We were beyond excited to move onto Southeast Asia. This was one of the areas we had been looking forward to ever since we started planning this trip way back when. As we laid out in our Egypt post, we really enjoyed the sites but we were also excited to escape the chaos of Cairo. After an eight hour flight we landed in Bangkok and it wasn’t just any other day in Bangkok either, it was the Chinese New Year! This meant there was a little extra energy in the air along with plenty of activities, food and drinks. Before we let ourselves fall asleep and completely ruin our sleep cycle, we hurried out and joined in on the New Year festivities. Chinatown was packed with vendors and parades, so we made our way from stand to stand trying out some of the food that we had been so looking forward to. We enjoyed everything we had, but we also had nothing to judge it against. Looking back, it was very standard street vendor food because all the good stuff was about to come! Bangkok is a massive city with a lot of sites, but also just a lot of neighborhoods in general that you must explore. You also can’t forget about all the great food, so I will do my best to list all of the highlights as it pertains to sites, districts/areas, and food.
Sites -
Wat Phra Chetuphon (Wat Pho) - Our first temple we went to was Wat Pho right in the middle of Bangkok. We kind of stumbled upon it while we were walking and saw hordes of tour buses pulling up so we decided to jump in. Like I said, this was our first temple and we had been so used to seeing castles and palaces on our trip. This place kind of took our breath away at first because everything is blindingly shiny. This particular temple is known for its giant reclining Buddha, which was built, in 1832 and is 138 feet long. Apparently it is also the birthplace of the traditional Thai massage so thanks Wat Pho!
The Grand Palace - This is probably the number one tourist attraction in Bangkok if not all of Thailand. Luckily, we had read beforehand that there is a very strict dress code that pants must be worn and shoulders must be covered. If you don’t do this, they make you buy these ridiculous looking elephant pants. The location is called the Grand Palace, but it’s more like a massive complex with numerous other buildings. The palace had been the official residence of the Kings of Siam (later Thailand) since 1782. It is now used only for official events. Once again, the colors and brightness of everything really was incredible. I don’t know if it was the colors, the warm weather, or what but there is an overall good energy when you visit these temples that is infectious.
Lumphini Park - Sometimes when you are wrapped up in the hustle and bustle of a big city it’s good to get away (i.e. Central Park) and in Bangkok that’s Lumphini Park. We decided to go for a little stroll and were expecting some more impressive gardens (it was a little disappointing in that regard), BUT just when we were thinking about turning around we saw a MASSIVE lizard. It seriously looked like a komodo dragon. After a little research we found it was an Asian water monitor and we ended up wandering around the park trying to find these things and luckily they are everywhere.
Jim Thompson House - We went here per a friend’s suggestion. Jim Thompson was an American businessman and architect who fell in love with the Asian culture and decided to relocate to Bangkok where he formed the Thai Silk Company. After about 10 years he constructed a house for himself. It was actually 6 traditional Thai houses combined to make his one house and that’s the museum. The legend of Jim adds to the intrigue because he went missing in 1967 while on a hike in Malaysia and it’s still a mystery to this day what happened. Anyway, the house is super cool to tour and if you’re looking for something to do, make this a stop.
Cat Cafe - If you are into cats or just weird goofy places then make sure to stop by the Caturday Cat Cafe in Bangkok. There are over 30 cats just roaming, climbing, sleeping in any place you could imagine.
Night Markets - There are a BUNCH of night markets to choose from that offer all different things. Some specialize in food, some in homemade goods, and others just in knockoff goods. They are just fun to wander in and out of.
Districts - For us, Bangkok was all about the districts and different areas of the city. Each one has its own unique character and offerings.
Chinatown - We stayed just south of here and we absolutely loved it. The center of it and where the New Year’s festivities took place was on Yaowarat Road. This road, along with the rest of the area, is a foodie’s dream because there are endless street food options. There is also a very good mix of budget options to stay, but there are also some trendy guesthouses as well.
Khao San - Probably the most famous street in Bangkok is Khao San Road. It is a backpacker’s heaven/tourist trap. It is lined with countless bars offering happy hour deals, stands selling any type of knockoff item you could ever want and cheap lodging. I hate sounding like a snob, but for us it was a little too touristy and while it’s aimed at cheap backpackers they also know that they can charge more since it’s all tourists.
Bangkok Riverside - This seemed to be the more upscale area with massive well known chain hotels lining the water. We took a very cheap ferry across to the other side for some craft beers and they were tasty, but also very expensive. So if you are looking for the upscale part of Bangkok then hit here.
Siam - We walked here a couple of times and it is known as THE shopping district in Bangkok. The number, size, and offerings in these malls is staggering and they seemed to always be filled with people. We found this somewhat ironic because back in the States it seems as though malls are dying. It was fun to walk around and wish that we could afford practically anything in these high-end stores.
Food - We were SOOOO excited for a completely new cuisine, and there’s no better way to jump in headfirst than Bangkok. My Google map is filled with markers from places that I researched or places that we walked by and made note of. Here are some of our favorites.
Kway Teow Roo - This was next door to our hotel and it was one of our favorite places! Most of the places we will describe had some version of soup with different ingredients. What set this place apart was their honey pork that was in the chicken broth soup with noodles. Amazing. It was very authentic and there weren’t a lot of options on the menu, so you just walk in, point at one of the 3-4 options, eat, and leave. Just how dining should be. And it was only about $1.75 a bowl.
Thipsamai - This is the most famous Pad Thai restaurant in Bangkok and the line outside proves it. After waiting for about 20 minutes we got a seat in the fairly small restaurant. I had never seen Pad Thai served like this, but it came inside of a fried egg. When you split it open, all the goodness comes out. It was worth the wait. It’s also next door to the world and Netflix famous restaurant Raan Jay Fai. Unfortunately, the prices are pretty high here and reservations must be made.
Mr. Jo Crispy Pork - This spot was a little bit out of the way, but we had to give it a shot. As the title says their specialty is crispy pork. After you sit down, the employees walk around with plates of about 10 pieces of delicious pork that is part crispy but also chewy so it’s essentially just incredible bacon bites. You also get these pieces in the soup they serve which was delicious as well.
Yentafo Convent - The specialty here is Yentafo which is a pink noodle dish that comes with a big portion of seafood in it. I would say that I didn’t notice too much of a difference in the noodles but the generous portion of seafood was amazing.
Ann Guay Tiew Kua Gai - This may have been our favorite discovery of the trip. The specialty here is fried noodles. Whoa. We weren’t prepared for how good these were. It was essentially pad thai but with huge fat noodles that have been fried so they have a crispy shell but it’s a regular noodle on the inside. Sooo dang tasty.
Hopefully we have talked you into visiting because we absolutely fell in love with the city and would highly recommend it to anyone. We’d love love to chat with you if it’s on your list!