Ten free things to do in Bangkok

Bangkok is, in many ways, a cheap city for the average tourist to survive in. But everyone appreciates getting something for free and Bangkok has plenty of freebies, here are the top ten:

1. Visit a park. Lumpini Park is Bangkok's most famous, located conveniently in Bangkok's commercial heart. Lumpini Park is an oasis of green and a haven for Bangkok's joggers and early morning yoga and tai chi enthusiasts.

2. Just take a walk! Bangkok is a maze, the best way to explore it sometimes is just to walk and get yourself a bit lost! You never know what will lie around the next corner and I often find some of the best adventures are to be had when you are just....well, walking!

3. Visit a temple. Many of Bangkok's temples are still free to visit. Wat Indrawihan houses a spectacular standing Buddha and Wat Patum Wanaram is impressive because it manages to remain so peaceful despite it's location in downtown Bangkok.

4. The Bangkokian Museum. Located on the corner of Surawong and Sriphaya Roads, this museum offers an interesting snapshot of 1950s Bangkok.

5. Take in an exhibition at the Goethe Institute. Nestled in a quiet Soi off Sathon Road is the German Cultural Centre and restaurant, the Goethe Institute. There is always an interesting and thought provoking photography exhibition on display and the house itself is worth a look. If that doesn't float your boat, the food is also very good (although not free!)

6. The Royal Elephant museum. The elephant is still a hugely important symbol for Thailand, you can see why at this former royal stable which once housed white elephants.

7. People watch at the Paragon. Or anywhere for that matter in Bangkok. But the Siam Paragon shopping centre attracts the hi-so and wealthy upper classes of Thai society. Come here to witness some big hair, over the top make-up and shoulder pads!

8. The Corrections Museum. Located in Romaneenart Park in the Old City, this museum is home to some grisly exhibtions of instruments of torture and execution used in Thailand in the past.

9. Bangkok Butterfly Garden and Insectarium. This is a great place to take the kids, just opposite the Chatuchak Weekend Market, in Rot Fai Park.

10. Take a stroll around Chatuchak Market. Even if you don't intend to buy anything, this is a fascinating place to while away a few hours. The sheer size and array of things on sale here is incredible. Be warned though, this place gets hot....and it probably won't end up being free!

Baiyoke Tower views

This is Bangkok (and Thailand’s) tallest building and so is probably the best place to get panoramic views of the city.
I visited here on my first trip to Bangkok and so didn’t really know where I was going. Although fairly centrally located, the Tower isn’t close by to a Skytrain or Underground station, so really it’s a taxi unless you fancy a walk. I decided to take a skytrain to the nearest station (Phaya Thai) and walk. How lost did I get?!
After spending 30 minutes walking along Si Ayuthaya Road and not knowing where to turn to get to the Tower, I saw a small alleyway leading into a market. I thought I’d just stop here for a bite to eat anyway, then as I came towards the other end of the market I saw the railway lines and I knew then I was going in the right general direction. I then stumbled into some narrow alleyways crammed full of more shops and somehow when I came out the other end, there was the entrance to the Baiyoke Tower. Don’t ask me how I found it, if you want my advice take a taxi! Unless you enjoy these little adventures that can often be had by getting lost.
When I visited there was the often of just paying to go up to the viewing deck or you could have an international buffet as well. As I was famished I opted for the buffet, slightly overpriced by Bangkok standards and ordinary food, but I would have eaten anything at that point! Then you take a further lift from the restaurant to the viewing deck and are rewarded with fabulous views across the city. As with anywhere, this depends upon weather and pollution conditions on the day. The deck revolves so you can get a good perspective of just how vast Bangkok is.
If you have the time this is a worthwhile stop off and is a nice alternative to visiting temples, which are great but can get a little “samey” after a while.

South East Asia photos on my website, www.matthewt.co.uk

My blog - http://matthewted.blogspot.com

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The Bangkok tuk-tuk trick

Bangkok is a city quite famous for its touts and scam artists. However some are now so famous that you’d have to lead a pretty sheltered life to fall for them.

One such scam is run by some of the city’s tuk-tuk drivers. They will loiter outside famous attractions (especially popular is the Grand Palace) and try to tell you that it’s closed for a public holiday. Despite the fact that you can clearly see it is open and people streaming in and out! Nonetheless, people still fall for it and one day I decided it might be fun to “fall for it” myself and find out just where they take you.



Now, firstly let me fill you in on just what the scam is. They will tell you that they’re taking you on a tour of some of Bangkok’s great temples, usually featuring a combination of the “Lucky Buddha”, “Golden Buddha”, “Great Buddha” and other imaginary names! And indeed they do take you to a temple or two along the way and wait outside for you to finish. And these are temples that you might not otherwise have seen during your stay.



The catch comes at the end when they drop you off at their brother’s/uncle’s/friend’s tailors or gem shop. This is where you become subject of some high pressure selling tactics, which for some people may be uncomfortable. Having lived in Thailand and having Thai inlaws I felt ok with this, had a quick look round and politely declined and left. Certainly don’t be pressured into buying something you don’t want.

And what does the tuk-tuk driver get out of this? Well here I’m a little hazy. They say they get some tokens which they can exchange for gas at their local filling station. However I think they get paid some sort of commission for bringing tourists to the various shops.

As for my own journey, I decided to play the tourist. Dressed in Beer Chang t-shirt and three-quarter length trousers with rucksack I looked the part! Sure enough as I approached the entrance to the Grand Palace grounds I was approached by a friendly driver by the name of James (a common Thai nickname). He informed me that the Grand Palace was closed for maintenance (a variation I hadn’t heard before, other stories may include public holiday, Buddhist ceremony, King in residence). James kindly offered to take me to some beautiful temples instead for a flat fee of 20 baht. I hopped in and off we went. First stop Wat Indrawihan (photos on my website linked below). The temple itself is fairly standard, the main attraction is a very imposing standing Buddha. Next stop, just down the road was Wat Benjamabophit, this temple is certainly worth a visit, laden with Italian marble it shimmers in the sun.



James then informed me that we’d be making one more stop on our grand tour, a fantastic government tailors that had a special promotion for today only. What luck! Sure enough, 5 minutes later, we pulled up outside the tailors. “This way Sir…” he opened the door and waited outside. The owner and his assistant came rushing over, “Suit for you Sir? I make you nice shirt, special promotion” etc etc etc. I humoured him for a few minutes, had a quick browse then made my excuses (that I would return later) and left.

I asked James if he would take me back home, he replied “Sure, but first I take you to Gem shop, special promotion, you buy cheap” and so forth. At that point I opted out and walked to the nearest main road and caught a taxi home.

These drivers get paid for each drop off they make, so they will try and take you to as many shops as possible. One thing to remember in Thailand is not to get angry, it will not gain you anything. If you realise you’ve been scammed, or if you’ve just had enough then politely make your apologies and walk away. Shouting and getting angry can very quickly escalate into an ugly confrontation that you won’t win.

Now, I never felt threatened or intimidated during this excursion, but that maybe because of my previous experience in the country. I’ve never heard of anyone getting into difficulties as a result of this scam, the only thing is you may feel pressured into buying something you don’t want and I have heard of people getting into arguments when trying to get back to where they wanted to be. And as mentioned above, keep calm and if your driver is being stubborn, just walk away and pick up the next taxi. It’s not worth getting into a fight over a few Baht!

Now for me, having spent a lot of time in Thailand this was no problem, as I was curious to see it for myself. However for somebody with limited time in Bangkok, this scam is a nuisance that could leave you with a sour taste.

As on any holiday, keep your wits about you and don’t believe everything you’re told!

South East Asia photos on my website, www.matthewt.co.uk

My blog - http://matthewted.blogspot.com

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Songkran in Bangkok

Songkran is the festival celebrated at Thai New Year, which is in mid April (dependant on the Lunar cycle).
The festival has its origins in Thailand’s agricultural heartland, when thanks was given each year for the water which helps to grow the rice that the people survive on.

These days it is a 4 day holiday, celebrated on the streets by people dousing each other with buckets of freezing cold water and throwing a flour/water paste at you. The more “sophisticated” have Supersoaker water pistols and drive around towns and cities in their pick-up trucks spraying one another.

At its best, this is a fantastically fun festival and the locals are more than happy for foreigners to take part. If you are prepared to get soaked on these days (ie: not wearing your finest suit and carrying your expensive laptop!) and know the score it’s great fun. If you take it in the wrong spirit then probably best to avoid Thailand during Songkran, or stay indoors!
At its worst, Songkran can bring out the worst in people. As with the standard New Year, copious amounts of alcohol are consumed, this combined with copious amounts of water being thrown at people means a spike in road traffic accidents. In particular motorcycle accidents soar during this festival.
As I always advise to anyone visiting Thailand, common sense should always prevail, don’t leave that at home just because you’re on holiday.

I have included below a few pictures of a typical Bangkok Songkran scene.

Vietnam – a short visit

I had the opportunity to visit Vietnam for three days and just couldn’t pass it up, having read and heard so many positive things about it. I knew three wouldn’t be nearly enough to do any kind of justice to the place, but it was better than nothing.



Basically, while based in Thailand I won a prize for a short holiday, hotel stay, guided tour etc. We were based in Ho Chi Minh City and followed what I presume is a standard tourist itinerary. Even doing this gives you a great insight into this fascinating country.



We had a look around what used to be called the “American War Crimes Museum” and did a walking tour around some of the city’s famous monuments like the Opera House, markets and Chinese temples.



The thing that really struck me about the city initially was the volume of motorcycle traffic and lack of traffic lights and pedestrian crossings. On the face of it the city is chaotic, actually there’s a kid of order to it all. Once you get past the initial culture shock, you can appreciate the diverse, historical nature of the city. Asian shop houses intermingle with French style architecture and a strong communist Chinese influence.



The food here is really fresh, often chickens and ducks are kept round the back of restaurants and killed to order. Vietnamese cuisine is fantastic and very subtle. I loved eating out in the city, so many choices. And if you tire of Asian food, of course here in Vietnam you can always pick up a fresh baguette!



After a day in the city, we had two day trips out to the countryside. One day was spent along the Mekong Delta, visiting local communities and factories.



The other day was a visit to the famous Cu Chi tunnels, were Viet Cong and civilians lived during the French occupation and the Vietnam War. This was another fascinating day, some of the tunnels have been widened to allow for visitors to crawl in! Most of the tunnels are so small, only Vietnamese people could fit in!



Vietnam is a really lively place, packed full of history and diversity. Of course its recent history is very sad, and this is reason enough to visit, to understand what happened here and ensure it doesn’t happen again.



You’ll love Vietnam!



You can see more photos on my website, linked below.

South East Asia photos on my website, www.matthewt.co.uk

My blog - http://matthewted.blogspot.com

Free iPod, iPhone or Touch - http://67.220.209.137/~freeipod/?r=11454

Friendly Vientiane

As capital cities go, Vientiane has to be about the most friendly, relaxed and slow paced one that I’ve ever visited. It is small in city terms and I loved it. I only visited for a few days on my way elsewhere, and to be honest three days is probably more than enough to visit the city’s few sights and to soak up the atmosphere and sample the fine food.

The main sight, towards the north-east of the city is Vat That Luang, a shimmering golden temple. Although the centre of the main building is blocked off, there’s still plenty to see around the temple grounds, and plenty of photo opportunities.





Next on the list, in “downtown” is Patuxay. This is the Laotian version of Paris’s Arc de Triomphe. Equally as impressive and with some uniquely South East Asian finishing touches. Like it’s French cousin, it is situated in a huge traffic island. You can climb to the top to get some impressive panoramas.





There are many smaller temples dotted around the city, the best of which is the beautifully maintained Haw Pha Kaew. If you catch this temple on a clear, sunny day (which is often in Vientiane!) you’ll come away with some great photos. This temple is a former home of Thailand’s Emerald Buddha.



Also well worth a visit, and just across the road is Wat Si Saket, the home of a thousand (or so!) Buddhas. In the cloister walls, there are hundreds of tiny recesses each of which house tiny Buddha statues. There is also a row of around 300 larger seated Buddha’s.



Khua Din market is the big draw for shoppers, catering to local culinary tastes as well as selling clothing and all the usual tourist tat.

I loved Vientiane, and if you go there not expecting a lot, you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Some photos will follow shortly, in the meantime you can check photos on my website, www.matthewt.co.uk

My blog - http://matthewted.blogspot.com

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Interesting stops along the Chao Phraya River

Cruising along the Chao Phraya is one of the best ways to see Bangkok, it gives you a unique perspective of riverside life and the difference between the two sides of Bangkok, new and old. It also offers a welcome blast of air in a humid city and certainly beats being stuck in traffic!



You can access some of Bangkok’s major sights from the river as well as several smaller ones. If you are so inclined you can happily spend a day hopping on and off, with fares starting at just a few baht. Here’s a guide of what to expect nearby each of the piers along the main route.

Firstly a guide to the different services available:

Local line – no flag. This service stops at every single pier but only operates in the rush hours.

Orange flag – The most popular boats for the tourist stops, calling at most piers and all the major ones. Boats are roughly every 10-20 minutes depending on the time of day.

Yellow flag and Green and Yellow flag – Express service in rush hours only stopping at a few piers.

These days the Orange flag boat operates a flat fare policy of 13 baht per trip.

Sathorn – The busiest pier along the route due to its connection with the Skytrain at Saphan Taksin station. You can also charter boats from this pier.

Oriental – Connection with the world famous Oriental Hotel, dress smartly and they might just let you in for dinner!

Si Phraya – River City shopping centre, which is famous for its arts and antiques shops. Many river cruises depart from here.

Ratchavongse – Gateway into Chinatown. This area is a fascinating sprawl of narrow roads and alleys, Chinese temples, great food and garish gold shops.

Memorial Bridge – Pak Klong wet market, if you’re into local markets. The Old Siam shopping centre and Sampeng Lane offer an olde-world shopping experience.

An always over looked temple, Wat Pichai Yathikaram is a must for temple buffs. It is rarely visited by tourists and if you like the atmosphere of a grand building in decay, pay this place a visit.

Rajinee – Take a cross river ferry to Wat Arun, an iconic Bangkok landmark.



Tha Tien – Gives you easy access to the Grand Palace/Wat Phra Kaew and Wat Pho. Arguably Bangkok’s two biggest sights.





Tha Chang – Also used to access the Grand Palace and Wat Pho.

Wang Lang – The first stop on the other side of the river. Most famous for the grisly forensic museum at Siriraj hospital.

Pra Arthit – Not on the main routes but I have included it anyway as it isn’t so far from the infamous Khao San Road, backpacker ghetto. Disembark at Phra Pinklao Bridge and cross over the river.

Also worth a look is the Phra Sumane Fort and some nice markets in the area.

Phra Pinklao Bridge – See above. Also it is the nearest stop to the Royal Barge Museum.

From this point on you’re starting to go out of the main city centre area so will only highlight a few points of interest, not every pier is included from now on.

Thewes – Is the closest pier to the historic Dusit area, containing Dusit Zoo, Vimanmek Mansion, Wat Benjamabophit, Wat Indrawihan and Chitrlada Palace. Although it’s a long walk, so taxi may be the better option.



Wat Poramai – A fair way up the river, this stop gets you onto the fascinating manmade island of Ko Kred. This is like stepping into the past, the island is famous for its earthenware goods.

Nonthaburi – The end of the line, famous only for the nearby notorious Klong Prem prison. Minibuses run here from the pier.

South East Asia photos on my website, www.matthewt.co.uk

My blog - http://matthewted.blogspot.com

Free iPod, iPhone or Touch - http://67.220.209.137/~freeipod/?r=11454

Siam Ocean World

Siam Ocean World is Bangkok’s new aquarium located in the basement of the Siam Paragon Shopping Centre. Although by Bangkok standards it’s not a cheap attraction it’s certainly a good way to keep the kids entertained for a couple of hours, longer if you take in some of the shows.

There were several parties of well-to-do looking school kids when we visited but the aquarium is large enough to find a quiet (ish) corner in.

It is everything you’d expect from a modern aquarium, a wide variety of sea life contained in distinct areas, low lighting for deep sea creatures, open tanks for “pettable” marine life and so forth. And of course be prepared for the strategically sited gift shop and the end of your route!

To get there the easiest way is to take a skytrain to Siam station and follow the signs.

Please forgive the rather dubious quality of the photos, I’m no photography expert and taking clear pictures in dark light is not my forte!

Markeaton Park – A great day out

Markeaton Park is a large expanse of green just to the north-west of Derby city centre. This is a great day out for adults and kids alike with facilities such as a pitch and putt golf course, boating lake, donkey rides, crazy golf, bouncy castles, playground and much more. The park is large enough to take in several walks as well if that’s your thing.

If you find yourself in Derby, Nottingham or any of the surrounding areas this makes for a great day trip, well worth it!

Tense times ahead

Today saw the beginning of proceedings against 17 people detained for their part in the recent protests in Bangkok. Expect there to be rising tensions as this story progresses, especially as the charges are Terrorism and a potential sentence is the Death Penalty.

Bangkok as a province is still under Emergency Law meaning that gatherings of more than five people are prohibited. This is designed to prevent any repeat of the recent events and should also prevent protesting outside the court house.

Although on the surface life appears to be continuing as normal, don’t expect it to remain that way.

As always keep an eye on the situation if you are planning on travelling to Thailand any time soon.