Sunset on the Chao Phraya River (River of Kings) that runs through Bangkok.
When I studied world geography in grade school I remember how exotic and far away city names like Bangkok, Rio de Janeiro, Ljubljana, Johannesburg, Shanghai, and Kathmandu sounded to my young ear. Maybe that was the start of the travel bug I seemed to have caught along the way. Plus for a grade school boy the sexual references in a city name like Bangkok could only be outdone in giggle factor by the classic Lake Titicaca.
Bangkok has it’s own China Town area with a lively market.
And so when we pulled into Bangkok after 20 hours of flight time and another 15 hours lost in time zone changes I was a bit travel dazed but I remember thinking – Wow, I’m in freaking Bangkok!
Traditional Thai dancers performing at the Erawan Shrine.
Bangkok is a BIG city – it’s roughly 15 million inhabitants make it as populous as Los Angeles but with over twice the density. But like LA it sprawls quite a bit, it is fairly flat, and it suffers from bad traffic and air quality. We arrived at the start of the dry season (November) and Bangkok was hot (90F\32C) and humid, very humid – something I’m not a huge fan of unless I am by a pool or an ocean.
Monks leave the monastery early in the morning and walk single file into town where they receive offerings of food from the people.
Bangkok is a modern city with new skyscrapers and a modern transportation infrastructure. But along with the modern there is the ancient and traditional ways. You can find the heart and soul and the underbelly of Bangkok in the many Wats (temples) and down the side streets and alleys called Sois where massage parlors, street food vendors and bars and restaurants abound. And for convenience there are more 7-11 stores (over 3,500) in Bangkok than you will find in any city in the world.
This street scene contains some typical Bangkok elements – A backpacker, a monk, scooters, a tuk-tuk, a small worship alter, a restaurant and the ever-present 7-11.
The freeways were crowded as was the above ground monorail called the Skytrain. We never made it to the subway system but we did ride the bus and used the water taxis to jump to various piers on the river. Taxis, 3 wheeled tuk-tuks, shared vans, scooters and motorcycles abound – not very many bicycles in the city though. We used the local version of Uber called Grab quite a bit and found that to be a cheap and efficient way to get around.
The Temple Complex of Wat Arun. Large pictures of the King, his mother the Queen and his late Father are found prominently displayed throughout the city.
Bangkok is going to be a different city to different people. For some its all about shopping, for some it is a religious pilgrimage, for others its a sexual playground, but for Julia and I it was a foodie destination with bargain prices. But you can’t eat and drink all the hours of the day (we tried) so we visited temples and markets and other sites of historical significance. We were in Bangkok 5 nights, 3 when we arrived in Thailand and 2 nights before our departure – and we only scratched the surface and could easily do a return trip.
90% of Thais practice Buddhism and you will see the calming presence of Buddha everywhere.
Though we saw very little police presence we felt very safe, and heard very few sirens. Despite the fast drivers and the brutal traffic and the ongoing dance between the pedestrians, motorcycles, scooters, tuk-tuks, cars, trucks, buses and taxis we never saw an accident in Bangkok.
It seemed we could never find a public garbage can when we needed one but still Bangkok was a clean city with only minimal graffiti and very few beggars. Lots of people wear face masks, I assume for the air quality or maybe just to be polite if they are contagious. They call Thailand the “Land of Smiles” and we found the people to be very friendly and polite.
English was widely understood and spoken for tourist related transactions like restaurants, taxis, bars and retail shopping. We had a few minor language misunderstandings but we were pleasantly surprised at the inclusion of English text in menus, direction signage, and on transportation options. Two Thai phrases came in handy for us – Sahwadee kah (hello) and Cob koon kah (Thank you) which you deliver with hands clasped together and a smile.
This is Wat Po or the Temple of the Reclining Buddha.
Most of the images I have are from the major Wat Complexes in Bangkok. We visited the main temples of Wat Arun (Temple of the Dawn), Wat Po (Temple of the Reclining Buddha), Wat Traimit (Temple of the Golden Buddha), Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha) along with the Grand Palace.
This is the Reclining Buddha of Wat Po from head to foot – all 150 feet of him.
We missed many other temples of cultural significance but we have found that like visiting churches in Europe that you can run the risk of diminishing satisfaction when you visit too many temples. Next visit maybe.
This is Wat Traimit – the Temple of the Golden Buddha.
The Golden Buddha rises 15 feet above the floor and weighs in at 5.5 tons. That makes the gold in the statue worth upwards of $200 million.
So what’s brilliant about Bangkok? The food for sure. I became addicted to fruit smoothies and juices – stands and mobile vendors with fresh fruit were everywhere and with a banana, coconut, or watermelon shake costing only a $1.50 I was hooked. Iced coffee was another treat that I fell for repeatedly and yes there are Starbucks and coffee shops everywhere for the caffeine addicted.
The Thai street food was fabulous – whatever you want on a stick.
Although we did dabble in the street food we had our best meals at Mom and Pop restaurants found on the side streets off major thoroughfares. Typically there was an English translated menu with pictures available and then you just started ordering. The food comes out hot and when it is ready and so timing meals to come out at the same time can be a problem. We learned to just share whatever came out and wait for the next thing. We did have Indian food and Sushi while on the trip but passed on any western fare. We ate lots of noodles, stir fry, salads, soups, and rice dishes along with grilled meats. And the price was right – rarely was our bill with drinks over $20 and sometimes half that – oh, and tipping isn’t expected except at higher end restaurants where they just added 20% to our bill. Early on I had two tips returned because they thought I had accidentally overpaid the bill.
Peppers anyone? If you want, they can cook it real spicy for you!
One of the things we love to do in a foreign destination is visit the markets and Bangkok has lots of them. We didn’t make it to a floating market (there are several in the Bangkok area) but we did visit a food market where I was unable to identify several types of fruit, vegetables, and seafood.
We also visited the flower market and were amazed at the quantity of marigolds being processed and carted around. Marigolds have a special significance in the Buddhist religion and they are strung into necklaces and sold at religious sites as an offering to Buddha.
The Grand Palace and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha.
On our last day before our evening flight we visited the Grand Palace complex that includes the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. Pictures don’t do it justice and I am glad we were there at the opening because within an hour of opening it was getting very busy and it would have been impossible to get some of these photos without people everywhere.
You are not allowed to take your camera in the Temple of the Emerald Buddha but you are allowed to take pictures at a distance from the courtyard.
Bangkok was brilliant for us but if you are not a fan of big cities then I could see why you wouldn’t want to linger. The city is an assault of smells, sounds, and sites that keeps you on your toes. We loved it and will always have fond memories of sitting at The Red Sky rooftop bar sipping on our wine and watching the lights of the city come on and the people go by.