Mango7

The tourist comprise about 15-20% of the people there I'm quite sure.

I would bet that Sayko would leave MBK with a positive feeling had he had a chance to explore nearly everything there. Perhaps some of you consider yourselves too sophisticated even though you visit the same tourist sites on every trip or indulge in Chinese "Thai" food for every meal. Some of the tourist sites many of you rave about are imo terribly mediocre or sleep-inducing at best, regardless of what they're categorized as.

I'm certainly not saying to visit MBK every day, but it should be experienced at least once.

Mango7

And btw, why would anyone want to waste their time in a farang-related tourist site such as Jim Thompson's? Its almost as bad as being in Thailand and getting your coffee at Starbucks, ice cream at Haagen Daz, etc..Why even come to Thailand in the first place? The wife(Thai) and I have never once even considered going to Jim Thompson's during any of our six trips to Thailand and probably never will.

Kathie

Mango, do you even know what the Jim Thompson House is?

hawaiiantraveler

I thought the Jim Thompson House was a great insight to the traditional Thai culture and lifestyle.

Mango,I can see someone expressing their displeasure for seeing those types of traditional venues. What I fail to see is someone trying in vain to convince the world that their view is the right one and everyone else's views are wrong and mean nothing. Express your opinion and let the OP decide what he or she wants to do. Pretty simple stuff really.....

Aloha!

rhkkmk

mango, many of us would consider the things you list as mainstream tourist doings.....upscale bars, MBK, etc...

the fodorites i know from this board, by and large, seek out unique experiences, like prasart museum, 'secret place', monk's hospital, bicycle tours through suburban bkk, orphanages, etc, etc.
i would not consider most of these usual tourist activities...

tell us what wonderful non-tourist activities that you participate in....you have such an advantage having a thai wife---most of us do not have this advantage....

specialtreasures

Lived in BKK for many years and here is what I recommend - if you can leave Phuket earlier - do - since you arrive before noon, check in if possible - skip Emporium all together - go to Grand Palace - they close at 3. As you enter - not outside - but after you enter - get an english speaking tour guide - do not go unless you get a guide- very cheap - one hour very informative tour. Take taxi to Shangri-La Hotel - make sure they turn on meter - do not close your taxi door until meter is on - if they tell you set price get out. Go to the river at Shangri-La and take a klong boat - private tour - one hour again - cheap....river will be busy and exciting - when you come back, you can walk to the BTS - skytrain and go back to Nana to your hotel. On the way to BTS as you leave the Shangri La you will pass a nice looking massage place on the right starts with a B, anytime they are standing outside trying to get you to go in, don't, find another place. This place is great, clean. After massage go toBTS. About a block away.
Take a shower, head to dinner - reservations not needed most places. When you are on river, look up at the building with the gold dome - that is where Vertigo restaurant is located - very very expensive and I would not recommend unless you have money to burn - which of course you don't do you would be staying at the Shangri La or Oriental.
Lunch at the Oriental is very special in my opinion and not expensive - lunch on the river.
BTS to National Stadium to MBK is a must - the food court area has a place called Oishi - cook in front of you - great gyoza and garlic fried rice and Fuji is also located there and they have good food for lunch.
Forget shopping for western anything - no designer stuff in any mall will be a lower price than the US - so don't waste your time.
Suggestion of going to Amarin plaza for market type stuff a good idea.
Next day, go to Jim Thompson house - take BTS, easy and take the tour - 1 hour and then have lunch there - very nice -tour tells you interesting things. BTS to MBK from there is very close - you could even walk it...if you decide to buy fake cd's at MBK, don't pay more than 100 baht each and ask if they are 100% - if they say 95 or 99 - don't buy.
Paragon at Siam is great to visit - even if you don't stay long or buy anything - their food court on the upper level is great. Also, if you want to take in a movie - do it at Paragon - very nice experience and cheap compared to US.
Favorite Italian restaurant is at Sukhum. Soi 23 - Giusto's...if you go before 7 you won't need a reservation. If you go to a restaurant and no one is there and it is past 8 - then leave. British pubs on Suk. are good....breakfast at the Marriott at Soi 2 in the bakery is a favorite - bagel, egg,bacon, cheese sandwich great - Intercontinental has a good sandwich shop....mozzarella, basil, tomato panini's are big in BKK and delicious. Eating fruit cut on the street is GREAT, don't eat anything else on street.
The National Museum is restoring the funeral chariots for the King's sister's funeral - so you may want to go check that out. Really a great museum if you like museums.
Wat Po - reclining Buddha is a MUST -but don't take the hour long tour - they rip you off at the end of the tour. Go in and head straight to the reclining Buddha - going to BKK and not seeing that would be like going to NYC and not seeing the Empire State Bldg or Times Square.
So, second day go to Wat Po to see the Buddha - do a search and check it out.
Have a great trip!! Always take a bottle of water with you!

mr_go

Thanks, specialtreasures. That was helpful.

Smeagol

I thought MBK was a waste of time and would not go there again, for me it was full of TAT now maybe i didnt look hard enough, as i am sure there is something for everyone.
Now i am a MASSIVE chatuchak maket fan but not everyone here is BUt i do think it is a thai experience.

sayko

Had a busy week at work and just noticed there has been quite some responses on this post!

specialtreasures: Thanks for the detailed info. I like your routing for visiting Grand Palace, the river and Wat Po.

In fact, I've planned to have lunch at Oriental - considering the French restaurant or their seafood buffet. (We are willing to spend on wine & dine than anything else!)

As far as for not spending alot of money on hotels - we are spending 4 days in Phuket at JW Marriott before we head to BKK, so we would have gotten some extravaganza resort experience there. In a vibrant cities like Bnagkok, hotel to us is a place for a good sleep. Though, we try to stay in a 4-star hotel.

Thanks to Kathie, Carol and many others with our planning, btw I got many restaurants on my list that I probably have to eat 4 meals a day to try all of them!

As for shopping, we are not into fake dvds or copied-clothings... imagined when we travel to US, then Nordstorm is my favorite department store! We're looking forward to buy crafts and decor stuff which should be cheap(er) in Bangkok, then clothings from "western store". Apparently, as told by my friends, there are be much more varieties in Bangkok (compared to Toronto) and prices are cheaper.

Speaking of hotel, we still haven't booked one and I saw great discounts on the following (omg! there are just so many hotels in Bangkok):

Amari Watergate
Dusit Thani
Lebua at State Tower
Nei Lert Park Swissotel

All are in similar price range - about $120 per night. Any input? At the end of the day, we are hoping to stay at a newer 4-star hotel in a convenient location (close to BTS and shopping).

Thanks again! I can't wait till my trip!!

sayko

Btw, how many malls we can go to depends how much time we have. At this time, Siam Paragon is on the top of my list based on everyone's feedback. (thx again!)

Naryaphand has became a must on my list so I guess we will walk around that area and get in whatever that interest us! And I've learnt that Central World Plaza is in the same area.

Smeagol

Mango7 - you may be right, i just didnt like the place as soon as we got there nether did the BF so i guess we didnt have the right attitude. (although i do now recall he bought a pair of Teva like sandals for next to nothing!!)

Guenmai

Sayko... I know of all of the hotels on your list although I haven't stayed in them. I did have a long walkthrough and was shown the apartments in Lebua, back when it had a different name. It's down in the Silom area of the city which is ok, but just not for me.

As for Lebua, it's a VERY tall building and you can't open the windows/sliding glass door to the balcony because of some law about not being able to do it due to the height and safety.

I live above 30 floors at my serviced apartment building across town and have a big terrace that I go out on nearly daily. So, I don't know what's up with that law. I felt clostophobic, when shown the apartments, at Lebua because of not being able to go out on the terrace. Plus, since the building was so high up, it took forever in the elevator. I was shown some apartments on the 55th floor I think it was.

Of the hotels, on your list, I would go with the Neilert Park. I've been there, on the grounds, a lot as I shop in the small attached mini-arcade. If you want to buy something really special, then go into the mini-arcade, one building next to the hotel, and there will be a shop called Sakul Intakul...unless he has moved. He's a very famous, young, Thai designer who was an architect before becoming a floral designer. He was hired to do the queen's flower show in I think, Isaan. He e-mailed me and told me about it.

He does absolutley incredible arrangements of flowers around BK and lots of folks try to copy his designs. He makes floral vessels which he sells at his boutique and other places around town.

I accidentally ran into him, while waiting for my room at the Four Seasons Bangkok. He was standing in the lobby waiting to be interviewed by the Italian press. I spotted him from across the lobby and told my Thai friend that that was "HIM" and leaped around a chair or two to go over to meet him. My usually quiet Thai friend followed walking quite fast behind me. She never would have gone up to him on her own, but likes to go out with me around town since I'm a lot more assertive in situations than she is. Smiles.

So, I went up to him and told him that he was like the Tom Cruise of floral design. He laughed hysterically and took photos with me. When I got back to L.A., he e-mailed me once from BK and once from Italy to tell me of his projects. I sent him a beautiful hardback book on the Rose Parade in Pasadena, where I'm from. The book had a big photo of the Thai-themed float that won first prize one year. He absolutely loved the book and all of the photos of the floats. Happy Travels!

The floral vessels (vases), that he makes. are like no other. If you can get to a bookstore , before leaving home, flip through a copy of his first book called, Tropical Colors.. .The Art of Living With Flowers...by Sakul Intakul. The photographer that did the photos was Luca Ivernizzi Tettoni which makes the book of high quality within itself. I have many books that he did the photography for.

The floral vessels on pages 123 and 125 are two of the ones that I bought in BK. He has a whole boutique of different ones right there at the Neilert Park shopping arcade. A friend of mine, here in L.A., gives me money to pick them up for her as she's crazed with his work,too. Happy Travels!

Guenmai

Mango 7...You were the one who drew "first blood" as you put it. You drew "first blood" when you made the comment, "You may want to skip the Jim Thompson house unless you are a GEEZER or enjoy tourist traps".

However, as for your above comment, I just let it go in one ear and out the other. I'm used to also being in the European forum where such is the norm. To each his own. Happy Travels!

Mango7

Guenmai- Yes, you're right, I overlooked that. Nonetheless, Hanuman shouldn't taunt me. I am civil in the majority of my posts, but if pressed by some clown I will fire back.

dogster

geeˇzer (gzr)
n. Slang
A queer, odd, or old person, especially an eccentric old man.

I think the world is all the richer for the 'geezers'. Matter of fact, I think I have a touch of the geezer in ME.

Sorry chaps and chapettes, I was interrupting... I'll let you get back to the biffo...

Hanuman

Mango,

My apologies! I think we got off on the wrong foot and I did not know that your wife is 100% real Thai.

Will you share with me the name of the faux-Thai tourist-targeted Chinese food restaurants to avoid in Bangkok so that the next time I'm in town I will not be made a fool of again.

I'm also a street food lover what are your, or your wife's, favorite dishes(not too spicy please!)?

Any other tourist trap places I should avoid?

aXXo

Reading this thread about food made me hungry. Anybody knows when the mango season is in Thailand? Mango7 do you know?

aXXo

ttt

downunderjack

Isn't this the same Mango7 who did not even think to check his wife's passport before they left on their last trip to the wife's supposed "homeland"?

I wouldn't trust what the bloke says even when he swears by it. Totally unreliable imho.

Mango7

Downunder- So you just read that thread, did you? Has your wife/girlfriend or male lover ever made a mistake before? Dating you would be the first one I would say. Intelligence certainly isn't your strong point.