Places to visit in Bangkok

There are so many tremendous places to visit in and around Bangkok, in no particular order I will list them and give you a brief insight.

Wat Pra Kaew & Grand Palace a must to see in Bangkok, a very beautiful site that houses the Emerald Buddha and the home of the king. It is Best to visit here with a Tour Guide so that you can hear all the history around this wonderful site. The Grand Palace is pictured here on the left. Remember to dress appropriately (no shorts) at this location.

Jim Thompson's House a beautiful authentic "Thai Style" house of the former American OSS officer who rebuilt the Thai silk industry after WWII and disappeared mysteriously on a vacation. It is located across from the MBK Shopping Center and very near to Siam Center, so it is easily accessible by the Sky Train.

Thai Boxing (Muay Thai) is now famous around the world. You can go to Pattaya or Phuket and see a rigged match, or you can go to Lumpini Park and see the real thing. The fighting starts about 5 or 6 PM on both Friday and Saturday nights.

Wat ArunSnake Farm & Wat Arun Canal Trip. You can make a nice little trip that not many people know about is renting a long boat and taking a 2 hour trip through the canals of Bangkok. You can rent a boat and driver and he will take you to the Snake Farm, Orchid Farm and Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn). A picture of Wat Arun is shown on the left. You can rent the boat with driver down at the River City complex on the Chao Praya River. Depending on time the driver may also take you to feed these giant catfish that they have near one of the Wats along the canal. Taking a long boat gets you to the "other" side of Bangkok, the far side of the Chao Praya River is not the same as the tourist side where you pick up your boat. Going through the canals definitely lets you see how the other side lives. If you want to get some great photos of kids jumping into the canal for a swim and smiling and waving at you, this is the trip for you. I still can't figure out how these kids stay healthy after swimming in that stuff.

Wat Po is another famous Wat in Bangkok, it is the home for the teaching of Thai Massage. It is not located to far from the Grand Palace.

Floating MarketThe Floating Market is about 80 Kilometers south of Bangkok. It is an interesting place where you can buy things from the vendors that show up on a daily basis.

Chao Praya River Cruise a nice thing to do is to take a cruise along the Chao Praya River. If you go to Ayyudhya with a Travel Agent, you will probably get a package that includes: Bang Pa In; Ayyudhya; and a trip back to Bangkok on he Chao Praya River (River of Kings). There are also trips available where you can go on a cruise boat and have dinner as it tours the Chao Praya River.