TOP 10 THINGS TO DO IN BANGKOK

Bangkok is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies 1,568.7 square kilometres in the Chao Phraya River delta in Central Thailand, and has a population of over 8 million, or 12.6 percent of the country's population. Over 14 million people (22.2 percent) live within the surrounding Bangkok Metropolitan Region, making Bangkok an extreme primate city, dwarfing Thailand's other urban centers in terms of importance.

The city is well known for its vibrant street life and cultural landmarks, as well as its notorious red-light districts. The historic Grand Palace and Buddhist temples including Wat Arun and Wat Pho stand in contrast with other tourist attractions such as the nightlife scenes of Khaosan Road and Patpong. Bangkok is among the world's top tourist destinations. It is a mix of modern buildings, Chinese-style shop houses, simple one-story huts, and grand Buddhist temples. It is named the most visited city in MasterCard's Global Destination Cities Index, and was named "World's Best City" for four consecutive years by Travel + Leisure magazine.

 Top Attractions:

 

 1.   Grand Palace & Wat Phra Kaeo

If there is one must-see sight that no visit to Bangkok would be complete without, it's the dazzling,  spectacular Grand Palace, undoubtedly the city's most famous landmark. Built in 1782 - and for 150 years the home of the Thai King, the Royal court and the administrative seat of government - the Grand Palace of Bangkok is a grand old dame indeed, that continues to have visitors in awe with its beautiful architecture and intricate detail, all of which is a proud salute to the creativity and craftsmanship of Thai people. Within its walls were also the Thai war ministry, state departments, and even the mint. Today, the complex remains the spiritual heart of the Thai Kingdom.

Grand Palace offers a spectacular introduction to the twin themes that weave through almost every aspect of Thai life: Buddhism and royalty. More than 100 mansions, halls, pavilions, temples and pillars make up a fascinating combination of Victorian, Italian Renaissance and other style, the oldest of which dates back 200 years. Head first to the main attraction, the Emerald Buddha, housed in Wat Phra Kaeo, a glitteringly decorative royal chapel. The Buddha is in fact made of jade, not emerald, and at only 1.5 feet high is an almost, invisible figure, perched high on a mountain of gold. Wat Phra Kaeo is the holiest Buddhist site in Thailand and its purpose is to house a sacred artefact – the Emerald Buddha. Outside the Wat complex, to the south, is the Amarindra Winichai Hall, where at one time the people petitioned the king. Every new king spends the first night after his coronation here, where coronation ceremonies still take place. King Bhumibol makes his birthday speech at the Hall. There is the Wat Phra Kaeo Museum, which houses a collection of gifts left for the Emerald Buddha.

 

Wat Phra Kaeo

The only entrance to the complex (Grand Palace) is the Gate of Glorious Victory in the middle of the north side on Thanon Na Phra Lan.  More like a small city than a palace, it currently comprises more than 100 buildings, including Wat Phra Kaeo and the former royal residence. As Thailand’s most sacred site, you have to show respect by dressing in smart clothes – no vests, shorts, see-through clothes, sarongs, miniskirts or fisherman’s trousers.

2.   Wat Arun (The Temple of Dawn)

Wat Arun is situated on the west (Thonburi) bank of the Chao Phraya River. It is easily one of the most stunning temples in Bangkok, not only because of its riverside location, but also because the design is very different to the other temples you can visit in Bangkok. Wat Arun (or temple of the dawn) is partly made up of colourfully decorated spires and stands majestically over the water. Wat Arun is almost directly opposite Wat Pho, so it is very easy to get to. From Sapphan Taksin boat pier you can take a river boat that stops at pier 8. From here a small shuttle boat takes you from one side of the river to the other side. Rama II and Rama III built the large central pagoda and surrounding pagodas. The temple is open daily from 08:30 to 5:30.

3.   Floating Market

Even though transactions are more concerned with tourists rather than locals these days, the floating market; boats are still piled high with tropical fruit and vegetables, fresh, ready-to-drink coconut juice and local food cooked from floating kitchens located right on the boat. To enjoy the atmosphere without haggling over prices, try relaxing on a guided boat tour of Damnoen Saduak market. Floating markets are Taling Chan Market, Bang Ku Wiang Market, Tha Kha, and Damnoen Saduak.

4.   Chinatown Bangkok

Bangkok’s Chinatown is a popular tourist attraction and a food haven for new generation gourmands who flock here after sunset to explore the vibrant street-side cuisine. At day time, it’s no less busy, as hordes of shoppers descend upon this 1-km strip and adjacent Charoenkrung Road to get a day’s worth of staple, trade gold, or pay a visit to one of the Chinese temples. Packed with market stalls, street-side restaurants and a dense concentration of gold shops, Chinatown is an experience not to miss. 

5.   Wat Pho (Temple of Reclining Buddha)

Wat Pho (the Temple of the Reclining Buddha) is located behind the Temple of the Emerald Buddha and a must-do for any first-time visitor in Bangkok. It's one of the largest temple complexes in the city and famed for its giant reclining Buddha that measures 46 meters long and is covered in gold leaf. It’s an easy ten minute walk between here and the Grand Palace, and it is recommend coming to Wat Pho second, because even though the golden Buddha here is just as popular many people don’t take the time to wander around the rest of the complex so the experience tends to be far more relaxing. This superlative royal monastery is the city’s largest and oldest. This walled complex was built during the reigns of King Rama I and King Rama III by the best craftsmen in the land and established as the country’s first center of education and arts. In the northwest corner of the courtyard stands the chapel of the Reclining Buddha. The chapel is only slightly bigger that the statue. As for the feet, the vast black soles are beautifully inlaid with delicate mother-of-pearl showing the 108 auspicious signs, which distinguishes the true Buddha. Along one side of the statue are 108 bowls which will bring you good luck and a long life if you put a coin in each. From the reclining Buddha, turn right where four towering pagodas (chedis) with glazed tiling and mosaics commemorate the first kings of the Chakri dynasty founded in 1782.

6.   Chao Phraya River 

The 'Venice of the East' nickname in fact predate Besso's scribblings by hundreds of years. Like Burma's 'Mandalay', it evokes the romance of the Orient, only Bangkok-style: of languid sampans drifting down tree-lined canals, of stoic locals living next to them in floating wooden shophouses, of city life before the advent of tuk-tuks and traffic jams. In places remaining khlongs are, though pungent, still picturesque. Old bridges survive, crooked houses still crowd the waters edge. For a few measly baht you can whiz past them, engulfed in noise and heat and fumes, rancid water flying toward you as the boat surges forwards (for speed and sheer exhilaration they put Venice's gondolas to shame!). Or take a gentle stroll along canal paths, peeking with every few steps into a new home, stepping as you go over shoes or passed elderly ladies watering potted plants.

7.   Chatuchak Weekend Market

Once only popular among wholesalers and traders, Chatuchak Weekend Market has reached a landmark status as a must-visit place for tourists. Its sheer size and diverse collections of merchandise will bring any seasoned shoppers to their knees – this is where you can literally shop ‘till you drop’. The 35-acre area of Chatuchak is home to more than 8,000 market stalls. On a typical weekend, more than 200,000 visitors come here to sift through the goods on offer. Veteran shoppers would agree that just about everything is on sale here, although not all at the best bargain rates. But if you have one weekend in Bangkok, squeeze in a day trip to Chatuchak Weekend Market and you will not be disappointed.

8.   Khao San Road

If Bangkok is a city where East greets West, then Khao San Road is the scene of their collision, the place where they jostle for superiority and poke one another in the eye. With travellers from every corner of the modern world, sleek clubs playing sophisticated sounds, eclectic market stalls, converted VW cocktail bars, and foods tamed to suit the Western palate, it may seem clear who won the fight. This street attracts tourist from around the world. Squeezed into a strip of under a kilometre are stalls three-deep selling clothes, food and souvenirs, as well as a maze of streets with cramped, basic travellers’ accommodation. Less than two kilometres north of the Grand Palace is Thailand’s infamous backpacker ghetto, centered around Khao San Road. The street is now literally jam-packed with bars, nightclubs, and guesthouses. By day, you’ll see visitors from around the globe hanging out, drinking beer and watching Western movies in one of the many guesthouses offering such entertainment. By night, the street explodes into what can only be described as a zoo. Hawkers sell everything from shots of vodka to pad thai to sneakers; bar workers try to lure passerby into bars  promises of cheap drinks; music from the 100 different clubs and bars spills out onto the street.

9.   Soi Cowboy/Nana Plaza/Patpong

Soi Cowboy is a short (150 meter long) street with some 40, mostly go-go, bars, similar to Nana Plaza and Patpong. It caters mainly to tourists and expatriates. It is near Sukhumvit Road, between Sukhumvit Soi 21 (also called Soi Asoke) and Soi 23, within walking distance from the BTS Skytrain's Asok Station and the Bangkok Metro's Sukhumvit Station. Soi Cowboy was named after the cowboy hat-wearing African-American who opened the first bar here in the early 1970s, this red-light district has a more laid-back, carnival-like feel to it than Patpong or Nana Plaza. Flashing neon lights up a colourful streetscape comprised mainly of middle-aged expats, Japanese and western tourists, and of course a lot of sexily dressed girls. Soi Cowboy is just next to Terminal 21, this very popular new shopping mall, so just cross the street and see it for yourself.

Located in Sukhumvit Soi 4, Nana Plaza is Bangkok's naughty central. Notorious for its racy themed go-go bars - from school-girl and leather dominatrix to ladyboy - it's a three storeys of eye-popping activity all focused around a square-shaped central atrium. Unlike at the better-known Soi Cowboy or Patpong, Nana Plaza is a 'more adult' scene. That means no families, no markets and few curious tourists strolling in for a look. It is still worth a look if you are looking for an exotic visual experience, and a photo to talk about when back home. It is considered as the largest sex complex (3-storey) in the world. On the other hand, Patpong, one of the world's most famous red-light districts, is where it all started (Thailand's Go-Go culture). It has even been immortalised in a James Bond chase-sequence. Its two parallel side-streets, found between Silom and Surawongse Roads, house around 100 neon-lit strip bars offering naughty shows and the famous pole-dancing entertainment.

10.  Jim Thompson’s House

The lovely garden-enclosed compound sitting on the bank of the Saen Saeb Canal would have gone completely unnoticed, had it not been for a legacy left behind by a middle-aged American man named Jim Thompson. His elegant residential enclave, comprising six traditional Thai teakwood houses transported from Ayutthaya and Bangkok’s Ban Krua community, echoes Jim Thompson’s 30-year love affair with Southeast Asian art and cultural heritage. An architect by training and an avid collector of Asian objets d’art, Jim Thompson’s keen eyes and flair for design breathed life into everything he touched. After his discharge from military service in 1946, Jim Thompson decided to settle down in Thailand, where he dedicated over 30 years to reviving Thai silk – then a dying cottage industry – and introduced it to the world’s most respectable fashion houses and catwalks in Paris, New York, London and Milan. He disappeared in Malaysia’s Cameron Highlands in 1967 under mysterious circumstances.

Shopping

Siam Square and the surrounding area is the city’s shopping heart. Bangkok's modern, multi-storey shopping malls are a shopaholic's paradise. From the legendary MBK, to the sophisticated Emporium, trendy Siam Discovery and Central World Plaza (the largest shopping mall), or unashamedly upscale Siam Paragon, Bangkok's accommodate every taste, pocket and style. The latest addition to the city's 'mallscape' is the innovative Terminal 21 and Central Plaza Rama 9. 

Siam Paragon

These malls are where you'll find the city's finest fashion stores, global brands, book shops, speciality stores, accessories stands and all kinds of luxury designer lifestyle goods. Not only are you spoiled for choice; it's all super easy to navigate. Modern and air-conditioned, they're also a pleasant alternative to the bustling hot markets, and most complexes are easily accessible via the city's modern and efficient Skytrain (BTS) system. 

MACAU IN A DAY

Macau is a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China. Located across the Pearl River estuary from Hong Kong, until 1999 Macau was an overseas territory of Portugal. Macau lies on the western side of the Pearl River Delta across from Hong Kong, which is about 64 kilometers to the east, and it is also bordered by Guangdong of Mainland China to the north and the South China Sea to the east and south. With an estimated population of around 636,200 living in an area of 30.3 km², it is the most densely populated region in the world. 

As the first and last European colony in Asia, Macau has more visible colonial history than Hong Kong. Walking through the old city you could convince yourself you were in Europe - if the streets were devoid of people and Chinese-language signage. The Portuguese population continues to maintain a tiny presence, but almost all of the population is native Chinese. 

Most people visit Macau to gamble, eat cheap seafood, and shop without crowds. Macau is a fascinating place to just walk around as the place is packed with churches, temples, fortresses and other old buildings bearing an interesting mix of Portuguese and Chinese characteristics. Besides buildings, there are also hundreds of narrow alleyways forming a maze in the old part of Macau where the people of Macau carry out businesses and work.

Macau was geographically divided into three regions: the peninsula and two islands. However, reclamation of the area between Coloane and Taipa has created the fourth region of Cotai (name of combination of the two islands). 

St. Dominic Church was built by Dominican priests in 1587, this church still dominates the small square just north of the Largo do Senado. The church was restored in 1997 and now houses the “Treasure of Sacred Art” displays upstairs, a collection of chalices, paintings and statues.

There are three bridges that connect the main peninsula to the Cotai Strip and the two islands of Taipa and Coloane. There are shuttles that go from The Sands (in the main peninsula) to the Venetian (in Cotai) and back for free. You can walk to almost anywhere from The Sands.

The opening of the Venetian Macao-Resort in 2007 upped the ante for even Vegas-style casino in Macau. With 10.5 million square feet of space of gambling, shopping, eating, and sleeping, it is twice the size of its sister company in Las Vegas. The faux-Renaissance decoration, built-in canals plied by crooning gondolas, live carnival acts, and upscale luxury brands are sheer spectacle, with more than a touch of pretension.

The Venetian casinos light up the night sky

 

The Venetian's lavish interior

City of Dreams (COD) is Macau’s integrated resort located in the middle of three hotels, namely Crown, Hard Rock and Grand Hyatt, COD combines entertainment, high-end shopping and international dining. The City of Dreams is a giant casino with high end fashion shops, a free video 'bubble' show, three hotels and the world's most expensive theatre show. The 'House of Dancing Water' cost US$250 million and the stage holds five Olympic swimming pools worth of water.   

Hotel Lisboa, Macau’s infamous landmark, with its distinctive, labyrinthine interior architecture, now stands in the shadow of its Grand Lisboa sister. The two are connected by a bridge and share facilities. The original casino and the 12-storey round hotel tower were built in 1970 by Stanley Ho, Teddy Yip, Yip Hon and Henry Fok. A 270-room extension was added in 1991 for a total of 927 rooms. As of 2006, yet another extension, the Grand Lisboa, is being built next to the current complex. Therefore a total of 2,362 rooms are in place in Hotel Lisboa as of 2010. This expansion is being done partly in competition with the newly opened Wynn Macau, located right next to the original Casino Lisboa.

Shopping in Senado Square

The City of Dreams offers "The House of Dancing Water," a water-based show about a princess whose kingdom is wrested away by her evil stepmother. The show is the only one of its kind in Asia, the main event taking place in a pool whose depth rises and falls according to the scene.

Macau downtown at night

Harborfront entertainment complex with hotels, casinos, rides, shops and restaurants

Senado Square, Macau’s hub for centuries, is lined with neoclassical-style colonial buildings painted bright pastels. Only pedestrians are allowed on its shiny black-and-white tiles, and the alleys off it are packed with restaurants and shops.

 

The Largo do Senado, at the heart of old Macau. The square, with black-and-white mosaic stones laid in wave pattern and a lively spurting fountain, is lined with a fine array of restored colonial building. Start your walk on this grand plaza, walk through the square, past the McDonald’s and up to the right. Head past St. Dominic’s Church onto Rua de Sao, then left up the hill onto the façade of the Ruins of St. Paul.

At Wynn's Hotel, listen for theme songs as you watch the Wynn’s outdoor Performance Lake dazzle you with flames and fountain jets of whipping water, which entrance gamblers and tourists every 15 minutes from 11 am to midnight. Opened beginning in 2006, the hotel’s expansive, brightly lit gaming room, fine dining, buffet meals, luxury shops, deluxe spa, and trendy suites make it one of the more family-friendly resorts to visit. The hotel is located at the southern end of Macau Peninsula, just near Hotel Lisboa.

Ruins of Sao Paolo, the church façade is a symbol of Macau. Only the magnificent façade, with its intricate carvings and bronze statues, remains from the original Church of Mater Dei, built between 1602 and 1640 and destroyed by fire in 1835. The government began restoration work in 1991, which was completed in 1995.

  

The tiered façade is richly embellished with carvings and statues. The triangular section at the top holds a bronze dove symbolizing the Holy Spirit. Directly below, in an alcove in the second tier, implements of crucifixion flank the Infant Jesus, while angels carry a cross and a scourging pillar. The third tier holds a large statue of Our Lady of Assumption surrounded by angels celebrating her ascension to Heaven. The fourth tier contains statues of four Jesuit notables.

Ruins of St. Paul’s Basilica is a ghostly and imposing structure, looming over the old city, is rightly one of the most popular sight in Macau. When it was first completed, St. Paul’s was hailed as the greatest monument to Christianity in Asia. 

At the Ruins of St. Paul overlooking the old city of Macau, at far end is the Grand Lisboa

Downtown Macau Peninsula

at TurboJet ferry

Ferries from Hong Kong's Macau Ferry Terminal in Sheung Wan on Hong Kong Island operate 24 hours a day at frequencies of every 15-30 minutes by day and hourly at night. In Macau, they dock at the Macau Maritime Ferry Terminal. The cheapest one-way ticket from Hong Kong is about HK$177 (P1,062) and the trip takes one hour. Ferries are operated by TurboJet. Another frequent ferry service is operated by Cotai Jet directly to Taipa from Hong Kong, and there are free shuttle buses to The Venetian from the Ferry Terminal, for quick and easy access to Taipa and Coloane. The main ferry terminal in Macau is the Macau Ferry Terminal (Terminal Maritimo) at the Outer Harbour (Porto Exterior). This is a busy terminal handling most of the sea traffic between Macau and Hong Kong as well as the Chinese ports of Shekou and Shenzhen International Airport. 

Macau is a small place with ever more roads and bridges and an efficient public transport. Getting around the peninsula itself is often best done on foot, but for longer journeys, especially to the Cotai Strip of casinos, there are buses and taxis. Upon arrival at the main ferry terminal, there are free public buses to different hotels and casinos. Tourist guides, some of them Filipinos, abound in the ferry terminal to guide tourist getting around Macau for a fee. But if you have travel books, tourist guides are not necessary.

Precautions:

• You should beware of pickpockets, especially in crowded areas like tourist attractions and the border stations. Pickpockets usually come in a group and use one person to distract people while the others work.
• Be wary of harassment from street prostitutes and hawkers handing out leaflets/flyers.
• After arriving in Macau at the ferry terminal, beware of touts offering cheap rides into town. If you accept their offers, expect to be taken first to shops, which offer the touts commission. Stay safe, and take time to find out suitable public transport routes, or take a proper taxi.