Travelling in Bangkok – What to Do

August 25, 2022

Bangkok is a beautiful place. I live in Borphut, a city in the north of Thailand and I revisited Bangkok this weekend. I originally travelled there in early 2007. That was before the trip to Ubon and after a few months of holidaying in Thailand most of us had tussled our way back to the Thailand mainland. There are plenty of great places to visit in Thailand. If you are visiting the central part of Thailand you could spend a week there and still not get to see it all. That is why it makes sense to plan your vacation in this way. You will have plenty of time to see the places that you have missed. One of the interesting things that you will find in Bangkok is the street shopping. For those of you who have not travelled Thailand or are new to the place it is a sight to behold. Shops selling all manner of items from food to clothes to clothes or handbags to shoes can be seen on every street. The colours range from rich earth tones to light colours such as lemon yellow and purple.

If you want to go to a more mainstream location you will not be disappointed. There are shopping malls, three or four storey buildings to choose from. These are called ‘tuk tuk’ shops as opposed to Western style shops. A tuk tuk shop is much like a taxi shop. Here you will be issued with a card when you arrive at a particular shop regarding the destination. This card is what is known as an ‘app valet’. When you arrive at a shop and hands over the card the meter starts to start the tuk tuk. The man behind the counter then donates a few bahts (e.g. 100 bahts) and hands the item over to you. You have to pay the fare using this method at any time. Aware of the ‘tam come’ moment that they could be used with out the aid of a shop. Tamasha is the name for these shops. They are also called mini bahams. The rooms are cramped and sometimes the ceilings have fallen down due to dampness ingress. That is why you see a lot of damp people lying on the floor. The proprietors monitor the climate there by ensuring that the air flows in the rooms. They also ensure that the doors are always left open. Tourists frequently complain about the food served at these places. Well I can’t tell you to complain as I know if I were to do so I would get into big trouble.

I once ate here and I thought the food was very tasty. While there are differences it is still very good. Many of the shop keepers in Bangkok work as taxi drivers. The majority of them are very honest and helpful. The only bad thing is they seem to anticipate that their fares will go up. They will drive continuously as long as the traffic permits. This is an amazing view as the traffic generally slows down to an amazing speed while they chatiously chat away. You need to watch out for the shop keepers as they will try to squeeze in between the cars and you will get crammed into the narrow streets. So it’s best to stick to public transportation. Most of the street shops sell arts and crafts. However it is also common that they sell cigarettes and have a stall just on the side of the road. Be careful not to get trapped in a side street because you don’t know whether the owner is paying the taxi fare or selling cigarettes.