Tourist Tips for First Time Visitors to Bangkok

I had just come back from a week long celebration of Songkran in Bangkok. It was quite a fun and exhilarating experience to say the least. Songkran in Bangkok is definitely one of the best times to visit Thailand and once all the wet and wild parties are done, it is also the best place to dine and shop. I shall be talking more about my Songkran experience in a following article, but for now I have come to realize through friends that there are many questions about what one has to do and prepare for if ever they do decide to visit Bangkok. Below is a compiled list of things to take note of when visiting Bangkok, Thailand.

1. Download a Map of Bangkok and Get a Paper Copy just in case. That includes the Map of the BTS which is quite a budget saver once you figure your way around the Metro using it. Personally it isn't too hard to figure out and the Thai's are quite helpful enough to guide you to where you need to go. I also recommend checking the map but dont make it too obvious as unfortunately there are like in many countries tourist trolls waiting to catch a quick buck from first time unsuspecting travelers. There are tourist assistant stations at the airport and the hotel where you can get information on how to get around to and from your chosen destinations.

For Android users:
- Bangkok City Guide App
- Bangkok Fare Calculator

2. Drink Lots of Fluids. Bangkok is a very humid city and if you aren't too careful, you might find yourself rather dehydrated badly. Luckily there are a lot of 7/11 shops at almost every corner of Bangkok and from experience the prices aren't too far if not similar to that of the regular grocery rates. You can also buy drinks from street vendors, but be careful to only drink from sealed bottles and cans. The water from the faucets of Bangkok is not drinkable.

3. Beware of Scammers. As I have mentioned earlier, walking around with a map is like walking around with a big sign to everyone that you are a willing target for scammers. When someone asks you if it is your first time in Bangkok, even if it is, say that you have been here several times. The favorite spots for scammers are in the tourist spots and can be the most polite person imaginable saying that The Grand Palace is closed for the moment and shall direct you to another location and set up a tuk tuk ride for you. You'd be surprised as to how extensive and seemingly organized they can be at getting tourists to believe them. If you fall prey to them, you'd be lucky to simply get forced to go to souvenir shop after souvenir shop. The worst is that you might end up loosing every dime and getting swindled into buying fake jewels. The general rule is that if a Thai approaches you, they'd be after something other than just a simple chat.

4. Barter but barter gently. Bangkok is a street market culture. From the break of dawn till the wee hours of the night, you'd be greeted with a sight of street vendors, peddling products that range from local produce to clothing and accessories. You can haggle for a discount of roughly about 10-40% and if the price doesn't seem right for you, you can by all means simply walk away, though generally that'll get you a last ditch price negotiation. Be very careful though when buying gadgets off the street as you would most likely be getting a knock off.

5. Go for an Organized Tour. Even if one would have those useful travel applications that would help guide you to the best tourist spots, it is still best to go with a tour guide that can help you go through these spots with less hassle and even give you tidbits of history. You can book it with your hotel and this helps keeps the scammers at bay.

6. Always carry a photocopy of your passport and an ID. There are many times when you might encounter ID checks especially at certain establishments that need an age verification prior to being allowed entry. It also is a good thing to have in cases of emergencies.

7. When grabbing a Cab/Taxi, insist on running the meter. There will be times when a taxi driver shall try to swindle you if this isn't done. You should also have a Thai translation written on Paper of where you want to go and instructions on how to get there which can be done by the Tourist Assistant Desk in the Airport and Hotel. You are however responsible for any Toll Fees along the way so please prepare some change. There are only but a few places though that I have encountered where I needed to use a Cab/Taxi in Bangkok as most of the places like Siam and Silom are quite accessible via BTS.

Overall Bangkok is such an amazing city to visit and the food is just so good, whether it be street food or from a fine dining restaurant. The people are generally nice and quite helpful and there is always something new happening every time you get to come back for a visit. The historical sites are a must see and Songkran is a must experience. Best time to visit Thailand is practically all year round and there is no dull day as there are so many things you can get to do and visit in Bangkok. Just remember to keep an open mind and be street smart ;)

Till Next Time...

-Metz-

Mango Tree Restaurant @ The Fort - Thai Cuisine at its Best

I have been a fan of Thai Cuisine ever since I got my first hand experience of it when we last paid a visit to Bangkok at the early part of this year. Now that I am back home in Manila, there would be times when I would find myself craving for that gourmet type of experience that I have had in my trip to Thailand. There are very few notable Thai restaurants that can be found in Metro Manila and of those Mango Tree Restaurant is the one that stands out amongst all of them.

Mango Tree Restaurant is now fast becoming the most visited Thai restaurant in the Metro Manila area for many reasons, but it is the quality of their service coupled with that of their scrumptious and delectable dishes that keeps people coming back for more. The ambiance of the location also speaks much of what one would be expecting of their cuisine. Once you walk in one can immediately notice the Thai ambiance of elegance that they have sought to deliver its guests. The service is quite fast and very personalized and the food choices is something to be admired as it presented in such an artful display considering that they would only take but a few minutes to prepare your lunch/dinner choices from scratch.

Here is what Mango Tree has to say about their history and how they got started in the Philippines.

Thai cuisine is certainly one of the favorite cuisines of the world and world-renowned Thai restaurant Mango Tree has recently landed in Bonifacio High Street Central, Taguig. Mango Tree, being a casual fine dining restaurant, ensures every guest has their memorable experience with its Thai lifestyle cooking and warm hospitality. 

After the tremendous success of 2 previous outlets of Mango Tree Bistro in Quezon City and Makati City, Mother Spice Food Corp. unfurls the new Mango Tree with the memorable tagline, “Thai Cuisine at Its Best”, serving as the city’s new dining beacon subsequent to its popular outlets in Bangkok, Dubai, London, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Doha. 

Mango Tree ranks as a world-class restaurant with dedicated Thai traditions and hospitality and is ready to open its doors to welcoming guests with the freshest ingredients and incredible flavors. Headed by seasoned Chef Siwat Korsem with experience in Thai cuisine for over 27 years, Chef Korsem will continue Mango Tree’s vision of ensuring that every customer is satisfied with the complexity of tastes by using only the best and freshest ingredients, an array of nutritious Thai organic herb and spices and the cooking lifestyle that would spell an impeccable experience always. 

Mango Tree’s menu brings together the best of all four regions of Thailand. Its signature dishes include Miang Kham, Yum Pla Duk Fu, Gai Hor Bai Toey, Goong Mare Nam Pow, Kae Yang, Khor Moo Yang, Tom Yum Goong, Gaeng Phed Ped Yang, Panang Kae, Poo Phad Phong Ka Ree, Pla Krapong Neung Ma Now, Phad Phak Bung Fai Daeng, Phad Thai Goong, Khao Niew Ma Muang – all to challenge the customers’ taste buds. They are all destined to bring a true and unforgettable Thai cuisine experience. 

Mango Tree… Thai cuisine at its best.

Here are some of the notable dishes that I consider as my favorite arranged from Appetizers to Dessert:

Miam Khang

Crispy coconut, savoury herbs with green bitter leaves and tamarind sauce

Tod Mun Goong

Deep fried shrimp cakes served with sweet chili sauce

Pla Muek Yang

Grilled squid served with spicy lime, garlic and chili dipping sauce

Kaeng Liang Goong Sod

Grilled squid served with spicy lime, garlic and chili dipping sauce

Poo Phad Phong Ka Ree

Stir-fried fresh mud crab with onion and yellow curry powder (whole or meat only)

Tow Hoo Phad Med Ma-Maung

Stir-fried tofu with cashew nuts, capsicum and onion

Khao Kloo Kapi

Stir-fried rice with shrimp paste

Khao Niew Ma Muang

Ripe fresh mango served with sticky rice

All of those would usually be on my order list once me, my family and friends would visit the Mango Tree Restaurant at the Fort. For those that are worried about allergies or are vegans, I am pleased to mention that their menu has a label for each menu where "s" indicates shellfish is present, "v" indicates its good for vegans, "n" means food has nuts, "w" means that the food has wheat. That is something that is lacking in many or the other restaurants and is particularly important when you are in a resto where the names of the food may seem rather strange at times.

I really enjoy getting to eat here quite often, price range is a little above average but one can see that the food and service is well worth the price. I would probably say you'd be spending about Php 300++ per meal and for a group of 6 people it'll be like Php 600++ per head to keep everyone full and satisfied since most of the serving sizes are for sharing(though if you have a huge appetite I guess Php 1K per head might be a better budget).

If you want to know more, or make a reservation with Mango Tree Restaurant click the following link:
Mango Tree Restaurant

Happy Dining.... Till the Next Time

Amazing Bangkok: Day 3 - Floating Market Tour

This is going to be the third day feature of our Bangkok Trip. In this third article you'll get to see the sights of the Popular Floating Market. Surprisingly I found out that almost every hotel would be able to set you up for a day or overnight stay at the Floating Market. One had to give a day's notice to the receptionist to schedule the trip. The tour group that handles the tour can speak manageable english which is good enough and once you've reached the place its pretty much no guide and you can pretty much go around and check everything out yourselves as long as you get to follow the meet up time expectations.

This is the welcoming sign to the floating market. The sign is also a bridge that connects the two sides of the riverbank

Here's what we saw on the day of our Floating Market Tour

The usual mode of transportation from the hotel to the Floating Market were these vans which took us about 1 1/2 hours to get there. One thing to note - vehicles in Bangkok are right hand driving

Once there you'd be briefed of the meet up times and possible activities one can do there are the market. This is the boat's dock where you are to ride one of these boats taxi's that'll take you around the Floating Market. For the locals living here, traveling and marketing their produce by boat is a regular day by day thing for them.

Boat service at the time of this writing is at 150 Baht, once you board the boat there will be a camera man to take your photo which he will later on sell to you once you get back to the boat dock. The picture will be in a small plate which is quite a cool souvenir to take home with you.  

This is an example of what one is about to see as the boat service brings you around the market place.

The water is rather dark but thankfully not stinky. They have been able to keep it from smelling irregardless of how seemingly dark the water looks. 

Boat traffic is quite common at the Floating Market and it is advised by everyone including the one paddling the boat to please keep your hands inside the boat and not on the edge as your hands and arms may get injured if caught between two boats.

Not everything being sold in the market place are on the boats but is still quite accessible. Simply inform the boat service guide to bring you to a store you find interesting by the river bank.

A lot of the shops are quite unique and features a lot of souvenir items one can bring home to family and friends. Not all of them accept credit card transactions, but surprisingly there were some that do accept card transactions. But if I were you carry enough cash for trips rather than charging your cards and getting horribly surprised with the bill once you reach home.

The boat vendors are also known for selling rather sweet and scrumptious meals and fruits. Some of them are able to cook in their little boats. 

Boat Traffic as you can see here is both fun and stressful depending on how you take in the scene. Us we took it as a picture opportunity. As mentioned earlier do remember to keep your arms and hands within the boat or get the risk of being painfully squished in the boat traffic jam. 

There are so many things to buy here at the Floating Market and they seem to have something for everyone. 

I am always amused as to how resourceful people can be in their given environment. Who would've imagined cooking let alone barbecuing in a tiny space such as this. Mind you everything smelled so delish.

In case you were thirsty you can always buy from one of the boat vendors ice cold drinks both local and international brands, but if I were you I'd recommend trying the local branded drinks. The unique taste can be quite pleasing to the palate and besides you wont be able to get a taste of them when you are back home. 

Fresh Fruits from the local farm around the river is always so tasty. Lots of bananas and mangoes are being sold  here at this picture and I have to say they are very sweet. And what is so cool is that they all do it with a smile that is genuine and heartfelt.

Be prepared to be met with so much culture and history in the boat trip not to mention the different colors that represent Thailand as a Nation is present even here.

As you can see here, the boats are mostly paddle power. There are other boats that are motor powered but that is for the second part of the Floating Market tour that'll bring you to more of the wonderful sights along the river.

A lot of the items for sale are indicative of their religious beliefs, in this case Buddhism. Special thing to mention here is that you aren't allowed to check in a Buddha statue - you can only hand carry the statue.

Everything is so colorful in Bangkok, even here in the market one can see how much they love to incorporate colors into their products. 

All of those herbs and spices that one has a somewhat hard time looking for in supermarkets are easily found here and fresh. The price is most likely a whole lot cheaper than any other place.

The items sold here vary from religious items to fashionable outfits such as these bags and hats.

As one can see most of the shops are only accessible through the boat ride. Simply tell the boat lady(most of the one's paddling are women) to bring you to a shop that suits your fancy.

Here you can see a lot of the hand crafted novelty items one can bring home to family and friends.

This is one of my favorite shops along the river cause of the ingenious designs made from wire. They have crafted items to resemble that of motorbikes to even toys such as transformers for the kids and collectors alike.

This is just one of the few stores that accept credit card payments and even provides the money changer service for those that forgot to change their money to Baht.

Wood carving arts are also quite common along the river. All of them were quite exquisite and if we had more in terms of baggage limit would have loved to bring quite  number of them home.

Here you can see the motor boats and the bridge that serves as a walkway for the local residents from one side of the river to the other. Though I haven't seen anyone actually use the bridge. I would presume they are too used to simply using their boats as the main mode of transport here.

These are some of the homes along the river with their own mini boat ports.

The Floating Market is no small area as you can see here. There is an entire community that thrives very well here.

You'll also notice that they too have specialized shrines for their Gods along the river. Some big some small but all showing how much respect they have their beliefs.

The walkways from home to home as shown here are quite simple but more than enough for their needs.

There are parts of the river that actually get wider than what was shown earlier. The height of the bridge and homes also indicate that the water levels here tend to go up periodically.

There are even cute coffee shops and cafes that one can stop over and enjoy the scenery with. 

From here we dock and start talking the walking tour of the Floating Market:

Here they are making my favorite Thai dessert: Sticky Rice and Mango yum!!!

HEre are more desserts one can try, but was already too full to try it. But they smelled so delicious nonetheless.

I love how the place is setup. So much life and color around the Floating Market not to mention the food!! :D

I even got sight of these chinese medicinal herbs that are supposedly good for different ailments.  

Satay Anyone??? This is one of the local favorites and so is that Coconut in the background. 

I was really marveling at how much life and how thriving the commerce was here in the Floating Market. I have to warn you that you can't leave the place until you have tried and seen all that there is to see especially the food here.

Something that you shouldn't pass up. Spices and more than one could count all fresh and so cheap.

Dried Fish anyone?? :) tasty

Here people just cant get enough of the food here :)  

These are little toys that you can bring home to the kids :) both big and small

Even in a place like this there are advertisements. Notice that this ad has a QR code because most of the Thai's are completely wired digitally.

This was one of my favorite things to try there - reminds me of Takuyaki balls but instead of octopus or squid they use spring onions and other veggies as fillings.

For those that want a full meal there are tiny cafes and riverside restos that one can eat at such as the one above

The first impression of the river isn't exactly as welcoming but it isn't so bad. The color is mostly due to the increase of water plants due to the high amount of nutrients it gets from the farms and people around it. Though generally it kills the oxygen of the water I believe the locals are working on improving it's condition. There is no smell that comes out of the river either so that is something to be at ease with.

This is where we started touring the rest of the river side away from the floating market to see the different farm lands and residences that are around the place. The Thai's are very proud of how they have been able to preserve this part of their culture and dont be surprised to see satellite TV in every household here. Their farmers are very well compensated and taken care of.

One of the larger shrines that I have noticed in the river tour. I presume the more well off a family is the larger their shrine is, but irregardless I am impressed as to how they really honor their deities. 

The stretch of farm lands are really beautiful. 

This is one of the town halls that we spotted as we toured the river.

The place is really lush with plantation. I felt quite at ease here for some odd reason considering that I am a full fledged urbanite.

This is one of the Inn's along the river where guests can check in for the night. It also is the mark of the end of the tour for those that opted for the day tour of the Floating market like us.

These are the places where the guests will be staying if they decide to stay for the night. First impression was like a motel taxi room but with a nice rustic feel of the place.

Beside the River Side in is an antique shop which reminds me of the History Channel show The Pickers. If they had a chance to get there I am pretty sure they would go gaga over the stuff displayed here, most especially at the cost.

This is a quaint little coffe shop/bar for the guest of this inn. From here our van was waiting to take us home.

From the hotel to the Floating Market to back home, roughly took us the whole day. My advice is to schedule this early on your trip to Bangkok so that you can reserve the rest for fun shopping and site seeing in the city. Also make sure you have enough Baht for souvenir shopping at the river cause of the limited amount of place to have it exchanged in the Floating Market. Also don't spend your buck on everything here, in the next article I'll feature an awesome bargain shopping place that is sure going to get you shopping like a madman and work our those leg and arm muscles.

Till the Next Time....

-Metz-