Running in Bangkok!

To run in Bangkok is similar to telling someone you want to walk in Los Angeles, the common response might be why or how? Bangkok is congested and densely populated, whereas LA might be built for the car, so walking distances are quite far, Bangkok is built on ad hoc transport, wherever a car,motorbike or truck can go someplace, will go there. The sidewalks in busy urban zones are populated with sidewalk business stalls, beggars, missing sidewalk blocks/potholes, masses of people and motorbikes occasionally. This makes running problematic if you are not aware of your surroundings. The streets are another matter, you have mopeds merging, swerving without turn signals from the sidewalk to the soi's (side streets off of main roads), buses rumbling very close to the edge of the street, small tuk tuks buzzing by, pickup trucks and of course the regular personal car. 


So, why run in Bangkok, well despite the pollution, noise and congestion, running is not an unknown to Bangkok, go to any large park and you will see people doing laps, sprinting or just walking with friends. I enjoy the shifting, weaving, hopping and dodging my way through people, chairs, over pot holes and the like on my way to a park for some laps. You are certain to have to build ankle strength from all the maneuvering you will have to do on your way to Lumphini park or the Benjasiri park located next to the Emporium mall.


If you do reach a major park, you will be delighted to see other runners, people practicing Tai Chi and other physical activities. It makes a great scene while exercising. One word to the wise, Bangkok is hot and humid, do not expect free drinking water at a park, so in your shoe, waistband or anyplace you might want to keep a 20 baht note for some bottled water or snack if you plan on a long run, you will need it.

Happy running.

Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok Airport

Suvarnabhumi Airport, the airport 90% of foreigners do not know how to pronounce exactly, well thats ok just say airport and most people will assume you mean this one, though the old airport Don Mueang still services some domestic discount flights.

I'll start this in reverse order

Getting Out of the airport.
Taxi: DO NOT USE TAXI TOUTS INSIDE THE AIRPORT.  Ok now that we got that out of the way, your should be ok.  The airport has public taxi stands located outside the airport, easy to spot with large lines of people waiting for their taxi. The staff will write your destination on a receipt and give to you/driver.  You will have to pay for the tolls on the highway yourself, use the meter.

Bus: There is a airport to city bus service that goes to four parts of the city for 150 baht.
AE1 Silom area
AE2 Khao San Road
AE3 Sukhumvit Road
AE4 Bangkok Train station/Hua Lamphong

If your flight-immigration-baggage timing works out and you have an idea where you are headed, the bus is great.  If your landing at night, unaware of Bangkok, have big bags, I'd spend the little bit extra and get a taxi.  The wait time can be 30-45 minutes for your bus, so it might be best to spend the extra 100-150 baht for a taxi.

In Theory, a brand new light rail line will open in late August 2010 and will connect to the BTS system.  We will see if it finally opens.


Inside the airport:
Suvarnabhumi is quite a big, modern airport.  It reminds me of some science fiction lunar colony.
Standard services like Starbucks, etc are all represented there.

Grand Millennium Sukhumvit review!

I recently stayed in the Grand Millennium Sukhumvit Hotel in Bangkok for two separate periods while guiding people around Bangkok/Thailand.

The hotel is located in Asoke, about 10-15 minutes from the Asoke BTS/Sukhumvit MRT station.  Its a fairly new hotel with 325 rooms and at the time I stayed, very competitive rates.

Check in:
As I arrived before the rest of my party, I literally just walked in the front door with a bag, no taxi/sedan, etc the front drive security guard gave me a salute(very serious about his Wai's and salutes) and the door/bell staff were friendly.

I requested high floor/double beds/non-smoking,etc and all of those requests were honored.

After checking in, a bell staff accompanied us up to the floors and explained a few of the room features.  One thing I would have done(I have worked in the hospitality industry previously) would be to show us the the view out the window "over there in the distance is the BTS,etc etc".

The room:
The beds are nice and soft, although I am quite used to the hard Asian mattress you sleep on a lot in many Asian countries at business hotels, budget places.
The rooms have universal type outlets for all the different plugs, USA, China, Korea, etc
Bathrooms have glass walls , but they have screens and panels to pull down over the glass so your room guests can have privacy.

Eating/Drinking/Relaxing:
The hotel has a bar/restaurant on the ground floor and it was a nice place to have a drink, and had live music in the early evenings.
It is a hotel of course, so the drinks are on the overpriced side.
Breakfast was a large buffet style with coffee, tea, juices,milk, pastries, rice, etc.  It had American style breakfast and Thai/Asian style options available. Good but pricey.

Nearby the hotel:
The location is very good, as I said before, just down the road from the BTS/MRT stations and just off of Sukhumvit road.
There are many restaurants located within a 10 minute walk from the hotel and bars as well.
For those interested in red light entertainment, Soi Cowboy is about 5 minutes away on Asoke.
Being at Asoke is a nice plus for getting around Bangkok, with the MRT(Subway) and BTS(Skytrain) being located at Asoke, its much easier to get around and cut down on travel times.

The gripes:
Internet fees:Yet another 4-5 star hotel and excessive internet fee's, truly an annoyance!!!
The pool:Well , this one is not a big deal, but the pool is pretty small,weak.  However, I'm just going to go out on a limb and say 95% of the tourists visiting Thailand, want to head to a great beach, not a great pool.


Score:85
+Good value
+Great Location
+Friendly staff
-Internet
-Breakfast charges

Bangkok scams, must read!!

Any city with frequent tourists can fall pray to con artists looking to ruin your trip and sadly this is true in Bangkok as well.

Most scams revolve around greed or kindness.

Here are the most common.

1.The Temple/Palace/Museum is closed because of X(Thai holiday, Buddha's birthday, special military day,etc). No, it is not closed, just see for yourself.  The "military" one is believable because the Grand Palace is guarded by uniformed Thai soldiers, but it is open.
Here is the short version.
Foreign tourist(you) gets out of a taxi or walks toward the palace, a well dressed Thai man/woman approaches you, and addresses you in English(usually) and says "Hi, blah blah, where are you from" "I'm from California." The kind stranger says, "excellent I studied there some years ago, I have fond memories of my life in America, is this your first visit to my country?"  So after you say yes, first visit, he knows 1.Your a tourist 2.Nationality 3.Do not totally know your way around yet.
Kind stranger, "Oh the holiday is today, I am sorry it is closed, do you see the soldiers?  But right now Thailand has bad economic, many special for foreign passport holders."  Around this time, Mr/Ms.Kind Stranger might tell you they have a business meeting,phone call, etc.  Now perhaps a taxi driver, tuk tuk driver or "tour guide" will approach you as you head back towards the road and offer you a city tour because the palace is "closed".

The Palace is open!!!

Greed scam, functions much the same way but add in gold and gems...Everyone loves shiny things right?  Mr.Kind Stranger already told you about the "special sale for foreigners" and now your thinking, just how special?  Well go to a fake gem store and see, foreigners shopping around, beautiful sales girls, well spoken sales people.
Foreiger:How much is this?
Scam store guy: 1000 USD without the tariff, 2000 usd in Malaysia, 3000 usd in the USA/EU/Canada.
Foreigner:Wow, why so cheap?
Scam store guy: Well you know the world wide economic crisis/red shirt protest/any excuse, cause Thailand many problem, our government allow foreigner visiting Thailand to take 1-2 item out without tariff and you can import and resell in your country for a big profit.
Foreigner:Wow, that sounds great, but how can I resell it?
Scam store guy: Oh, we have partner stores in your country, they will buy it from you because its so much cheaper without a tariff, if you have a seat, we can look in your city for a participating store.
Foreigner:Great, here is the money, Kop khun krup
Scam store guy:Oh you so smart, your Thai like native, dee mak mak.

Vroooommm, land in your home country, visit the local gem shop..opps that big ruby is a nice piece of glass..
Worth 10 dollars, not 500,1000,2000.etc.


Where do most of these happen? Well they happen where many first time tourists might find themselves.
1.Grand Palace
2.Wat Pho/Po
3.Erawan Shrine
4.Patpong/Patpong night market

So to sum it up, there is no "special" sale for foreigners, the tourist sites are open and don't let greed sneak into your head. :)

Food in Bangkok, Khao Man Gai/KMG

I'm just going to go out on a limb and say, you love Thai food.  I have not met many people in the world that said "I hate Thai food".  Thai is great, but for some reason a favorite quick eat/street food of Thailand is rarely in Thai restaurants abroad.  That dish is....Khao man gai.  Khao man gai is literally rice with chicken and its basically a similar dish to Hainan chicken rice but changed to suit the Thai taste buds alittle more.

At its simplest its chicken, rice, a simple broth, some sliced vegetables and a cup on the side with garlic/chili sauce.  I know, right now your saying, whats the big deal?  Well its cooked in a certain way, rice, chicken broth etc, so the flavor really comes out and it is perfect for a cheap lunch/dinner on the go.

Where can I get KMG?  Here is the good news, all over Bangkok!  Any food court will have it in a shopping center, and a major street is sure to have a KMG street stall as well.  My personal favorite is on Sukhamvit 8, right at the front of the soi(street).

Bangkok, the basic introduction.

Is a city of many faces, many sides and times!  

This is a city that has giant shopping malls,golden temples, charming river cruises, amazing food, wide variety of people.  Bangkok is a place that might hit a first time traveler in the face with the heat, the scams, the humidity but then draw them back with the sights, sounds and interests. 

Firstly, the basics...Bangkok has around 12,000,000 people in the urban area.  It is hot all year, so despite what many Thai's will tell you, there is no winter.  There are degree's of heat; hot and dry, hot and wet/humid and searing hot.

The older city is mostly centered on/nearby the Chao Phraya river, newer sections of the city are in all directions.