My boyfriend and I are traveling to Thailand with SmarTours next week and I am finishing up research on what to do during our free time (we are only doing one of the optional tours with the group and spending the rest of the time on our own). We are mid 20's very active travelers but I am concerned about the impact of the heat & humidity on our ability to stick to our normally ambitious schedules.

I had a question about the klong tours in Bangkok - how much would you consider this a "must do" experience? I wonder if it will be pleasant or unpleasant to be out on the river in mid July. I also have some admittedly-irrational fears of small boats and tipping over so I'm not necessarily thrilled with the prospect of 2 hours on one, but will do it if it means seeing sights we would have no other way to experience.

Any thoughts? Is it worth it? Which time of day would be best? It looks like right now the choice might be between this & going to Vimanmek.

Whether it's worth it depends a lot on you. I enjoy the klong tour, but I don't have a fear of small boats. If you would be nervous the whole time, don't do it.

It is hot and humid in Bangkok, so slow down and you'll enjoy it more. Also, Asia in general lends itself best to slow travel... if you fill your time with too much, you'll miss the whole experience. Expect that you'll be able to do perhaps half of what you've scheduled.

As first time visitors to BKK we loved taking a Kong boat ride. It was cool (Ok, cooler) on the water and you got to see BKK from the other side, so to speak - looking into the backs of things. The ride through the canals, etc. was fascinating. So, I think its a definite do. We had no thought that the boat would tip, and our son is generally hesitant about getting on such boats. And, yes its hot but, not drop where you stand and spontaneously combust hot. Think cool, drink water and relax. Have fun. BKK is outstanding.

thanks for the reassurance! I was thinking it could be especially good to relax and cool down slightly, sounds like it would be great for that. I suspect I will have to wait to make a final decision until we arrive and I can look at the boats myself and assess their "seaworthiness" (like I said - it is an irrational fear!)

Hi, I hope you will post a comment on your SmarTour when you return. Many people ask for advice, but few take the time to let the BB readers know how things turned out.

I am, of course, biased about this, because a friend and I are booked on a ST for Feb. 2009. My husband and I took a ST of Croatia last Sept. and enjoyed it very much. Several people on that trip had taken the Thailand trip more than once. Enjoy. Ciao!! mhm

thanks mercy. I already have a journal picked out to use for this trip and am hoping to post a trip report on our return. I learned so much from the other people who traveled with SmarTours I would love to help others who are makign the same decisions we faced.

Hi Again, I forgot to say that our SmarTour IS to Thailand. My husband wasn't interested in this one. My friend and I have gone on 8 tours, but this is our most
"exotic." We hope to fit in a massage at FACE, which is highly recommended by patrons of this board. Ciao!! mhm

Avoid the water spray on the Klong tour. The wife (Thai) says that klongs are nothing more than toilets.

quite honestly the boats are not all that small...i have never heard of one tipping over...

you get them most easily at taskim pier at the end of the skytrain...

cost about 500 B per hour for the whole boat...

its lots of fun...there are covers over your head--a tarp...its well worth the experience...have him drop you off at wat arun and take a taxi from there back to your hotel...

best to go in mid afternoon

jc
You don't have to go for two hours. You can request a one-hour klong tour, if you wish. Or 1 1/2 hours. It's up to you. You arrange it all, at the pier, before you embark. You can have just the driver, or you can pay a guide to tell you about the sights along the klong. My advice: Don't pay for the guide! It's too hard to hear them anyway, with the noises of the boat engine.

I am not a swimmer but I have no fear of getting into a longtail boat to go into the klongs. The "scariest" part (not really that scary) is crossing the big Chao Phrya River with all the boat traffic... boats of all sizes, plus barges, etc... to get to the entrance to the klong.

Carol

jc
I just checked smartours Thailand tour (I was curious). Looks good. I hope it is just what you want for that first time to Thailand.

Just a suggestion to you: get acquainted with the BTS (skytrain) as that will be the best way for you to get to the river and the Grand Palace and other sights that you want to see on your own.

You do not need to change skytrains. If you are staying at Century Park, just get on the BTS at victory monument, heading towards Saphan Taksin, and go all the way to the end of the line. That gets you to the river. You can arrange your klong ride right there at the river skytrain station.

If you want to shop, stop at the SIAM station. There, you will find Siam Paragon mall, Siam Discovery mall, Siam Center, MBK mall, Central World Plaza (short walk), and on and on!!!

Also, should you want to go to the weekend market, you could hop on the skytrain and go in the OTHER direction (Mo Chit) to the end of the line, and there it is!! But I don't know if you are there on a weekend or not.

Have a great time!

Carol

(I'm heading back... solo this time... for two weeks in August, my 14th trip)

JC - I too hope you will do a trip report. We are going on the ST trip to Thailand in Oct. and plan to do most things on our own. I would love to hear all about your trip!!!
I have a friend who has now done the trip 2x with ST because they loved it so much!

Just a minor correction for the skytrain. From Victoria Monument station you will have to change trains at the Central Station from the Sukhumvit line that you are on to the Silom line. This takes you to the Saphan Taksin station where you catch the river ferry.

You're right, scotters. My error!
Carol

wow! thank you for all of the detailed suggestions especially on the sky train. that is how we are planning to get around bangkok most of the time since our hotel is right near the Victory Monument stop. Unfortunately we will be in Bangkok mid-week so I don't think we can do the weekend market.

I am glad to hear that a klong guide would not be worth it - I think we will do it just to see the sights from a different point of view and experience being out on the river.

Would you recommend taking a taxi back from wat arun or having the boat wait and taking the boat back? I have seen both options mentioned here.

I am also excited to hear that many of you will be going on the ST trip later this year. The company was recommended to us by my boyfriend's grandparents, who are & always have been very active travelers. We chose it because the cost of the entire tour was about the same as what we could find airfare for - that and reports by shelleyk and others that they were able to go on the tour but still customize things themselves & make full use of the free time.

back to the boats - my biggest difficulty is the getting in & out part. and rhk - my definition of "small" basically means anything even remotely close to the water. But it sounds like it will be fine so I will definitely give it a shot!

I would not suggest a taxi from Wat Arun. It's on the other side of the river. Getting across one of the bridges can be a traffic hazard. Take the shuttle boat across to the Grand Palace side, or get one of the other river boats that would take you back to Saphan Taksin pier (skytrain station).

On my last trip to Bangkok, I did something for the first time. I bought a one-day pass on one of the river boats. That was a really handy way to get to a lot of points along the river.

Another point to consider... you CAN arrange for your longtail boat ride (klong tour) to let you stop at Wat Arun as part of your "tour." Then you don't have to worry about other modes of transportation to get you there and back. Just a suggestion.

The last klong tour that I took (which was just on my last BKK trip a couple of months ago, with friends who were first timers to Bangkok) was arranged at Saphan Taksin pier, right as we got down the stairs from the skytrain. No need to book it ahead. It included the klong, Wat Arun, the Grand Palace (with guide), and Wat Pho, as well as a stop (didn't realize this one was coming.....) at the Gem store. We didn't buy anything. You don't have to buy anything. They just drag you there in hopes that you'll find something tempting. You might consider this tour as an option. It was about 4 hours if I remember correctly. But you could pick and choose which parts of the tour were of interest to you, so you would not have to do the whole thing.

Carol

I am also going with Smartours in November. Please post a detailed report. We all learn so much from all the wonderful people on these boards. We have two full days to explore Bangkok on our own. I want to make the most of my time.
Any other suggestions for what to see or places to eat would be fantastic. Thanks to you all.

will definitely report back. we leave tomorrow!

Have a SUPER time!
Carol