Explore More in Bangkok – 1/2

Travel time - 2009/10/20-26
Written by Jerry Peng

Khao San Road
"Am I really in Bangkok?" This was my first impression during my second trip to Thailand. (The first time was when I was 10, so it doesn't really count) Bangkok, especially Khao San Road, is full of Western backpackers.  If you are thinking of backpacking with friends or by yourself in Bangkok, Khao San road is definitely your first choice. It has a variety of accommodation, food and bar choices, guest houses, hostels, hotels and all with low prices from 100 to 500 baht per night depending on how many people you are traveling with. Khao San road also provides a great variety of food: Western, Thai, Chinese, pubs, restaurants or street food; you can get it all in Khao San, my personal favorite is a traditional fried noodle, "Pai Thai".  

After few nights staying in Khao San Rd, my girlfriend and I decided to move to a more central location, where it's easier to get transport around the city and other parts of the country. There are many transport opinions available: taxi, bus, train, tuk-tuk, motorcycle taxi, MRT (underground), BTS Skytrain and boats depending on where you want to go. MRT (underground) and BTS will be your best friends if you are going to hang around in Bangkok city and because these two don't cover a wide area, it will be inconvenient if you stay in places such as Khao San road. For example, if you going further into the city from Khao San Rd a taxi is going to be your only choice and it takes approximately 15-20 minutes and cost around 100 baht. Here's a hint - always ask the driver to charge by the meter to avoid unnecessary arguments. The tuk-tuk is a very special transportation in Thailand, it doesn't come with a standard rate and some tourists consider the fun part is where to you bargain with the tuk-tuk driver, but again, always make sure you have the price confirmed before you go. Since we spent a lot of time shopping around the city (thanks to my girlfriend), the sky train was the most convenient tool for us. A taxi is not a bad choice too, but it really depends on the traffic, it's cheap and fast in the off-peak hours but beware that the driver may take you the long way round, which is almost unavoidable. One time we were going from the Chutukchu weekend market back to our guest house, we decided to take a cab since we were carrying a lot of stuff, the driver took us on a long detour as I was looking at the map and wondering at the same time that how come we were heading in the opposite direction?! I asked the driver and he was like "oh, no English!! I NO ENGLISH". Well… what can we do about it, I guess this is considered as part of the tourism package.

Since my girlfriend and I are both from Taiwan, which is renowned for its fantastic food, especially in its night markets, we couldn't we miss the local night markets and shopping markets in Bangkok.  So we went to visit the biggest local shopping market "Chatuchak weekend market" where you can get all kinds of stuff, clothing, accessories, antiques, handicraft, pets and more at prices beyond your imagination. But just a little info for you, Chatuchak is only open at weekends from 9 to 6, and you might want to be there as early as you can, because the place gets packed. And maybe you want to plan for a foot massage afterwards, because the place is HUGE!!! Be prepared!!

Since I am a techie, a trip to Pantip plaza was already on my must go list before this trip. Pantip plaza is one of the largest IT mall's with 6 floors in Bangkok; you can get all kinds of electronic stuff, computers, camera, GPS and more. Surprisingly in the mall I ran into a Mio GPS Shop which I have never seem in Taiwan, so I took a tour inside the shop and asked the store staff for some product information.