Bangkok

As promised, I wanted to share a more in-depth post about my time in Bangkok. I spent three days in the city of angels, and was actually surprised by how much I loved it! After the serenity of island life, I wasn’t sure if I would be down for the chaos of the most-visited city in Asia, but I was charmed by its markets, temples and of course, all the food.

I got into Bangkok around 8pm and checked into my hostel, Silom Art Hostel, which I would highly recommend. It was incredibly clean, had AC, had a really cool vibe with art installations and was $8 a night. I was anxious to get a taste of Bangkok (literally starving) so I headed to the Patpong Night Market. Night markets are a huge part of Thai culture. You can find everything from handmade crafts to counterfeit goods to some of the best street food around. I’m not very great at bargaining, but if you’re in Bangkok you should definitely try! I managed to talk someone down on a bracelet and devoured some Pad Thai.

I decided to tackle all of the big touristy spots on my first full day. I usually try and avoid super-touristy things when traveling, but I do appreciate learning about the culture and history of a country, so I aim for the more cultural of tourist destinations. I woke up early to visit the Pak Khlong Talat Flower Market, where locals go for wholesale flowers. There were all kinds of arrangements, garlands and even fruits and vegetables. I perused all the offerings and grabbed some mango with sticky rice for breakfast. Then I headed to the Wat Pho, or Temple of the Reclining Buddha, home of the largest Buddha in Thailand. I marveled at the Buddha and wandered the temple complex. There were people handing out noodle soup for free to tourists and Monks alike – I honestly wasn’t quite sure what was going on, but I went with it and it sure was tasty!

From there I hit the Wat Arun, or Temple of Dawn, which is supposed to be the tallest in Bangkok. The temples were very beautiful with colored glass and hand-painted ceramic tiles. Next up was the Grand Palace, the official residence of the King. This was definitely my favorite “touristy” spot I visited, mostly because of an amazing tour guide. I took a free guided tour, and our guide was a treasure! He took so much pride in his job and being able to share the culture and history of his country with us. The King of Thailand passed away in October and the people of Thailand are still mourning his death. The palace was swarmed by Thais dressed in all black coming to pay their respects. Our guide told us how well-revered the King was because he was like a father to all of the Thai people. He told us of how everyone was taken care of because of the King and because of him they had no worries. It was such an interesting and enlightening experience coming from a country with such a different system and I’m so grateful to have been able to learn from him.

I was EXHAUSTED after all the activities and ready to get back to a hotel. I checked out of my hostel and moved down the street to the W Bangkok. I had decided to treat myself for my birthday and honestly, hotels are so cheap in Thailand that it was still so reasonable! I was greeted by balloons and a special dessert in my room. I was ready to relax and enjoy a famous Thai massage, so I headed to the spa for a little birthday celebration… #treatyoself. After one of the best massages I’ve ever had, I grabbed dinner and listened to some live music nearby my hotel.

My second full day in Bangkok, which was also my birthday, consisted of pretty much all shopping! I spent the majority of the day at the Chatuchak Weekend Market, a huge indoor and outdoor market covering 35 acres with over 10,000 shops. 10,000 shops. I got lost within them for sure, but scored some awesome finds. There was everything from antiques to obscure designer fashion to vintage clothes to ceramics and the list goes on. I picked up a few things for myself as well as gifts for others, but mostly I just enjoyed wandering through all of the stalls. I could have spent all three days there and been entertained.. shopping is really a sport for me.

I needed some AC after all that walking from stall to stall, so I headed to Central World, a mega mall. And I mean mega. I have never seen a mall so massive in my life. So many local clothing chains and restaurants. They even served ice cream inside a department store. There was also a cool food market outside of the mall, which I obviously checked out.

My birthday night was probably my favorite night in Bangkok. I went to the New Rot Fai Night Market, which I would call the modern version of a night market. There was your typical cheap and delicious street food and stalls selling everything from clothing from local designers to phone cases, but also a huge outdoor bar complex and live music. I wandered for hours and even got the coolest manicure I’ve ever seen in my life. I swear, I would go back to Bangkok for the manicure alone, and it only cost $12!!

I let myself sleep in a tad on my last day and order room service, ahem #treatyoself #youonlyturn25once. I took a ferry to Chinatown and did a little more wandering and souvenir shopping. I also ate my way through all the stalls 😉 I visited a traditional Chinese tea house, which was a cool experience because if you know me, you know I love tea! I actually got hooked on tea while studying in England, so it was cool to see how another culture serves it.

I then headed to the Sukhumvit district, a bit trendier and apparently where all the expats live, to do some more wandering. Wandering up and down streets in cool neighborhoods is honestly my favorite thing to do while traveling. Writing it down now makes it feel kind of boring, but I feel like you get such a unique experience by just letting yourself discover things by chance. I also went to another crazy mall in Sukhumvit, the Siam Paragon. This one had a water garden throughout multiple levels indoor and outdoor. It was truly a work of art and had spectacular skyline views of Bangkok!

Overall, I really enjoyed my time in Bangkok. I chose not to visit the floating markets or Khao San Road, because they seemed overly touristy, but if I had more time I would have probably checked them out. The only regret I had was not scheduling a bike or food tour for one of my nights. I didn’t feel completely comfortable venturing out on my own at night, so I think I would have been able to see a bit more of the Bangkok scene with the help of a guided tour. But still, such an incredible trip. If you want to read about where else I traveled in Thailand check it out here. Just writing about it has me feeling that wanderlust again… time to start planning the next trip!

Biscuits & blessings,

Leels