Bangkok
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There are more visitors to Bangkok in recent years than ever before. This is partly thanks to a rise in gap year travellers, particularly now university fees have risen and less people are opting to go to university. Cheap flights to Bangkok are easy to find online and if you think about it, the exchange rate and the lower prices in Thailand mean that the trip could end up costing you the same as a holiday to somewhere far closer to home.
Bangkok is one of the most exciting cities in Asia. It’s awash with oxymorons: very loud yet peaceful, vibrant yet clean. You’ll see colourful tuk-tuks weaving in and out of the traffic all day taxiing visitors around the city and men on motorbikes with huge deliveries of fruits on the back of their bikes.
Bangkok smells of fish, drying out in its markets and spices wafting from its restaurants. It is humid and often overcast as it rains here quite often. And when it rains, it really comes down. But the rain is refreshing because, it isn’t chilling, it’s warm.
There are three or four things you must see when in Bangkok.
You’re likely to have passed the Grand Palace on your way to your hotel or on transit while in the city. You’ll know if you have. The palace is overwhelmingly gold, with an array of coloured mosaic tiles on the outside and sculpted Buddhas and dragons.
There is a corridor with beautiful mythological paintings all along the wall. There is a museum attached to the palace with information about the Thai royal family as well as some of their possessions. The palace is far more interesting in itself, however.
Not far from the Grand Palace is what’s known to English-speaking tourists as the ‘Temple of the Reclining Buddha.’ Wat Pho, in Thai, is a relatively small temple when compared with the massive Buddha inside. It’s probably comparable to about nine London buses stacked vertically and squished together.
Bangkok has one of the greatest weekend markets in the world. Chatuchak Market is accessible by a combination of the metro and Skytrain (monorail). It really is a labyrinth. Paths wind past more than 8,000 stalls here selling everything from beautiful handmade paper printed with images of Thai Gods and elephants to puppies and kittens. You can find almost anything here and a trip to the market is recommended just before you leave the city. You may find yourself needing to buy an extra suitcase in the market, just to transport the wonderful things you find home. Another shopping experience is the MBK shopping centre. You can’t see the end of it. Go and lose yourself there.
On a smaller scale, perhaps easier to get to is the Kho San Road. Here you will find similar clothes to some that are sold in Chatuchak Market. There are plenty of bars and restaurants along the road too but if you’re looking for places away from the tourists, check your guidebook.
