10 days in Bangkok - how show I spend my time?

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Ask/Tell > Tourism & Travel > 10 days in Bangkok - how show I spend my time?

Pilsner: Nov 23, 2002

Khao San Road isn't really an attraction, it's a gathering place for greasy backpackers, which I guess is fine if you're in their league. The whole street is filled with vendors and shops selling clothes and junk, and there are some very boring bars. Okay to see once I guess.

I don't really know where to stay with a wife and teenager (has he had his first beer?). Unless your wife has a thin skin, I don't think it's too horrible to stay in Sukhumvit, the classic tourist / red light (but it's fairly concentrated to small spots) area. There are many side-alleys with nothing seedy going on. I just spent 4 days at a great hotel called Grand Swiss on Soi 11, Sukhumvit. New, clean and super nice hotel for less than $100 per night. It is a 2 minute walk to the Nana BTS train station, which will make it easy for you to get around. There are lots of nice places to eat and drink just around, and the area is lively and safe. There are also even more luxurious hotels around there.

I haven't stayed in other areas of BKK, but I think Silom is fairly crummy in my opinion, and the central area with the Grand Palace / riverside is way off the BTS/MTR transportation grid, so that's a downside.

Protips regarding the Grand Palace:
- They close at 3:30pm.
- The whole area is currently closed off with a MASSIVE police presence due to the late King laying in state there, so the taxi can only take you to Wat Pho just south of the the palace, then you have to walk for 15-20 minutes to get to the entrance.
- There is security with metal detectors, and they ask for your passport. I got in with a phone picture of my passport, and my girlfriend got it with no ID, possibly because she looks like a Thai (she's Filipino).
- You must dress decently, which means no shorts or short sleeves. Have fun walking around in 35 degrees with long sleeves and long pants. If you don't have, you can borrow clothes for a 200 Baht deposit, which requires standing in a long line
- Entrance is 500 Baht per nose.

Overall we gave up on the palace as we arrived late and I couldn't stand the heat. Two days after we went to Wat Pho instead, which was cool.

I went a week ago with my girlfriend, here's a rough list of stuff we did:

* Temples and buddhas, big and small. Wat Pho was the nicest one (since we missed the Grand Palace). Other nice one are the Golden Mount (Wat Saket) and Wat Arun.
* Wandering around between sights just look at the streets and people. To be frank, BKK is not a very pretty or picturesque city.
* Parks, such as Lumpini Park and Pom Phra Sumen.
* Party and red light fun in the evening and night - pool bars, street-side beer bars, go-go bars, ladyboy bars, gay bars, you name it. My girlfriend is cool and we had a lot of fun. For your situation, I'd probably try the fairly sober beer bars facing the street, good for people watching, but again, depends on your family.
* Great food. We ate both at restaurants and street food, the Thai food is just amazing. Be wary of going to too fancy restaurants, the food isn't better but the prices can be jacked up. A good ballpark is that a Pad Thai should cost around 150 Baht. Street food can be had for 50-100 Baht.
* A little cruise with the cheap Chao Phraya Express Boat up the river.

I LIKE COOKIE posted:

Ride a Tuk-Tuk or 10.

Do not ride a tuk-tuk. They are the biggest tourist scam, they cost 2-5 times more than a car taxi even if you haggle. They are designed for locals as cheap transport, but tourists are charged stupid prices. Never take one, no matter how desperate you are for transport. A taxi is cheaper, air-conditioned, more reliable, faster and more safe.

Ok, ride a tuk-tuk once in the city to try it out, pay the obscene price (don't pay more than 100 Baht), then never do it again.

Source: Been to Thailand three times, as recently as a week ago. The last tuk-tuk I took promised me a 20 Baht ride to a temple; he said there was a campaign today because of a holiday that gave all tuk-tuk drivers free gasoline. Then as we started driving, he threatened me verbally that unless he I would also go to a clothing factory after the temple (where I assume he got commission and they'd threaten me to buy poo poo), the price was suddenly 100 Baht. loving scammer. I told him I'd pay the 100 Baht, he stopped and we got off, and I gave him 40 Baht, and walked away. The dick complained but I just walked.

As a related tip, if you ever get in a taxi that refuses to turn on the meter in those lesser developed countries such as Thailand or Philippines, simply wait until the next traffic jam or red light, open the door and walk away. Leave the door open demonstrably, to gently caress with him. The only way to stop the taxi tourist scamming is to not put up with it. That being said, no (car) taxi in Thailand scammed me the last week I was there, so that was good, but always be alert. That's the good thing about public transport such as the BTS or Metro in Bangkok, you have peace of mind that you pay the price and nothing more. Take it as much as possible instead of taxis.

# ¿ Mar 9, 2017 09:35

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# ¿ Apr 27, 2024 12:22

Pilsner: Nov 23, 2002

Bardeh posted:

Why would you even get in this Tuk Tuk in the first place? This is like, the number one red flag when it comes to Tuk Tuks in Bangkok.

We were a long walking distance away from where I wanted to go, tired legs, plus ignorance and getting conned, as simple as that. It was a friendly driver who approached us, asked where we were going, spoke English well, made promises, etc., etc., I fell for the bait even though I should have known better, having visited scam-prone Asian countries many times before. I feel embarassed. I even fell for his "Oh, the market you want to go is closed because the King died! But here is another place you can visit!". So dumb of me.

Two simple rules for Thailand:

1) Never accept an offer from someone who approaches you - approach them instead, whether it's a restaurant, taxi driver or salesperson.
2) Never ride a tuk-tuk, period.

# ¿ Mar 9, 2017 11:22

Pilsner: Nov 23, 2002

I LIKE COOKIE posted:

Well I think riding Tuk Tuks is fun, personally. I've never gotten ripped off by one. I did go to a suit place once on a Tuk Tuk where I had to go in and pretend to be interested in buying a suit so the driver could get a gas card, but that ride was free and I only did it because one of the people I was with had never been on one before.

Don't let the possibly of getting scammed deter you, many Tuk Tuk drivers are honest. Just make sure the price is set before you get in.

I did get ripped off by a moto taxi in Bangkok, though. Definitely learned my lesson that time. Just don't let people take advantage of you. If they sense your naive or new to the region they'll all try to separate you from your money, its just the name of the game.

But what price do you pay? I guess it's my first time getting swindled by a tuk-tuk like that, where he suddenly demanded a different price than what we agreed, but I just remember paying ridiculous prices compared to a safe, comfortable, air-conditioned taxi. Taxis in BKK start at 35 Baht and slowly go up as you drive; as typical trip across the central city area will be 40-50 Baht. The lowest I've haggled a tuk-tuk down to is 50 Baht, more typical is 100 Baht, and when I was a newbie I've even paid 200. I just don't see the point of taking them, unless you're desperate. They are also pretty big, so it's not like a mototaxi that can cut between lanes.

# ¿ Mar 9, 2017 14:43

Pilsner: Nov 23, 2002

webmeister posted:

If you're going to use an ATM, withdraw a few days cash at a time, as all Thai ATMs now charge something stupid like 200 baht (about $6 USD) per withdrawal. That's on top of whatever your own bank charges you (it might be a flat fee plus a percentage commission).

It's been like that for many years, and it is now up to 220 Baht. I don't really care, I just withdraw 9-10k Baht every time I visit the ATM and see it as part of the expense of traveling.

Not much to do about it as a tourist, as far as I know. If you pay by credit card in shops you're likely to just foot the ~3% CC charge yourself, as far as I know.

# ¿ May 2, 2017 14:33

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