When approached by a gentleman with a nice camera asking to take photos of you at some of the tourist sites, politely and firmly refuse. He is most likely a "tout" sent to take you to specific tourist sites where you'll be asked to spend a lot of your money on souvenirs and trinkets. Smile and walk away!

You can survive on very little money in Bangkok but be wary of the locals trying to rip you off. Always take a radio taxi from the airport, not just someone touting for business, as you may end up paying double. The floating markets and the bridge over the river kwai are must do's as is the grand palace! Khao San road is also the place to be at night.

Apparently the food in Bangkok are good.. I enjoyed but it seemed that I gained weight after the trip. Floating market is the specialty of Bangkok.

I'm native born here so I will suggest you to go to Wat Pra Kaew near the Royal Palace even it's a tourist attraction but i think it will be worth to go there ! you will never get to see any place like this. Also if you like the nightlife, you can go to Sukhumvit Road or Khaosan Road it depends on what kind of nightlife you like...Sukhumvit is more like clubbing but Khaosan Road always full with foreigners and tourists who love nightlife. The teenager's part is Siam ! you can take a BTS there.Finally, please beware of your wallet all the time ! there are lots of pickpokets in bkk ! hope you have fun there like i do !

Thaiboxing-walhalla.. All fans MUST see a fight at the infamous Lumpinee-stadium!

Last night, people from all over Thailand sat up to watch the most spectacular light-show in history as the annual Leonids meteor shower rained down on the country - Except me, because I was sleeping off my flight. I half expected to wake up this morning and find that everyone else was blind and that man-eating plants were roaming the streets(1), but according to The Nation, the countries independent newspaper which was pushed under my door at dawn, the whole thing turned out to be a major disappointment. Since I was too jetlagged to stay up and watch, though, I cannot comment on what a major disappointment might be by Thai standards - this is, after all, a country which likes to cover it's temples in Gold! After recovering from breakfast, I headed out to see what this famous land of temptation had to offer - But it's not like that at all. Between the buildings, there is the constant glint of the out-of-town gold encrusted temples, and across the road from the hotel is the beautiful Limphini Park, which a booklet in my room suggests would be an ideal place to go jogging in the early morning heat. This is the same booklet which I filed carefully in the bin after laughing wholeheartedly at it for some time. There is something oddly disturbing about Bangkok - You can sense that it is there, but can never quite put your finger on it. You can walk for miles in any direction, along seemingly endless streets of shops with people begging outside, but never actually seem to get anywhere.
Occasionally, Patpong looms up expectedly in front of you, screaming out "Look - Sex here". It doesn't seem to matter which way you go, either, all roads seem to twist and turn until you find yourself back at the red light district. Or is it just me?!? Bangkok also has an unpleasant smell to it in places, which seems to go away if you move a little way up the street: I have absolutely no clue as to what this is. Within ten minutes of walking, it is vitally important to sit down for an hour and take a course of rehydration therapy - I have never been so hot in my life. When I got back to the Dusit Thani this morning, after a little over an hour outside, a maid was making up my bed, and she burst into fits of giggles when I staggered through the door, my previously top of the range shirt looking as though I had been swimming in Limphini lake with all my clothes on:
"You take Tee-Shirt next time," she advised me helpfully. Personally, I think I'd still be sweating if I'd gone out wearing nothing but a loincloth. Tonight, I decided to take a stroll up to a local restaurant for a bite to eat. On the way out of the hotel, I was accosted by a taxi driver who wanted to know where he could take me. Having explained politely that I was only going up the road, he called after me: "You come back later for Massage, yes?" I can only assume that he wanted to take me to a massage parlour, rather than perform the service himself. You never can tell in Bangkok. Trying to cross the road here is really something that has to be experienced. The traffic lights don't seem to perform any real function of value: Red means Stop, and Green means "Look, there's a British tourist - Put your foot down!"
Now, I realise that this might sound a little on the paranoid side, but I really cannot make any sense of the logic behind the system. When a light turns red on a busy crossroads, only one flow of cars seems to stop, the other three just head on into the junction and try to weave around each other. It really is lucky that Bangkok seems to have one of the most modern monorail systems I've seen, its sleek new trains sailing over my head as I walk down the street; its stations long and accommodating and the route maps easy to follow even for foreigners. There's no problem finding your way around Bangkok by train, it's only when you get down to street level at your destination that the head scratching begins. Many a British tourist can be found standing on street corners, dripping with sweat, peering myopically over a large unfolded map and trying not to lose the will to live! On my way to the restaurant, I noticed that Bangkok really does seem to come alive at night: The streets are all lit up Vegas style, and the beggars are replaced by hookers plying their trade. I was propositioned outside Burger King by the most seductive thing on two legs, and she was just trying to sell me a Whopper. I finally reached my destination, and was served a lump of meat which looked as though it had been cooked for all of twelve seconds. I could see the plague coming out. Still, it was a hot meal, so I tucked in and took my chances.
They had something on the menu called "Samurai Pork", which I was strongly tempted to try instead purely out of unwise curiosity, but then I had visions of big Japanese warriors with ceremonial swords chasing squealing pigs around the kitchen, and I went off the idea. I am getting the distinct feeling that Bangkok is one of those places you should see before you die, but once you've seen it you'll want to move on quickly. Two days in Bangkok is probably all you'll ever need. (1) If you don't understand this reference, or just think I've gone totally mad, you should read John Wyndham's Day of the Triffids . Anyway, it's a classic so you really should know what I'm on about, right?
You can read my complete travel journals at http://www.offexploring.com/globalwanderer

Stopping off in Bangkok this morning for a look around the temples, I was approached by a local Chap and asked if I would like him to take me on a tour of the local temples. I must have given him one of my trademarked furtive looks because he immediately started producing reams of maps and documents from his capacious pockets and laying them out on the road for me to look at, as though this would somehow prove that he was actually nothing more than a loveable and slightly eccentric local character! But unfortunately for him, I had been pre-warned of this particular scam... In case you are unfamiliar with the facts, allow me to fill you in. Wherever you go in Bangkok (and probably elsewhere too), you may at some point encounter somebody very eager to show you around their city. Now, don't get me wrong here - the Thai people are well known for their hospitality and are some of the nicest people I've ever come across, but if somebody stops you on the street and offers to show you around the city instead of whatever it is they were planning on doing with their day, you have to ask what's in it for them! Anyway, in this particular scam, a total stranger will approach you in the street and offer to show you around his fair city, claiming to have taken pity on a lonely tourist. He may well then proceed to give you a perfectly good sightseeing tour of the local area, building up your trust. At some point, though, this good Samaritan will almost certainly miraculously remember that his friend happens to work in a local gem shop - and since the two of you have now become such good friends, wouldn't it be great if he could persuade the gem shop owner to give you a big discount so that you can go home with an amazing keepsake? Except, of course, that going down this route will leave you out of pocket and in possession of a worthless chunk of glass. Being well aware of this scam, and keeping strictly to the lighted roadways and busy temples, I spent my last couple of hours in the area partaking of a particularly fine guided tour of the local market and places of worship, at no cost to myself. I marvelled as every turn presented me with a more incredible temple than the last, gold encrusted archways and Buddha statues dazzling me on every corner, and wandered through the temples staring around with suitable amounts of awe. Then, at an opportune moment, my guide suddenly remembered that his friend ran a jewellery shop and could probably get me a discount.
"Oh, what a shame." I told him sadly, "I've got to catch a bus in a few minutes. Perhaps next time. I really am so sorry. Bye, then... thanks so much for the tour!"You can read my complete travel journals at www.offexploring.com/globalwanderer

If you are in Bankgok you have to take Tuk Tuk. It's cheaper and faster than a taxi. And, of course, you have to try a Thai massage.

Becareful with the ladyboys!!!!

a very dirty and crowded city. But fantastic to be there!!! the people are so welcoming and warm!!!