Somebody please pinch me because I still can’t believe I’m here. After a 15 hour flight to Taipei, Taiwan, a 3hr 45min flight to Bangkok, 2 train rides and a tuk tuk ride, I made it to Bangkok in one piece. With a population over 8 million, Bangkok is a huge city, and with only a little over 2 days to walk around I knew I couldn’t waste time before exploring.
After settling into my room at the hostel, I decided to stroll around for a few hours before I ran out of steam from traveling. My hostel was located just off the infamous Khao San Road, which is a backpacker’s heaven.
While I’m not a fan of crazy crowded places filled with tourist traps, if you’re a backpacker in Bangkok, look no further than staying near Khao San Road. This place is filled with bars, street food, massage parlors, clothing stalls, hostels and more. Whether you’re staying here or not, KSR is definitely worth a walkthrough to check off the bucket list. It was interesting to see some nightlife in Bangkok and get a taste of the street food! Mango and sticky rice is one of my favorite Thai snacks, so of course it was my first meal when I arrived.
Trying to adjust to the time change coupled with walking around in the extreme heat made things a bit challenging. I didn’t really have an appetite for the few days I was in Bangkok, but I tried to make the most of it and try some authentic foods. After strolling KSR and the neighboring streets, I decided to call it a night and fell asleep pretty early at my hostel.
For my first full day in Bangkok I knew I should wake up early and make the most of my day. There’s a lot to see in Bangkok, as it’s the capital of Thailand and therefore boasts many attractions. I decided to walk down to the Grand Palace and other Wats as well as roam some of the markets and city streets.
Grand Palace
Probably the most popular historical landmark in Bangkok is the Grand Palace. The complex was established in 1782 when King Rama I, the founder of the Chakri Dynasty, was in reign. It served as the official residence of Thai Kings until 1925 when the Royal Family moved to other residences. The grounds are now used for ceremonial purposes and other official functions.
Covering roughly 218,000 square meters, the Royal Palace is quite the impressive sight. It’s laid out in three different sections: the Outer Court, the Central Court and the Inner Court. The Outer Court is where the government departments that the King was involved with, like the army and treasury, used to be housed. The famous Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha) is also located here. This temple is Thailand’s most important temple representing religion and the monarchy.
The Emerald Buddha is actually carved from green jade and was discovered in Chiang Rai by an abbot. The image had been covered in plaster and was thought to be completely ordinary. When the image was found, plaster that had been flaked off the nose revealed the green stone beneath, which the abbot initially thought was emerald.
The Central Court is where the King used to live and where some state business was conducted. Only two of the throne halls are open to the public.
The Inner Court, which is not open to the public, was exclusively used by the King for his harem of queens and consorts. The King’s children, ladies-in-waiting and servants also resided in this area.
There’s so much to see at the Grand Palace, so it’s definitely worth spending a few hours roaming around. Admission is 500 THB and be sure to have your shoulders and knees covered. If you happen to forget, you can rent clothes there for free!
Wat Pho
A “wat” is a buddhist temple commonly seen in Thailand, Cambodia and Laos. Wat Pho is one of the largest and oldest wats in Bangkok and houses more than 1,000 Buddha images. One of the most famous images housed here is the Reclining Buddha statue that is an impressive 46m long and 15m high. It illustrates the passing of the Buddha into nirvana and the end to all reincarnations.
For my last full day in Bangkok, I decided to head over to the Jim Thompson House and then roam around more streets.
Jim Thompson House
I knew virtually nothing about Jim Thompson prior to visiting his house (now a museum) except for the fact that he was involved in the silk trade. The tour you take at the museum is fairly short, only 25 minutes, but was really interesting and worth the time!
Jim Thompson was an American that was a practicing architect prior to World War II. During the war, he volunteered for service in the army, campaigned in Europe and was later sent to Asia. Once in Bangkok as a military officer, he fell in love with Thailand, so much so that he decided to return and live permanently after leaving the service. When he discovered that his neighbors were expert silk-weavers, he devoted himself to reviving the long-neglected industry.
Jim was a major contributor to the industry’s growth and to the worldwide recognition of Thai silk. He gained further recognition through the construction of his house, which represented traditional Thai architecture.
After leaving the Jim Thompson House I didn’t really know where I was headed. I walked down a few streets and then remembered I was somewhat close to Chinatown from the train station. After two train transfers, I wandered through Chinatown, which I wasn’t thoroughly impressed with. I’m not usually a fan of Chinatowns, and this one didn’t make me think any differently about them. There was a huge protest going on at the beginning of the main street, which made navigating around a little hectic.
After walking all the way back to my hostel, which took a little over an hour, I decided to walk around the neighboring streets again and treat myself to a famous Thai massage. Its impossible to walk down the street without at least one person asking you if you want a massage. With one hour massages costing only $7.50, I couldn’t say no! Oh man, I didn’t think my body could bend or crack the way it did! I was definitely sore the next day, which is common, but totally worth the experience.
On my last morning in Bangkok, I wanted to get some street food for breakfast, so I went out around 8am and walked around all the different food and fruit stalls in the area. I bought some local fruit called Rambutan and had some delicious Thai donuts called Patango.
I ended my breakfast eating some traditional panang curry with vegetables and rice at an open street food stall. Definitely different than pancakes and cereal for breakfast, but as a lover of curry and spice, I had no problem adjusting my appetite.
My next stop is Chiang Mai, located in northern Thailand, where I will spend the weekend roaming the city as well as hiking and biking before heading to the Elephant Nature Park to live with the elephants for a week!