gtrekker2003

Hi.
I'm on a return visit to Bangkok for 2 days early Feb '09. I have a few queries:

1) Is a metered taxi the most economical way to get to the Bossotel Hotel from the airport? Any other options?

2) I have read from Kathie's trip report of some more quiet and reclusive wats. I have seen most of the famous touristy ones. I'd like to know of a couple of wats off-the-beaten track and closeby to each other. I know Kathie mentioned Wat Ratchanadha and Wat suthat.

3) I am very interested in checking out the floating market and fishing village. I am only there on weekdays. Is it necessary to do this on a tour or can I do it on my own? If on a tour, which would you recommend? I saw Tong is busy. If independently, how would I get there?

4) Any inexpensive, authentic Thai restaurants to recommend or types of street food? I read about Chote Chitr from Kathie's report.

5) Any other recommendations of things to do? I know I just have 2 days and they will probably be packed. Interested in street life, seeing what the locals do, walks, and NO shopping at all! Maybe just small markets, no malls.

Thanks very much!

rhkkmk

you will find a couple of wats right in the area of your hotel...also in the area are two of my favorite restaurants: harmonique is on soi 34, new road---ask the hotel where the general post office is and just before you get to it you will find soi 34--it has a huge decorative arch over the entrance to the soi.....another is tongue thai which is located between the oriental hotel and new road...walk to oriental lane off of new road...walk down it until the first soi on your right...take that soi about a block and the restaurant is there on the corner of that soi and another that goes out to new road...
both are good thai food and cheap to moderate...

another good restaurant which tong took me to is coconut palm, but it closes at 7PM....its next to wat pho...fantastic and cheap...

we tried the CC rest. that you refer to and were totally underwhelmed and disliked the brash owner...

there are buses from the airport but i have no idea how to use them....a taxi should be 300-400 B...make sure you have clear directions for him and tell him it is near to the shangri-la hotel...

you can go to the floating market by train, but it sounds like a hastle to me....hire a taxi to take you there at a flat rate: maybe 300 B per hour....get one of tong's assistants to take you....the fishing village is something that tong does exclusively i believe...

prasart museum is very interesting but you need a reservation and private transportation there and back...time used 1/2 day....1000B fee

rhkkmk

the walk around the area where CC restaurant is located might be very interesting for you....there are tons of places to eat there...

i love that whole area around your hotel, you can wander for hours in and out...

gtrekker2003

Thanks rhkkmk!

Are the floating markets worthwhile to see on a weekday? Or should I skip it?

How about any canal cruises/ or canal boat trips? Any worthwhile?

Kathie

I'm not a fan of the floating market. I consider it the quintessential tourist trap, but some people love it.

Do make sure you take the water taxi on the river - cheap, and a real Bangkok experience. The water taxis are packed with locals. I don't like the tourist boat - big, empty and a guy announcing the room rates at the expensive hotels - yawn.

It sounds like you'd enjoy a klong tour. You can hire a long tail at the Taksim pier for a couple of hours.

There are many dozens of off-the-track wats. Do you have a Nancy Chandler map? Pick one up. It shows locations of lots of wats - all are interesting, IMO.

gtrekker2003

Thanks Kathie.

What is a klong tour?

Also, is there any route I should take the water taxi? Is this a shared taxi? Or is it similar to a car taxi....decide the price first sort of thing?

Are the Nancy maps easy to find in Bangkok or should I get it beforehand?

Thanks so much for your help. I love your trip reports. I am going to copy them for my trips. Sounds like you have been to many of the places I am going to on this trip.......Bangkok, Nepal, etc.

rhkkmk

we like the floating market, but it takes a full 1/2 day plus to do it...its quite a ways away...

a klong tour is a ride in a long tail boat into the canals (klongs) of bangkok....the ride into thornburi is the best i think.....should be about 400-600 B per hour... private boat which you can get at a kiosk at taskim skytrain station....actually below the station directly on the river...
2 hours is sufficient....you can end up at wat arun if you want and do not stop any place along the way except at the royal barge museum---a 10 minute stop...

Kathie

The water taxi should probably be called the water bus. It's a largish boat with seats, and it's crammed full of people - mostly locals. It's very cheap. A woman will come around, ask where you are going, give you a price - say 14 baht - you pay her and she'll give you change. Take it from Taksim to the wats on the river, like Wat Po.

The private boat is the longtail you hire to take you through the smaller canals. I'd do these two things on the river - not the dinner cruises.

The Nancy Chandler maps are readily available in bangkok. I bought mine at one of the Asia books shops. But most hotels have them available in their shops (though they always seem to be more expensive in hotels).

I'm glad my reports have been helpful, trekker. By the way, have you looked at our photos? www.marlandc.com

gard

Hi

When it comes to other wats...I went to wat suthat a few years ago early in the morning and I was more or less alone there. Only a few hundred meters away is the Grand Palace that are packed with tourists. I have marked the various places that I have visited in Bangkok on this map http://gardkarlsen.com/bangkok_map.htm and you can click on the markers to get more info

Feel free to check out my Bangkok trip report with pictures and links on http://gardkarlsen.com/Bangkok_trip_report_2007.htm . Get in touch if you have any questions

Regards
Gard
http://gardkarlsen.com - trip reports and pictures