A Glimpse of Bangkok (II)

And i am back! I am so in love with Thai Massage, honestly. Well, i am always a big fan of massage actually and in Indonesia i have some favorite places to go. I promised myself that i should try Thai massage in its original place, and i did, twice. Both were satisfied i might say.

I don't know if they have to get some certification to do that job or if all masseuse/masseur go to the same training class, but they definitely have same standard. I tried once in Krabi and it cost me 200 baht/hour and then i tried again in Bangkok only for 150 bath. Surprisingly both were good.

Well, after relaxing hours at the massage place, it's time to spend the night in Bangkok. There are various places you can visit. The extreme places where you can watch some sex shows and the others are just regular nightclubs. I didn't go to the first, just don't have the heart for it i suppose. But i did visit some clubs in Bangkok.

I would recommend Levels in Sukhumvit, but i must warn you that they charge entrance fee (around 3oo bath if i am not mistaken) and sadly no free drink. The price of the drinks there are also kinda expensive. But i like the place, it's like some high class club and mostly are foreigners.

If you are up to for something different, let's say you are a little bit curious about how a gay club looks like, try DJ Station in Silom. I am not gay to be clear, but definitely have some curiosity. The place is smaller than Levels, drinks are much much cheaper (everything's around 150 bath i think). Yes, there is entrance fee, but you will get your free drink. But to be honest, the taste of the drinks are much better in Levels. I didn't see many girls there, but we are not forbidden to be there. Oh, most are locals here. Of course there are some foreigners, too. The dress code is just casual i think, but i don't see people wearing shorts.

I think people in Bangkok have more tolerance than in my country. Well yeah, i suppose that's not a secret anymore, men can change into women and people won't even look in different ways or give you stink eye. I don't know if that's good or not because to be honest, i was raised with totally different norms. Sometimes i can't help but stare at that person because i think he is weird or such. But I keep learning that nobody has the right to judge.

You can believe whatever you want, you can do what your Bible tells you, you can set your own principles, good. But it's not okay to hate or condemn people just because they are different from what you believe in. As long as that people don't kill people or cause any harm to others, i would say let them be. You may disagree with them, you can share you belief to them, but do it with respect. Because you will never win over somebody with hatred.

Anyway, another place to visit in Bangkok in Khao San Road. I don't know what's so special about this road, yeah you can find hotels, hostels, food stalls, restaurants and bars here, but i don't think it's an excellent place to stay. It's kinda far from Sukhumvit/Silom/shopping areas like I've mentioned in my post before this.

Khao San Road

But if you wish to stay in place like Legian/Kuta in Bali, I think you will fit just right in Khao San Road. I also think that it's close to some landmarks in Bangkok, like Grand Palace or such. But i am not so sure because i don't have time to explore this area well.

Near Khao San Road

So, what else you are waiting for? Book your tickets and go to Bangkok. Sure, it has a lot to offer.

A Glimpse of Bangkok (I)

Well, first time to Bangkok. I had this idea about visiting temples, cultural sites, a little bit shopping maybe, that's it. But it turned out to be a lot of shopping time, clubbing, and just a few time to do cultural things. Not that i complained, i was perfectly satisfied with (most of) my time in Bangkok. Here's the story...

Arrived at Don Muang Airport on the morning (around 11 if i wasn't mistaken), we decided to take a taxi because we brought big suitcases and we didn't want to spend so much energy on bus or BTS. But if you dont bring too many luggages, i would like to suggest you to take A1 Bus which is located in front of arrival hall. This bus will take you to BTS MoChit and from there you can go around the city by BTS. 

The taxi was a little bit expensive, around 130 baht per person (there were four of us at that time). That included toll fee, airport charge, and because we did have 2 stops. I stayed at 3 Howw Hostel at Sukhumvit while the rest of my friends stayed at a hotel in Silom, I wasn't sure about the name. Oh, the taxi did use meter.

I love my hostel. It was my first experience staying at a hostel and i did it by myself since some of my friends couldn't stand the idea of staying at a hostel.  The best thing about this hostel is the bed, it's like capsule thing, everybody gets their own cubicle or something like that. Okay, that doesn't sound like a good place to socialize, you might say. But i like it because i have my own and private space to sleep. And if you do want to get socialize, you can go to common room or hostel lobby or other areas in the hostel. Oh, and it's about 10 mins walk to BTS Asoke & MRT Sukhumvit. 

3 howw hostel sukhumvit

Anyway, there is this place that i would like to suggest if you don't have much time to spend in Bangkok but would like to cover up several important cultural sites. Just go to Ancient City. You might want to spend at least half day there and full day if you want to explore every site in there. Basically it's like Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (a nice place to visit if you are in Jakarta and would like to know about cultural stuffs).

In Ancient City you can see Grand Palace, Reclining Buddha, and other famous sites in Bangkok in miniature size. Exploring it by bicycle seems like the best idea, you won't get tired too soon because this place is huge (trust me), but you will also won't get any difficulties to stop at each site and take some photos like if you use your personal vehicle or join their public bus. Oh, and bicycle is cheaper than using golf car.

Floating Market that sells delicious foods and drinks.

Get bored with history and such? Let's check another side of Bangkok. People say shopping. Well, at least some people that I know said so. I never gave it too much thought before because i am not a shopping kind of girl. But when i visited some famous shopping places in Bangkok, like Pratunam and Platinum Mall, MBK, or Chaktucak Market, there was the time when i felt like i wanted to spend all of my money there. Oh well, i was silly, i know. Actually the stuffs can be easily found in Indonesia. But everything is so cheap... 50 baht, 100 baht, i want them all. I always feel like i am rich when in Thailand, i don't know why (just ignore this).

And if you are not a big fan of shopping, just try their foods. There are so many stalls on the street that sell different kind of foods. Well, be careful with the pork. I am not a fan of pork and i hated it when once in a restaurant there was only pork katsu instead of chicken katsu. Damn! 

Chicken (NOT PORK) Noodle Soup

Some friends talk about the famous mango sticky rice and tell me to try it. Well, nothing's special i'd say. The sticky rice was nice, but the mango could be sweeter i thought. Pad Thai and Tom Yum? Ah, that's a sure thing to eat in Bangkok. One thing i would suggest, coconut ice cream. I promise you, it's delicious (or at least the one that i tried, but sorry no pic).

Mango Sticky Rice

So, what else i could tell you. Hmmpphh...there are still the famous Khao San Road, Bangkok Nightlife, and  must try Thai massage. Well, but they are better for my next post. Have fun!

note: my first post in English, please excuse all the wrong grammars and misspelling.