Bangkok

You will most likely go through Bangkok a few times during your journey as it is a transport hub. The city in itself is huge and is buzzing with activity!

Many travelers meet in the backpacker district and exchange stories from their journey before pursuing their adventures.
If you have followed the itinerary I have suggested, this will be the second time that you go through Bangkok. As you will need to wait 2-3 days for your Myanmar Visa to be ready, you can take this time to do a few things around the city.
Bangkok is worth spending a few days wandering from markets to temples, enjoying street snacks. This is not the kind of city I would qualify as being beautiful, but it is definitely a city worth living. After a day of waking up early to avoid the crowd a Wat Pho, Wat Arunthayaram or the Grand Palace, take the time to enjoy a ride on one of the long tail boat to discover the city in a simple and convenient (and cheap!!!) way. In the end of the day, you can relax and enjoy massages, fish spa, delicious thai food all around the place. I would advise to avoid the overcrowded and touristic Khao San Road (one of the most perfect examples of the Asian tourist trap; except for the great Brick Bar (which remains a popular night spot for Thai people despite its touristic location). If you arrive early from a midnight bus, take the time to wander around the street at sunrise and watch the monks collecting their food from donation.
Bangkok is quite a big, animated and interesting capital. However, a 3-day stay there should be enough to visit the main attractions and wander around the streets.
Bangkok is quite a big, animated and interesting capital.
However, a 3-day stay there should be enough to visit the main attractions and wander around the streets.
Actually, I could so not stand the South that I came directly to Bangkok. My luck is, I have a dear friend up there, so I stayed a few days waiting for my flight to Tokyo. Let's be clear. You know what I said about Singapore, right? Well, it could be the same here. I liked it, because I was with friends, who know the city and the ways. That's much different. Again, apart from food, the city doesn't have much to offer, to be fair. Those who say it does, they're just Kao San Roadies who enjoy the ping pong show and the fake industry. At least, take a ferry to go down the Chao Praia.
Very Humid, Great Place to get robbed if you not careful, I've also heard stories from other travelers that shop owners call the police and tell them you've stolen from them if you leave without buying,
A little disorientating when I first arrived considering this was my first time in South East Asia. I had to figure out the best way to get to the city and where to sleep. Luckily I met somebody in the airport who helped me out. We shared a taxi to Khao San Road, the backpackers hub (+/-400Baht). The bus (+/-150Baht) was an option as well but we figured the taxi would take us there easyer and faster. I was a little overwhelmed by the buzzing streets and people (Tuktuk misss ? Massaaage miss?). Since I had a long flight I figured it wouldn't be a bad idea to treat myself and sleep in a Hotel. I ended up in Dang Derm Hotel. Good place with comfy beds. Ask for a quiet room, since the hotel is located on Khao San Road. The next 2 days I wandered around, visiting the various temples and went on the riverboat to visit china town etc. It's a crazy buzzing city with lots to see and do. Let all the experiences wash over you and try to adjust to the Asian lifestyle. Oh, and try the streetfood!!
L'arrivée à Bangkok s'est passée comme je l'avais imaginée. Une ville imposante, bruyante ou de grands building chatouillent le ciel. Je prends le taxi (vu qu'il n'y a plus de bus entre l'aéroport et le centre) et je suis un peu déçue car je ne me sens pas encore dépaysée. Il y a des touristes partout et on sent bien que tout tourne autour d'eux. J'arrive à Kao San Road et je sens tout de suite une sorte de vibration propre à ce quartier de routards. Jour et nuit, des gens y boivent un coup (enfin... pleins de coups), on y croise des spécimens de tout genre, et c'est ça qui est bon! Le seul hic selon moi : les gens qui se font masser en pleine rue...ri-di-cu-le!!! Je passe les 4 premiers jours de mon voyage dans cette capitale où les temples volent parfois la vedette aux buildings qui les entourent. Marché du week-end, marché aux amulettes tout proche de Kao San, Pratunam market... bon finalement à Bangkok, on fait les marchés et on visite des temples quoi!!! Sympa : le bateau-bus
We spent just one night in Bangkok. We came here late in the afternoon and we had our flight to Ho Chi Minh City (in Vietnam) the next day. So we took taxi to our hostel, had a dinner and went to sleep. Next day we returned to the Suvarbanhumi airport. That is the reason we booked a hostel close to the airport.
I wasn't in Bangkok at the right time. Songkran Festival was still going on, but here they're not as civil as in Chiang Mai (where they stop after sunset). Starting in the late morning and going on all night long, throwing buckets of freezing water and smearing powder in your ears and eyes (since they're not looking where they're smearing it...). Not great when you're recovering from a pneumonia. I had no dry clothes left after a while... Also there were riots in town due to the Red-Shirts (a democratic group). I didn't notice anything, it just wasn't a good idea going into the eastern side of town. So I got pretty much stuck in my room or in Khao San Rd area. After a few days the riots were over and I was able to go out and see the Grand Palace, other temples and some malls. Due to the riots I had already booked a flight out of Bangkok before coming here, so again...I didn't get to see much of the city, unfortunately.
Crrrrazy Bangkok. The first time I visited Bangkok I got stuck for a week straight away. Bunk down around Khao San Road (not on the road) and explore Bangkok. Go by boat and Skytrain to Siam Square and go Shopping in the big Malls like MBK. There are plenty of temples to see in Bangkok. Have a cold chang in one of the many bars on Khao San Road and start a Hangover 2 night.
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Bangkok is the first stop of many itineraries especially as part of the "traditional" RTW ticket. It is an amazing city but it is a HUGE culture shock arriving here especially if you come straight from the UK (or similar) the smells, sights, even cars are totally different. It was a total shock getting into a taxi with no seatbelts in the back and then feeling like I was in the middle of a rally race on the motorway. I definitely feared for my life on that trip! We didn't love Bangkok as much as others but I think that was mainly because it was the first stop, if we had returned and given it another chance after a month or two in Asia I definitely think our opinion would have been different. Don't worry if you don't like Bangkok when you arrive, don't feel like you should be taking in everything and doing all of the "must sees" give it chance, if its not for you then move on and come back when you have aligned yourself with Asia.
On my second visit in Bangkok I travelled my way up to northern Thailand. Unfortunaltly I overstayed my visa because I was enjoying the Son Kran Festival (Thai New Year) a bit too much so I was forced to do a Visa Run to the Cambodian boarder and back.
My third and unfortunatly final stop in Bangkok was all about the Euro Cup.
Bangkok is all about contrats. It's both the City of London and the wooden huts of central Vietnam, the luxury outlets of Paris and the streets food stands of Shanghai. There is actually two way to look at Bangkok. Look-up. It's all about skyscrapers. I did not count but I m pretty sure it has more of them than Manhattan. All those banks and Forbes 500 Asian's branch and headquarters those luxury residences, this Minority Report looking skytrain, could make you think you are somewhere in a Business Disctrict of one of america's megalopis. If you look down to the streets you will immediatly remember you are not! Food stands where all sorts of animal are hanging ready to be fried, little streets shops selling everything (no I mean it, everything!) thousands of electrics cables crossing one another, tuk-tuks ... You definitively want a taste of both worlds, have a drink on a roof terrasse of a skyscrapers, shop on a local, market, go to Central World's mall and visit Chinatown.
refer to first stop
It's crowded and it smells bad, but Bangkok is a real backpackers heaven. For the perfect day: Take the Chaoprayah River Express from Khaosan Rd (stop 13) to visit the Grand Palace and Wat Pho in the morning. If you want you can visit Wat Arun afterwards for some nice views of the Chaoprayah River and the city. Than take the Chaoprayah River Express to their last stop. Here starts the Skytrain going to Siam (malls) and to the Chatachuk Weekend Market. Take the boat back to pier 13 and shop on Soi Rambuttri and Khaosan Road. If you have time you could walk to Wat Saket, just east of Khaosan Road for some good views of the city. After a whole day just relax in one of the many restaurants on Soi Rambuttri and enjoy a good Pad Thai or watermelon shake.
There is no other city I have been to like Bangkok. It is never closed and there is literally something for everyone. The food is a gift and $5 dollars gets you a heaping amount of it. Most beers are no more than a dollar and that speaks for itself I feel. Some people trying to haggle us into things we didn't want or need, but having a guide and someone that knows the city and that showed us around was nice. The Grand Palace, Khao Sahn and the long-tail boats through the heart of Bangkok was awesome. There was floating kitchens and houses all along the canals, It was like a little hotter and dirtier gondola ride like you expect in Italy. It is hot but luckily much of the activities seem to begin after dark when it has cooled down. If your interested in how I experienced the city check out www.backpackingthroughthailand.com.
Bangkok is considered as the backpacker's mecca in Asia. You will never run out of things to do in this city. Bangkok is also a great jump off point if you want to explore the other provinces of Thailand as it's very well connected by domestic flights, trains and wide choices of buses.
Bangkok, he capital and with around 15 million inhabitants the largest city in Thailands - noisy and dirty also beautiful and gorgeuos... you'll love it or hate it