I've got my flight and my passport, now time to plan the trip.

I'm spending a full week in Bangkok. Any of y'all that have been, do you have any recommendations of things I absolutely must do when I'm over there? What were some highlights for you?

The floating markets about an hour south of the city are a must. Make sure you arrive early in the morning, however.

Things to do in Bangkok:

1. Grand Palace (downtown bangkok)- don't miss the emerald buddha - wear long pants as they won't let you in with shorts.

2. Wat Phra Keow - Reclining buddha (near the grand palace)- wear long pants as they won't let you in with shorts.

3. Ayuthaya - about an hour from Bangkok. It has the summer palace and pretty cool ruins.

4. Damnoensaduak - floating markets about an hour away from Bangkok

5. Dinner & show at the Oriental Hotel - pricey but worth it & dress business casual! These are traditional Thai dancing, including the fight of Rama with the monkey king (really cool)

6. Padpong - if you are into naughty girl stuff that would be more appropriate in a Circus (ie. throwing darts)

Don't get on the tuk tuk's. They are a scam and will only take you to the stores or places where they get commission.

Also, outside of the palace & Wat Phra Keow, some people may come up to you and tell you it is closed for a ceremony. Ignore them and just go in, these places don't close until late at night. It is another scam to get you into a tuk tuk/taxi and take you wherever they want.

When you get into a taxi, ask for "taximeter". In that way they won't charge you 30 dollars for a ride that costs 3.

The palace, reclining Buddha, and Emerald Buddha at Wat Phra Kaew are a MUST.

Are you planning on taking any day trips? If so, I highly recommend the bridge over the River Kwai or the ruins at Ayutthaya.

You should also go to Healthland for a massage.

Chatuchak Market on the weekend. You can get anything there. I got some great art and a load of soccer jerseys for just a few Baht.

Like the above poster said, beware of anyone wanting to take you off course. Do not fall for the special festival or jewelry stores spiel.

You might want to watch out for the Shemales! I saw something on cable about that and I would definitely put that on the "don't list"!

^ Thanks for the above advice. I've been getting a lot of that suggestion.

I'll post my travel report for Bangkok when I get back on the 31st.

Anyone been to Koh Samet? I think we're looking at checking that out one day.

What exactly is a "taximeter"?

A taxi meter just like on any taxi. You always want to make sure it is on. For example I've saved a few dollars in Houston because I asked for the taxi drive to turn on the meter and the trip ended up being $4 less than the regulated "zone fare". The customer always pays the less of the two, but you don't get the opportunity to pay less if the meter isn't on. Many taxi drivers won't turn on the meter unless you ask them to - obviously they want the "zone fare" and not any less.

Triple wrap at least.

Regarding taxis, best place to find them is outside of nice hotels or the larger shopping centers. Tell the valet where you are going and they will typically write the destination down on a card to hand to the taxi driver. This will help with any misunderstandings. Also, make sure to get several cards with the name of your hotel on it to provide drivers when you are ready to return.

Make sure to hit the MBK Center for shopping, as well as a lunch or light dinner. The food court has a great variety of Thai items that are cooked in a bit more sanitary conditions than some of the street food.

Patpong is worth checking out. Pingpong ball shows are always entertaining after a few Singhas or Chang's.

Seafood Market is a great place for a dinner. The bar on the roof of the Banyan Tree hotel is a great place to grab a drink at night.

Other great food ideas can be found on the Chowhound website. Given that Bangkok is a foodie's city, definitely check out some of the recommendations on that sight.

Koh Samet is a nice place to spend a day. It would also be worth an overnight to fly up to Chiang Mai.

Also, if you have the $, the Peninsula is a great place to stay. Take advantage of the exchange rate to stay in a world-class hotel.

Soi Kowboi is better than Patpong.

one other thing I forgot to mention: go catch an evening of Muy Thai. There are 2 or 3 venues that host fights in town and they typically rotate, depending on the night of the week.

Fun place. I'm not into the seedy crap but do recommend checking out the Suan Lum Night Bazaar and getting a $5 foot massage while you are there.

Some pics: http://wesandannette.blogspot.com/search/label/Thailand

Suan Lum Market is/was awesome. It had a great beer garden. Unfortunately, the government sold the property and shut down the market.

for a little more than $5 you can get a lot more than your foot massaged

Suan Lum Market seemed to be lit up as of a week ago. I didn't go in, but it seemed like people were there when we drove by (several times).

I was expecting a little bit more in your report, Pedro...

LOL...

Right now, I'm digging through the gobs of pics. I think I'm going to have more of a pictorial report, but will answer any specific questions.

We had a blast, but want a re-do in Tokyo due to not enough time and sucky preparation for the cold/rain.

Anyone been to the floating markets in Talat Ban Mai? Seem to be more traditional than Damnoen Saduak from what I've read.

Only been to Damonen Saduak. FWIW, I thought it was much too far to be worth checking out. It is a good 2 hours from Bangkok and is way too touristy, so much so that it feels like a Disney park vs a place where they are actually doing commerce.

If your interest is to get some great pictures, then it might be worth going. If you are looking for a genuine Thai experience and your time in Bangkok is somewhat limited, I would likely skip it.

That's why I was interested in the other place. It's half the distance and seems less of a production.

Alright, I will be departing tomorrow. Farewell TexAgers

Have fun!!

One day I will finally post pics of my trip.

Bangkok was a blast. It exceeded my expectations. Koh Samet was awesome as was Kanchanaburi.

So many Asians and Europeans there. I only met a few people from N America.

That's all you got for us? What all did you do? Lets see pictures.

My employer is lucky I made it into work today. You'll more info and pics at a later time

Wow, it's been a while. Allow me to post some of my pictures.

Of all the areas in the city, I enjoyed Banglamphu the most. There's a lot of youth and energy in the area. Huge backpacking center. Hemlock was a good restaurant in the area and Raja's Fashions was a great tailor. Made me a killer suit for a good price. They also kept my measurements on file in case I need to order another suit from the States. Santichaiprakan Park was a cool place to watch people. Especially at night, it was full of activity, music and dancing.

The train system is great, wonderful way to get around town. Wish it extended to the West side of the city. Taking taxis was inconvenient during the day due to the traffic.

Brown Sugar and Saxophone were two cool clubs. Brown Sugar was a nice little jazz club, Saxophone was a good live music venue.

I spent part of a day looking at the temples and other cultural sights, but honestly enjoyed the other city stuff more.

Lumphini Park was a nice place to exercise, pretty park in the middle of the sprawling city. The night markets were cool, good place to find cheap stuff. Suan Lum had a large stage area where bands played and people gathered to meet and eat. The malls are extravagant, so much more energy then we are used to at our malls.

We made plans to join a group and stay in Kanchanaburi for a night, it was a great time. We stayed on the river with a lot of Europeans and Australians, cool people, very interesting group to talk with and learn from. The guys we hung out with were 20-25, but there was also an older group and a couple of families.

We went on some excursions in Kanchanaburi:
1. Visited the Tiger Temple where monks raised tigers. We were allowed to play with tiger cubs and pet the big tigers.
2. We also visited the Erawan Park, beautiful hike. This park is famous for the waterfalls and it was very nice to swim in the middle of the beautiful surroundings.

Finally, we spent a night at Koh Samet. Koh Samet is an island. Everyone there was a tourist looking for a good time. Restaurants and bars lined the beautiful beach. There were also pickup soccer games all along the beach.

I expected Bangkok to be more third world country. I didn't know it was a huge tourist destination for Europeans. It was one of The places to go on "Holidays." I was impressed by the parks, rivers and beaches. The mountains north of Bangkok were also a tourist site that we didn't get to visit. Also, Takraw is a crazy cool sport.

[This message has been edited by CDub06 (edited 4/11/2008 5:25p).]

KOH SAMET BEACH


THE GRAND PALACE


WAT ARUN TEMPLE


LUMPHINI PARK


Santichaiprakan Park was interesting at night. Jugglers and guitar players abounded as a Tai Chi class went on.




The Plaza between malls was a huge gathering place for Thai Youth.


BROWN SUGAR JAZZ CLUB


Monk with a Tiger at the Tiger Temple


Group of Europeans that we hung out with on the river in Kanchunaburi.








A couple of funny signs:




EDIT: Fixed the broken Images I could Find

[This message has been edited by CDub06 (edited 11/22/2011 9:41a).]

[This message has been edited by CDub06 (edited 11/22/2011 9:42a).]

Glad you found Raja's! That place is amazing. What's also cool is that if you go back in ten years, they will most likely remember your measurements before you even get a chance to tell them your name.

CDub, you hit a ton to great places in your time there, but tell me you didn't totally skip out on eating from the street vendors!

No way. There was this vendor serving something questionable looking, but tasty smelling that I finally had for dinner. We ate several helpings of fruit from vendors all over town. We picked up a couple of snacks here and there.

What food was I most impressed with? The donuts that were sold at the train station. Delicious.

my favorites - pork satay and sticky rice in a plastic baggie. Those donuts you are talking about are great too!

Raja's fashions is amazing! Got an awesome suit there and they even gave me a free silk tie for being 30 minutes late.