons, who are upstairs in a little play den.
Whilst I did feel sorry for the rather overweight raccoon, you could tell they were really looked after. He was extremely cute and playful.
Right next to Pooltime cafe, there's another trendy coffee place called Kaizen Coffee. We grabbed a flat white and a long black here and it was pretty decent.
Pooltime cafe
Address:582 ถนน สุขุมวิท 63 แขวงคลองตันเหนือ เขตวัฒนา Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10110, Thailand
Open: Everyday but Monday from 12pm till 8pm
Of course you've got all the classic Thai beers such as Chang and Leo, which are all very cheap at about 70 baht for a big bottle and 39 baht for a can.
We didn't really see any other westerners in this area - maybe because we were a bit out of the way of the city. Despite this it had a market, a big shopping mall and a few bars that satisfied us.
It was spacious, welcoming and very modern. You get a free breakfast (toast, fruit and coffee) too. It's a good place to meet fellow travellers as it has a really nice social area with a Playstation and bean bags. It's right next to Ratchathewi train station too, if you want to get around the city.
I loved the energy of the place and I understand now why other travellers recommend it as a good first point of call. However, you need to know where to go, because transport is a bit hard to navigate and walking is too hard as it's very humid and things are far apart. This might be down to me being a total novice to the area though.
Next stop: Ayutthaya!
You do have to take the plunge when it comes to market food. Yes, they don't have food hygiene stickers and there's stray dogs running around, but this is their culture. To really get to know it you need to be part of it.
We paid 30 baht each for 2 main dishes and a side of morning glory, which seems to be a favourite in Bangkok. Watch out though, it's spicy! But it was all delicious - I would highly recommend it.
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| Vermicelli noodles with vegetable stir fry and a side of morning glory |
Rod Fai Night Market Srinakarin
Address: Soi Srinagarindra 51, Khwaeng Nong Bon, Khet Prawet, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10250, Thailand Open: Thursday, Friday and weekends - 5pm till 1am This place was awesome! I would highly recommend it for a night of good food, drinks and a spot of shopping. It's kind of like Spitalfields in London, but less posh.I had my first real taste of what spicy is in Thailand. I was defeated by Laeng saeb, a dish of pork bones and ridiculous amounts of green chilies. This seems to be the most popular dish in Bangkok.
Mango vegan and vegetarian cafe
Addressเลขที่ 13 Thanon Tanao, บวรนิเวศ Khet Phra Nakhon, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10200, Thailand Open: Everyday from 9.30am till 10.30pmWe managed to find a veggie cafe near Kosan Road, and boy was it good
For just a few 100 baht, you get a beautiful selection of vegetables such as lotus root, which I had never tried before.
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| Mango restaurant |
Coffee
If you want a nice coffee and a bit of fun then go to the Pooltime cafe. It has a pool and also raccoons which you could play with (an obvious combination). For 500 baht (with discount if you buy food and drink in the cafe), you get 15 mins with the raccoons, who are upstairs in a little play den. |
Refreshing watermelon smoothie and my new favourite: Thai iced coffee
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Whilst I did feel sorry for the rather overweight raccoon, you could tell they were really looked after. He was extremely cute and playful.
Right next to Pooltime cafe, there's another trendy coffee place called Kaizen Coffee. We grabbed a flat white and a long black here and it was pretty decent.
Pooltime cafe
Address:582 ถนน สุขุมวิท 63 แขวงคลองตันเหนือ เขตวัฒนา Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10110, Thailand
Open: Everyday but Monday from 12pm till 8pm
Beer and bars
I was really surprised when we went into a local bar in Bangrak and saw they had Belgian beers. Obviously these are a bit pricier, but not all that much, probably the same you'd pay in the UK. We had Weihenstephaner, which is our absolute favourite beer.Of course you've got all the classic Thai beers such as Chang and Leo, which are all very cheap at about 70 baht for a big bottle and 39 baht for a can.
Where we stayed
Bangrak
For our first 2 nights we stayed near the Sky Bar (where they filmed the hangover), which was in the area of Bangkrak. We stayed at a hostel called Glur Bangkok Hostel, which was a really cosy little place. For our own private room it was about 553 baht each a night. You also got a free breakfast of fried rice or noodles, which was really nice and filling to start the day with.We didn't really see any other westerners in this area - maybe because we were a bit out of the way of the city. Despite this it had a market, a big shopping mall and a few bars that satisfied us.
Ratchathewi
We decided we wanted to get a bit closer to the action of Bangkok, so we book a hostel which we thought was on Khaoson Road, but it was actually in Ratchathewi (about 30 min cab from Khaoson haha). Anyway, we weren't disappointed when we rocked up to the Bed Station hostel.It was spacious, welcoming and very modern. You get a free breakfast (toast, fruit and coffee) too. It's a good place to meet fellow travellers as it has a really nice social area with a Playstation and bean bags. It's right next to Ratchathewi train station too, if you want to get around the city.
How much we spent
For accommodation, food, drinks and transport we spend about £130 for 4 nights in Bangkok. That's about £40ish a day. We didn't do all that much in terms of the tourist attractions so if you do then it will probably be a bit dearer each day.Overall impressions
I don't think I gave myself enough time in Bangkok, but we're planning to come back after our route around Northern Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia.I loved the energy of the place and I understand now why other travellers recommend it as a good first point of call. However, you need to know where to go, because transport is a bit hard to navigate and walking is too hard as it's very humid and things are far apart. This might be down to me being a total novice to the area though.
Next stop: Ayutthaya!
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