Top Ten Things to do while in Bangkok, Thailand

When I asked Angel Deal, our featured guest traveler, what her top ten things to do in Bangkok, Thailand was…here’s what she said!

1. Floating Market at Wat-ta-Kein

We were able to experience the floating market, hear students play traditional Thai music, and have a covered and very clean market for food and trinkets. There are several places to visit a floating market, just remember they are usually only open on the weekend.

2. Asiatique

There is a great Ferris Wheel to see the river front, but more important great shopping and dining. This is also a location where Muay Thai fighters like to parade around and do demonstrations of their skills. Click on the following link for more details…Asiatique!

3. Grand Palace/Temple of the Emerald Buddha and Museum

This is a very busy place to visit but well worth it, be prepared to dress appropriately, as you must have your knees and shoulders covered and you cannot wear shoes or bring a camera in where the actual Emerald Buddha is housed.

4. MBK, MahboonKrong

Shopping at MBK Center is a must. Seven floors of air conditioned shopping in a safe and fun filled environment. We had such a good time, we went there twice!

5. Erawan Museum or Temple of the Three-Headed Elephant

This museum is where you actually go up inside the Elephants head! Not for those afraid of heights, but fun and beautiful. Once again, dress code is enforced. Click on the following link for more details…Erawan Museum.

6. Dragon Temple

This temple is very hard to find. It is run by super friendly nuns and it is a great find. During certain days, you can actually walk through the dragon’s body. There is also a large turtle cave that you can walk through and a large White Elephant to touch for good-luck!

7. The Ancient Siam

This is where you actually see replicas of the way Thailand was in the past. You can walk through most of the replicas. You are traveling all over Thailand in this one location. Ancient Siam shows the art and culture of Thailand through its architecture. There are stores, street vendors, and a floating market. They allow you to drive through in your own vehicle or you can rent bikes or golf carts. This is such a large place, you do not want to attempt to walk it. Click on the following link for admission and details…Ancient Siam

8. The Bridge over the River Kwai

This is known best for the movie about the building of the Burma Railway during World War II, by prisoners of war. This was a moving trip and included a visit to the cemetery, the replica of the bridge, and a ride on a train that takes you to see the actual Bridge over the River Kwai. Located a couple of hours from Bangkok, in Kanchanaburi, but worth the trip.

9. The Tiger Temple

This is also located in Kanchanaburi and is a unique experience. You can choose several different experiences here, but due to the time, we were unable to feed the baby tigers. Instead, we got to pet and hold the sleeping tigers! This sanctuary is run by monks, who are dedicated to saving tigers and other animals that are being threatened by hunters or abused. All the tigers here have been raised by the monks and although they are still wild animals, we never felt in danger. My girls and my mother held tigers in their laps and posed for pictures, while some (my husband and I) just posed for pictures and petted the tigers. Most were slumbering, some were
awake, all were restrained, humanely.

10. Dinner Boat Cruise

Out of the Riverside Bangkok Hotel, the dinner boat cruise provided great food, an awesome rock band, and the experience of watching traditional Thai dancers. You experience all of this while having the sights of downtown Bangkok in lights as your backdrop…beautiful!

About TADA’s featured Guest Traveler and Story:

Angel Deal is a mother of two beautiful girls, and married to her college sweetheart. When she’s asked where she is from, she usually says North Carolina, but she really grew up everywhere…thanks to her father’s career. Her father, a retired Special Forces Green Beret, met and married her mother in Thailand during one of his two tours in Vietnam. Although Angel was born in Japan, she moved to Thailand when she was two months old and spent a year there. That was the last time she was in Thailand, until this past November. During this trip she was able to visit with her family and even visit her Grandmother, who she hadn’t seen in seventeen years. It was an emotional reunion and one she will treasure forever. Her Aunt, who she also hadn’t seen in seventeen years, as well as her parents, were their official tour guides.

A trip to Thailand was just a dream! Thailand is a beautiful country, but also a very long country. To visit coast to coast going north and south, it would take weeks. They only had two short weeks to visit. They decided trips to Chiang Mai or Phuket were out since they didn’t have the time to spend in a car, or the money for another flight to either location. That said, you can still see tigers and elephants without going to Chiang Mai and beaches are only a couple of hours away from Bangkok instead of six plus hours to Phuket. Angel and her family had the goal of doing some “touristy” things but also to visit the places their local family members wanted to show them. These are their top ten places to visit in Bangkok. *Note that they have children, so all places were kid friendly as well. Also, these are not in any particular order, they all are equally great places to visit.

Thank you for reading, and remember Travel’s A Dance Away! Happy travels everyone!