“We arrived in Bangkok around 4pm the following day and, as advised, took a taxi from the official taxi rank outside the arrival’s hall to our guesthouse.”
It can be quite disorientating stepping out of an airport terminal into a new country so it’s comforting, and probably safer, to be taken straight to your accommodation for the first night. It is one of the few times that we book accommodation in advance as usually we much prefer to see a room and check out location and security first.
The following day we arranged with a Travel Agency for them to obtain a 30 day visa for entry into Laos for us. We also picked up tickets from the agency (arranged in advance by email) for our overnight train journey from Bangkok to Ubon Ratachatani and from there we would cross into Laos.
We spent 3 nights in Bangkok which gave us plenty of time to explore the sights and sounds of the capital including wandering around the sprawling complex of the Grand Palace and its magnificent buildings. At lunchtime, we perched on plastic stools to eat our first meal with the locals at a busy riverside market stall. It tasted good to us.
Afterwards we walked south to Wat Pho, a collection of many wats and artefacts. The great reclining golden Buddha (at 45 metres) was the highlight. With all this walking and the heat we were pleased to lie down and have a soothing massage from the students at the School of Massage in the grounds of Wat Pho.
Our favourite means of transport in Bangkok were the river taxis that proved easy to use, very cheap and usually very busy as the locals used them as buses.
Been on the river taxi again and then on the Skytrain to the big MBK shopping mall to look at cameras. The place was huge and full of cameras and thousands and I mean thousands of mobile phones!
It was an incredible sight. No we didn’t buy any as wouldn’t have known where to start! Although some of the cameras were quite a bit cheaper than at home the one we were interested in is cheaper in the UK. Did a bit of sightseeing, taking in Jim Thompson’s house before travelling a short section on the noisy and dirty canal boats and then walking back to our guesthouse. This was a really good way of getting to see some of the non tourist parts of the capital.
By contrast we walked along the busy Khao San Road, a magnet for tourists and backpacker’s alike. On our final day we visited the Vimanmek Teak Mansion and the Dusit Throne Halls.
These are out of the main tourist areas but well worth the trip up the river and a ‘very local’ walk. The Teak Mansion building is beautiful.
We really enjoyed it. It was so peaceful and serene. Well, it was until the coach loads of tourists arrived. It turned out to be a local holiday with free admission for Thais to many sights! Still, you can’t expect to have these places to yourselves!
There is no shortage of excellent food in Bangkok (and Thailand generally.) It is readily available on street corners, in kitchens and restaurants.
We really enjoyed trying a variety of eating establishments including some ‘very local’ places where the emphasis is very much on the food rather than the surroundings!
