Long Story, Short Story: Bangkok

What can I say about BKK?

There are a lot of temples.
There is a lot of haggling.
You will still probably get ripped off.
At least the food is cheap.

That’s Bangkok in short. In long? -Deep breath- Here we go, my thoughts are scattered.

Collectively, I think we spent 3-5 days in Bangkok, Thailand. We stayed in hostels, not on Khao San Road. You can stay there if you want, it’s a busy, busy road and “backpacker haven.” I resent it. Yeah, I resent a whole road.

We concluded that the ice was safe to drink, but always buy/drink bottled water.

You don’t even have to try to see temples and you will probably run into one. That being said, I wouldn’t pay to go to the Grand Palace…but we did. This is one way I felt like I got “ripped off.” Once you see one temple, you’ve seen them all. Gold, large, ornate, etc etc etc.

Transportation. We did it all except motorbikes: taxis, tuk-tuk’s, ferries, slow boats, and fast boats. Taxis reign supreme and they’re cheap if you’re traveling with other people. Always ask for meters or you’re basically consenting to getting ripped off. (Do you sense a theme?)

Co Van Kessel Bike tour. Yes, this is actually a dutch bicycle touring company. We did the 3-hour tour and it was pretty fun. We biked through a lot of alleyways and saw a lot of the city in a short amount of time. Somehow, I find myself on a bike everywhere I go.

Tours, in general. I’m not a fan. They are exhausting, they start too early, and you don’t get to do what you want. We did some tours, and after experiencing good and bad ones-meh.

JJ’s Market and markets in general. They are overwhelming. It’s like Portland’s Saturday Markets + Pike Place Market + French Quarter Market + Rose Bowl Market…on steroids. There is so much stuff. You haggle, you eat, and then you haggle some more. Gold teapots, Buddha’s, sarongs, scarves, fried tofu, it’s all at the market.

Lastly, the food. It can be expensive, if you’re lazy. If you’re willing to roll like the locals, it will be dirt cheap and the best thing you’ve ever eaten. Pad See Ew for 30 Baht (which is like $1 USD)? I hopped on the cheap food train quickly, even though I sat in an alleyway and no one spoke English. It makes me think, “DAMN IT, why would I ever pay $12/ plate in the US?” The kicker is that I probably will…in a month. For now, I want to stuff myself full of breakfast tacos, El Milagro tortilla chips, Trudy’s margaritas, P. Terry’s burgers, and Whataburger everything.