Two nights in Bangkok.. Land of beautiful details and the BEST temples.. Part I

I don’t even know where to start.. Thailand made my heart skip a few beats and I had my own Eat, Pray, Love moments I didn’t get to experience in other countries.  NOW I get why everyone goes to Thailand.. repeatedly. Read on if you want to know what we were able to do with about ONE week in Thailand.. our itinerary included Bangkok, Phuket, Koh Yao Yai, and Krabi.

 

 

I think I actually need to break up my Thailand posts into two since Bangkok and the islands are SO different!

I wanted to save our Thailand excursion when we could take a good amount of time off to fully enjoy our vacation and not just for a quick holiday weekend.  We island hopped, had a drink in their famous red light district, played with elephants on the beach, denied ping pong shows, and ate the freshest food that made my tummy so happy!

 

{Don’t try to pre-plan everything in Thailand…}

 

Trying to figure out EVERYTHING was so hard when we booked our travel only about a week in advance of leaving.  I was legit overwhelmed because there is so much information out there.  Usually we go places that aren’t as well traveled, so they’re a little more on the “undiscovered” side, which I love.. but Thailand, I found 9023920 posts of “things to do” and I wanted to do them all.. but how do you choose?!  I got to a point where I picked locations over excursions and went from there.

Thailand is one of those places all tourists go to when traveling Asia.. and now I get why.  From the second we got off the plane, it was unlike any other asian destination I’d been to.  It felt super welcoming and everything to help get you started in the new country was at your fingertips!  I usually rely on wifi when traveling or use my phone with international (slow) access, but this time I opted for the sim card at the airport and it cost only 299 bht (about $9) for 8 days with unlimited internet and I could make calls too which came in handy when calling our accommodations at times.  I used AIS because I read it was the best, especially around the islands of Phuket/Krabi where we would be traveling to.  Worth the $9!

 

{Two Nights in Bangkok…}

 

We opted to take the subway to get to our Airbnb for our first night upon landing in Bangkok.. this ran us 33 bht ($1).  The main city is about 30 minutes away depending on where you’re staying.  I never got a great hold on the various subways but we were able to navigate using a mixture of Google maps and asking customer service located in the subways.  We stayed near the famed Soi Cowboy in Sukumvit in a really nice high rise that overlooked the red light district.. In any other situation, I would be like eww no, get me out of here, but it was a whole event in itself to walk down that street.  Thailand has the most beautiful views I’ve ever seen and it also has this seedy side of it that isn’t so hidden.  I’m all about experiences, and this was one of them.  The street is filled with neon lights and girls walking around half naked to try to get you into their bars.  We ended up having a drink at one of them because you can sit on their outdoor patios and people watch all night long.  I didn’t feel “unsafe”.. just in awe of what was so obvious going down on the street.

 

 

 

 

We woke up early the next morning to venture around Bangkok and check off some temples I had my eye on.  I love grazing when traveling so I can try a little bit of food everywhere.  A fruit stand selling freshly cut up fruits cost me 40 bht ($1.25) for a whole mango and papaya.. I can’t even buy the seeds for that much in other places.. For reference it was about 33 bht to $1 USD.

 

 

We had no any idea how to get to places, and there’s usually no direct point A to point B.  The transportation alone was a fun experience all by itself!  We would often start off by foot, find a subway, then had to hop on tuk tuks (motorcycle type of vehicles with a giant carriage on back) to get to where we needed to go.  Like any new city, you start to get the hang of how to get around and even found hopping on boats to be convenient and inexpensive.  Have small bills on hand and get confident in your bargain skills.

 

 

 

If you decide on taxis, in the city, they typically don’t use meters, establish the price up front.. this goes for tuk tuks as well.  We are talking a few bucks, if that, for each ride.

 

{Temples in Bangkok.. these are the ones that should be on your list!}

 

We only had one full day to hangout in Bangkok and I had my list of temples I absolutely had to see with my eyes..  The thing about Bangkok is that it’s a huge city.. I’ve been to my fair share of Asian cities and while I wanted to be able to see the sights and sounds of the hot spots, my main goal for this trip was beach towns. Bangkok this time around served as a jumping point to our next location.  BUT, it should still be a part of your travel spot!  These temples are a must.. there’s so many and you really can’t see them all in a day and many don’t open till 8AM, so getting up at 5’o blogger clock wasn’t going to happen to beat the crowds.  I strategically picked my locations based on previous dream boards and by default they all happen to be close to each other.

 

 

Protip: It’s best to dress conservative.  Long skirts for girls, this includes no shorts for guys, and shoulders must be covered.  You also don’t want to show too much of your back if you have a revealing top on.  My instahusband was fine at all locations, except for Wat Phra Kaew where he had to purchase a pair of elephant print pants for around 200 bht because he had shorts on.  They sold them on site, but can be bought for much cheaper around the local shops.

 1) Wat Phra Kaew – The Grand Palace – We actually came here second, but had enough time.  It’s the most expensive one, running 500 bht and they were the strictest with the dress code.  It’s best to start here first only because they close the earliest at 3:30 PM.  It’s very grand and what you think of when you think of Thai decor.  Lots of golds, bell towers, and detailed screen prints.. just gorgeous and huge!  I took a pic with a guard here (I asked first) and he allowed it.. but they don’t allow it when they’re doing the guard change at the end of the day to close up.  I really wanted the iconic bell shot.. it was so grand!!  Hence the name.. P.S. Monks use cell phones.. see below..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  2) Wat Pho – We started here first and entrance fees only ran 100.. this included a free bottle of water (which we forgot to grab).  Lots of white buildings with gold details.. this seems to be the running theme in Bangkok. This is where the Reclining Buddha rests.  It’s massive and took a little bit to actually find because there’s tons of Buddhas everywhere!  But this particular one is 150 feet long and is actually laying down.. not typical of most buddhas on display.  Wat Pho is the birthplace of the traditional Thai massage and is still taught on the premises.  Closes at 5:30PM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            

 

 

  3) Wat Arun – This temple was at the VERY top of my list and we saved it for last. It was perfect timing because we got the best lighting just before sunset.  It’s really small, but the level of detail of this temple was unlike anything I had ever seen before.  Tiny pieces of glass pushed into the white backdrop made up the temple.  To get here, we had to hop on a boat that was across the river (otherwise walking or taking a tuk tuk would have taken forever and cost a whole lot more).  The boat ride itself was less than five minutes and cost 4 bht.  I got the best pictures here because it had just finished raining (torrential downpour for about 15 minutes) and the crowds had left.. We went just before it closed so timing was the best!  I had this on my bucket list and the location didn’t disappoint (as some places do because of the hype of instagram).  Closes at 5:30PM.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We tried to go to Sky Bar (where the hangover was filmed overlooking the city) after our leisurely day, but required pants and closed toed shoes (the husband rocked slippers so it was a no go).  But if you can make it work, I recommend going because it’s pretty close to the temples and a nice way to unwind for the day on the 60+ story rooftop.  Instead, we found a restaurant nearby and had Thai food and mango sticky rice.  We legit had the sticky rice every night except for one.  The.Best.Ever!  Probably filled with a ton of sugar, but with all the walking we did, I cared zero percent.

I feel like if I want Thai food now, I have to fly to Thailand to get it.  Bougie much?

 

 

This wrapped up our Bangkok excursion and we had an early night in to wake up for our flight to Phuket. OMFGIWASEXCITED.

 

 

 

Protip: When flying domestic within Thailand, you will most likely fly in/out of Don Muang Airport.  It’s best to hop in a cab and drive the 30 minutes there instead of using public transportation.  It will take double the time and the money saved isn’t worth the hassle.  The cab ride cost us 350 bht and we got the driver to pay the tolls (which were minimal).

Next stop PHUKET!!!  Oh and the key was to travel light on this trip since we would be bouncing around like crazy tourists..

I’ll link Part II here, when it’s written!

For all the sneak peeks on Instagram, use this hashtag #BrigittexThailand

If you’re more into videos, check out the vlog here!