Cliffnotes of Bangkok

The Grand Palace... while pretty, was not worth the price for dealing with the tourists. And this is coming from a guy that lived in Orlando (re: Disney World) for 7 years...

General Tips for Thailand: 

Don’t buy sunscreen in Thailand- tax makes it super expensive

For reference- a bus ticket from Bangkok to Chiang Mai is about 400 baht (a flight is about $20)

Bangkok 

     Where to stay:

• The Yard Hostel

      What to do:

• When arriving via plane, make sure to go with the taxis outside the terminal building and not the hawkers who approach you in arrivals.
• • Or Uber. It’s SUPER cheap here
• Ko Ratanakosin- the touristy neighborhood that's home to: National Museum, Lak Mueang, Grand Palace and Wat Pho
• Grand Palace/Wat Phra Kaew, Th Na Phra Lan, Wat Mahathat
• • Serving as the official residence of the King of Thailand from the 18th to the mid-20th century, the Grand Palace is an architectural delight. The intricate detail of the roofs of the palace along with the immaculate grounds makes walking around it a delight. Beside it, Wat Phra Kaew is one of Thailand's most sacred temples. Open daily from 8.30am-3.30pm. Free guided tours in English are available at 10am, 10.30am, 1.30pm and 2pm, but their 30 minute tours, and once you exit the Wat premises, you can’t go back (regardless of whether you do the tour or not…)
  • I didn’t think this was worth it. 500 baht entrance fee to hang out in absolutely crammed small spaces with too many tourists.
  • WEAR LONG PANTS. Or you’ll have to buy elephant pants before going in
  • • This was the only Wat that enforced this.
• Wat Pho
• • Temple of the Reclining Buddha
  • Open daily from 8am-5pm; admission 20B.
  • This one was worth it.
• Wat Saket Temple
• • Travel via water taxi
• Wat Arun- Temple of Dawn
• Wat Yannawa- Temple built like a boat
• • Saw cool medallion pressing here by monks
• Wat Ratchanaddaram
• Tour on the Chao Phraya River?
• • Royal Barges Museum, Wat Arun, the fish farm at Wat Srisudaram, and the Thonburi floating market are all worth seeing
• The Golden Mount
• • For unrivaled views of the Thai capital, check out the Golden Mount- you can really appreciate how vast this city is. Warning: it's 318 steps to the top, but it's ultimately worth it. 
  • Open daily from 8am-9pm 
  • Super cheap- I think 20 baht (less than one USD)
• Banglamphu
• • Located only ten minutes walk from Bangkok's Grand Palace, Banglamphu is the neighbourhood where you will find the infamous Khao San Road, the best known backpacker strip in the world.
  • • Café de Tour, Khao San Center and Gulliver’s Travels are all famous backpacker bars
  • Khao San Road
  • • Siddharta, 144 Rambutri- Neatly tucked down a lane off the bottom off the Khao San Road, Siddharta is a fusion restaurant that specialises in Indian and Thai cuisine. Here you can treat yourself to a selection of extremely affordable and mouth-watering main courses. The dark décor makes for extremely pleasant surroundings. Open daily from 11am-1am.
  • Th Sukhumvit- west of the Khao San- very similar street
• Patpong night market
• • Sois 1 and 2, Silom. Open from 6pm - 2am
  • Located in Silom- the sex/financial sector. And you’ll know it.
  • • Ping pong shows... let's just say they're not what they sound like... or are they?
    • Read up on the 900 baht drink scams for "free entry"
  • Good food around here, though
• MBK Shopping Centre, cnr Th Phayathai and Th Phra Ram I, Patumwan
• • *THE* place for ripoff designer goods
• Muay Thai at Ratchadamnoen Stadium
• Sampeng Lane- heart of Chinatown district
• • DON’T go to Texas, despite it’s great reviews.
• Chatuchak Weekend Market
• • MY FAVORITE MARKET IN ALL OF ASIA
  • No on harassed me. At all.
• Visit the National Museum and Gallery 
• Admission charges for both these museums are minimal, so they're the perfect places to visit on rainy days. 
• The National Museum (Th Na Phra That 1, Ko Rattanakosin, admission 50B) houses the largest collection of Thai art and artifacts in the country
• The National Gallery (Th Chao-Fa 4, Ko Rattanakosin, admission 30B) is where you'll encounter some contemporary Thai artworks
• Ayutthaya- former capital, 90 km north.
• • Was once the most unforgettable city on the planet
• Ghost Tower
• • 2pm – 8pm
  • You must pay a fee (200 Baht, ~ $6) for them to unlock the stairwell. The closest BTS Metro station is called “Saphan Taksin”
  • Didn’t actually get to talk my way in :(
• Central World / Siam Paragon
• • Shopping hub, shrines
  • Actually was really cool (despite me originally thinking “Ugh, another mall”), worth checking out
• Make sure the meter is running in cabs
• Baiyoke Tower
• • Fantastic views
• Dreamworld- knock off Disney, near Dom airport
• Erawan Waterfall - 2 hours from Bangkok
• There’s some cool "local only" ferry transport. Super cheap (3 baht), and a cool experience.
• • I took one from under the bridge near the Ratchathewi stop to the end (Phanfa pPer), then walked to Grand Palace area, past the Golden Mount.
• Thai massages are super cheap… don’t pay more than 200 baht for one, unless your going to a high end spa

Food:

• Mango Sticky Rice. Always get Mango Sticky Rice in Thailand.
• Wild Orchard Cafe- Pineapple fried rice (served in pineapple)
• • That dish is actually quite common, I just had it here
• Pad Thai (duh)
• Heard ify things about street food here, so be careful... when in doubt, just don't.
• Somtam- papaya salad
• • Somtam Plara - w/fermented fish