8 Great Hours in Bangkok

Like most big cities, you could easily spend three or four days in Bangkok and not get bored but if you only have one day to explore Bangkok, have no fear; you can have an unforgettable day in less than 8 hours (figure on doing less than more given Bangkok can be pretty tiring).

Stop 1- Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Budda)

Start your day with a visit to the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew. Having recently visited palaces and castles in Spain and Portugal, I was reluctant to pay 350B (about $12 USD) for the entrance, given these sites can be disappointing rip-offs, particularly on a backpacker’s budget. The Royal Palace however is in a league of its own and should definitely not be missed.

You don’t need closed toed shoes as some of the guidebooks advise but ladies need a below the knees skirt / dress and long pants for the men. If you don’t have them handy you can borrow them from the building on your right as you enter the grounds with a 200 baht deposit, although you’d never think of stealing them once you see them.

Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Budda)

As you enter the palace, you immediately see exquisitely shaped buildings surrounded by wild guardian creatures in a sea of vibrant colour. We joined one of the free tours offered throughout the day, but found our guide’s English a little challenging and the pacing a little slow (along with a number of other people) and decided to roam the grounds ourselves with the free leaflet.

Although almost no buildings can be entered (some are still used for ceremonial and diplomatic purposes), walking the palace grounds is a magical and fulfilling experience. Each building is a well-preserved work of art, be it completely covered with gold, containing intricate mother of pearl patterns or guarded by eighteen foot demon statues. The colours, architecture and intricacy make the palace a uniquely enchanting experience, particularly if you’ve only seen European-style palaces in comparison.

In the middle of the grounds you come to Wat Phra Kaew - Temple of the Emerald Buddha. You can’t help but be touched by its spiritual feel and the seriousness in which the Thais treat the sacred space (no shoes, hats, pictures or loud talking). Although it is a major tourist attraction, the local presence is significant, with many Thais praying inside and making offerings of flowers and incense at its entrance.

The remainder of the grounds are less spectacular with more simple colours and traditional architecture but overall, you leave the complex feeling highly satisfied.

Note that the admission fee also gets you free entrance to the Teak Palace (15 minutes away in a rickshaw, depending on traffic) but if you’re tight on time or have left it until late in the day (it closes at 4pm), you might want to give it a miss.

Wat Pho- Temple of the Reclining Budda

Stop 2- Wat Pho- Temple of the Reclining Budda

A ten minute walk down the same road, Th Sanamchai, brings you to Wat Pho, Temple of the Reclining Buddha (50B). The 46m long and 15m high Buddha is a remarkable site due to its size and intricate hair and foot designs. Visibility is a little impaired with numerous pillars throughout the building, but it’s still an incredible site worth checking out and only takes at the most 15 minutes to visit.

Stop 3- Vegetable and flower markets

A further 10 minute stroll heading south on Th Sanam Chai to Th Chakraphet along the water will take you to the flower market which also borders a fascinating vegetable and spice market. It’s a captivating experience to wander through buildings and along lanes seeing locals sell produce stored in huge bags and baskets filled with everything from bright red and green chillies, ginger, garlic, coriander to enormous cucumber-shaped vegetables. The smells are fresh, exotic and fragrant, making for a relaxing contrast to the fumes and noise of street traffic. Locals greet you with curious eyes but warm smiles and nods, making you feel extremely welcome.

Further along the road are an endless stream of flower stalls filled with a mix of fresh rose bouquets simply wrapped in newspaper, to intricate arrangements orchids and marigolds.

Aerobics in Lumphini Park

Stop 4- Lumphini Park

Treat yourself to an air conditioning break in a taxi to Lumphini Park (about 30 minutes away depending on the traffic). While the main attraction is watching- and if you’re feeling brave, joining in- the group aerobic sessions at 5.20pm or 6pm, it’s a great spot to wander around and take in a more serene local scene. The park really comes alive after 5pm, as it fills with walkers, joggers and Thai kick boxers training hard in sweat suits, some running with tires strapped to their waists.

As the clock struck 5.20pm, we wandered to the aerobic site where out of thin air; about 300 locals suddenly appeared in serious workout gear ready for action. With western music blaring and a number of intensely focused instructors on the raised sidewalk, everyone broke into an energetic, high intensity warm-up, which quickly flowed straight into the main work out.

Giggling in awe from the sidelines with other tourists, I decided to have a go, having done aerobics myself since I was 10. All I can say is that it was an absolute blast. No one really paid much attention to the little white chick in the back, although a few locals did look amused when my 6’2 husband joined in. The workout was great fun and it was extremely cool to see locals casually join, be they park cleaning ladies or older men on a stroll. Just as quickly as it started, the last routine finished, everyone briefly clapped, and then rapidly disappeared into all directions.

Heading out of the park an announcement in Thai blared from speakers followed by political sounding music. Figuring it had something to do with honouring the King (whose pictured presence is everywhere throughout Thailand), I looked around to see everyone frozen, straight out of The Truman Show; a simple but fascinating event to observe. A few directive gestures from the muscle-bound work-out fiends in the Venice-beach style gym in the centre of the park reminded us to do the same, and we stood at attention until it was clear we were allowed to walk again.

Vegetable and flower markets

Stop 5- Silom Night Bazaar

Strolling past the exit of the park we crossed Th Phra Ram IV over to the entrance of the Silom Night Bazaar. This is a great spot to unwind and finish off the day with an excellent mix of food stalls, massage stalls and shops with everything from clothes, art, lamps, sculptures, hats, fake designer jewellery watches, tapestries, to Thai boxing shorts. There are also two spots where if your feet are feeling a bit haggard, you can get a 15 minute ‘fish massage’ for 150B, a tickle-filled foot cleaning session from fish that nibble off your dead skin. We stuck with having a cheap and delicious meal of roast duck with noodles and bok choy (40B) and enjoying a wander before calling it a night. While we knew there was much more to see on our next visit, we finished our day highly satisfied, a perfect day in Bangkok.

Additional note on Thai visa changes:

For those planning to stay in Thailand past your visa, you should note a couple of important recent changes. If you haven’t arranged visa from a Thai embassy before entering the country, you’ll have 30 days if arriving by air but only 14 days if you enter via a border crossing. Some airlines require you to provide proof of onward travel in the form of an air ticket; although we have been told you can generally get away with saying you’ll be doing onward overland travel.

Thailand at its best

In addition, the government office where you could previously obtain a visa extension in Bangkok has now been moved close to the international airport making it an expensive and impractical trip from downtown Bangkok. Most painfully, the daily fine for overstaying your visa has increased from 200B per day to 500B. The moral of the story, get your two month Thai visa before entering Thailand if you plan on staying longer than 30 days (including the day you entered), extend your visa at a border crossing, or be ready to pay a hefty fine along with signing an ‘alleged offender’ record at the airport! (Rest assure, you’ll still be allowed to enter the country for future visits).