Bangkok is the capital city of Thailand and is one of the most populated cities in the world.Their infrastructure is quite developed with great roads and an efficient transport system. There is lots one can engage in, the below being a few.
Visit the Grand Palace:
This was the previous official residence of the Royal family, but is now only used for official occasions. It is home to various complex buildings, is home to the Wat Phra Kaew temple otherwise known as the temple of the emerald Buddha and a museum. I truly enjoyed my visit here as it not only showcased their culture and history, but it was also a beautiful place to walk through. At the museum, there is regalia of the royal family of old, traditional ornaments and items, statues among others. Make sure you have comfortable shoes as the area it covers is quite vast.
Meet a Monk
Buddhism is the largest religion here and in former days, all male children had to be monks even if for a little while, including the prince. It is thus highly likely that you will meet with a Buddhist monk walking in the streets and more so near buddhist temples.
They do not interact much with ladies but I saw them easily mingling with other males. Ladies, kindly avoid getting too close to them and instead of sneaking a picture, politely ask to take one with them. I would like to learn more about their lifestyle, maybe next time.
Visit a Park:
Take time out to go and relax at one of the numerous parks available. The grass is green, the environment clean, and it will give you a chance to relax and enjoy just watching people. I believe that watching people is a great past time, as it allows you to study people without them knowing. The famous parks ar Lumpini and Chatuchak parks which I highly recommend.
Shop till you drop
Thailand is any and every shoppers paradise, honestly, this is the one place I spent most of my time. They have malls all over and night markets with a wide variety of items that are mainly pocket friendly. The famous Chatuchak weekend market is the largest market in Thailand and the worlds largest weekend market. Chatuchak has over 8000 stalls and lies on about 27 acres, so please get a map, wear comfortable shoes and carry cash, you will shop till you drop.
Ride/Drive a tuktuk
The tuktuks in Thailand are really brightly coloured and the main means of transport for short distances. The prices are quite affordable but I came to note that the fares offered for tourists are always higher than the citizens. Learn to haggle, you will need these skills for later on during your trip, you will need to haggle everywhere.
Do not get ripped off:
We were convinced by one of our taxi drivers to deviate from our intended route to go enjoy a boat ride. He showed us a brochure that reflected great sightings we would see as we rode on the river. After paying a hefty price, we saw nothing worthwhile as the river was dirty and clearly nothing like the pictures on the brochure. The only thing that we saw was fish that came out to fight for bread they threw into the dirty, smelly water. We later came to learn that this is a common trick and all the images in the brochure are prohibited areas thus why they did not even get close to one.
Bangkok is an interesting city, it is vibrant, the people are super friendly and I enjoyed myself. They are very liberal and I had my first interaction with transgenders here. Kindly be careful of the various scams that are common like the one shared above, to being taken by your taxi driver to “exclusive” shops that are exorbitantly priced.
Kanchanburi: http://wangechigitahi.co.ke/the-wild-side-of-kanchanburi/
Chiang Mai: http://wangechigitahi.co.ke/chang-mai-in-under-24hours/
Thailand 101: http://wangechigitahi.co.ke/thailand-101/
