Bangkok is an incredibly vibrant, loud, and overwhelming city. There's an endless supply of food on every street corner. There are street markets down every other alley. I'm almost positive that there are no laws for drivers.
Key takeaway: There are Thai prices and there are tourist prices. Be prepared to haggle. If you're a tourist, you'll have to pay extra for just about everything.
To celebrate graduating from my master's program I took a whirlwind trip through South East Asia. I spent 4.5 weeks exploring and adventuring Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore. This post covers my time in Bangkok at the very beginning and very end of my trip.
First thing's first! You're going to sweat so much. I can't even over-exaggerate that. The worst choice I made on this trip was bringing shirts that were too tight on my armpits, because the sweat shows.
So, the very first thing I did upon arriving in Thailand was to fangirl over the fact that I was in Thailand. My biggest irrational fear when traveling is that I won't make it through border control. Every time I do it's a huge internal celebration. I exchanged my money and connected to the wifi and then texted my mom.
Then I took an overpriced taxi to my hostel. Had I not been as exhausted I probably would have haggled, but I did not care about spending $10 on a cab. The Bangkok Airport has a taxi line where you take a ticket and you are assigned the next available cab. Then you go from there.
I then promptly fell asleep in the lobby of my hostel because it was too early to check in. After waking up with a bunch of sleep lines on my face I was ready to tackle Bangkok.
I wandered around a little bit on my own before retreating to my hostel. Asian culture can be very intimidating when you're experiencing it for the very first time on your own. So, what did I do? I made friends with people in my hostel. It's my go-to. Somehow, both of the people I met were English. We went on a quick, somehow whirlwind tour of Bangkok.
What you need to know about visiting temples:
You will be required to wear long pants - I say long, but you can't wear shorts and I think that your pants should go past your knees at the very least. This applies to men as well
No open-toed shoes
No hats inside the temples
No feet facing the Buddha if you sit down
Be prepared to be dehydrated
Be prepared to get sunburnt
The Grand Palace - พระบรมมหาราชวัง
In the heart of Bangkok, this 2.35 million square foot palace grounds is home to the King of Thailand. It is by far the busiest tourist stop in the city.
The Grand Palace is open every day of the week from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The ticket office closes at 3:30 p.m. - you have to get there before then!
Do not -- I repeat, do not -- listen to any taxi or tuk-tuk driver who tries to tell you that the Grand Palace is closed. They're likely trying to scam you into going somewhere else that will make them money.
If they seem really convincing, ask your hotel desk to call and confirm.
Cost: 500 baht (about $16 USD).
It's a steep price in comparison to everything else you can do in Thailand, but it's worth it.
Keep in mind that this palace is basically like the Disney of Bangkok. It's packed. It's hot. And you'll probably get hit by someone's umbrella. If you want to avoid this as much as possible, show up right when the palace opens.
Don't feel obligated to explore every corner of the palace! It's massive and you'll probably have a difficult time keeping your patience in check if you're there for a while due to the heat and crowds. If you're not having a good time anymore, leave. There's so much to do nearby the palace that you likely won't feel like you've missed anything.
Wat Pho a.k.a. Reclining Buddha - วัดพระเชตุพนวิมลมังคลาราม ราชวรมหาวิหาร
This temple is home to one of my favorite wall of Buddhas. This picture has been my phone background ever since going there.
Wat Pho is home to the massive, massive reclining Buddha statue. Seriously, this thing is huge. It's about 150 feet long (46 meters) and 49 feet tall (15 meters).
If you're a first time visitor to Bangkok you absolutely should go to this temple. You could make a day out of seeing the temples in Bangkok if you want to because this one is a 10-minute walk from the Grand Palace.
I recommend stopping at this temple second because while it's a popular place for tourists I don't think that people spend as much time meandering around the rest of the grounds. It tends to be more relaxing.
Cost: 100 baht (about $3.15 USD).
This place even offers Thai Massages. Which, if you're in Thailand they're all Thai massages... Anyway, Wat Pho has one of the leading massage schools in Thailand.
Wat Arun - วัดอรุณราชวราราม ราชวรมหาวิหาร
This temple, situated on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River, is a beautiful and unmissable stop.
Wat Arun is almost directly opposite Wat Pho and it's easy to get to! There's a small pier that might be difficult to find. It only costs 3 baht, one way, to get on this boat that makes a quick putt-putt trip across the river.
Cost: 100 baht (about $3.15 USD).
Thai cooking class
I participated in a class held by the Silom Thai Cooking School. The classes were small and the experience was nice. Our class was taught by this adorable chef pictured below:
He continuously called me Miss America and talked deeply about his love for cooking with locally sourced Thai ingredients.
We cooked two courses and a dessert of sweet rice and mango was provided. We got to put each dish together ourselves starting with chopping ingredients and mixing it all together.
There are a ton of cooking class options in Bangkok. Do your research and book in advance!
Authentic street food
As an American, I have a built-in aversion to eating food cooked on the sidewalk. In Thailand, some of the best food is cooked by a tiny woman standing behind an incredibly hot wok. Health and safety standards might be lacking, but I never actually had any kind of food sickness while in Thailand. Eat where you see other people eating, especially locals, and don't order anything that isn't a local delicacy. Don't order a hamburger if it's on the menu.
The cart pictured here is one of many spots for food not far from the Grand Palace.
How to get around Bangkok
Boats!
There's a big river running through Bangkok that the locals take advantage of, you should too!
At first, the boating system can seem pretty intimidating and there were definitely fewer tourists using the boats to get around. It's definitely possible though.
Tuk-tuks
Always be wary of the tuk-tuk drivers. Some of them are honest, but some of them will try to scam you no matter what.
I got into a tuk-tuk and the driver tried to go in a different direction and tell me that he had to make a stop on the way. I pulled out my phone with a map on it and told him he was wrong, and he immediately stopped driving and told me to get out. Always be aware of where you're going and do your best to haggle about the price of a drive.
Stay tuned for some more posts from the rest of my trip!