Still reminiscing about our Bangkok trip even though it's been a while..I want to go back for more shopping and to go to more tourist spots I did not get to visit on our last trip! Anyway, I wanted to share my experience here while I still remember it and hope to get some tips from you for my next visit! :)
I went there with my family last September and I was the one assigned to plan the itinerary because I have a friend who lives there. I spend a few evening working on it..look for travel blogs, tourist spots, means of transportation..and came up with what I thought was a good enough itinerary for a first timer in Bangkok (though we did not get go to some of the places I listed there because of lack of time and unexpected weather conditions).
We departed from NAIA 3 at 6:35AM and arrived at Suvarnabhumi International Airport at 8:55 AM (There is one hour time difference between Bangkok and Manila).
Playing Around at the Airport! :P
To get to our hotel we opted to ride the Airport Rail Link to Phaya Thai (45 Baht/person) even though we were 6 in the group and had luggage because I was scared that we wouldn't find a taxi who will let us ride in metered fare. The Airport Rail Link ride operates from 6AM-12:00MN everyday and arrives every 15 minutes. The ride was very convenient and we arrived in Phaya Thai at around 12nn (The ride was approximately 25 mins. only but we stayed a little longer in the airport as we have companions who were Chinese citizens and needed to apply for visa on arrival at the airport. Note: Visa fees for Chinese tourists are waived from Aug 1 to Oct 31 to boost tourism)
Token to enter Airport Link Station
Airport Link Route..sorry for the dark and blurred shot..
Us inside Airport Link Train. It's very spacious and fast!
Upon arriving in Phaya Thai, we transferred to a BTS Train to Ratchathewi station (where our hotel is 10-15 mins. away from). I regretted the decision to ride the BTS because there was no escalator/elevator going down from the platform and we had to carry all our luggage all the way down then walk to our hotel which was so tiring especially on that hot Sunday morning. It would be better to hail a taxi from Phaya Thai since Ratchathewi is only one station away and the flag down rate is just 35 Baht, maybe it would be even better to just get a cab straight from the airport. Lesson learned.
Get a Bangkok Map at the airport or print this for your own reference
For our accommodation, we stayed at Bangkok City Hotel because it had good reviews based on Agoda and was well within our budget. I would also give it good review as the room is clean though very dark at night, plus the breakfast buffet is good, you can also walk to Pratunam and platinum mall from the hotel for about 15 mins. but taking taxi would be way better as the fare is just 40 Baht (the hotel staffs can help you hail taxi from the hotel), there are also several massage parlors beside the hotel, but next time I would choose a hotel with free hotel transfers and nearer to Pratunam market where I plan to shop just for convenience. Direction to Bangkok City Hotel from BTS Ratchathewi: Take Exit 3 then walk for about 5 minutes until you reach an intersection, turn left at the intersection. Don’t cross the road, just turn left. Walk for another 5 to 8 minutes and you’ll reach Bangkok City Hotel which is on your left.
Our room looked exactly like this (Photo Credit: tripadvisor.com)
Some of the foods in the breakfast buffet I was able to try
As it was Sunday when we arrived, we went to Chatuchak Weekend Market (also known as JJ Market or Jatujak Market) and stayed there until 6PM. From BTS Ratchathewi we only have to ride the BTS until Mo Chit station then follow the crowd to JJ Market. Not surprisingly, all the people seem to be going to that one direction only so you will not get lost at all. JJ Market is very big and it would be hard to go through the entire place in one day only. We had lunch first at Dinphow Cuisine Restaurant inside JJ Market (Jatujak Section 4 Soi1) which was very affordable, then it rained so hard so it was kinda hard to walk in the market. Thankfully it stopped after an hour or so.
Some Pages of the Menu in Dinphow Cuisine
According to my Thai friend one section in the market is dedicated to local Thai designers so that part of the market was quite interesting but also more expensive compared to the stalls in the other sections. There are also wholesalers in the area but the price is not as cheap as the ones you will see in Pratunam market. While you are in the area you may want to try the different kinds of coconut ice creams the street vendors sell as they are yummy! Overall I think JJ Market has some unique finds and I would definitely come back next time as I didn't have time to explore the whole place that day.
Coconut Ice Cream!! They even have thai milk tea flavor! <3
After JJ Market we went to Siam Paragon (BTS Siam Station) to eat dinner and look around in the supermarket. I always liked going to the supermarkets of the countries I visit to see which foods are different from ours. Siam Paragon's supermarket is complete with different international foods, we bought several spices and MAMA noodles there among other things.
Obligatory Shot with Ronald McDonald :P
For our dinner, my mom, who is a lacto-ovo vegetarian, did not have a hard time looking for food to eat as we were lucky that Thailand was celebrating its Vegetarian Festival from September 23 to October 3, 2014! According to a website I saw just now, the origins of the Vegetarian Festival are Chinese, a celebration to the nine Emperor Gods, and the festival happens during the ninth Chinese lunar month every year. Although it is called the vegetarian festival, the diet is strictly vegan, as the requirements include giving up all fish, dairy, meat and poultry for nine days as a way to cleanse your body. We did not know about this festival beforehand! Mom is so lucky!
Some of the vegetarian foods we bought in Siam Paragon food stalls
Us w/ Whand. Thanks again for accompanying us on our 1st day in BKK!
