November 13-14, 2016

Day 2

We started the day with going to Chatuchak Weekend Market.

Getting there: We took the hotel ferry shuttle to Sathorn Ferry Terminal and then hopped on the BTS and then got off on Mochit Station MR. It was then a short walk to the market.

This market is huge. I suggest passing on the food stalls outside and eat while you are in the market. There are tons of food and snack and ice cream options among the thousands of stalls selling you everything and anything. If you are really there to shop til you drop you could be there for hours on end. We just enjoyed browsing and walking through the many aisles, snacking along the way.

We then decided that it would be a pool day after the hot temperatures and walking through a crowded market. We were going to have a nigh out so a relaxing time by the pool sounded the best.

We found Butcher Beef & Beer when we were driving to our hotel from the airport. It was crowded and had a cute outdoor feel to it. We looked it up and it was exactly what we love. Hopefully it was good.

Kevin was impressed with the beer selection, it wasn’t your normal run of the mill and the food was excellent! It’s a good thing that we weren’t here for along time, I would have wanted to eat here every night it was that good.  Cash only, as most places are.

Day 3

Today was the day to check out some of the other districts. After reading a lot about the different areas when we were trying to figure out where to stay the rest sounded fun. All unique and different.

We took the BTS to Sukhumvit area.  This area is very diverse, there is a Korean, Japanese, Indian, Syria, etc. area. The streets are named by Sukhumvit Alley 1, 2, all the way to the 20s and simplified by saying Soi 11. Mostly known for the night life here, we were not there during their peak time. Just lunch please. We finally found a place that was supposed to be good. It was fine, the name was the most interesting thing. Cabbage & Condoms.

We then walked back towards the BTS and happened to enter the station that opens right to the Terminal 21 Shopping Mall.  This mall is huge with 9 floors and just as it says tries to be an airport terminal. Each floor is represented by a country or place. London, Paris, San Francisco and others. There was food, clothes, snacks and coffee shops. My favorite was the Popsicle stand!

This mall is on the more expensive side. Name brands and mall prices for food, but still definitely fun to walk around.

We learned that there was a festival that night. Loy Krathong. This is where people go to rivers, lakes and canals to pay their respects to the goddess of water. They release incense, flowers, and candles into the water. We took the ferry north, past The Grand palace and we got off on the west side of the river. Our initial thought was to go to Khoa San Road, also known as backpackers row and close to China town.

It ended up being perfect because we were able to walk across the bridge and watch the festivals going on.

We kept walking along the river and ended up at a park where everyone seemed to be.  This is a big deal to the locals. Their culture of peace and respect can go along way. We need to be thankful for what we have and realize we are not the power on this earth.

We were just a couple blocks away from Khoa San and we could tell. Hundreds of backpackers, there were restaurants, travel agencies, food stalls and the crazy traffic that you will witness when you are there. Drivers do whatever they want whenever. Go down the roads the wrong way, don’t follow street lines, don’t follow street lights or space that cars need to have. I can’t believe there aren’t more accidents.

I loved this road. Vendors and vendors and vendors and people. Massage places and restaurants and hostels. It was fun walking down the street. Dinner was snacks at various street stalls. Perfect.

Then there was another road just off the backpackers row that was quieter with more bars and restaurants.

We walked and walked until we could walk no more. The only thing about the BTS and Ferry was they both shut down pretty early. So when we said no more we finally got a taxi home. It is hard to remember that Taxi’s in bangkok are not like taxis in NY or LA. They are easy and affordable, however you will be lucky to get anyone that speaks English. Have a screen shot of your hotel address in Thai and English and the general area.

Good night Bangkok, we loved  you but still decided to leave after our scheduled time. On to Phuket!!

Start booking your vacation now!

As a reference here is the transportation information again:

Transportation

There are a lot of options on getting around Bangkok. Scooter, tuk tuk, taxi, ferry taxi, MRT (underground), BTS (sky) and walk.

We used the ferry taxi the most. It was very cheap and you don’t have to buy tickets in advance, just buy it when you get on the boat. It’s usually under $1/person depending on where you are going. If you want to take the more private long tail boats there is a separate line and it is more expensive. It was fun taking the system that the locals take.

We also used BTS, which is also incredibly cheap. It was easy to navigate and you could get anywhere. In this case you do have to buy tickets in advance.

EVERYTHING IS CASH. Don’t worry because everyone has cash. So just keep your belongings close and you will be fine.

 

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