My H and I are going to Bangkok for a 3 day weekend weekend in two weeks. I'm trying to get the details hammered out and have some questions. For reference, we are flying in Friday afternoon and leaving Monday mid-day. Jet lag is not an issue. We're staying in Sikhumvit.
I think I want to do one half day in Rattanakosin doing the Grand Palace and Wat Pho, and one morning at the Chatuchak weekend market. I'm not sure what else to do.
Are the floating markets worth it? What about the Jim Thompson house? Should I avoid Khao San Road if I'm not a 21 year old backpacker? Anyone eaten at nahm? Is it worth the money?
Also, if anyone could help me assess the level of difficulty of navigating the city by taxi I'd appreciate it. The stuff I'm reading is kind of freaking me out and making me think it will be difficult to find someone who will run the meter.
If you can take the train or ferry that is much more pleasant than taking a taxi. Even with an honest driver traffic sucks and it takes forever to get around.
I liked Khao San Road, but we stayed near there so it wasn't hard for me to get to. I also liked Wat Arun across the river. You get a nice view of the city, too.
Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime. Mark Twain
Post by rupertpenny on May 7, 2015 19:30:55 GMT -5
The public transport didn't seem very comprehensive to me, but I'm glad you guys are telling me the opposite. I get kind of carsick in taxis sometimes so I always prefer the train. I also should probably just begin the process of accepting that I will be walking long distances in hellish weather.
I will also look into these other restaurants and a Chili Paste tour.
@mx we are staying at the Hilton in Sikhumvit. It wouldn't have been my first choice, but this trip is completely funded by credit card rewards so whatever.
mdgirl we loved Vietnam! My H didn't even want to go at first but he was already asking when we could go back by the second day.
We only spent 2 nights in Bangkok on our way elsewhere and although it was cram packed with stuff to do, we enjoyed it. The MRT and BTS are a little intimidating on paper, but work pretty well in practice. It's not as well connected as HK or Seoul, but we found it to work well enough. We did a dinner cruise, Wat Arun, The Grand Palace, and ate a lot of street food.
Oh and I posted and ran this morning. I thought the floating market was cool but it's pretty far away (at least the big one we went to, maybe there's others?). Between all the temples and things to do in Bangkok I wouldn't go to the market. I did like the Jim Thompson house. I also liked Wat Arun. Get a massage at Wat Po. Basically just get a massage every day.
I thought public transit was very easy to use IF there was a station near where you are going. Some of the taxi drivers wouldn't use the meter and were kind of scammers. H had to tell me to calm down and let it go because we had paid $3000 for our flights and I was worried about the extra $2 that the taxi was charging me. I kept insisting it was the principal but I was stressing him out on vacation The thing about taxis is that traffic is bad. However, when the weather is that steamy and taxis are so cheap, it is often worth it.
Also note in the Grand Palace, wearing a sleeveless blouse that is work appropriate at my fairly formal office plus a shawl is not enough. Wear actual sleeves.
cheezer that reminds me, is a skirt to the knees ok or does it really need to be totally past my kneecaps?
Based on my experience I'd say past knee caps. However, you can rent a piece of cloth that makes a long skirt at all the temples. The rules did not seem to apply to the locals as much as I saw above knee, sleeveless, and cleavage so don't necessarily go by what they're wearing.
Past the kneecaps. I remember I wore capris of some sort, so pretty long, and our tour guide still got me a sarong that went to my ankles.
I loved the floating market and will visit again when I go next month with my dad and sister. It's a total tourist trap but something different.
I think Patpong is worth checking out. Loved Wat Arun, Grand Palace, Reclining Buddha, China Town, the flower market, MASSAGES. We had two days so we went with Tours with Tong to maximize our time. Loved them and it's $45 for a private guide for the day.
We love Bangkok! Love the place, food, and super cheap clothes. There are a lot of places to see in Bangkok but we really loved the Grand Palace and Wat Arun. We hired a driver to take us around the city. He is very friendly and speaks good English.
rupertpenny, how was your trip? Any recs for must-dos or avoids? We leave for HK and Bangkok in less than two weeks. I am so behind in my planning. Did you wind up eating at Nahm by chance?
rupertpenny, how was your trip? Any recs for must-dos or avoids? We leave for HK and Bangkok in less than two weeks. I am so behind in my planning. Did you wind up eating at Nahm by chance?
It was good! Very relaxing actually, we didn't do all that much haha. We ate at Soul Food Mahanakorn and it was really good. That was the only real restaurant we did though.
Sorry if this is all over the place as I posting from my phone.
I would skip the floating market. It used to be regular market place for both locals and tourists and the last time I went it's really a tourist trap. Their were very few real vendors of fruits and food, most are other boats of tourists and vendors selling trinkets. If you really want to see the area by water, take a long tail boat near the grand palace. Ask for prices from all of them before you choose. Usually it's the same company but when I walked to the back of the pier, it was 2000 baht for myself, H and the baby. You get a nice view of some of the temples and the old style houses along the water.
Since you'll be there over the weekend - also consider the weekend market. Chatuchak or Jatujak - same place but different spelling. It's a huge, amazing market place and a nice mix of locals and tourists. Lots of everything - clothing, silk fabrics, household ceramic dinnerware, silverware. Also lots of places for food and massages. It gets hot so early in the day is better.