Our Favorite Neighborhood - Banglamphu

What To Do in Banglamphu

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The neighborhood that gave Bangkok its name as a backpacker haven is Banglamphu.  But it’s not just for backpackers.  It’s for everyone who wants an authentic taste of Bangkok in a tourist-friendly locale.

Banglamphu is located a 30-minute boat ride on the Orange Chao Phraya Express to the north of the city.  (The central-city side of the boat trip connects to the BTS, aka the Skytrain).   Along the way of the boat ride are Bangkok’s most celebrated tourist attractions – Wat Arun, Wat Pho and the Reclining Buddha, not to mention Chinatown and Yommarat.  But when you get off the boat at Banglamphu’s Pier 13, you’ve entered an entirely different Bangkok.   Its most well-known party strip is Khaosan Road – a 200-yard stretch of bars and street vendors.  And in recent years the adjacent street, Rambuttri, has attracted eateries and street vendors to rival Khaosan.  Less well known about the neighborhood are the fact that the Thai Buddhist equivalent of The Vatican is a 5 minute walk from Khaosan, that the neighborhood park adjacent to the boat pier hosts Bangkok’s most awesome breakdancing events, that there’s world-class massage at affordable prices at a half-dozen places, and the food is to die for both on the street and in restaurants.  And most everything costs less than the venues in the heart of the downtown area.

Full disclosure – my wife and I own a condominium in Banglamphu, so we are prejudiced.  Then again, my wife came to Bangkok for quarterly business trips for nearly 10 years before we bought our condo – so we knew the city well before we settled on Banglamphu.

 

 

Uncategorized, When You Arrive At the Airport

When you arrive at the airport

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You will want internet on your cell phone – for maps, for bus routes, for tips on restaurants and shopping, and especially if there’s more than one person in your party and sometimes’s you’ll be split up.

If you brought an unlocked cell phone that’s GSM compatible,  you can get set up right at the airport.  If you plan to spend the bulk of your time in Bangkok, the best carrier is TRUE/MOVE, which is 4G.  If you plan to go to the beaches in the south, you may want AIS or DTAC, which in many areas are 3G.

Assuming you arrive at Suvarnabhumi airport, you’ll find all three major cell-phone carriers right outside the immigration exit on the main concourse (which is on the second floor of the terminal) to get a Thai SIM card.  After you pick which plan (make sure to get internet), hand your phone to the staff and they will change out the cards, key in all the codes needed to implement the carrier, and hand you back the phone all ready to go. Just remember to write down the Thai phone numbers for everyone in your party.  It will cost about $10-15 US dollars for a week for each phone, and about 1,000 baht (a little less than $30) for a month.

Before you leave the second floor, go to an ATM and get some cash.  The debit card you brought from home will work, with the same PIN you use at home.  Get a minimum of 3,000 baht.  But since all you’ll get are 1,000 baht bills, and since some cab drivers may claim to not have change for a 1,000, you’ll want some smaller bills.  So go upstairs to the third floor in the terminal and buy a sandwich or something so they give you some smaller denomination currency.  Then go down to the first floor of the airport to the taxi stand.  They’ve got a machine that gives you a number for your taxi. The number is the number of the stall where the taxi will be parked. The numbers are suspended from the ceiling of the parking garage, right in front of the machine that give out the numbers.

When you get to the taxi, tell the driver where you’re going.  Or, better yet, show the driver the map you printed out at home that has the location where you’re staying.

Expect the cab ride to cost about 300 baht if you’re anywhere near the city center – the equivalent of about $9 USD – plus highway tolls – about another 75 baht.  The driver will ask you to give him the money to pay the tolls – all the more reason to have smaller denomination currency.   If you’re leaving the airport for town late at night (after 11:00pm), tell your driver “No highway”.  It will take only a few minutes longer to take the surface roads rather than the expressway, and it will save you a few dollars.  But if you’re coming into town in the day, pay the tolls – it could save you 30 minutes to an hour.

It will take 30 minutes at night or an hour or more in the day to get to into the central city.

Numbers in Thai

Spoken Thai Numbers

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When you’re out and about in Thailand buying things, the shopkeepers will invariable show you their price (in Thai baht) by pulling out a calculator and showing you the screen with the price.

What if you want a lower price?   Or when you’re negotiating the fare with taxi drivers or tuktuk drivers, how do you know what they’re saying and how do you offer a counter-proposal?

The answer is, you need to know how to express numbers in spoken Thai.

Fortunately, it’s very easy, thanks to a mnemonic device that helps you remember all the Thai numbers.

To help you remember, here’s a short story.

One day at noon, a song is sung by a herder named Sam as he sees the number 56 on a jet at the airport across from the pond where his pet cows sip water.  So . . .

  1. Noon
  2. Song
  3. Sam
  4. See
  5. Ha
  6. Hok (rhymes with joke)
  7. Jet,
  8. Pet
  9. Cow (sometimes pronounced Gow)
  10. Sip

The part of this that’s tricky to remember is that two numbers right together begin with the ‘H’ sound.   Ha is the number 5, and Hok is 6.  That can be confusing.  Here’s something that will help you remember the difference.

On their cell phones, Thai teens don’t text LOL (laugh out loud), they write 555 (Ha Ha Ha).

OK, so let’s put this in practice.  How would you say thirty six?  It’s easy.  That’s three tens plus six.  So you’d say ‘Sam Sip Hok’.

The other key things to know is that the word for a hundred is ‘loi’.

So two hundred forty nine is

Sam loi see sip cow.

And if a tuktuk driver tells you a 5 minute trip will cost you ‘loi baht’, you say, “No, no. no.  Ha sip baht.”  If he isn’t too busy and likes your smile, he’ll come back with ‘Pet sip baht’.  To which you reply ‘Hok sip ha baht.”  And you finally settle on jet sip baht – 70.

By the way, a thousand is Pan.

So what if somebody quoted you Pan Loi Baht?

That’s 1,100.

And here are the few curve balls.  For some reason the number 20 is pronounced ee-sip (you’d think it would be song sip).  And 21 is ee-sip et (not ee-sip noon).  And 31 is sam sip et.

And finally, the number zero is ‘sun’.  Which is easy, because the sun is round, just like a zero.

Have fun negotiating.

 

Getting Around

Getting Around

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In Bangkok
There are myriad ways to get from one place to another in Bangkok – taxis, buses, subways, skytrains, canal (klong) boats, Chao Phraya Express boats, Tourist Boats, long tail boats, Grab Taxi (which has merged with UBER), tuktuk’s, motorcycle taxis, river ferries, and minibuses (called songthaews, pronounced ‘song tao’), not to mention tour buses. private town cars and limousines.   It is also possible to rent a car if you plan to travel around Bangkok, but we highly advise against it.  Only those familiar with the labyrinthian maze of Bangkok roadways should undertake driving themselves.
TAXIS and GRABTAXI – If you want to use GRABTAXI, you’ve got to get a Thai SIM card at the airport – which is easy to do it you’ve got an unlocked phone.  Uber used to be our personal favorite mode of transportation in and around town but they merged with GRABTAXI Three caveats – first, don’t bother with GRABTAXI  getting from the airport into town.  Get a taxi from the ground floor of the airport.  It will cost only about $9 to get the 25 kilometers from the airport to the central part of town.  Second  drivers may not know the section of the city where you need to travel, so either print out a hardcopy map or use Google Maps on your phone to show the driver where you want to go.  And third, it’s hard to find cars during high traffic periods, and be aware that when you can find one, the system will automatically double or even triple normal rates for peak traffic hours .

Unless you’re somewhere your hostelry’s  staff can call a taxi for you, the way most travelers get a taxi is to go to the nearest thoroughfare and hail a taxi that has a red light illuminated in the window – which means it’s available.

Taxis are widely available throughout the city, and by law they are obliged to charge by the meter.  But don’t count on it – particularly if you’re trying to hail a taxi during peak traffic hours or from touristy areas.  The way to ensure you’re getting the best rate is to tell the driver where you want to go (again, carry a map), and then ask “Taxi-meter?”  Don’t be surprised if the driver shakes his head and drives off.
For tips on negotiating a price, see the SPOKEN THAI NUMBERS post.
Note: to use GrabTaxi you’ll need to download their cellphone application.  Using the app will cost you  a 50 baht premium.  Unless you’re somewhere far from a main thoroughfare, it’s generally easier to just stand alongside a road and hail a taxi.  And don’t count on GrabTaxi during peak hours – drivers have to use TaxiMeter for GrabTaxi, and they can make more money during rush hour by negotiating premium prices with their prospective fares.
BUSES.  If you want to stretch your dollar the farthest, the cheapest and most flexible mode of public transport is the bus system.  There are four flavors of buses in Bangkok as of Nov. 2018 –  the air conditioned cream and blue buses cost from 11 baht to 24 baht, depending on the distance travelled.  Yellow air conditioned buses cost 10 -12 baht.   Two toned white/ blue buses are not air conditioned and cost 8 baht; and red buses cost 7 baht.  To find out where buses go, refer to  http://www.transitbangkok.com/bangkok_buses.html
BOATS.  are as cheap as buses, but more limited in their routes, are boats.  To travel north and south from the Taksin bridge (a terminal for the SkyTrain), use the Chao Phraya Express boat – 100 ft long boats that carry about 100 passengers at a time, but with seating for only about half the passengers.  They cost 15 baht per passenger.  They run from 7:00am to 8:00pm, and are a great way to avoid surface street traffic jams at peak hours.  The locals take the Chao Phraya Express to the stop closest to where they want to go, and then take tuktuk’s or motorcycle taxis if they’ve got any significant distance yet to travel.   Pay careful attention to the flags flown from the rear of these boats – they designate which piers the boats stop at.  If you get the wrong colored flag, it may not stop where you plan to go.
Along the same route as the Chao Phraya Express are the Blue Tourist boats.  They cost 50 baht as of November 2018, stop at only half the piers along the river, and they are rarely so fully occupied that anyone has to stand.  Please note: they only run from 8:00am to 6:30pm.
If you’re fortunate enough to be staying at a place that’s close to the canal that runs east and west about a 1/4 mile north of the central part of town, the klong taxi (klong is the Thai word for canal) is the quickest way to travel.  It costs 12 baht between western end of the canal at Golden Mount and the Platinum shopping center, and another 12 baht from Platinum going east.  We live a mile from the canal, and walk or take a tuktuk to the Golden Mount, then the long taxi, and then a tuktuk or motorcycle taxi into the city center proper – total cost about $3 USD.
RIVER FERRIES.  At piers where the Chao Phraya Express and Tourist Boats stop and there are no bridges nearby, you can expect to find a ferry that will take you to the opposite side of the river.  They normally cost 5 baht (about 15 cents).
MOTORCYCLE TAXI.  By far the quickest way around Bangkok is by motorcycle taxi.  But this is not transportation for the timid.  These daredevils will spirit you through traffic jams weaving between lanes of traffic, with millimeters between their handlebars and the vehicles on either side.  Don’t be surprised if your journey includes bits of back-alley travel or traffic island transits – your driver will do anything and everything to get you to your destination as quickly as possible so he or she can get the next fare.  There are literally thousands of these motorcycles around the city, easily recognizable by their drivers’ orange vests banded with reflective tape.   The drivers do not speak English – so bring a map (cellphone maps are great).  Before you get on the bike, make sure to agree to a price.  The driver will quote you a price in Thai  (See the SPOKEN THAI NUMBERS post for tips on negotiating prices), and if you’re well dressed you can expect the price will be twice what the locals will be asked to pay.  But even if you have little stomach for negotiating, the price will still be cheap by US standards.
TUKTUKS.  These iconic three-wheel open-air taxis are a favorite with both the locals and tourists.  But there are a number of things to keep in mind in considering whether to use them.  First, they are open air – which not only means they are uncomfortable when it’s hot, but it also means you’re exposed to all the exhaust fumes of the cars and buses and motorcycles around you.  We only take them for relatively short trips, and then only during non-peak hours when the air quality is good.  And never when it’s raining.  And, like motorcycle taxis, arranging the fare is something that needs to be done before you embark.  Sometimes (but rarely) the driver will speak English, and almost always he’ll charge you based on the quality of the clothes you’re wearing.  If you like negotiating, you’ll love haggling about the fare.  (See the post on SPOKEN THAI NUMBERS)
SKYTRAIN.  As of 2018 there are three BTS Skytrain lines.  The first  line called the Airport Rail Link, and runs from the Suvarnabhumi Airport to the Phaya Thai terminal on the north south BTS line. It costs 55 baht if you take the local or 150 baht if you take the express train.  Don’t take this from the airport to town unless you’re traveling alone and have light luggage.  (It costs less for a cab from the airport with two people than the express skytrain.)  To transfer from the Airline to the Skytrain requires a separate fare.
The other two BTS lines interconnect and on one line you can buy a fare that includes a transfer to the other.  One line runs roughly south to North, and the other runs west to east.  The two lines intersect at the Siam station.  Fares on those lines run from 22 baht to 55 baht, depending on distance travelled.  The trains are immaculate, but usually packed with commuters – so count on standing during your commute.  (See Note 1 about pickpockets.)  These trains take you right through the heart of the central business district, and connect with the Chao Phraya Express and Tourist Boats (at the Central Pier) and with the klong taxi (about a 7 minute walk from the Hua Chang boat pier to the National Stadium Skytrain terminal).
MTS SUBWAY.  The very fastest way around town is the subway, but there is only one subway line and it circles the city.  The closest it goes to the heart of the city takes a transfer to the Skytrain and another 32 baht.  It’s cheap for seniors (about 15 baht), and more expensive for regular commuters (55 baht).  And it does not run late hours – refer to the internet for times on weekdays and weekends.
LONGTAIL BOATS.  The are for the most part tourist traps.  But there are some places you can’t go unless you get one.  If you want to tour a wonderful orchid nursery, go to Pier 13 (Phra Arthit) and ask the ladies at the ticket counter to point out the fellow who brokers tours.  He’ll have a boat for you within 20 minutes.  Along the way you’ll get to buy snacks from ladies selling from their floating market, and you’ll have the opportunity to feed the ravenous fish in one of the tributaries to the Bangkok Noi canal.  The temples and homes on the side canals are a slice of Bangkok that you can’t see any other way.  The trip will set you back 1,500 baht or so ($40-45) for 2 or more people, but it’s one of the tours that is truly unique.
MINIBUSES (SONGTHAEWS) – Refer to the section below, Outside Bangkok.
Outside Bangkok
Songthaews (need a local who speaks English)
Busses
Trains
Car rentals
[Note 1]  Pickpockets abound in every international city, and Bangkok is no exception.  Be particularly vigilant when on public transportation or in areas frequented by tourists.  When I’m out and about, I keep my cell phone and money clip (including one credit card  and my driver’s license) in my pocket, and keep a hand in that pocket at all times – even when jostled by passers-by.  The only time I take my hand out of that pocket is when I’m paying for a BTS or subway ticket, or when I’m by myself far from others to talk on my phone.
[Note 2]  If you have a cell phone, take a picture of your passport and keep it on your phone.  That way you won’t need to carry your passport with you except when you go to a government office on official business – like extending your visa.
Before You Book Your Flight

Bangkok Pre Flight

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International airlines subscribe to a set of standards that call for the airlines to be fined if they allow passengers to arrive in their destination country without proper travel documents.

When you check in at the departure airport, you will need to be carrying travel documents that prove when you intend to leave Thailand – usually in the form of a flight itinerary showing the dates when you’re flying out of the country, or train tickets if that will be your mode of departure.  Your airline won’t let you on the plane unless this requirement is met.
Of course, you’ll also  need a current passport – one that does not expire until a minimum of 6 months after you are scheduled to return home.  Travelers from the US, Canada, UK, Italy, France and Germany who plan to stay 29 days or fewer [see Note 1] can travel to Thailand without a visa.  If you want to stay longer than that, or hold a passport from another country, call the Thai consulate in your country to find out what kind of visa you’ll need for your visit.  It can take up to 60 days to get some visas, so plan well in advance.
If you change your travel plans after you arrive in Thailand and want to stay longer than 30 days, you can get a 15-day extension – consult a Thai consulate to find out how [see Note 2].   Without an extension or special visa, you risk getting thrown in jail for an overstay.  That would happen if during your overstay you were asked for your passport by any government employee (like a police officer).  Don’t overstay without an extension.
One key thing thing you need to decide before departure is whether your cellphone will work in Thailand.  If you have an unlocked phone with international transmission protocols (GSM), bring your phone from home.  If you’re not sure whether your cell phone is locked or it it supports GSM, call your mobile phone supplier.  If you don’t have an unlocked mobile phone, you can buy an inexpensive one in Bangkok.
It’s also a essential before you get on your flight to Thailand to print a Google Map with directions from the airport to the place you will be staying.  Few Thai cab drivers speak fluent English, but they all read maps.
And one final thing.  Take a picture of the first two pages in your passport with your cell phone.  If you lose your passport, it will make it easy to replace it.  And also, that will make it unnecessary to carry your hardcopy passport with you while you are out and about in Thailand.
[Note 1: The official Thai websites tell travelers they can obtain a 30-day tourist visa at the airport.  But what they don’t tell you is that the day you arrive is counted as already having been in the country for one day.  If you arrive on Jan. 1 and leave on Jan. 30, you’ll be just fine.  But if you leave on Jan 31, the immigration officials will charge you with a fine for one day of overstay (2,000 thb in February 2017).  The charge for overstays is subject to change – check Thai visa websites for the latest amount.]
[Note 2:  As of December, 2016, if you leave Thailand and stay away for longer than 30 days, you can re-enter the country and start a new 30-day automatic tourist visa period.  This can be done a maximum of 3 times in a 6 month period.  Thai laws about visa extensions change from time to time, so if you’re thinking of visiting Thailand multiple times in a given 12-month period, contact a Thai consulate in your area for the latest information.]
Thai Buddhism

Thai Buddhist Culture

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According to the most recent Thai census, approximately 85% of

The Supreme Patriarch commemoration
The ordination of Buddhist novices

Thais are adherents to  Buddhism – Theravada Buddhism to be precise – which is has elements of both philosophy and religion.

The key precepts of Thai Buddhism are the belief that each of us will be repeatedly reincarnated until we achieve enlightenment, and the belief that by doing good works (“making merit”) a person’s next incarnation will be more favorable for achieving enlightenment.  A corollary belief is that a person who makes insufficient merit to atone for his or her misdeeds will be reincarnated as a downtrodden person, or even as a lowly animal.
Buddhist monks and nuns have dedicated their lives to becoming enlightened and helping others.  They do this by following the edicts of “Dhamma”, a prescription for dealing justly and compassionately with others, and for meditating.  Monks and nuns are considered sacred souls and are afforded the utmost respect.
Thais do not consider men to be mature adults until they have spent time as monks.  Customarily young Thais do this during three-month Buddhist “Rain Retreat”, called phansa, which starts in July.  During this period no-one is allowed to leave the monkhood.  Often these days youngsters enter the monkhood for only a few weeks, but they must not do this during the Rain Retreat.
Thai people use the expression “unripe” for those men who have not yet spent their time in monkhood. After men have been a monk and left the monkhood, they are “thit”.
During phansa novice monks follow the 10 precepts;
1. Refrain from killing living things.
2. Refrain from stealing.
3. Refrain from un-chastity (sensuality, sexuality, lust).
4. Refrain from lying.
5. Refrain from taking intoxicants.
6. Refrain from taking food at inappropriate times (after noon).
7. Refrain from singing, dancing, playing music or attending entertainment programs.
8. Refrain from wearing perfume, cosmetics and garland (decorative accessories).
9. Refrain from sitting on high chairs and from sleeping on luxurious, soft beds.
10. Refrain from accepting money.
Both monks and nuns shave their heads.  Ordained monks wear flowing saffron (orange) robes and nuns wear white ones.  Monks and nuns rise at 4:00am to chant and meditate, and then at sunrise go out to beg for their daily food.  Devout Buddhist lay people generously provide monks and nuns with plates of food – thereby making merit.
There are a number of festivals and ceremonies throughout the year at which lay people can earn merit – usually by donating money to the local temple (wat) or doing good works.  Notable events for Buddhists are the annual ordination of novices into the priesthood, and the annual ceremony when monks receive new robes.
In Thai society people who have achieved success are generally considered to have been rewarded for making substantial merit in their previous and current lives, and are therefore afforded high respect.  At the very top of this stratified society is the king, who practices dhammaraja, a set of disciplined precepts which empower the monarch to rule wisely and fairly.
You can expect successful Thais comport themselves with dignity and respect for others, and for them to take seriously opportunities for making merit.  By doing so, they ensure their next incarnation will be  graced with success and a blessed life.
Do's and Don'ts

Thai Culture – Do’s and Dont’s

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The Supreme Patriarch commemoration
The Supreme Patriarch commemoration

Do’s–

Dress respectfully.  While Bangkok weather is warm to hot all year, the culture generally frowns on suggestive clothing.  Wearing lingerie as outerwear is a definite no-no.  And halter tops are only appropriate at the beach or swimming pools.  That said, shorts and flip-flops are pretty much the uniform of choice for both natives and visitors.  (See Don’t below).
Wai. The customary Thai greeting is to put your hands together, fingertips pointed upward, with your fingertips just below your throat and, while keeping eye contact, to bow at the waist, and say “Sawadi.”  (Sawadi is the Thai equivalent of ‘Aloha’ – it means both hello and goodbye.)
Crouch when walking in front of others.  As a sign of respect, bend over at the waist so your head is lower than theirs.
Eat with spoon and fork.  Thais rarely use knives (they use their spoons if they need to cut something) and they hardly ever eat with chopsticks – except when eating noodles.
Respect the monarchy.  Thais revere their royal family so much so that they have laws (called lese majeste) to imprison detractors – in serious cases for up to 10 years.   The royal family has been a laudable source of progress for the country, and deserves the respect the citizens lovingly give.
Say Thank you.  The Thai word for “thank you” sounds like “cop coon”.  (For some inexplicable reason every book about the Thai language uses the bizarre convention of spelling Thai words with letters of the alphabet that we native English-speakers would never use.  For instance, most Thais would spell the above as “khapkhun”.  I prefer to avoid all the potential confusion, and just give tips for pronunciation using phonetic spellings that we readily recognize.)
Say Excuse me.   If someone is in your way, or if you accidentally bump into someone, the expression meaning ‘excuse me’ sounds like “core toad”.
Dont’s
 
Don’t drink tap water.  Thai tap water has microbes that can cause acute gastric distress to people who haven’t built up resistance to it.  So don’t drink it.  It’s just fine to shower or bathe in it, but not to imbibe. (Most expats think freezing water kills the germs, so the general consensus is that ice is safe.  Which is a great relief, because Thai iced coffee is a national treasure.)
Don’t touch monks or nuns.  They are holy people, and for someone else to touch them would constitute defilement. 
 
Don’t wear suggestive clothing.  Thais are very conscious of modesty.  Some temples won’t let a woman enter unless their shoulders are covered.   Most Thais are offended if a woman wears a swimsuit top or lingerie as outer wear anywhere but at beach resorts.  Unfortunately Westerners wear inappropriate clothing all the time – which only serves to reinforce Thais’ opinions that Americans and Europeans have questionable values.  If you dress respectfully, you will be treated with respect.
Don’t touch anyone’s head.  The head is considered the sacred part of a Thai person’s body.  In the west we might pat a child on the head as a sign of affection.  In Thailand that would be considered a grave insult to the child.
Don’t point your feet at anyone.  Feet are considered to be the lowliest, dirtiest part of the body.  Accordingly, pointing your feet at someone is considered a form of shaming.  So don’t do it.   
Don’t point with your fingers.  If you want to indicate something, point with your whole hand, with your palm down.  
Don’t engage in public displays of affection.  Holding hands is OK, but kissing or other PDA’s are considered embarrassing.
Don’t wear your shoes in Thais’ homes.  Thais go barefoot or wear slippers in the house.
Don’ Get Angry.  While the Thai people are well-known to be gentle, they regard anger as a sign disrespect.  If a Thai does something to annoy you, count to 10.  If that doesn’t work, count to a hundred.  Thais very much respect a person who can control his or her feelings. 
Should Bangkok Be Your Travel Destination

Is BKK right for you?

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Why do experienced travelers keep coming back to Bangkok again and again?

Five reasons.
It’s inexpensive.  A mouth-watering food-cart breakfast costs 80 US cents; a savory lunch or dinner might be $1.10 on the street (or four times that in an air-conditioned restaurant).  A half-hour cab  ride will run about $4.  Buses cost a quarter, commuter boats on the river or the main canal charge fifty cents, sky trains or subways will set you back about a buck or two.  Clean guest houses run $15-25 a night, one-star hotels charge $60-80, and breath-taking Airbnb view flats with swimming pools and gyms go for $75-90 a night.  Bangkok may be the best city on earth to stretch your travel budget.
It’s exotic.  Hundreds of exquisite temples line the city’s myriad canals, cheek by jowl with high rises on one side and ancient teak shanties on the other, with a half dozen 24/7 night spots in walking distance.  A city of opposites: reverence, glamor, grit and fun.
It’s safe.  If you are polite and respectful, you can walk or take a bus anywhere 24/7. Even alone.  Mind you, if you’re someone with a rowdy disposition and limited cultural awareness, there’s a chance you could get in trouble.  Thais are delightfully friendly, but Thais can and will take exception to disrespect.  And in the event of a dispute, it would be a mistake to assume that Thai law enforcement officials might give more credence to a foreigner’s version of events than a local’s.   The best advice is to do what Thai’s do – avoid conflict, smile, bow, step aside for strangers – and the city will be your oyster.
It’s warm.  Highs about 90 and lows about 80, ten months out of the year.  Like it hotter?  Come in April or May.  Don’t mind 85 degree rain?  July and August will suit you just fine.
Its food is delicious.  Savor authentic Thai cooking?  Thousands of street stalls offer gourmet delights (and for pennies on the dollar compared to their closest imitators in the West).   Are you a gastronomic base-sticker?  There’s a euro/american restaurant every other block. Want world class cuisine?  Check out the reviews in Condé Nast or any other respected travel guide – Bangkok’s upscale eateries hold their own with Paris, Hong Kong or New York.  Expect value for your money if fine dining is your thing.  But don’t expect any bargains.
Haven’t booked your trip yet?  What are you waiting for?