Bangkok offers a wholesome palette of nightlife, street food, architecture, relaxing spa treats and hoards of shopping spots. We visited Bangkok during our return from Cambodia and decided to spend the weekend there. Our hotel was pre-booked so, after a quick lookout at the metro routes we were determined not to take a cab and travel the local way; backpacking on this trip really helped.
We had picked a hotel in Sukhumvit, the area is very well connected by metro routes, thereby making most of our city travel super easy and affordable; it is also very centrally placed when it comes to experiencing local lifestyle, with a montage of eateries and grub pubs to stop by. We walked the last few hundred metres after the metro ride to reach our hotel and I quickly made a mind-note of all the places I wanted to visit during my 1 and half day stay.
Gorging on street food and hoarding on goods at great deals topped my list of to-do things and so, we headed to Chatuchak Weekend Market. This is one of the most famous street markets where both tourists and locals frequent in enormous numbers. If you are looking forward to offers on uber fashionable clothing, crockery, home decor pieces and shoes, this place is a no-miss.
Chatuchak Weekend Market
It was awfully difficult on engage in shopping discreetly as I was heavily distracted by the eateries all over this place; I can literally feel my mouth water even when I am penning this down. So, we continued our binge on Tom Yum soups, now alongside a portion of delectable chili beef side and Chicken Pad Thai. It was probably the best Thai food that I have eaten, perfectly balanced hot and sour flavours, well-proportioned medium cooked meat chops, fresh and crisp bean sprouts and peanuts placed on mildly spiced Pad Thai and the super perfect omelet. we washed it down with 2 generous helpings of the original bubble-tea. After a lot of contemplation, I finally decided to pick up some of the items from my entire list of things which I “needed” and also picked up some hand-made beautifully carved soaps and essential oils. We called it a night after 2 generous helpings of bubble-tea.
Street Food - At Chatuchak, Chilli Beef Side with Tom Yum Soup
Bubble Tea and Chicken Pad Thai
I did not want to go back without experiencing the original Thai Massage especially when I was in Thailand and I am glad we booked ourselves a couple spa at a well-reviewed Thai Spa salon, Dahra Beauty & Spa and it was worth every penny. The masseuses were extraordinarily trained, and it would not be wrong to say that they had magic in their hands. She made my arms and legs move and rotate in directions I believed was not physically possible. Thai Bhat very well spent as time flew by quickly. The spa session ended with an alluring ginger tea mildly flavoured with jaggery.
The dinner cruise on Chao Phraya River was next on our itinerary, so we grabbed a quick light bite for lunch, and put on our best attires from our backpacks. We got ourselves a good deal on Chao Phraya Princess Cruise for this buffet, while there are many more such cruise operators to choose from and they all are comparably priced. I would absolutely recommend pre-booking these passes, either online or from the counter a day in advance, because all the cruise office counters get really crowded around evening and there are high chances of the passes being sold out. The Chao Phraya river flows across the heart of the city and is lined with tall office structures, striking architectures by numerous renowned hoteliers and some of the cultural attractions of Bangkok. We were escorted into the cruise while traditional Thai dancers gracefully performed. The cruise left the bank as we sipped on our welcome drinks, beautifully presented with orchids. A lady performed at the live band and trust me I was blown away! She sang most of the upbeat numbers which topped all the music charts and she had a commendable vocal range which was taken over later by the violinist and saxophonist who poured their souls into weaving tunes that lifted our spirits and set the mood for the evening.
Skyline at Chao Phraya
Dinner Cruise on Chao Phraya
Cruise Jetty
The view from the bow of the ship was quite ecstatic, we passed by an illuminated Bangkok, simply mesmerizing with its glimmering lights that danced on the water's surface, we stepped out to enjoy the view and cool breeze while others explored the buffet. The Wat Arun temple is the most visually striking landmark towering over the Chao Phraya River. The central stupa, standing 80 meters tall, intricately decorated with colorful pieces of porcelain and lights in the evening. We also saw the Grand Palace and the chain-stayed Rama VIII Bridge. We had not visited these temples during the day as we were loaded with temple history from our Cambodia trip and chose the Thai Spa over the day trip, guilty!
Wat Arun Temple
The buffet was quite generous and smelled delicious, kicking in our hunger pangs. There were atleast 6 varieties of cold salads to start with, but I specifically loaded my plate with crab sticks with a side of chicken sushi; main course majorly comprised of both Indian and Thai cuisine and a lavish seafood spread, and there… they won my heart again! Indulging in dessert was quite far-fetched considering the amount we had eaten, but how could we skip the decadent chocolate mini brownies.
Cold prawn on ice and Crabsticks
The cruise trip ended after 3 hours of fun, food and marvelous views, but I continued to tap my feet all the way back to our hotel. It was close to 11PM when we reached Sukhumvit and the streets were at its peak of bustle, so we decided to take a stroll. The street vendors were still hailing out to customers with the same vigour as they were during the day, the local Thai massage parlours still calling out for quick foot massages alongside the streets, the local food vendors blasting the burners to cater out food in a spur to impatient customers in the queue. All in all this city certainly is awake through nights.
We ended our trip with one last helping of Matcha bubble tea!
Expense Summary
Trip duration - 2 days
Flights - INR 18,500 return fare for 2 passengers
Stay - INR 4,500 for twin sharing rooms for 2 nights
Food - INR 3,000
Metro rail tickets - INR 1,240
Basic expense total - INR 27,240 for 2 people
Additional Expense
Dinner Cruise Passes - INR 5,500 for 2 people
Thai Massage at Dahra Spa - INR 4,000 for 2 people
Shopping at Chatuchak - Extra
Additional expense - Approx. INR9,500
Recommendations -
Do try a Thai massage or other forms of Spa at Dahra Beauty and Spa. You may find them on https://www.dahra-spa.com/
Please visit the Street Food Truck run by Jay Fai. She is a Michelin Star Chef who runs a seafood Thai stall
Wat Pho and Wat Arun Temples during the day trip