Bangkok Things to Do Tips by travelpug

It is a must for every visitor to Bangkok. Strongly recommended. It is touristy, but it is definitely worth visiting. The holy Emerald Buddha is one of the holiest buddha statues in Thailand. It is not as big as I imagined and it is placed very high up in the temple. It is pretty.

Trick: If you are an asian and you think you look like Thai people, try to go through the Thai people's entrance. It will save you 250baht. If the guard stops you, you just have to buy the ticket. Good luck!

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Phone: 02-224-1833
Address: Maharaj Pier, Chao Phraya, Bangkok
Website: http://www.discoverthailand.com/

Golden Mount is worth visiting. From the top, you will be able to get a panoramic view of Bangkok city. I recommend to go there early in the morning as it can get quite hot later in the day. There is a buddha relic in the temple on top of the hill. It is a holy place for buddhists.

If you look down from the Golden Mount, you will notice that there is actually a large area of temple complex underneath. Wat Saket is more than just the Golden Mount. If you have time, you are welcome to visit the main temple complex.

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Phone: 66-2-233 4561
Address: Bus No. 8, 15, 37, 47, 97 Air Con Bus No. 38, 49

If you think you have been to Chinatowns in other countries, and you want to skip Bangkok chinatown, you are making a mistake! You never know what you would miss here. Bangkok chinatown, (known as Yaowarat by the locals) is bigger than I imagined. It consists of a few roads. There were a few chinese style temples here. Chinatown is famous to the locals for the goldsmith shops. I went inside with my friends who was looking for their wedding rings. Oh my, it was so crowded inside. I saw people bought gold in big quantity! It felt like I was in a supermarket buying vegetables! Oh, how can one leave Chinatown without trying some of the foods here? Such many variety to choose from. You can go for authentic food on the street, or go for something fancier at nice restaurant. Bird nest and shark fin soup is popular here, but not cheap. Head to this area and enjoy!

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Address: Ratchawongsi Pier, Chao Phraya River Tour, Bangkok
Directions: To view typical China Town scences straight ahead to Ratchawongsi Road until the intersection of Yaowarat Road.

Chatuchak (JJ) Market is amazing! Before my first trip here, I didn't know what to expect. But now that I have been there 3 times, and I still find things I didn't see on my first 2 visits!

Advice:
1. Go early in the morning as the market can get stuffy and hot. Bring a fan with you so you can fan yourself while shopping. Bring water.

2. Try to look for free map of JJ Market in some stores. It is very helpful.

3. Bargain with the shoppers! Even you think that the selling price meets your budget, never forget to bargain with them. You might save a few bahts.

4. This market is huge that you can't finish walking in a day. (That is if you go with shopaholics who stop at almost every single shop) You have to set a time to leave JJ or else you might end up shopping here for the whole day. (Unless this is what you want to do)

5. There are stalls outside of JJ Market. Some of them sell things cheaper than it is inside JJ. It's worth checking them out.

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Address: Mo Chit Station, Bangkok
Directions: Simply take the Skytrain to the end terminal called Morchit which is exactly where the market is located.
Website: http://www.discoverthailand.com

We stayed at a small hotel near Petchaburi Road. We hopped on a tuk tuk and the driver would bring us there with half the price if we agreed to take a walk at a jewerly shop (he would get commission by bringing tourists there). Since we were not in the rush, we agreed. We spent 15 minutes in the jewerly shop and hopped back on to our tuktuk. Then he said to bring us to another shop, then he would bring us to JJ for FREE. To save a few bahts, we made a deal with him (though we were a bit aggitated by then). So he brought us to another tourists trap, a tailor/ souvenir shop. We walked for 5 minutes in the shop and got back to our tuktuk. After 30 minutes since we left our hotel, we finally arrived at JJ Market happily for FREE!!

So if you have time to spare, and want to save a few bahts, you can do as we did. Have fun at JJ!!

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Address: Mo Chit Station, Bangkok
Directions: Simply take the Skytrain to the end terminal called Morchit which is exactly where the market is located.
Website: http://www.discoverthailand.com

It's a short walk from Chinatown. Once you enter the temple complex, you would see a big temple building. But the golden buddha is not in the big building. Head to the left of the big building and you will see a smaller building. Go up the stairs, and you will see the golden buddha. The buddha image is of Sukhothai style. It looks very serene and peaceful. The temple is not big. There are money changers in the temple complex (wierd!). By the way, construction was going on in Wat Traimit (August 2007). Perhaps a new and bigger temple is on the way.

Warning: While I am walking towards the temple, a guy unexpectedly took picture of me with his camera. I was annoyed! But I ignored him and walked into the temple. When I left the temple about 30 minutes later, the same guy was trying to sell me a button that he made by the picture that he took of me earlier. Of course I didn't buy it and moved on.

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Phone: 623 1226
Address: Thanon Yaowarat
Directions: Near Hualamphong Station

This temple may not be the most popular wat among tourists in Bangkok. I read about this temple by chance. It has a huge golden standing buddha outdoor. This buddha is the tallest of its kind in the world. This is one of the world records that Bangkok holds. In the temple complex, there is a temple with mural depicting the making of the big standing buddha. There is a small building that has a collection of holy water around the world. There is a shrine for goddess kuanyin.

entrance: FREE

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Phone: 66-(0)2 2817810
Address: Wat Intharawihan -Standing Buddha Image
Directions: Bang Khun Phrom Sub-District, Phra Nakorn District, near by newly open Rama VIII bridge and Bank of Thailand.

Wat Pho is the oldest temple in Bangkok. The main attraction of Wat Pho is the huge golden reclining buddha. I found that the other buildings in the compound are interesting as they are decorated with pieces of china and porcelain. There are inspired by chinese style. Even the big stone statues in the temple are of chinese style. Some of the statues are in western gentlemen costume with top hat. Very interesting. The whole temple complex is a big area.

Advice: Massage in Wat Pho costs 360baht for about 2 hours. I gave it a try and it was good. But I later found a massage place near Tha Tien pier for cheaper price. So, it's up to you where do you want to have your massage.

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Phone: 02-221-991
Address: Tha Tien Pier, Chao Phraya River, Bangkok
Directions: The entrance to Wat Pho is on Chetuphon road. Entrance is 20B. It's open every day, opening hours are from 08.00am to 5.00pm, with a break from 12.00pm to 1.00pm.
Website: http://www.discoverthailand.com/

I found that this temple which is made of marble looks gorgeous. It looks classy and clean. The buddha statue is a replica of the famous buddha statue in Phitsanulok. It looks very beautiful in front of a blue back wall. An interesting feature of Wat Becham is the stained glass windows which are very western influenced.

Tips: Plan your visit to Wat Becham the same day as Vinmanmek Palace as they are located near to each other.

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Address: Si Ayutthaya Road, Bangkok
Directions: Near Chitralada Palace

It is a short walking distance from the Golden Mount. It is uniquely beautiful in its way. Visitors are allowed to go up to the top of the building. It is kind of quiet and eerie on the ground level of the building.

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Address: Rachini Road