Things to do in Bangkok | Thailand travel tips

1: Should you travel to Thailand? Yes.

If your mate says, “I wanna go Thailand and hang with my brother and cousin", you know what to do. You ingratiate yourself into the plan, because Thailand. Sure, so this was a little bit of an odd one as I was just tagging along there for the ride, but it was incredible. It was my first and, so far, only trip to Asia and I’ve been dreaming about those seas and skies ever since.

2. The preparation is minimal

Nervous traveller? It’s a lot easier than you think—you just need to sort out a few things. I was not very together and it was simpler than I thought. First of all, check in with your doctor a couple of months in advance for all the shots you’ll need and keep a hold of the documentation for your travels. Where we went (Bankok and Koh Samet) I didn’t need malaria tablets, but you’ll need them for most other areas.

Travelling from the UK or US? Another tip is to read up on the local customs and dress code! I didn’t find it too different, but there are a few things you mightn’t have thought of. It’s not generally OK to wander around in short-shorts—the kind that show off your butt cheeks—and thin strappy tops are advised against. It’s not like you can’t wear shorts but showing off too much skin just isn’t the thing. Same for the lads.

3: Check out the local parks on day one

First impressions didn’t really count—one because we arrived late and went straight to this British pub where my friend’s brother and girlfriend hang out. There was something charming and hilarious about hitting up a pub replete with football game, but this wasn’t my exact vision. Still, home comforts after a long flight are still comforts. First impressions truly began the next day when we went to Lumphini park.

I can’t tell you how excited I was to see monitor lizards. Lizards! They’re totally chill and cute and just saunter about the place, not bothered a bit. It was amazing. Birder friends out there will enjoy the parks too. I spotted a zebra dove and another bird that I still haven’t identified—looks like some kind of jay perhaps? Needless to say, there’s plenty of amazing wildlife to take in.

4. The BTS Skytrain is how you travel

You probably know how Oyster cards work, right? Or Clipper cards? Metro cards? Etc. It’s just the same deal here, only the card has this cute rabbit logo on it—and it’s called rabbit—which I found endlessly adorable. The trains seemed really reliable and a lot, lot, lot easier to navigate for me than the Tube. I’m from the UK and I still can’t deal with it. Btw, almost every stop is a shopping mall. No, seriously–it seems to be the thing in Bangkok and the shopping scene really is something else. The one I enjoyed the most was Terminal 21.

5. The shopping malls are everything

I’ve never seen anything like it, before or since. Terminal 21 was the place I spent most time wandering. At the time, in 2015, it was the newest and hottest spot. The concept behind it was travel, so you enter through “security” gates and each floor has a location that gives the decor the theme. Every floor was marvellously decked out, but I enjoyed “Japan” in particular. Perhaps that was in no small way related to the fact “Japan” was womenswear.

One thing of note to me in these malls was how much space they seemed to afford to small, indie designers and makers. Sure, the mall had Sephora—my first experience at this behemoth—but around each corner there were so many 1-person setups. And, of course, this made everything incredible unique and affordable. In short, I purchased as much as I could pack in spare weight from independent folks from Terminal 21. Have a browse of the pics to check out some of the styles.

Of note: If you happen to be half way across the world and bump into an old friend—the oldest friend you have, in fact—a Costa Coffee and tray of Krispy Kreme is apropo. Real talk, I didn’t actually mean to buy a whole box, but sometimes that happens when you don’t have the native language down.

6. Bangkok also has cat cafés, of course

I have some wonderful friends. I don’t mean this as a brag, but if you can meet someone that understands your soul so well that they arrange a surprise visit to get coffee and meet cats, then you’re a lucky person indeed. I am lucky. OK, love fest over—Bangkok also has some fabulous cat cafés. Although Taiwan was the first place in the world to open one, Thailand still has some fab spots to visit. We had a fabulous few hours in the Purr Cat Cafe Club making new friends and enjoying some treats and drinks. So did this guy.

7. The graffiti is pretty sick in Bangkok

Whether I came across full blown works of art or little tags and ideas, there wasn’t a lot to hate when it comes to the local graffiti scene. We happened to be staying in the art district, so perhaps that helped me discover some interesting ideas, but I really appreciated what I found. My favorites are the weird mushrooms with faces (see if you can tell which ones I mean) and that adorably simple rabbit.

8. If you can handle it, go during Songkran

What an awesome festival. April happens to be the hottest month in Thailand, so it’s perfect to celebrate it by dousing everyone you meet in water. This national holiday aligns with many Asian new years, along with the Buddhist calendar, and borrows its name from a Hindu harvest festival to celebrate spring.

In short, the whole city gets involved and everyone is a target for water! No one is safe, especially if you didn’t know this was going to happen and you didn’t dress to get a soak. If you’re lucky, you can find a cool bar to hole up at, partner up with another group, and have a few bevvies while splashing folks that wander by.

Most people are amazing, timidly spraying and shooting each other with a little bit of water. My favourite moment was walking past this adorable woman who must have been in her 80s: She shyly tipped her little bucket to splash my feet with a twinkle in her eye, and we had a lovely playful moment.

About five minutes later a group of Western tourists drove past with iced water in their super soaker guns and sprayed my friend directly in his eye. Luckily, we didn’t need to go to the hospital, but trust me when I say the tourists are the worst. Don’t be that asshole. It’s not funny. Tip: Protective eyewear would be wise and try to be careful not to accidentally get a mouthful of untreated water.

9. Some first impressions of Bangkok

We went for two weeks, so I’ve got a lot to cover here. I’ll start with some of my first impressions.

It’s busy. There’s a lot of traffic, which is why the skytrain is so great, and you’ll notice that even smart business women will side straddle a moped taxi to get to work. Apparently there are a lot of motorcycle accidents in the city, so I refrained, personally. It’s also colorful. As well as a lot of graffiti and art, there are a lot of creative buildings.

It’s safe. I didn’t look up the crime rates or anything, but I was impressed to wander around at night with our group without a hint of feeling at risk. I didn’t really see folks in the streets that I recall. It’s a very walkable city in that regard.

10. Things to do in while you’re in the city

Are you ready, fellow nerds? Yes, there’s a board game café in Bangkok and it’s awesome. We spent several nights there. They do wood fired pizza, if I recall correctly, and I think it was BYOB. Regardless, it’s a great spot to find fellow game enthusiasts and while away some time.

Obviously, you need to go out and eat. I’m a bad tourist as I didn’t record a single restaurant name—sorry. Food was something wonderful at the time, but not something I committed to memory besides the fact it was marvellous. Karaoke is also a must. Drink of choice? SangSom rum, a dash of coke, topped up with soda water. It’s very refreshing.

You can also go and see a snake show, if you’re so inclined. Naturally, they let you hold a python at the end of the show, and I was actually surprised at myself with how instinctively afraid I was to do so. I’ve never had a phobia of snakes, but there’s something intrinsically “beware” in the bones about wrapping 15 feet of muscle around your shoulders. The snake handlers are impressive—especially given they demonstrate many very venomous kinds.

Don’t miss out on the river boats too—it’s a wonderful way to take in the city.

11. Go and see the reclining Buddha at Wat Pho temple

The beauty of the architecture is outstanding. It’s one of the oldest and one of the highest grade of first-class royal temples. It’s thought to have been build around 1688–1703 during the reign of  King Phetracha and King Rama I’s ashes remain there to this day. TL;DR: It’s a special place. It’s also famous for this absolutely huge 46m-long reclining Buddha, which is such an amazing spectacle to go and see in real life. Breathtaking.

If you’re after a look at the main man himself, give it a Google. I did try and take some photos but, as you can imagine, it was impossible to do so without a thousand other tourist smartphones in the picture. Instead, I focused on capturing some of the utterly exquisite painting details about the temple—the golds, the characters, the design. I just loved it all. Take it all in.

12. Visit an island, and consider Koh Samet

Sure, everyone’s heard of Koh Samui and the rest. But since we were here with friends, we went where the locals go—that is, of the locals we knew one happened to have a hostel out there. Plus, this place has the allure of still being largely away from the tourist throngs. It still had life, just not crowds and crowds of folks, which was welcome in such a paradise.

To get there, there’s a lengthy bus ride—without a bathroom—topped off by a little boat jaunt to get there, and finally a “taxi” ride in the back of an open-air jeep. The last couple of legs are lots of fun. All told it’s about 5 hours+ from Bangkok and you can’t really tell when the bus might leave. We almost got caught short as I hopped into the bathroom before we went. (Note: the bathrooms at the bus station are cubicles with holes, FYI. But better than not going at all, I suppose.)

There are a bunch of statues around the island from Thai folklore, including a welcoming ogress (pictured) at the pier as you arrive. She’s quite the character. Nang Phisua Samut is one of the characters in Sunthorn Phu’s epic tale, considered to be one of Thailand’s literary masterpieces. In short, she disguises herself as a beautiful mermaid in order to woo Phra Aphai Mani—it works and they have a son, only for him to find out the truth later and abscond with their child. Things don’t end well for her; she is eventually killed by a magic flute.

So, we stayed at this absolutely incredible resort. All told, I believe it cost around $30 a night, but it felt like paradise. As you can see from the pictures, I was in love with the infinity pool. Even catching a quick and heavy rain shower felt magical, since it was so hot—we played cards under a roof while it rained on the pool and birds flew around, refreshed by the rain. Magic.

I was also really interested in the insects. I wasn’t interested in getting too close to the fire ants, mind you—my friend got bit and it was not a fun time—but I did manage to lure some friends with a bit of sugar to take a few snaps.

While you’re on the island, there are plenty of opportunities to take a trip or two, including a day out snorkeling among the fish. Do be careful of the coral—I stubbed my toe something rotten, which is very easy to do by accident. Besides that, I absolutely loved being in the sea. Of course they lure the fish with feed, so the come absolutely swarming at you, but it’s just delightful. I had an underwater case for my phone so I managed to take these photos—at the risk of dropping it forever into the sea.

The beaches here are truly something else. I couldn’t believe the color of the sea and spent every minute feeling as though I was in a postcard. Sadly the surf isn’t much to speak of, but this would never be the place for that. When the sun goes down it’s pretty magical, not least because it stays so warm even when it’s dark, but with the night come… the fire bois. I believe the main prerequisite for being a fire boi are abs and poi skills. In any case, you have to go and see at least once show. Who doesn’t like fire, acrobatics, and beverages on the beach?

And there you have it—a full two weeks of wandering, wonder, and wonderfulness in Thailand. I do hope you get to visit someday.