SIAMSMILES

Bang Krachao, Bangkoks green lung biking tour If you love to be active but have seen all of the tourist highlights of Bangkok a biking tour at Bang Krachao might be something for you. And the best thing is you can arrange it all by your self. Bang Krachao is the green lung of Bangkok. It's like an  peninsula  in the south of Bangkok across the Chao Praya river. There are no high rises or traffic jams but quiet roads and local communities set in a lush green environment. The best way to explore this part of Bangkok is by bike. Check out this blog on how to get there and what to do. How to get there Get to the nearest MRT station and go to queen sirikit station. From there walk to the South to Rama IV road. There are stairs to cross the big road. On the opposite side Klong Toei market starts, which also makes for a very nice day trip. On the roadside take a motorbike taxi and say you want to go to the pier at Klong Toei temple (wat Kloeng Toei). I paid...

Location The hotel is located within a two-minute walk to the two train stations - Asoke and Sukhumvit - that connect the BTS (aboveground) and MRT (underground) train systems.  Being in the business district makes it easily accessible for guests to get around the hotel.  Shopping centres such as Robinsons, Terminal 21 and the Emporium are within walking distance, placing shopping, food and entertainment at close vicinity. Venturing further out is made simple by using the BTS skytrain – Siam Central station, which is only four stops away, is linked by skybridges to the Siam Paragon, Siam Centre shopping malls and Siam Square. Just left to the hotel is a great place for food. It's a local restaurant which sells  street food but offer seating under a roof.  The rooms The 102 stylishly furbished guest rooms are spacious and equipped with comfortabel bed, tv and stereo set, minibar with coffee and tea and other amenities. The bed was per...

Bangkok is famous for its nightlife. From high end clubs, sky bars for smaller or bigger wallets, to backpacker cafes and the infamous agogo bars, you can all find it in the city. Not so long ago the American branch of Hooters also opened in Bangkok and they now have two locations in the city. You can find one branch on Sukhumvit soi 4 just opposite of Nana Plaza. The other branch is on Sukhumvit soi 15 near Asoke. Each location has some pretty girls serving drinks and food and at certain times also perform a small group dance to entertain the clients.  The menu mainly list burgers and wings in different sizes and flavors but in general the food is of good quality. Several draft beers can be ordered and another number of bottled beers are available. Also liquor and shots are sold. Patong beach also has a Hooters branch. Last time I visited they had a charity event for homeless children. For a donation the Hooter girls will wash you...

When in Pattaya and you need transportation to Bangkok there are a few possibilities.  Taking a private taxi, minivan or bus are the most common ways to travel but there also is the possibility to take the train although it's not advised. The bus is one of the most convenient and cheapest ways to travel. There are many busses, about 3 an hour, leaving for Bangkok Ekkemai station. But also a few to Bangkok Morchit and southern terminal. The trip to Ekkemai will take about 2 hours for 119 bht.  Busses have AC and are comfortable enough for the 2 hour trip. 

Conveniently located on Sukhumvit Road between soi 27 and 29 you will find the RetrOasis hotel. It's tucked away from the busy Sukhumvit road therefore quiet but still in the middle of all the action.   The hotel provides 63 rooms all decorated nicely in a funky retro design. Size of the rooms is ok, not to small with good bathroom. Rooms come with mini fridge and water cooker for tea or coffee.  All the rooms are located around a court yard which gives it an intimate feeling. Here you can also find the swimming pool and reception. The hotel provides breakfast at the small coffee corner in the same building as the reception is located. It has a small living room atmosphere to relax and order some nice coffee during the day. About 5 minutes walk will bring you either to the Emporium shopping malls. This area is known for it's fashion boutiques and boosts some of the biggest names in the industry. Walking the other way brings you...

Above Eleven is a rooftop bar and restaurant on the 33 rd floor of the Fraser Suites Sukhumvit in Sukhumvit Soi 11. Every day doors open at 6 pm until 2 am. The entrance is at the back of Fraser suites. The bar and restaurant are surrounded by many other large office and residential towers but still provides a great view of Bangkok. Especially when the sun sets and Bangkok turns on its lights. The rooftop bar is split in two levels so make sure to visit the top one for the best views. And don't forget to visit the toilets, when you do you know why! When I visited the place I was seated next to the glass fence. You could look over it and look straight down 33 floors which did not feel quite that safe. The food was very nice with reasonable portions. Enjoying the view while having a drink is great. As the place is popular with locals and tourists be sure to make reservations. Dress Code: a semi-casual dress code policy is strictly enforced. For gentlemen, dress shor...

Two Three Mansion is a deluxe boutique serviced apartment in the premier residential area of Sukhumvit Road, offering 42 well-appointed rooms in a friendly, tranquil atmosphere. The buildings is tucked away in a small alley but still within close distance of Sukhumvit road, just wave down a motorbike taxi and it will take 2 minutes to get there.  The apartment I stayed in had a large living room with a small kitchen in the corner. Big fridge, stove, microwave and water cooker with coffee and tea are provided. Attached to the living room is the bedroom with big bed and separate bathroom with shower and bath.  Both rooms have a separate airconditioning unit and balcony with great views. Unfortunately the furniture in the room is a bit outdated. I paid around 1500 bht for the room which is a bit on the high end for the room itselve but given the location and quiet neighborhood it's ok.  The building also has a swimming pool and gym whic...

So what would you do? A train is approaching and the crossing gates are about to close. A guy is holding a red flag to warn traffic of the  approaching train and lowers the barriers slowly. Stop and wait for the train to pass would be logic and make the most sense. Why risk your life just to gain another 20 meters in traffic???  Well not in Thailand!! If there's an open spot to slip through the barriers and pass in front of the train, well let's use that  opportunity! Watch  this crazy video and see how motorbikes but also the pedestrian at the end jumps in front of the train.

How to get to Udonthani? Basically there are 3 options available. Go by bus, train or plane. The distance is about 600 kilometers so one would guess taking the train or bus will take about 7 hours. Well guess again.  Although traveling by train is fun I would not advice to use it to cover large distances. For me 3 to 4 hours by train is the max. Also because the train is notorious for is delays. However it is the cheapest option available, especially when buying a third class ticket. To summarize the train will take at least 12 hours but will cost about 250 baht. Next option is the bus. Lot's of busses will leave from Morchit bus station to Udon during the day. Prices will be around 500 baht and travel time 8 hours. But Thai roads are busy so a traffic jam is still possible and the driver might be awake on red bull for the whole journey.  Leaves us with flying. There are a few discount airlines operating in Thailand. Nok air  and  AirAsia  both fly to Udo...

Bangkok Suvarnabhumi airport is one of the biggest airports in the world. It a HUB for South East Asia and handles international and some domestic flights. When getting out of the plane just follow the signs 'immigration' and make sure you have filled out the arrival card which has been handed out in the plane. At immigration they make a photo of you and keep part of the arrival card. Make sure to store the other part of the arrival card (departure card) as you need it when leaving the country. Just behind immigration you find the luggage belts. From here there are 2 options to get into town. Take a taxi or public transport. With the airport rail link (ARL) leaving the airport at the basement it's a quick and cheap option to get to downtown Bangkok. The ARL has connections to the skytrain and metro. Taking a taxi is a good option outside of the rush hour. Leaving the airport a 50 baht surcharge is applied on the meter rate. Including express way fees you can reach most tou...

In a lot of taxis in Bangkok there is a laminated piece of paper hanging from the passenger seat with destinations and prices. Always handy but probably not when you notice it. And back home when you want to find out what the fare would be to a certain destination you can't remember the prices. Well just check out this video. When using a taxi make sure to always ask the driver to put on the meter. Negotiating a fixed price is almost always more expensive. If the driver does not want to use the meter just get out and find another taxi. There are so many driving around that it will not take much time to find one who will use the meter. Also if your using a taxi and do not feel safe just write down the number of the taxi which you can find on the inside of the passenger doors.

Khlong saen saep is a canal running through Bangkok from East to West. It ends, or starts near Wat Saket otherwise known as the golden mount temple. This temple is about a 15 minute walk from Khao San road. Large boats run on the khlong providing easy acces to the big shopping malls at Siam square but also to Makkasan station. The boats on this route are mainly used by locals who commute to their jobs. Tickets are cheap and lot's of boats are on this khlong.  Check out their website  for more information on the schedule and fairs.

Bangkoks main train station Hua Lamphong is a beauty. It's the oldest railway station of the country which is still in it's original state. Opened in 1916 it's the starting point of many trains going to the far corners of Thailand. One of those famous rides is the overnight express train to Chiang Mai. Tickets for this route are often sold out days in advance so you need to reserve in time. A few years ago a number of trains derailed because of poor maintenance on the tracks. This caused massive delays. To get to the station you can use a taxi which is very convenient. The station is located just outside of Chinatown so be prepared for some traffic jams when using the taxi. But the subway (MRT) also ends below Hua Lamphong which therefore might be more convenient to use, depending on where your hotel is located in Bangkok. Around the station there are many touts trying to 'help' you with free advice or to lure you to a specific shop. Just friendly declin...

Bangkok attracts millions of visitors each year from all over the world and once you have visited you will understand why. This is a city filled with action on every corner: visit the many beautiful temples, take a tuk tuk ride along the packed streets of down town Bangkok or take a longtail boat through the canals. Eating in Bangkok is another experience, with local dishes served at street stalls to dining at places on roof tops with dishes prepared by top chefs. Shopping at luxury shopping centres or in one of the many boutiques and markets. Top five-star hotels and small guesthouses all welcome you with the wonderful Thai smile. And no visit to Bangkok would be complete without a glimpse of its famous nightlife – from high end clubs to exotic red-light districts, Bangkok will surprise anyone. A great way of discovering part of Bangkok is taking the boat over the Chao Praya river. Lots of boats cruise up and down the river, one of them is the Chao Praya express boat . Yo...

A nice way to enjoy the skyline of Bangkok is to visit one it the many sky bars. Try to get there just before sunset and be amazed of the beauty the view will bring. Most rooftop bars will have a dresscode, so no shorts and flip flops allowed. If your not sure just give them a call before you head up to the place. During the weekends a reservation might be the only way to get in. Cloud47 at Silom road is one of the best rooftop bars in town. Nested on the top of the United Centre tower it's about a 5 minute walk from BTS Sala Daeng. The entrance is not directly at Silom road and there is no sign pointing out to the entrance. If you stand in front of the United Centre tower just walk a bit to the back into the exit of the car park. Here you'll find some kind of reception with a nice lady helping you getting into the elevator to the 47th floor. No cover charge applied so it can get quite busy even though it can seat up to 500 people.  Exiting the elevator you walk rig...

Those creepy crawling creatures. You don't see them in cities but don't be mistaken, they are certainly out there. Luckily in Bangkok you can enjoy these magnificent without jeopardizing your safety. The Bangkok snake farm is a must see for educational and entertainment reasons. Located at the Bangkok Red Cross Institute near BTS Sala Daeng and MRT Silom it’s easy accessible by public transport. From these stations it’s just a 5 minute walk. The snake farm operates from an old building with a large garden behind it which houses the snakes and a small platform to host the daily shows. There are some pretty huge snakes to be seen. They explain the different types of venom and which snakes are common in Thailand and Asia. At times it can be busy with Thai childeren as schools in Bangkok plan this trip as a nice day out. Snake show start at 2.30 pm on weekdays and 11.00 am on weekends, entrance fee is 200 baht.