Bangkok is my third Asian tour. It’s a very very short vacation that we didn’t notice it only lasted for 3 days. This trip is not thoroughly planned from fares to which tourist destination should be visited. And because of that, we learned a lot of lessons in this trip.
Arriving in Bangkok
March is the start of summer in most tropical countries. Summer in the Philippines is hot but summer in Thailand is hotter.
Lesson #1: Pack lightweight clothing when visiting Thailand during summer.
What we wear during arrival in Bangkok is the only clothing we brought because we intend to buy clothing in night markets in Bangkok.
After arriving in Bangkok, we looked for money changer. Most of the money changer inside the airport has low exchange rate. One of my friends told me before the trip to go outside the airport and look for SuperRich money changer because their exchange rate is a lot higher. True enough, their exchange rate is higher than the ones we saw inside the airport.
Lesson #2: Before trip, even if it is domestic or international, ask your friends who have been there for some advices and tips because it will help you a lot.
The next thing we did is look for transportation that will get us to our place in Bangkok. We choose the MRT in Bangkok since it is a lot cheaper and more convenient for us. In the MRT station, we looked for 3-day pass MRT tickets like the ones we got in Hong Kong. They have those kinds of MRT tickets but it can only be use in a Purple Line or Blue Line only, it cannot be used in multiple lines so we opted to purchase single-entry ticket. Their train system is very similar to those in Hong Kong and Singapore that it is so easy to move around the city.
In approximately 30 minutes, we arrived at a train station near our accommodation via Airbnb. We followed the instructions given by the owner of the house and the fun part is that we got lost. It took us an hour roaming around the city before we could actually find our place (Supalai Park).
Lesson #3: Learn some basic native language of the place you’re going because not all can speak English nor understand English.
At the ground level of the condominium that we stayed in, there’s a spa. While waiting for our room to be available, we availed one of the spa services: Thai Massage. It’s a must when you visit Thailand!
Activities in Bangkok
Note: All activities that we had was booked thru Klook.
Snow Town
Since Philippines is a tropical country, visiting a snow town is definitely on the list! Bangkok has a Snow Town. If you’re a kid at heart, go in here. My bestfriend and I enjoyed the costumes that we tried on and we enjoyed the chilly temperature inside as well as some computer games.
A Day in Kanchanaburi
Kanchanaburi War Cemetery made me sad and made me realize a lot of things. I was impressed by the heroism shown by the captive soldiers of Japan. And the positive post card by one of the captive soldiers really caught my heart. It was as if a post card was longing to be read by a loved one, and I felt that the post card was intended for me. I almost cried when I read it. I can feel the optimism behind the letter even if they were in torture 24/7. I can feel the hope that he is holding on that someday he will be out of that unfortunate situation.
After an hour or so at the cemetery we go to a place where one of the James Bond films has once been taken. I forgot the name of the village but if you wanted to have some peace of mind, have picnic by the river with your family, or go out and feed fishes, this is the place to be.
We then moved to the bridge built 24/7 manually by the captive soldiers. It is here that I realized that every beautiful and masterfully done creation (be it a building, bridge, dress, etc) is a product of hard work. Most of the times what we see is the end result, and what we didn’t see is the hard and long process they endured to achieve it.
Elephant is the national animal of Thailand. We asked our guide why is it elephant and he said that during a war in Thailand, the King rode in an elephant because elephants are considered mighty creatures. Too sad that elephants nowadays are being used for tourist attraction purposes. We also got so guilty and felt so sorry when we rode an elephant because we didn’t know beforehand that they were in chain and they are being hit when you rode them.
The next thing we did is bamboo rafting. It feels like you’re cruising in an Amazon river. It’s so peaceful that all you can hear are sounds from crickets.
Night Market in Bangkok
There are a lot of night markets in Bangkok and the selection of clothing are wide. The only problem is that you will not be able to fit the clothes. There’s also a lot of cool items that you may see in the night market.
Khao Yai Winery
Who would have thought that grapes would grow in a tropical country? PB Valley is one of the top producers of locally made wine and the taste is at par with those produced overseas. The tour at PB Valley includes introducing the different types of grapes being used for their wine, grape picking, wine making and wine tasting.
Little Italy
Little Italy in Thailand is Instagram worthy. This place is for those people who loves taking pictures while savoring the serenity of the place.
Fun Facts in Thailand
You’ll see weighing scales in most 7-11 stores in Thailand.
Life Under the Suitcase 