Bangkok – The “City of Angels”

One of my favorite cities in Southeast Asia – the “City of Angels” is pure heaven on earth. Every alley in Bangkok is a mix of modern and vintage. This fast-paced place has conserved Buddhist culture amidst the dynamic lifestyle that a city-life encompasses.

There are gold-plated spirit houses where prayers and gifts are offered to spirits mostly represented by a statue of Buddha. Thai Food has the unique ability to take one back in time with its unique mouth-watering herbs and spices which always leaves me wanting for more.

Yet what always leaves me speechless is Thai street food.  The way it’s served simply, mostly through a push cart or a side-car type mobilized by a bicycle, and cooked by a local Thai in a typical Thai clothing – loose long-sleeved collar top, loose pants and slippers is a visual gustatory to behold in itself.

They say that one hasn’t really experienced traffic unless be stuck in one in Bangkok. I was in a deniable state when I was actually in one, but I was aghast with the patience everyone actually had with the traffic. Probably because it was a norm or because that’s how the people are. The Thais are eager to help tourists; as me and my family prefer to roam around in DIYs rather join in group tours, we were never lost nor had a difficult time in taking the train, bus and speedboat.

It’s my second time in the city.

There’s not much difference compared to my previous visit – April of 2017. We went to Bangkok before to watch Coldplay’s concert and to shop leaving us not enough time to bask in the city’s popular sights and tourist attractions. My mom and I decided that it’s time to go back; to at least satisfy our hunger for the place’s culture and past.

We arrived in Bangkok at around 9 AM and took the skytrain to arrive at our guesthouse. On our first time in the city, we took a taxi and it cost us around 400-500 baht. We wanted to try the skytrain this time since our guesthouse is located a few walks from the BTS National Stadium.

So this time, we definitely did – we hopped on the skytrain in Suvarnabhumi International Airport, which is at the end of the Bangkok Airport Link, and hopped off at the other end which is Phaya Thai.  We availed a One-Day Pass Ticket for the BTS lines at the Phaya Thai Station which cost us 140 Baht.

The One-Day Pass Ticket means unlimited ride on the BTS lines – Sukhumvit (green) and Silom (blue-green) until 11 PM of the date of purchase.  From Phaya Thai, we changed lines and moved to the Sukhumvit Line (green) and hopped off at Siam Station. We changed lines again so we can drop off at the BTS National Stadium. We went down Exit 1 and walked a few meters until we reached our place – Siam Square House.

Siam Square House was very easy to find. As we walked down on Exit 1, there is a 7/11 on the left side and Muangphol Mansion at the corner of the street. We turned left and walked straight ahead to find our place.

We arrived at the place and greeted by Jack who is the owner. He was very accommodating and fluent with the English language so we had no problem conversing with each other. He allowed us to leave our bags even if we arrived hours before the check-in time.

Japan, Jack’s brother, served us Roselle Tea as we sat down and talked for a while. Their front desk was very chill, laid-back and picturesque. There were a lot of books, vintage cameras, typewriters, vinyl discs and player, and album arts as well. Though their mini library/entertainment area looks western, their culture of walking inside barefoot stabilized the place and brought my senses back to the east.

SEA Life Bangkok Ocean World

My watch sounded a short beep as the hands pointed 11:00. We’re all ready and off to our first destination – SEA Life Bangkok Ocean World with Glass Bottom Boat.

I had to because my mom is a biologist in her heart and her friend is equally interested to visit the place as well. I booked our ticket through Klook and we also availed of the Glass Bottom Boat all for P1159.00 each. Honestly, I was off for this activity. I do not like wild animals locked in congested glass containers.

Looking at the bright side of things, I liked that this activity was our first one for the day. The activity made us relax for a while even if we just came from a 6-hour land trip, an hour of waiting plus a 3-hour flight. Aside from fishes and sharks, there are also amphibians like frogs, reptiles like snakes, crustaceans like crabs and starfish, penguins and jellyfish. At the middle of the tour, we rode the Glass Bottom Boat above the very big aquarium where the sharks, manta rays, and other fishes are located.

Grand Palace

We finished the tour half past 12 and we were just in time for lunch. At the exit of SEA Life, there’s an escalator on the left side going straight to BTS Siam. From BTS Siam, we went off the BTS Saphan Taksin where we rode a speedboat at the Sathorn Pier just below.

Our one-way ticket going to the Tha Chang Pier, where the Grand Palace is located, cost us 15 baht each. We took the express boat with an orange flag. We cruised along Chao Phraya River and it brought me a few memories from our Dinner River Cruise last year. I cannot exactly remember how many stops (in piers) it took before we arrived at Tha Chang Pier, but it was roughly 15-20 travel by boat.

We passed by a small market after disembarking. A lot of food and pajama-like bottoms with elephant and colorful patterns were sold. Make sure when you travel here, your top covers your shoulders and your bottoms long enough to cover your knees.

It was 3 o’clock in the afternoon. The heat was unbearable, but the beautiful facades wrapped in gold with all the intricate designs and patterns danced with the scorching hot sunlight. The glittery walls of the buildings were reflecting light in all sorts of directions completely alluring all eyes that laid upon them. The paintings on the ceilings were so detailed. Just brace yourself of the influx of tourists because most come in waves of groups of at most 30. The Grand Palace closes at 4 in the afternoon.

Siam Niramit Cultural Show

We took the speedboat with orange flag back to Sathorn Pier and took the BTS to Sala Daeng, switched lines to Silom and went off at the Thailand Cultural Center. The One-Day Pass Ticket does not cover the transportation to MRT Silom to MRT Thailand Cultural Center.

Our activity for the night was to watch the Siam Niramit Show which we booked through Klook for P1303.00 each. The show had a free shuttle bus/van at the Thailand Cultural Center MRT Station, Exit 1 where pickup starts at 5:15 with 15 minutes intervals. Same place was the drop off point after the show. We arrived at the venue by 8 PM – just in time for the show to start. Our feet were dead-tired already. My head was already throbbing in pain from lack of sleep.

The Siam Niramit Show was definitely spectacular. I was awake during the whole duration of the show and I was able to see a glimpse of Thailand, its culture, how it became the Thailand today, its wars, the music and religion. The production’s lights and backdrops changed in a blink of an eye; it literally took a second to shift to a new setting. To my demise, taking pictures during the show was not allowed. So, if you happen to go to Thailand, do watch the show. I highly recommend it!

We arrived at our guesthouse at around 10:30 PM in the evening. It was only then that we were able to see our room. It was very spacious, comfortable and clean, yet I don’t like how slow the drainage in the shower area is. We were provided with towels and toiletries; the bathroom has a hot shower and their internet connection was very fast. I surely had a good night sleep.

Pratunam Market

The next day, we planned to go to Damnoen Saduak Floating Market. However, we just decided to shop the whole day since we’re already tired from yesterday’s long walks, and we don’t want our shopping time to come short. We took the bus, whose numbers are 77 or 204,  and hopped off at Pratunam Market.

With just 11 baht each, we are already at our favorite shopping place in Bangkok. Pratunam is the best wholesale shopping place where you can buy a top for 80 baht each. That’s roughly 130 pesos only! Pratunam Market is, obviously, a market so don’t expect that this place is lavish and air-conditioned. Don’t be afraid to haggle. The people are nice and easy to talk to. This is the place where I buy clothes and souvenirs because of the cheap price.

We ended our shopping spree, which includes Thailand makeup, by 3 PM by half past 5, we were on our way to the airport bound to Phnom Penh. Our stay was definitely jam-packed and short. However, nowhere near sweet. It was all the flavors I could savor. From the salty painful walks, sour afternoon smell of sun-kissed skin to the bittersweet memories of last year’s visit. It was a feast for all my senses. Bangkok is majestic – truly one of my most favorite cities in Southeast Asia.