Can anyone answer a few Bangkok Questions please?

GIRLPOWER_2

Me and the husband have lodged the kids and are off to Bangkok with a little help from me Tesco.

We go from manchester 2nd September @ 10.20 and fly via doha airport arrive there at 19.20 leave there at 20.25 and arrive bangkok at 07.15 of the 3rd we arrive in Bangkok.

We are staying at the Century Park and Tradewinds have booked us coach trasfers to and from the airport.

We are there untill Thursday 7th when we leave Bangkok at 08.15.

So a long way to go for 4 nights and we want to make the most of it.

What I would like is a plan for every day of things we want to do and see so I need to put things into areas and think about getting to and from them

I have searched MSE and this is what I have come up with so far.

Go to Patpong night market and what price they offer you the goods for haggle them down by about 60%... Questions I have are.. ..

What time des the market open/ close?
is this where all the sex bars are??
Is there a lot of couples or is it a lot of men in them???
Do they have a lot of crime in this area?? Is it far from the main hotels??
Whats the best way to get there???
Is it a strip of bars like one long street or an area??
Is the night market near by the bars??
If not how do you get between the two places??

The Grand Palace seems to be a must, I have read about the dress, get a river boat there,
Question.. what else is there to do in that area??

We want to go a night Thai boxing... Think I have seen Jack Osbourne going too a school to be tought.
so question is there a school where say for a few hours they give you a lesson followed by going to a match and dinner???

We would also like to do a river market...(I take it thats what they call it when you do not leave your boat and the goods are next too the river.)
whats the best one not in the touist area?

We want to ride on a tuk tuk.
where's the best place to use them to travel to and from??
How much approx for say a 15 minute ride??

We would like a massage.. pref together.. so 2 beds next to each other somewhere nice....
any suggestions??

Where is there a nice bar high up so you can have a cocktail looking at a good view of Bangkok?

Thinking about the bridge thing. read somewhere that you can get a train over the river kwai on the death railway and end up somewhere that the back packers stay. you can then stay in a floating room on the river for a few quid..
anyone know what i''m talking about or done this???
was it worth doing??
what was the train like???

I have also picked up to go to the cabbage and condom restaurant..
anyone know where this is??

Well I really hope someone will help me.

Thanks in advance.

jasonrat

What time des the market open/ close?
bout9pm till 2 i would say
is this where all the sex bars are?? yes and around
Is there a lot of couples or is it a lot of men in them???mosyly men but a few women
Is the night market near by the bars?? all the little stalls r on the pavements
The Grand Palace seems to be a must, I have read about the dress, get a river boat there,
Question.. what else is there to do in that area?? koh san road the backpackers jaunt is just up from there
We would also like to do a river market...(I take it thats what they call it when you do not leave your boat and the goods are next too the river.)
whats the best one not in the touist area?
um the river market is touristy if u go to koah sahn u should be able to buy tickets
We want to ride on a tuk tuk.
where's the best place to use them to travel to and from??
How much approx for say a 15 minute ride?? u can get them anywhere about 100 baht but haggle be sure u know where to go. its good at nigth so i suggest night time trip to patpong
We would like a massage.. pref together.. so 2 beds next to each other somewhere nice....
any suggestions?? lots of places depends whether u want extras again koah sahn road there r a few

GIRLPOWER_2

thanks for that.. can I ask how many times you have been and would you go back????

suzyq

Hi Girlpower,
Have a look at https://www.bangkokbob.net this great website is full of very useful info on Bangkok. Take an extra suitcase you'll soon fill it with all the goodies that you buy. Hope you have a lovely time.

jasonrat

GIRLPOWER wrote:

thanks for that.. can I ask how many times you have been and would you go back????

hi been here loads of times 1st time in 1994 lived here for 5 years and here now 4 a 3 week holiday:j

isgman

What time des the market open/ close? >>>>>>Early to Late
is this where all the sex bars are?? >>>>>>>>Most of them
Is there a lot of couples or is it a lot of men in them???>>>>> Yes
Do they have a lot of crime in this area?? Is it far from the main hotels??>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Not a Lot
Whats the best way to get there??? >>>>>>>>>>>>>Taxi (keep off the Tut Tuts)
Is it a strip of bars like one long street or an area?? >>>>>>>>>No it's a Square
Is the night market near by the bars?? >>>>>>>>>>>>>Yes.. Same Place
If not how do you get between the two places?? >>>>>>>>>See Above

Hope that helps:beer:

GIRLPOWER_2

Thanks for the replys so far.. any one any info on the thai boxing..

Best one to go to?
Best place to book?
I have a vision of lots of people trying to bet like the stock exchange seen out of the film trading places... is that how it is??

Benny24

The palaces are good, Grand Palace, temple of reclining budda (must, very impressive), temple of emerald buddah etc.

There will be people to haggle with everywhere, just remember you want to bag a bargin, but they have mouths to feed. What they ask for at first may be a little expensive, knock them down once for a little cheaper, but don't hamer them down into the ground!

There are river rides, you can feed fish loaves of bread (yes loaves!) which you buy from women on boats, apparently it's good luck to feed them?!

I have been once and have to say the Thai people are wonderful, but I wouldn't go back to Bangkok again, I would go somehwere else in the country.

richardw

The quality of the stuff can be very poor, have a good feel of the material.

dixie_dean_2

There are 2 main ones in bangkok that alternate nights - either will be brilliant. There are usually 3 pricing levels - I would opt for the middle as you can see and yet you are also sat with thais and get a bit of atmosphere. You could go ringside but its very touristy - depends what you are after. Dont think you'll find anywhere offering a lesson followed by going. You can prob find somewhere to give you a lesson but if you've never done it before Thailand is not the place to start - its very tough out there!

Tuk tuks are quality! Never pay more than about 40baht unless you are going right accross town, in which case never more than about 80. Taxis are a little more, maybe 50% more. Do NOT get in a taxi for 300+ baht(unless you're going to the airport or something)! They will wait and hope to get someone who doesn't know and turn down reasonable fares all day as one sucker can make their day pretty much.

Food - street food is lovely. Pad thai for 20p, fresh and delicious. Grasshoppers, salty and crunchy (if you like that sort of thing!), nice spring rolls and skewers of meat (tend to be a bit fatty).

The bars with the women tend to have a mix of people in. Obviously lots of tourists just out of curiosity and lots of dirty men, old and young (I fell into the latter category).

Safety - pretty good as long as you have a bit of common sense.

Haggling - the 60% tip is quite good BUT sometimes they will start so high that you haggle them right down and think you've got a bargain, but when you think about what it is, what it probably cost there, you might not have got such a bargain. Try a few different places and haggle HARDCORE at them, if they all go down to about the same price you're in. On the other hand, relatively you're loaded, so if you're feeling generous dont rape them to hard.

Have a wicked time!

GIRLPOWER_2

Thanks for the reply, sounds great,

dixie_dean wrote:

There are 2 main ones in bangkok that alternate nights - either will be brilliant. There are usually 3 pricing levels - I would opt for the middle as you can see and yet you are also sat with thais and get a bit of atmosphere. You could go ringside but its very touristy - depends what you are after. Dont think you'll find anywhere offering a lesson followed by going. You can prob find somewhere to give you a lesson but if you've never done it before Thailand is not the place to start - its very tough out there!

Are they near the centre???
If not how far and do you get to them by boat, taxi or airtrain?
Whats the best way to book them or do you just pay on the door?

Tuk tuks are quality! ..

These appear to be a love them or hate them thing.. will have to try them.

Food - street food is lovely. Pad thai for 20p,

Whats Pad Thai?

Oh and I'm not into shopping but do like a fake handbag. had a beautiful channel one from china town in new york for $45, is it the same sort of thing there??