Bangkok, Thailand Travel Notes | A dream city of gold, greenery and blooming flowers

I flew to Bangkok between the extremely busy months of March and April. Perhaps because I was busy with my thesis, study and internship before and after departure, I still feel a sense of unreality when I think back to the five days and four nights in Bangkok, as if I had just had a beautiful tropical dream. Bangkok is a warm, colorful, noisy and dreamy city of angels. In late April, I finally had time to sort out my whereabouts and feelings from half a month ago. In this dream city, are you still waiting for my kiss for ten thousand minutes?



Preparation before the Trip

1: Thailand is a country that allows visas on arrival. You need to prepare your passport, flight itinerary (in English), hotel reservation (in English), Tourist visa application form (downloaded from the official website), and a two-inch ID photo with a white background (attached to the tourist visa application form). Each person also needs to pay 2,200 Thai baht. The day I flew to Bangkok was Friday, and I almost didn't need to queue up for a visa on arrival on a working day, but I waited a long time to enter the country. Visas on arrival are very convenient.

2: Visas on arrival require Thai baht, so it is best to exchange them before going to Thailand. If you run out of Thai baht in Thailand, don't worry too much. There are currency exchange places everywhere in Bangkok. When buying things in Thailand, RMB and Thai baht can be roughly calculated at 1:5.

3: There are many practical Thai apps recommended on the Internet. I personally experience that Grab is very useful. Please use it when taking a taxi in Thailand. It uses Chinese. It is as convenient to operate as domestic taxi apps, and you can pay directly in cash. 99.99% of taxis on the streets of Bangkok are scammed. This software can also be used to order takeout, which is also very convenient.

4: Comparing the two airports in Bangkok, Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang, Suvarnabhumi is newly built, larger, and easier to visit. It is farther from the city center, but the rail transit is convenient, but the air tickets are more expensive. Don Muang is the opposite. You can choose for yourself. I suggest that you book a car directly for airport transfers, so you don't need to worry about transportation issues.

Next, let's start our trip to Bangkok——

The first "check-in point" my mother and I visited after leaving the airport was the Mandarin Oriental Hotel on the banks of the Chao Phraya River. Isn't it unusual?

The Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Bangkok was established in the colonial era, satisfying Westerners' fantasies about the Eastern world, which is rich, mysterious, and indulges in sensual pleasures. The history of the hotel is associated with many Travelers and writers.

In 1888, Joseph Conrad completed his masterpiece "The Shadow Line" here. He once described the Mandarin Oriental in Bangkok like this: "This hotel extends infinitely on both sides of the Chao Phraya River. The Grand Palace and famous temples in Thailand are nearby. They are gorgeous but accompanied by desolation. The sun shines vertically, and the mottled shadows of the trees are like tentacles, which are so gorgeous that people can't resist. The beauty of Bangkok is as natural as breathing, penetrating into our bodies through every pore of our bodies and wandering through our limbs."

The Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok is very distinctive. A large number of tropical flowers, palm trees, etc. are full of Southeast Asian style. The white main color is more elegant and is a colonial style. In contrast, there are many luxury hotels on both sides of the Chao Phraya River. My mother and I went to the Peninsula Hotel on the other side because we took the wrong boat. The Peninsula is decorated in Chinese style and is antique. Walking in it, I don’t feel "Bangkok" at all.

Walking in the hotel with garden landscape, feeling its artistic atmosphere and historical precipitation, I naturally have a sense of time and space. I am very satisfied to live in such a hotel with such a time and geographical style. It is worthy of being the first hotel in Bangkok.




Concert in the lobby

I think the Mandarin Oriental's passenger elevator is very special and has never been seen anywhere else. "1" and "2" are its buttons, and the top is not sealed. From here you can sit down to the Mandarin Oriental afternoon tea area. It feels like it was built very early and has been preserved until now.

Then we went to have afternoon tea at Mandarin Oriental, which is divided into Thai, Western and vegetarian styles. We chose Thai and Western.




Of course, the hotel's afternoon tea is good-looking but not tasty, and it hasn't changed even in Thailand. If you really want to try it, call the number on dzdp and make a reservation in English.

But I don't recommend it very much, the price-performance ratio is very low. If I didn't have a complex about Bangkok Maria, I wouldn't come to experience it. (Yes, it's to experience the afternoon tea at Mandarin Oriental, not to eat afternoon tea. My mother and I hardly ate a few bites, it's really not delicious...)

"Bangkok Maria" is a Cantonese song, telling the story of "two girls named Maria, one making a living in Bangkok's red light district, and the other drinking tea with her boyfriend in Mandarin Oriental without worries. The same name, but with two polar destinies."

Red light district, a blurry girl, using her only beauty of youth to whitewash the prosperity
Mandarin Oriental, at the same moment, a girl of the same age is holding my arm and drinking tea
Red light district, no stars can be seen when looking up, tourists spend hundreds of baht to buy her pure love
Mandarin Oriental, still happy, naughty girl asks me to testify to the sky with love
I came to Mandarin Oriental for afternoon tea, originally with the intention of observing Maria's life in Bangkok.

The place for afternoon tea is called The Auther's Lounge, in tribute to many famous writers who have written here, including William Somerset Maugham.

The view when entering the Writer's Lounge, the second floor is only open when VIPs arrive.






The rooms at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel are also very impressive. For example, the "Writers Suite" is named after four British and American writers who once lived here: Conrad, Maugham, Coward, and Michener. However, we simply stayed in a room with a view of the Chao Phraya River. My mother liked the decoration style of the Mandarin Oriental room, but I thought it was very ordinary. I was impressed by the soft and comfortable mattress. There was also a dedicated butler on each floor to provide service, which was very considerate.



After afternoon tea, I went to the room to put my luggage and came to the Chao Phraya River bank of the hotel, just in time for sunset. When I stood at the evening of latitude 13°45′N, feeling the tropical breeze, surrounded by clusters of flowers, and looking at the scenery in front of me, I fell in love with Bangkok for the first time.


This is also where we had our breakfast buffet in the morning.



One thing I like about Thai food is that it uses a lot of eggs, which is very friendly to me who likes egg dishes. But how come the Thai egg pancakes on the Mandarin breakfast menu that I was looking forward to were so bland that they were not as good as the ones I made at home?



ICONSIAM

Next, we finally left Mandarin Oriental. Most hotels on both sides of the Chao Phraya River have shuttle boats (every half an hour) that can take guests to ICONSIAM, which is also on the shore.

ICONSIAM is the newest large shopping building in Bangkok, but I think it is more of a beautiful work of art than a shopping building. Now more and more shopping malls are built like museums.



The baby elephants that greeted us on the shore were so cute. Thailand really is a country that displays hospitality everywhere.



The rooftop of ICONSIAM perfectly matches my impression of Bangkok, with gold, lush vegetation, and colorful flowers, and a waterfall several meters high in the middle, which is spectacular when flowing. It feels unique to Southeast Asia, full of vitality and beauty.




There is also the largest Starbucks in Bangkok on the top floor, where you can enjoy a great view of both sides of the Chao Phraya River. The twilight glow is like a swallow.



We had a meal on the rooftop, which was said to be a Michelin restaurant opened by a Thai royal chef, Luk Kai Thong. The shrimps were cooked in many ways and with many kinds of sauces. I forgot what we chose, but I only remember that my mother was very satisfied with the meal.



I don't really like shrimp, but luckily this plate of rice noodles received unanimous praise from us! However, after the whole meal, I didn't feel amazed.



There is a floating market downstairs in ICONSIAM, which gathers almost all Thai snacks. At the same time, because it is in a shopping mall, it not only replicates the lively atmosphere of the market, but also ensures hygiene. You can't miss ICONSIAM when you come to Bangkok, and you can't miss the floating market when you come to ICONSIAM.





The downside is that there are too many people and few empty seats. I went there in the evening and in the morning. There are fewer people in the morning. The squid skewers are super delicious, and the Thai sauce is really amazing.



There was a long queue for freshly fried rice noodles at the market. I chose the ones that were already prepared. My mother was very dissatisfied and kept complaining about not having hot rice noodles on the first night. The crab shell next to it was filled with fish and egg yolk. I thought it tasted good, but my mother still didn't like it. On the last day, I came to the floating market again and ate some raw marinated salmon. It was delicious (╹ڡ╹ )



There is also this chain milk tea shop in the floating market. It is said to be the most famous Thai milk tea shop in Thailand. I think it is just average.



The Grand Palace and the Emerald Buddha Temple

On the second day in Bangkok, we went to visit historical buildings. The Grand Palace is also on the Chao Phraya River. You can hire a tour guide outside the door, but I don't think it's necessary because you can get a Chinese version of the attraction introduction book at the door, which is very detailed.

The Grand Palace brings together the essence of Thai architecture, painting, sculpture and decoration art. Its style has distinct Siamese architectural art characteristics and is called "Thai Art Encyclopedia".




There are many buildings in the Grand Palace, I will pick some that I remember. The first one is definitely the Emerald Buddha Temple. You have to take off your shoes to enter the Emerald Buddha Temple (there are many places in Thailand where you have to take off your shoes, remember to wear shoes that are easy to take off), and taking pictures is not allowed.

In the Emerald Buddha Temple, there is a jade Buddha carved from a piece of jasper. The jade Buddha is solemn and the temple is full of jewels, but what shocked me the most was the people sitting devoutly around me. I sat there alone for a long time, and finally I don’t know why my eyes were wet.

Probably because I thought that the Jade Buddha has a history of thousands of years, and it has been tossed between northern Thailand and Laos. Finally, it was welcomed back to this temple, watching the warmth and coldness of the world with cold eyes. The people crawling below only live a short life, but here they reveal their most sincere yearning and the most sincere wishes, and all living beings are suffering.

I was moved by the eternal indifference and the instantaneous heat, which seemed to be a longer mood than the Emerald Buddha Temple itself.



The platform outside the Jade Buddha Temple

Then there is Angkor Wat, which is next to the Sutra Library. It is built in imitation of Cambodia's Angkor Wat and is small and exquisite. "Angkor Wat" is also a Cantonese song. The inspiration of the song is that in "In the Mood for Love", Tony Leung Chiu-wai came to Cambodia's Angkor Wat alone and expressed his unspeakable feelings to Angkor Wat.

I didn't know that there was a mini Angkor Wat in the Grand Palace before. I was very surprised. I wanted to get closer and pour out my heart like in the movie, but I was stopped by several signs. Maybe this is the true meaning of the song "seeing flowers in the fog and nothing happened". I heard a saying before that there would be no doomsday if there were Cantonese songs, but when I was at Angkor Wat, I felt that the world was made up of pieces of Cantonese songs.



This is also a building that attracted me on the road. It has a Thai-style roof, but the main body is a Victorian-style building, a combination of Eastern and Western styles.



Finally, I visited two exhibitions in the Grand Palace. The first exhibition was about the items of successive Thai kings. There were only Thai and English explanations. There were many proper nouns such as names and places in English. To be honest, I couldn't understand them. The other exhibition was much more interesting. It was the clothing exhibition of Queen Sirikit, which included many popular sciences about traditional Thai clothing, silk patterns, etc. The environment was very elegant, the atmosphere was very quiet, and even the music was just right.



The venue of Queen Sirikit's fashion exhibition

Damnoen Saduak Floating Market

The biggest feature of this floating market is that there are simple local residents on the shore. Someone will take you shopping along the river by boat. There are many Thai snack shops and souvenir shops on both sides of the river. There are also many people selling snacks and fruits on boats, and you will meet them on the water. But I think it is... not worth going. However, if you have not been to the floating market and want to try shopping on the boat, you can still try it, or choose a more popular floating market.




You can also go ashore and dine in a small restaurant. My mother had Pad Thai, and I had my favorite basil fried chicken with runny eggs, and a glass of cold lychee drink.



Maeklong Railway Market

If I were to talk about the previous floating market, I think you can go if you are interested. I really don't recommend this market. Its characteristic is that when the train comes, people around will retreat, and then when the train passes by, you can only take a short video. The shops beside the railway are not interesting either.



Salt Field Cafe

This is a cafe built next to the salt field. I checked and found that it is not well-known in China. If the tour guide had not taken us there, we probably would not have known about this place. What it means to me is -

That afternoon, after leaving the floating market and the Maeklong Railway Market, my mood became worse. It was not because those two places were really boring, but because I left Bangkok and the Chao Phraya River, I seemed to have seen more of Thailand.

The guy who drove our boat at the floating market, when we asked to get off the boat to eat at a small restaurant, the owner of the restaurant threw him a bottle of Coke on the boat. My mother was on guard because I said at the beginning that I was cheated of a lot of Thai baht by a taxi driver in Bangkok, so she talked to me and asked if this was a kickback, but I don’t think so. When we were on the boat, the guy bought a lot of sausages from a snack boat that drove by, probably planning to have it as lunch. I thought the meatballs sold on that boat looked delicious, so I waved and wanted to buy some. The guy must have thought that I wanted to eat sausages too, so he took the initiative to take one and handed it to me. I think he is a good person.

Thinking of the kind boatman, maybe every day is just circling in the waterway of the market, the shop owners on both sides are exposed to the sun day after day, and the vendors in the Maeklong Railway Market are waiting for the train to run over like fate, and waiting for the train to attract more tourists before leaving. I suddenly feel so sad.

I thought about whether to write this paragraph for a long time, just like the lyricist of "Bangkok Maria" wrote "Are there thousands of Marias in the world with flesh and blood? Whether lovers or passers-by, do I love them? Everyone is full of enthusiasm. It depends on who the object is." Some people say that he has a universal feeling of compassion for the world, and some people feel that only a high-ranking man has emerged, and the so-called humanistic care is just narcissism.

It is also difficult for me to explain my mood. I can only say that I really understood "Bangkok Maria" when I arrived in Bangkok and on that day. It was not until I sat by the window of the Salt Field Cafe, looking at the nature outside the window, the salt fields and the seagulls flying by, that my mood relaxed a little. Nature always has such charm.



But Thai people are really fond of sweet things, so we ordered a cup of the signature sea salt caramel macchiato and a latte. The latte was almost as sweet as the caramel macchiato in China.



Jodd Fairs Night Market

Back in downtown Bangkok, we went to this night market, which I highly recommend. Its specialties are the internet-famous volcanic ribs and fruit beauties. We didn't encounter the fruit beauties. But the internet-famous volcanic ribs tasted really good. My mother and I ordered small portions, and the large portion was spectacular. There were also raw pickled blood clams and raw pickled salmon, which I basically ate. My mother ordered kiwi juice, which she thought was not tasty, but I drank it all, so I thought it was pretty good.



Central Plaza Grand Rama 9 (Bangkok Central Plaza Rama 9 Shopping Center)

The shopping center next to Jodd Fairs is much more affordable than the ICONSIAM I mentioned earlier and the Siam Square shopping district I will mention later. It feels closer to the lives of Thai people. The mall is very large and has everything you need for eating, drinking and playing.

Chinatown

Finally arrived at the rumored Chinatown. I went there in the morning. Chinatown is more lively and beautiful at night. When it comes to specific eating, drinking and shopping, I don’t think Chinatown can give a reason to go there. It’s very ordinary.

But since it’s all Chinatown, who can’t go there once for the feeling of "Chinatowns all over the world are huge emotional complexes, gorgeous illusions behind the archways, but you are wandering in the world for 10,000 nights, you must want to go home for the holidays."



Another feature of Bangkok's Chinatown is that there are many shops selling shark fins and bird's nests. We chose this Yindu Shark Fin Restaurant. The shark fins were terrible. The fish sauce and fresh shrimp tasted okay, but my mother and I felt uncomfortable after eating. My mother even ate only one fresh shrimp. Be careful when dining in Chinatown.

I have always heard about the relationship between Thailand and Teresa Teng, but the only time we heard Teresa Teng's songs in Bangkok was when we walked into this restaurant. "Let Time Pass, I Only Care About You" was playing in the store. They say that where there are Chinese people, there is Teresa Teng's singing. People in my hometown have heard beautiful voices from hip-hop. Every once in a while, new Chinese singers will stand out and lead the trend, but for people who left their homeland many years ago, only when Teresa Teng's "melodic music" sounded can they hear the sound of home.




You can't miss Thai massage when you are in Thailand. We did it in Chinatown. Although we found a shop temporarily, it feels good. The main thing is that it is cost-effective. If you want to experience it, you can choose it online and make an appointment in time. Thai people are really enthusiastic. During the massage, they kept praising my mother for looking young and my baby face. I was so happy.

Four-Faced Buddha and Siam Square Business District

The Four-Faced Buddha is located at the corner of the road in the downtown area. The skyway next to it connects the entire business district such as Siam Paragon, Central Department Store, and Siam Center. It is also called the Buddha of All Prayers. It is considered to have boundless power in Thailand. Amidst the flowers, the Four-Faced Buddha looks at all living beings and prepares to give them infinite blessings.



The four sides of the Four-Faced Buddha all have the same face and posture, but the prayers are different. The front side prays for a prosperous business, the left side prays for a happy marriage, the right side prays for health, and the back side prays for wealth.



When praying to the gods, you usually need a set of offerings, which are sold at the entrance of the Four-Faced Buddha. I think the flowers are very beautiful and the colors are bright.



Next to the Erawan Shrine is the Hyatt Regency Erawan. My mother and I went in to take a look. The decoration felt like a more modern Mandarin Oriental. Next time I come to Bangkok, if I want to visit more of the Siam Square shopping district, I will choose to stay here.



There are seven or eight shopping malls in Siam Square. I went to three of them. Central World and Siam Center are both more affordable shopping malls, and Siam Center is more youthful, fashionable and trendy. Siam Paragon, sandwiched between the two, is like the older ICONSIAM. The three malls are connected to each other through skywalks. The underground of Siam Paragon is also very cute.






The pork knuckle rice in the basement of Siam Paragon is really delicious! The pancakes sold in many markets are also worth a try. The soft and sticky texture is what I like. I also tried this Thai milk tea shop in the skyway from Central World to Siam Paragon. Pang Cha, a Michelin milk tea shop that must be drunk in Thailand, I also think it's average hahaha.



711 and Fruits

Before going to Bangkok, I heard the most that 711 is so fun to shop at, and I went there three times a day. Unfortunately, I am the kind of person who enjoys shopping in convenience stores and eating snacks with others. My mother has no interest in 711, so I didn’t go there many times during this trip to Bangkok.

But 711 is really cost-effective, and you can use WeChat Pay/AliPay directly. I bought four drinks on the first day, including freshly made milk tea. Thai drinks can be summed up in one word: sweet. The Beauti Drink on the left was recommended to me by someone a few years ago. It’s so sweet.



The milk tea at 711 was recommended to me by someone before I went there. The main feature is that you can make it yourself and add as much ice as you want. Why add more ice? Because it is too sweet... I am a person who loves sweets, but in Bangkok I am often choked by sweets...



711 also has a sandwich with cheese and sausage between the bread. I ate it for breakfast and it tasted good, although I don’t think it has local characteristics.

Just like I look forward to 711, my mother looks forward to the fruits in Bangkok, especially her favorite mangosteen. She showed off a big bag of it on the tour guide’s car on the first day, but she said that the price has increased compared to when she came to Thailand before.



Sukhumvit

This is a small regret of my visit to Bangkok this time, that is, I didn't go to the Sukhumvit business district. This is where Japanese people live and gather, and it is the wealthy area of ​​Bangkok. There are many chill coffee shops and brunch, as well as boutiques of niche designer brands. Everything is of interest to me. Friends who are also interested in this should not miss it.

After returning from Bangkok, I have been thinking about this question, why do I think Bangkok is dreamy, this evaluation does not have too much emotional attitude, but more of an objective statement, because I have cities that I like more than Bangkok, but I don't think they are dreamy.

I discussed with my friends, we said that because it is tropical, because it is humid, because "Bangkok only has summer nights, and my heart only has Bangkok", I probably figured out a little bit, why do I think Bangkok is a dream city, waiting for my kiss for ten thousand minutes, because Bangkok is the most popular travel destination in the world, it always has a side that is presented to tourists, and it always has a reason to exist for tourists.

If Tokyo, which is extremely large and extremely cold, is cold yet beautiful, then Bangkok, which is bustling and never quiet at night, is beautiful because it is dreamy. It is always waiting for people's favor in their dreams. I finally said goodbye to Bangkok in a dreamy spring night.