For my recent trip to Bangkok, I took the Dreamliner 747 on Scoot from Singapore to Bangkok. Actually the plane was flying to Osaka, via Bangkok. I loved the plane, the seats were spacious, the window shades changed automatically according to the light intensity and it was very quiet inside. Plus since I booked early, I only paid $70 for the one-way ticket. I think you could get it for $60 plus but the difference was not so much and for the Dreamliner plane, it was like a dream come true for aviation enthusiasts.
One of my favourite things to do in Bangkok is to take a leisurely boat ride along the Chao Phraya. At 13B, the price of a single trip ticket is much cheaper than taking the metro which is around 17-50B depending on the distance travelled.
The Royal Palace is one of the highlights in Bangkok. However, the admission fee of 500B was outrageous (for me) and I chose not to enter the palace. I have seen many nice palaces around the world. I just wandered around the gardens of the Royal Palace which was swarming with tourists. For those who are wearing shorts, you need to get a piece of robe to cover up as a form of respect to the royalty when entering the palace.
Another popular place to go to is Chatuchak market, a place to get your shopping and souvenirs. Not forgetting the famous coconut ice cream. This is actually sold everywhere around Bangkok, but the one at Chatuchak market is more popular, maybe because of its generous toppings.
Whenever in Bangkok, I also tend to drink tremendous amounts of cha yen (Thai iced milk tea). They put some red powder, tea extract, carnation milk which makes it taste good. Some stalls have it too sweet, so you can request for less sweet when you order. Roadside stalls sell it for around 20-30B (~$1), whereas in Singapore we have been paying $3 and above which is a ripoff.
For some shopping, Siam which is the interchange station on the BTS is the main shopping street, stretching from Ratchaprasong to King Rama Road. There are so many malls running the gamut and selling local brands, international design labels. Of course I am not here to shop, so I just skipped the malls and focused on attention on the food and sightseeing places around Bangkok.
When you picture Bangkok, you would be likely to think of busy streets full of taxis and motorbikes, sidewalks crowded with food carts and a sleepless nightlight filled with Chang/Singha/Leo beer and some crazy antics a la The Hangover 2. While there is no denying that such things do exist in the Big Mango, there is also a softer side to this city.
To seek some respite from the traffic and chaos of the city, head to Lumpini Park which is also accessible by the BTS or metro. It is a huge park which has a statue of some soldier. There are many shady areas with benches for people to rest or to have a picnic. It was almost midday and I could see many people running around the park, expatriate mums bringing their children to the playground to play or people cycling through the park. The reflection of the buildings brought about by the lake in the middle of the park provided a contrast of the green landscape versus the developped city. I enjoyed the blue skies very much because back home in Singapore, the haze has been affecting us for almost a month and we have not had the opportunity to see such blue skies, thanks to our irresponsible and inconsiderate neighbour, Indonesia.
Bangkok is great during the day, and at night the cityscape is transformed into a party city with many sky bars, pubs, night markets. Stay tuned for my next article on the night life in Bangkok!
