Bangkok: An Indescribable City

There really are no words to describe Bangkok. Sure, you could say words like crowded, noisy, smelly, and massive, but in our four days in Bangkok, we found it to be so much more than that. We’ve all heard the rumors about Bangkok, or seen the Hollywood hits like “Hangover Part II” and “The Beach”, and dreamed about all the adventures one could get into in the city. It is a place with more dark alleys, twists and turns, surprises, smells and debauchery than any other place I’ve been to. It was true sensory overload, it was almost overwhelming! I now understand how people could get completely lost in the city, and get themselves into some pretty crazy situations. Throughout all of the craziness in Bangkok, we had a great time venturing around the city and eating our favorite Thai dishes.

We arrived on a Monday, and stayed for four days. Luke had work during the days, so I spent my days relaxing at the hotel and exploring the city on my own. We stayed at the beautiful Continent Hotel in the Sukhumvit area of Bangkok. They had an amazing rooftop pool with a bar, 2 restaurants, a sky lounge and great breakfast buffet. It was a good location, close to many shops and restaurants, and the famous Soi Cowboy area, but it was a bit far from downtown Bangkok, where the major tourist sites are. We could walk to the MRT and SkyTrain station, which was a life saver because Bangkok traffic is notoriously awful. We also took Tuk-Tuks to get around, which was a fun way to see the city and maneuver through the traffic.

One of the days I decided to venture out to see a few of the famous Bangkok temples, and make my way to the Grand Palace. All of these places I visited require a strict dress code, so it is important to adhere to it or you will be turned away at the entrance. You must have your shoulders covered (no tank tops!), and you should also wear pants/dress/skirts that hit below the knee. This goes for both men and women! Also, carry enough cash on you to pay the entrance fees, as most do not accept card. My first stop was Wat Pho, which houses the magnificent Reclining Buddha, as well as the largest collections of Buddha images in Thailand. I was blown away by the intricate details on each pagoda, every inch was covered in a beautiful tile or gold piece, and hand painted, it was beautiful. Once inside, the 150 ft long gilded gold Reclining Buddha takes your breath away, and leaves you in awe. I absolutely loved my visit to this temple complex, and it is a must-do on any visit to Bangkok.

My next stop was the Wat Phra Kaew, or the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. If I thought that Wat Pho had amazing detail, this temple took it up another level. The amount of detail and work that went in to building this masterpiece of a temple is astounding. The temple was VERY crowded, and in order to keep the Emerald Buddha sacred, no photos are allowed inside. I enjoyed seeing the inside, but I thought the outside was the most impressive part of this temple. Not to mention I could take as many photos as I wanted to of the outside!

After the temples, it was time to make my way towards the Grand Palace, which was built in the late 1700s. The palace used to be the home of the royal family and royal government, until the 1920s when the absolute monarchy was abolished. The palace still hosts government functions and a small portion of it is a museum. It is the most visited spot in Thailand, and a sense of pride for the country. I would highly recommend going to the palace grounds, and even taking a tour to learn more about the history. The complex is huge, and you could easily spend a day exploring it. I walked around the palace for about an hour without a guide, and because of the heat, decided to call it a day and hit the pool.

A night out in Bangkok is best spent eating and drinking. The city has amazing night markets where you can do all of that for very cheap prices, and great people watching. You will see all kinds of stalls selling all kinds of things: fried insects, souvenirs, fresh flowers, etc. The Rot Fai Market is one of the biggest, most exciting markets in the city, and you will find anything and everything there. Asiatique is another, more modern market, that once again has everything. It is definitely touristy, but it gives you the Thai night market feeling in a cleaner, safer environment and has a great mix of tourists and locals.

After the night markets, walking down the streets of the red light districts are an entertaining and lively thing to do. Our hotel was not far from Soi Cowboy, named for an African-American man who wore a cowboy hat and opened the first bar in the area, so we decided to check it out. The street is short, but it has more than 40 bars! Most of them being go-go bars, where ladyboys dance and put on shows for customers. It looked like a mini Las Vegas, with neon signs all lit up, drink specials being shouted out, and “girls” trying to entice patrons into their club. It was quite the site! If you’ve seen the movies and heard the rumors about Bangkok, you have to see these streets for yourself.

If night market crowds, drinking and ladyboys is not your thing, do not worry! Bangkok truly does have something for everyone. One night, we took a boat ride down the Chao Phraya River and saw the city all lit up at night. You can even do dinner cruises where they have a full meal, and usually live music on a boat, while you float down and take in the sights of Bangkok. It was especially neat to see the temples and the palace lit up at night. The city also has countless amazing restaurants, some even offering cooking classes, that are wroth spending an evening at. The restaurant that we enjoyed an evening at was called Baan Khanitha. It is an authentic Thai restaurant that gets all their ingredients from their organic farms in the countryside outside of Bangkok. The ambiance and the food were perfection. We enjoyed fresh spring rolls, Thai papaya/shrimp salad, jumbo prawns and crab yellow curry. SO delicious!

Something else we did one night that ended up being our favorite activity in Bangkok was going to watch a Muay Thai fight. The experience was amazing, and surpassed all of my expectations. It was intense, exciting, and thrilling to watch, and it is such a big part of Thai culture, so it was neat to be a part of that. We went to Rajadamnern Stadium, which I had read great things about, and it did not disappoint. It was the true, authentic Muay Thai experience. We decided to splurge for the ring side seats, which ran us about $65 USD, but was more than worth it. We could see, smell, hear everything and we were right in the action. Not to mention, you also get a waiter bringing you cold drinks to your seat! There are also two other sections for ticket options, with the upper deck being mostly locals. It was so cool to watch them as they cheered and bet on the fights. There are multiple fights throughout the night that run from 6:30pm to around 11pm. We got there around 7:30 and ended up staying to watch all the fights because we were having so much fun.

We had a terrific time in Bangkok, and as I found out, the city is so much more than what you have seen, read or heard. It is a city that must be experienced. We were there longer than a lot of people who visit, as it is a considered by most to be a “stopover” city on the way to the Thai islands, and we still feel that we only touched the tip of the iceberg. Next time we find ourselves in the city of Bangkok, we hope to visit the famous floating markets, take a cooking class, explore Chinatown and watch even more Muay Thai. Oh yeah, and eat more of their incredible cuisine!

Happy Travels,

Courtney