Bangkok questions
 

I have quite a few, so please be patient with me!

We arrive into BKK at 10:05PM (a Sunday night during Songkran, if it makes a difference). Can anyone tell me approximately how long it should take to get through customs, get entry visa, etc.?

We are spending that night and the next at the Oriental before taking an 8:10PM flight to Chiang Rai. We'll also be spending the last night of our trip in Bangkok, arriving at BKK from Koh Samui at 3:00PM (not sure where we're spending that last night yet)

Here's how we're planning to spend our time--I would love any suggestions or critiques! FWIW, my husband and I are both fairly young (31 and 29) and active and don't get hit too hard with jet lag (though have never flown as far as Asia before, so can't say for sure how we'll feel those 1st couple of days!)

Monday, April 14: DAY: relax by pool; venture out for massage (possibly at Wat Pho, so we can also see it then); visit Tuptim shrine NIGHT: Visit Wat Arun at sunset; check out Patpong and night market there or possibly Suan Lum, dinner somewhere, bed early. Also considered a night river cruise.

Questions: is the Tuptim shrine worth a visit? It seems like it would be fun and definitely an interesting thing to see!

Is the river cruise better during the night or the day? Also, we are planning to do a klong tour the next day, so would a river cruise be sort of redundant?

Am I planning WAY too much for our first day after such a long journey (we're coming from the east coast of the US)?

Tuesday, April 15: full day tour with guide, starting early and visiting the flower market, Grand Palace and Emerald Buddha, klong tour, Wat Pho if we don't see it the day before, possibly Khao San road just to see what all the talk is about, then on to airport for CR flight.

Questions: is this too much for one day (approx. 8AM-6PM)? Or could we add in anything else? I'd also love to visit one of the Jim Thompson silk shops, and see there is one in our hotel. Any comments on whether the Oriental branch is as good as others, or would there be a better branch to shop?

April 26th: If our flight is on time and lands at 3PM, I am estimating we'll be at our hotel (we're leaning towards Lebua @ State Tower) by 5PM. Is that reasonable? From there, we are going to just drop our bags and try to catch the tail end of the Chatuchak market, then maybe head to Suan Lum if I haven't had to buy at least 2 new pieces of luggage by then. LOL After that, drinks at Sirocco/SkyBar and dinner someplace (or vice versa).

Any suggestions/ideas/comments would be very helpful! Thank you all so much--this board has been invaluable to me in getting this trip planned!

first of all skip the weekend market....takes time to get there and with your limited time i would not waste it on that place...

plenty of shopping arround the oriental/lebua tower...sky bar for drinks and then go to harmonique for an interesting dinner....can walk there...

way toooooo much on day 1....you will not believe how much the weather will knock you out plus the flight...

you might allow another 1/2 hour for transits....especially the 3PM arrival...really depends on how many flights arrive the same time you do....they staff nicely at late hours....

visa on arrival??? americans do not need a visa....you do get an entry slip of paper stapled in your passport...

have no idea what tuptin shrine is??

i would far prefer the klong tour---to thornburi btw, to any river cruise...allow 2-3 hours and go in the afternoon....

nite cruise is a waste in my opinion...

tuptim is a miss i think...i looked it up...

Thank you! I knew we didn't need an official visa, but was thinking that the entry slip was something for which you had to stand in a separate line (apart from the typical entry/customs line). Good to know that's not the case!

You do have to go through two lines. First immigration, where you will get 30 days visa exemption stamp. Then collect bags. Then customs.

The line for immigration can be long...depends how many people have just arrived. I'd allow an hour at least to get out of the airport, and 40 minutes to an hour to get to the Oriental.

travelgirlatl,

May I ask why you want to see the Tuptim shrine? You do know that it reside in the ground of a hotel(not a public place) and the owners pay respect to it right?

Hanuman,

I meant no disrespect in saying I thought it would be "fun" to see the Tuptim shrine(though my wording could admittedly have been better), and apologize if my post came off that way. I was aware that it is on the grounds of a hotel, but thought it was open to the public. As someone planning on trying for a family very shortly, I like the idea of visiting a shrine dedicated to fertility. :) Also just think it would be something very interesting and unique to see!

travelgirlatl,

I ask because I thought you might not know what kind of a shrine it is. It's on the hotel's property but I am sure that you can visit it without any problem. Perhaps take a walk around the hotel ground as well since it does have a very nice garden.

If you want to know more about the shrine ask the hotel's concierge and they will be more than happy to explain it to you. There are many story about why the shrine was put up and fertility is one of them. Just be aware that it was " erected" from the beliefs of the owner of the land at that time and it doesn't have any religious significance.