Bangkok was my very first proper foreign city I travelled to four and a half years ago (I had only been to Australia before) and it absolutely blew my mind. That whole Thailand trip was such an amazing experience, it completely changed my life and is responsible for sparking my incessant wanderlust desire!
As you can imagine, I was incredibly excited to return back to Thailand, my first love.
I was interested to see if my mindset has changed, would I still love it as much now that I've been to over twenty countries? (Spoiler alert: I do!).
Here is what I got up to in a fun-filled week in the vibrant capital city, my first stop in my month-long travels through Thailand.
Day One. 2.06.17
My flight from Jakarta arrived in Bangkok in the late afternoon. The airport process went smooth enough and I hopped into a taxi to my Airbnb which was in the local area Sathorn. The taxi ride was 40 minutes long and it only cost 250 THB (Thai Baht) which is around $10 AUD.
I met with my host who gave me the keys and showed me around. I had my own self-contained apartment with air conditioning and wifi for only $30 a night. Before she left she kindly took me out for some street Pad Thai - exactly what I wanted to do when I first arrived! It was so incredible and only cost $1.50!
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| The pool at the apartment complex I was staying in |
After dinner I was planning on having one refreshing beer (it was a Friday after all) before heading back to the apartment to chill/unpack/work but... I sat down in the bar that was right across from where I was staying for less than 20 seconds before the table next to me invited me to join them... 8 hours later!
They were such an incredible bunch of people from all around the world that are currently living in Bangkok, some of them for over 12 years. They were from Scotland, America, Turkey, France and Australia and we all got along so well that the hours just slipped away and suddenly it was 2 am!
I love meeting new like-minded people and it was such a great night.
Day Two. 3.06.17
Well, needless to say, I was a tad hungover today! At lunchtime, I ventured out for a walk along the main roads in search of food. I was out for about an hour and then spent the rest of the afternoon working on my Jakarta travel vlog. I popped out again later for dinner where I had a spicy green curry and Chang. That night there was an epic electrical storm that I enjoyed watching from my room (it's rainy season here).
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| View from the walkover bridge |
Day Three. 4.06.17
Today's mission was to get a Thai sim card to have data on my phone and to go to the Chatuchak weekend market.
I took an MRT (underground train) and the BTS (sky train) to get to Siam, an area with many big shopping malls. I got a traveller's sim card with AIS (phone network) for a pretty good price and had a delicious Pad Thai for lunch.
I then made my way to Mo Chit via the BTS where I walked through the Chatuchak Park before exploring the largest market in Thailand. My first purchase was a fresh coconut from a funny yelling Thai man who was chopping the coconuts open with a pirate sword like knife!
I enjoyed walking around, although it was a super hot day. I had my first (of many) mango sticky rice - my ultimate favourite Thai food. I just bought two things, a Chang beer singlet (to add to my collection) and an 'Adidas' t-shirt that had a cool print. I got both tops for $10 AUD, pretty sweet shopping trip if you ask me. I had another green curry for dinner (I'm obsessed) and that was the jist of my day.
Day Four. 5.06.17
Today I had a full day temple and city tour with Oriental Escape. You can read all about it in my review post here: The BEST day in Bangkok: Incredible Temple & City Tour.
As you can probably tell by the title, I had such a fantastic day and absolutely loved the tour, it was the highlight of my whole week.
I visited four amazing temples, had a delicious local lunch, Thai coffee and sweets and had a driving city tour as well. It was such a hot day so I was very exhausted when I got back (but very happy). That evening I worked on and finished my Bali travel diary post.
Day Five. 6.06.17
Today was a pretty chill day. There was a nice looking massage place only two minutes walk from me so I popped in there before lunch. A traditional Thai full hour massage only cost $10 and it was absolutely brutal! It's basically an hour of wondering why you paid someone to torture you. Thai massage works deep into your muscles and pressure points and it hurts so much but you do feel really good afterwards. You just have to get through it!
I then treated myself to a delicious lunch from a Guesthouse restaurant down the road.
I ordered a spicy papaya salad and mango sticky rice. I was very full afterwards but it was so fresh and delightful! I just love Thai food (if you couldn't tell).
I didn't feel like going out so I spent the afternoon editing and uploading my first Bangkok vlog which you can view here if you like!
Day Six. 7.06.17
For the best part of the day, I cracked on with more work. I had a hotel review to complete and I also spent a couple of hours editing some work for my husband (I'm such a good wife).
I had a delicious local noodle lunch which only cost $1.50 including a bottle of Pepsi.
Later on, I took a taxi to the Red Sky Bar, which I had heard was one of the best sky bars in Bangkok. I was hoping to catch the sunset and see the amazing skyline all lit up at night.
I arrived and was so amazed by the views, it really is incredible up there.
I ordered a very fancy albeit expensive cocktail (although still cheaper than New Zealand) and basically took one sip before the rains came! Everyone had to be moved inside unfortunately. Expectations versus reality! Oh well.
I had dinner in the Grand Central Mall where the bar is located and then taxied back to Sathorn.
It was one of the new friends I had met the other night's birthday so she was having celebratory drinks at the same local bar. I said I was only going to have one beer as it took me more than two days to recover from the last hangover... another 8 hours later... honestly I couldn't believe it! I looked at my watch and it was 3:30 am this time.
I don't know what it was about this group but the time just disappears around them. I knew if I lived in Bangkok we would be such great friends.
Day Seven. 8.06.17
Well, I was hungover again for my final day woops (no regrets). I nursed it until my evening plan which was a Chinatown street food tour with Bangkok Food Tours. I spent the day doing some blog stuff and started packing and cleaning as I had an early flight the next morning.
The food tour was excellent, everything we tried was so delicious, except for the durian! What an odd taste and texture... I especially loved the final dessert type dumpling with oozy warm custard in the middle, my god that was heavenly.
I'll be writing up a Bangkok food post next with more information on the tour and my favourite/the best things to eat in Bangkok.
I got a tuk-tuk back to my apartment which was bumpy but fun. It was a nice way to finish up my time in Bangkok. I feel like I could have easily spent another week there, there is so much to do, it's incredibly cheap and such an exciting city. I'll be back sometime soon for sure.
The next day I took a taxi to the airport where I next flew to Krabi. Koh Lanta and Phi Phi Island posts coming very soon! Here is the second Bangkok travel vlog for YouTube:
I did want to do more in Bangkok, such as seeing Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn) and going to Lumphini Park (I was staying only a twenty-minute walk away!). But I think I did a reasonable amount of activities and sightseeing whilst juggling work.
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