Travel Review: Bangkok, Thailand

Victory Monument, Bangkok

In July 2015 my family and I set off to holiday in Thailand for three weeks. Our first stop was three days in Bangkok. The first thing you notice as you step off the plane is the warmth and humidity. It was a welcome change from the harsh Sydney Winter and my skin lapped up the humidity immediately.

Another thing I noticed immediately was how friendly and helpful everyone is. One man saw that we were lost looking for our hotel and stopped what he was doing so he could come over and offer directions. Everyone seemed happy, willing to help and was always up for a bit of Sanuk (Thai for making any situation fun or enjoyable). 

FLIGHTS

It was a 9-10 hour flight from Sydney to Bangkok and I can't recommend Thai Airways enough. The in-flight meals were surprisingly good and they have vegan options. The hostesses were friendly and the seats are pink and purple (the seats are what really sold me). I spent my time watching American Sniper, reading Dave Grohl's Biography 'This is a Call' and even managed to fall asleep for an hour or so, which never happens!

A busy street food stall

FOOD

One of my favourite things about Bangkok would have to be the food. Bangkok street food was strange, exciting and more often than not, delicious. It seemed as though you couldn't walk 10 metres without walking past another food or drink stand and this was okay with me.

I was hoping to visit the floating markets in Bangkok, however the cost of getting to and from there from our hotel just didn't seem worth it. One day :)

3 for 30baht

Markets were set up anywhere and everywhere though filled with trays of interesting looking food. Skewers with pork balls were a given at every stand and noodles, curries, dumplings and fruit shakes were common too. I got hooked on mango shakes and these veggie dumpling things that I'm still not exactly sure what they were (see picture above). The casing was similar to a rice dumpling/bun and the filling was a smokey green vegetable, served with soy sauce and chilli. Like most food at the markets they were cheap and came at 3 for 30baht ($1.50ish).

Another food experience I researched before my trip and had to have was Veganerie, a 100% vegan bakery. Located on the top floor of the Mercury Ville shopping centre, Veganerie is a great place to meet for breakfast or dessert. It was a hard choice between the waffles, ice creams, cakes and other goodies so my Mum and I shared a GF apple crumble and GF chocolate cake with coconut ice-cream  then took some cakes back to share at the hotel with the family.

SIGHTS
Victory Monument | Victory Monument (image at top of post) was erected to celebrate a war victory. It lies at the centre of a busy roundabout not far from the BTS Victory Monument station. Perfectly encapsulating the juxtaposition that is Bangkok, it's worth a quick look if you're in the area.

Erawan Shrine | Entrance to the shrine is free and you can watch the traditional dancers perform or pray and give offerings. Offerings can be bought from stands around the shrine (see picture above).

Other sights I would have liked to visit in Bangkok if we had a couple of more days were Wat Pho (temple of the reclining buddha), Chinatown and The Grand Palace. We had the chance to do a tour of all 3 of these one afternoon but it was our last chance to try the food at Veganerie. Priorities. 

SHOPPING
Markets | Rule number one - haggle!
Filled with food, clothing, trinkets, flowers and more it's easy to spend hours weaving your way through the maze of stands. A great place to pick up your souvenirs, just remember you can always haggle. A rough rule for haggling is to ask for the price, offer them half of that then negotiate from there.

Shopping centres | If you love to shop, you will love Bangkok. We visited Central World, Siam Paragon, MBK, King Power (super touristy) and Siam Center. MBK is a popular mall with tourists for it's affordability, it's like a giant indoor market with air-conditioning! It also has a cinemas and a large food court so it's easy to spend a whole day there. I prefer the markets over the shopping malls, however it was a nice (air-conditioned) break from the sticky heat and bustling streets.

The view from the Pullman Bangkok Hotel Executive Lounge

ACCOMODATION 

My family and I stayed in the Pullman Hotel on Rangnam Road, only a 10 minute walk from the Phaya Thai station of the Suvarnabhumi Airport Rail Link. It takes roughly 30 minutes to get from the airport to Phaya Thai station on the Airport Rail Link. We stayed in an Executive Suite at the Pullman and were spoiled with access to the Executive Lounge. The Executive Lounge was great when we weren't out and about yet we didn't want to be stuck in our rooms, not to mention the great service and complimentary drinks and nibblies provided.

Dragonfruit and Mango - 2 of my favourites

I think 3-5 days is a good amount of time to spend in Thailand's capital city, enough time to visit Bangkok's must-see attractions and explore the city without feeling rushed.

Have you travelled to Bangkok? What was your experience?