Simple Guide to Bangkok

A couple of months back, I visited Bangkok with my mom and my sister. Bangkok is the capital city of populous Thailand and one of the famous cities in South East Asia. Although we only got the chance to visit the main city, we were still surprised by how vibrant and lively it was. Good thing, we decided to stay there for a week. It gave us ample time to experience some activities that the city has to offer. Bangkok is one of the places that will make you come back for more! Probably because of the foods, shopping scene, nightlife, cheap finds, quirky cafes, name it! There's always something new to this place! The city serves the right mix of culture, food, affordability and of course, shopping.

To help you a bit with your planning for your Bangkok trip, here are some notes that you might want to consider.

VISA

For Filipino passport holders, a visa is not applicable. We can enter the country without the visa and stay there for up to 30 days. However, do not get too confident. You still need to prepare some supporting documents beforehand just in case you undergo a quick interview at the immigration counter especially if you are a first-timer in the country or a first-time traveler.

• Confirmed roundtrip tickets
• Hotel booking confirmation
• Show money/Credit Card
• Passport
• Proof of employment
• A detailed itinerary of your trip

FLIGHTS

Bangkok has two international airports. You can fly to either Suvarnabhumi Airport or Don Muang Airport. There are varieties of airlines to choose from that fly from Manila to Bangkok.  
1. Cebu Pacific
2. Air Asia
3. Thai Airways
4. Philippine Airlines
5. Cathay Pacific. 

In our case, we flew from Doha, Qatar to Bangkok via Oman Air. We had an hour and a half layover in Oman and the overall travel time from Doha to Bangkok was 7 hours. Qatar Airways also flies directly to Bangkok.

Be always on the lookout for seat sales if you really want to score cheap fares! Subscribe to the airlines' mailing list or Facebook Fan Page to get a notification whenever they have a new post or announcements.

We’ve booked our flight just a few weeks before our desired date resulting in us to pay a hefty amount for the air tickets but we’ve got no choice. We just wished that everything will be fine once we arrive at our destination. hahahaha!

ACCOMMODATION

Bangkok is known as an inexpensive travel destination so getting an accommodation for more or less 50QR a night is possible! There are a lot of hostels scattered around Khao San Road area that are pretty decent and sometimes, with free breakfast included already! Khao San is packed with budget-friendly accommodations that are perfect for backpackers. In addition to this, you can also check out these areas: Silom, Sukhumvit, Chinatown, Pratunam and Bangkok Riverside.

Whenever I'm travelling, I usually book from Agoda.com and Booking.com sites but for this trip, I’ve booked our stay from Airbnb.com and it was my first time!

We had a great stay at The Base Sukhumvit 77 even though it was far from the main attractions. The communication with the Filipino landlord went by smoothly and he was very helpful! The building is close to On Nut BTS Station and Suvarnabhumi Airport. What I love most about the condo building is that they have a 7/11 convenience store inside, a Thai restaurant, a cafe, basketball court, ground that is perfect for jogging, gym, and large pool. I loved the view of the city from our unit and not to mention the free Netflix and TV with chrome cast streaming!

However, just remember that Airbnb is still not legal in Bangkok so I would suggest picking a room wherein you can request to meet the landlord/owner upon your check-in.

GETTING AROUND

MRT and BTS are one of the most used transportations in Bangkok aside from TukTuks and motorbike taxis. You can also take Bangkok taxis but beware of scammers and other drivers who are charging more. Negotiate before you get inside the cab as most of them don’t use the meter. Taxis are not the most convenient way to get around during rush hours. Mind you people, traffic jam in Bangkok is crazy!

Grab app is available too! We used Grab throughout our 1-week stay in Bangkok.

For a more authentic experience, try the Bangkok boat ferry service at least once, long-tail boats or express boats. 

FOOD

There are a lot of food vendors in Bangkok to the point that most houses or condominiums units in this city don't have any kitchen installed. It's their way of life. Everywhere you look at, you will find a long stretch of street vendors selling authentic, tasty and cheap Thai foods! It's truly a heaven for food lovers out there. From breakfast, lunch, midday snacks, dinner to midnight snacks, they have it all! Tasting all the foods that you can is a must not only in Bangkok but in the whole region. Going to night markets is also an opportunity to try out some of Thai street foods. Of course, one cannot miss the Thai version of milk tea, legit Pad Thai and Mango Sticky Rice. There are just too many to try but not enough time.

• 

  Pineapple Fried Rice

• 

  Stewed Pork Ribs with spring onions and chilis

• 

  Kanom Bueang (Crispy Pancakes) can be eaten savoury or sweet. Of course, I chose the latter

• 

  Noodles of your choice

• 

  Legit Pad Thai!

• 

  Ice Sticks to beat the heat

• 

  Coconut Ice Cream from Chatuchak Weekend Market

ADDITIONAL TIPS:

• Drink lots of water.
• Wear light clothes.
• Always bring an extra shirt with you.
• Wear a hat/bring an umbrella.
• Don’t forget to put sunscreen!
• Pickpockets are everywhere in Bangkok so beware.
• Wear a comfortable pair of shoes or sandals because you'll be walking a lot!
• Take MRT/BTS during rush hours
• Buy a local sim card - BKK Sim via Klook.com

Bangkok is an amazing city in fact, I'm already planning to go back there next year (2020). I will be posting a separate blog post about our Bangkok itinerary so stay tuned for that.