My Bangkok Experience (Jurassic Post)

Jurassic post=)
My Bangkok Experience (Nov 2-7, 2007)

DAY 1 –
Arrived early morning, 2 am Bangkok time. Just so you know, Bangkok is an hour behind the Philippines. Checked in at Shanti Lodge, a nice little Bohemian place in Sri Ayuthya Road; a block away from the tourist backpackers’ area of Khoasan Road.
From the airport, we took a cab drive. It’s around 30 minutes away from the airport. The airport taxi costs us 900 Baht. This is not a good price but when you are too sleepy to haggle and the people have a language of their own and English is not one of them then 900 Baht is worth all the hassle.

The driver asked boldly for a tip, a little blatant for me, so we gave him 20 Baht.
Bangkok is so much like the Philippines; too many flyovers and the view from the airport going to the city is not that fabulous.

DAY 2 –
Woke up at 11 am. Went to Grand Palace. It is so frustrating to ask for directions from the locals because they really don’t understand or speak English. If ever you find one, they have a very scant vocabulary so be patient and walk or find someone who can and be courteous just the same.

Boarded a taxi; a nice Thai with good manners and who speaks/understands little English. From the National Library, it took us about 20 minutes to Grand Palace. By the way, no one understands the correct pronunciation of Grand Palace or no one that we met. They pronounce it as Grand Palet.

Sidelights: Please avoid tuktuks. Some people would say that the Bangkok experience will never be complete without riding tuktuks but it is not for the faint hearted. Ride at your own risk. Tuktuk seems to be like gas/oil prices, overpriced and rising, fluctuating. What 45 Baht to a taxi, they want 80 Baht for their service.

Grand Palace is really grand in the true sense of the word; intricate artwork, elaborate designs, unfathomable creation; the hard work and dedication and patience put into that great masterpiece is worthy of a Nobel. Though bring umbrella or wear a hat because the heat especially in November is unbearable; bring water too. The configuration of the whole compound is not really tourist friendly for me; you just go blindly from one masterpiece to another; you can rent an audio guide to know the history without the hassle; no guide from the temple; roam at your own risk, at your own pace. 250 Baht for seeing Thailand’s one-of-a-kind architecture but it was worth it.

From Grand Palace, we went to Jatujak (Chatuchak), the ultimate haven in shopping for bargain stuff. If you’re like me who live for bargain stuff but quality fashion then this is the place to be. Greenhills less 70% off the price; haggle with a smile. Be courteous, respectful and have a sense of humor because you’ll need that when you’re trying to communicate in perfect grammar or broken English but still no one understands you. There are hip stores, local designers and one-of-a-kind shops. It is only open on weekends.

From Jatujak (Chatuchak) to Shanti Lodge – disaster, frustrating to get a taxi. It took us about 2 hours to get a taxi. No one knows the place even if we are armed with maps and directions in Thai. We thought it is too far or they just don’t want to go there but a nice lady from the market told us it’s because going there is famous for bad traffic. We got one though for 200 Baht. Now taxis/drivers are beginning to look like little monsters or those corrupt officials who won’t move without a price.

Things I observed first-hand in Bangkok in just 2 days:

1. Traffic is really bad and the road convoluted; drivers just strike anywhere. Didn’t see much traffic enforcers
2. Few English speaking people – need I say more
3. Taxi drivers don’t use meters; just like in Manila, they just haggle the price
4. Tuktuk – compare it to nothing. Hate people who take advantage of tourists.

Day 3 –
Woke up at 8:30 am; experienced authentic Thai massage at its best; the local Thai masseuse was very efficient and courteous; had to stifle a yawn. Lunch at Shanti. If you’re staying in this place, please do try their super yummy food; organic and very well prepared. Try their pasta Marinara, ala-Siam, Pad Thai, Shanti Delight, fruit platter, spring rolls – the best!

Went to a gem store; genuine stones, authentic jewelry at lesser price. They even issue a certificate to prove that their jewelry/stones are the real ones; they have free drinks and personal guide inside the store and if you happen to forget to ask the taxi to wait for you, they offer and provide free shuttle to your chosen destination anywhere in Bangkok free of charge. They value the safety of their customers. That’s what I call true customer service.

Went to Siam Paragon; took an MRT and a BTS. Though it has been modernized, it is not really that well organized and well connected unlike in Singapore where you just change lanes to go to the other line. From Jatujak (Chatuchak), we rode the MRT but the direction is not really clear so we had to ask someone for help. Luckily, two students are going to Siam Paragon so they helped us. When changing trains, we had to go out and find the nearest BTS.
Siam Paragon is a high-end mall of great proportion. It’s the whole package; mall, movie house, ocean world, food court, everything you need is there.

Went to famous Pratunam, it was the Divisoria of Bangkok with even lesser price; if you’re buying wholesale, you can check this out but if not I suggest you just check out Jatujak (Chatuchak) or MBK (also near Siam Center).

Day 4 –
Went to Siam Paragon, Siam Discovery, Siam Center, Siam Ocean World Bangkok. Entrance fee costs 750 Baht includes glass bottom boat, 4D IMAX, freebies etc. Shopped around the MBK area. There is a hip trendy area in Siam Center catering to the young urban market. Saw a lot of students, Japanese, Koreans. Prices compared to the nearby MBK and Pratunam.

Day 5 –
Went to Pratunam, the Divisoria of Bangkok but with really, really low prices if you buy wholesale. Kinda humid, really hot so wear comfy clothes and shoes, bring water and be careful. Signs are aplenty warning people to take good care of their belongings.

Bangkok is one whole shopping experience. Retail therapy at its best. Your 20 thousand will go a long, long way. There are some experiences I’d rather forget in Bangkok but one thing is for sure, if I need some retail therapy for problems better left unsaid, then I’d prolly well definitely go back!

Tuktuks are better left not experienced. They haggle as if you are a moron and you don’t know that 10 meters is so short a distance for a stupendous fare. Aside from that, the drivers are reckless, snaking their way to every imaginable and unimaginable routes. They are not polite, non-English speakers and some if not most of them shout to get the message across.