I visited Bangkok for about a week, in late April 1999, after previously spending time in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City).

To be honest, I probably should have only spent three days in Bangkok. The city is crowded, not very nice to look at, and the air quality is headed downhill fast.

I MUST point out that I think my impression of Bangkok is colored by my time in Saigon -- compared to Saigon, Bangkok is uglier, has worse traffic (giant trucks in Bangkok, small mopeds in Saigon), has less friendly people, is more expensive, and feels more dangerous. If I had never seen Saigon, I'm POSITIVE that my impression of Bangkok would be better.

Having said that, Bangkok is home to some truly impressive temple complexes, and is definitely worth a short visit. Wat Po and Wat Pra Keo are both worth seeing. Khao San road has some reasonably interesting cafes, although you'd be better off hunting for roadside establishments in the alleys toward the river (over by Banglampoo and Thammasat University).

If you're new to Asia, then by all means give Bangkok a quick visit -- it's certainly different, and exciting in it's own way. The temples are DEFINITELY worth seeing, unless you've already been to Siem Reap, Luang Prabang, or someplace like that.

A few tips:
1) pay appropriate respect to the Thai monarchy. The Thais tend to take it seriously, and frankly they've actually got a pretty good King.

2) when trying to cross the street, watch to see what the Thais do. If you see several of them make a break for it, FOLLOW! But be warned; it's easy to get killed if you don't move quickly.

3) I stayed in a place called the New World (not related to the multinational hotel chain of the same name) that was rife with bugs. My friend and I decided to pony up the $36/night it cost to stay in the Royal Hotel, which was MUCH more pleasant. Mind you, the Royal resembles pretty much every other hotel in the world, but it was clean, had A/C, and no bugs.

4) if you're going to be out and about in Bangkok, the Tuktuk taxis work pretty well as long as it isn't raining. Sure, they're tiny little three-wheeled affairs, but the drivers seem to be pretty good.

5) if you're hard up for entertainment, the cafes along Khao San Road show pirated movies all day every day, for free. Buy some food and watch.

6) The Thais take their religion seriously. Be nice and observe their restrictions. If you see a pile of shoes outside a temple, TAKE YOUR SHOES OFF. Also, when visiting temples, be sure to wear modest clothing; long pants, decent shirts (button-down is OK) and be circumspect -- don't use a flash camera to take a snapshot of someone praying.



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