What you need to know about Bangkok:
- It is a buzzing, exotic and humid capital city of Thailand.
- Well-known for its dynamism, amazing Thai food and friendly locals who keep smiling to you.
- Surrounded by countless Buddhist temples and monuments.
- It’s a city with infinite layers and hidden secrets and beauty.
- Most common spots in Bangkok are Damnoen Floating Market, Suan Luang Rama IX, Bangkok Temples (Temple of Emerald Buddha, Wat Pho, Wat Sutat, Wat Arun), Air Force Museum and Dream World.
- Postcards from Bangkok
Highs and Lows
Things we liked:
1) Food everywhere – there was never a problem to grab either a quick snack (a bag of tropical fruits for 30 Baht) or a decent plate of Pad Thai (30 Baht for small portion with egg).
*Pad Thai is a dish of stir-fried rice noodles with eggs/ chicken/ shrimp or fish with some tamarind juice, red chili pepper garnished with crushed peanuts, garlic, chives, pickled turnip, coriander, lime, spicy chili oil, chili powder, vinegar, fish sauce, sugar.
2) Cheap prices – Bangkok as a capital city of Thailand was cheaper than busy Thai islands in terms of food and accommodation.
3) Friendly locals – people kept smiling to us, helped us find the right way when we got lost, they often spoke to us in English.
4) Weather – the weather in Bangkok was perfect for us – not too hot and not too humid. We didn’t sweat that much either.
Things we didn’t like:
1) Too busy Khaosan Road– there were so many people drinking, partying and doing some shopping so it was difficult even to pass by the road without pushing people.
2) The chaos on Bangkok’s roads
3) Pushy salesmen on Khaosan Road– we kept hearing “Do you want a nice suit?”, “Do you want a tuk tuk?”, “Where are you going sir?” and so on. It’s ok when someone asks you these questions once, but when you hear it 100 times a day, it starts to be frustrating
4) Popular scams- we were not victims, but it was easy to notice that some people simply wanted to scam us and other foreigners. For example a promised “2 hour tuk tuk ride for 5 Baht” cannot be true. Same goes for Ping pong shows, which as we heard, end up with your wallet empty.
Budget details
Budget: Less than $25 per person
Currency: Baht (US$1 = 30 Baht)
Time required: minimum 1 day
Minimum number of people: 1
Our expenses
Accommodation: 150-200 Baht per night for two ($5-$7)
Food: 200-300 Baht ($7-$10)
Transport: 15-60 Baht ($2)
Activities: Walking tour around the city
Total: Less than $25
Where to sleep
There are plenty of accommodation options to choose from, from couchsurfing with the many hospitable locals and expats, through cheap hostels, to occasional budget hotel, you won’t need to win a lottery to sleep well.
1) Type of accommodation: Budget Guest House called 7 Holder Guest House
Address: 216/2-3 Khaosan Rd., Banglumpoo Bkk 10200, tel.: 6622813682
Price: 250 Baht per double room or 300 Baht for 3 people in a double room
Pros: Cheap price
Cons: No wi-fi, expensive Internet access (3 Baht per 1 minute) and way too high printing service fees
Where to eat
1) Food: street food
Location: Khaosan Road
Prices:
- 30 Baht ($1) per small portion of Pad Thai with egg
- 50 Baht for Pad Thai with chicken
- 10 Baht per one spring roll
- 30 Baht per any portion of tropical fruits
- 150 Baht per 1 scorpion
2) Food: Chinese food
Location: China Town, 526 Yaowaraj Road, Sumpuntawong
Things to know: Free entrance, there are many local restaurants around, but you can always eat from one of the street vendors
Prices: Between 10 Baht and 30 Baht per meal, fresh squeezed juice for 30 Baht per bottle (pomegranate was our favourite one)
Things to know and remember
- Similarly to any other place you need to be careful. However, please be extra careful on or near to Khaosan Road where there’s a lot of tourists who may look to some local individuals as easy way to get rich quick.
- With majority of visitors enjoying nightlife, it’s important to limit the drinking to an amount which will allow us to go back safely to hotel
- Never, ever, ever… under any circumstances, do not get involved in anything to do with drugs. Thai law is very serious about it and Thai police is known for not wanting to hear your explanation. If they find drugs in the backpack of a person you’re traveling with, you are as much in trouble as the other person. Also, a thug on the street who wants to sell you some weed may turn out to be a policeman in civies, you’re in trouble if you accept the offer. Bangkok is a place to stay away from drugs.
Additional info
It’s hard to go to Bangkok and to go for a party. So we did! It was great, we met fantastic people and had quality time. Danced like crazy (mainly Cez) drunk a little (too much) and had blast (until 5 am). We don’t do partying much, but sometimes it’s worth to make an exception. Beers in bars and pubs cost normally 100 Baht and we have not drunk much (can’t tell you exactly, but still within the budget).
Bangkok is a massive city. Although this time we didn’t go too far away from Khaosan Road, there’s a lot more Bangkok has to offer. Don’t be shy, go explore and come back to share your experiences with us.
