Tips for traveling to and in Bangkok

I spent 27 hours and 30 minutes in Bangkok. It took 25 hours and 10 minutes for me to get there. This is what I learned.

TIP #1 If you are going to have a layover in Hong Kong, bring your laptop as a carry-on.

So my trip "began" Monday, June 15th at 1:20am. My Cathay Pacific flight out of SFO was delayed by about an hour and a half because of slow re-fueling procedures and volcanic eruptions near Japan, which meant an extra layover in Taipei and a missed connecting flight. I spent 6 hours in the Hong Kong airport doing mostly nothing at the Traveler's Lounge after I decided I was too lazy to go through customs and check into a hotel they had booked for me.

I got to know a lovely Vietnamese student named Mai who will be studying at Trinity college next year. She was on her way home to Saigon, and we walked around the airport, bummed around the lounge, and flipped through magazines and my texts for our 6 hours of chill time. Her re-scheduled connection left an hour after mine.

Anyway, the internet is always a good back-up for contacting people if you are stranded with a dysfunctional phone card. I instant-messaged my little sister off the free Wi-Fi, and made her call my program manager (pick up your phone, Andres!) to tell him about my flight delays.


TIP#2 Make sure your passport is good for at least another 6 months, and apply for your visas at least two weeks in advance of departure.

When I finally arrived in Bangkok, I realized that I could not apply for a visa extension upon arrival at the airport. US citizens are allowed to stay in Thailand for 30 days without having to apply for a visa, but since I will be here ~52 days, I will need to take care of that later...

TIP #3 If you don't know, ask. Random strangers may know more than you think.

I spent one night at the Regent Suvarnabhumi hotel, which offers free airport/hotel pickups by towncar. I would have missed my pick up, as the hotel people were not holding up their signs at the gate (I was 6 hours late, so it's understandable...), but luckily I talked to a lady holding a sign for some other Suvarnabhumi hotel. She pointed me in the right direction, and I effectively saved 300 baht on a taxi.

TIP #4 If you use ATT Wireless/Cingular, bring your cell phone- you can buy a SIM card there with a pay-as-you-go plan.

However, you may want to shop around as opposed to buying it from the first booth you see the instant you emerge from customs... I have rationalized the extra 50 Baht I overpaid as "opportunity cost".

I got a "Happy" brand SIM card for 100 Baht, which came with 35 Baht of phone time, then added another 100 Baht to the phone. It costs 4 Baht per minute for American calls.

TIP#5 A smile will get you very far. With enough patience, laughter, and a phrasebook, you will probably get your message across.

The hotel staff was super friendly. The receptionist listened to me ramble on about bus tickets for a good fifteen minutes, and helped me pronounce "Can I get a first-class ticket to Mae Sod?" in Thai. I have forgotten how to say it already, but I had it pretty darn near accurate after some coaching. Of course, this was after I tried to read the English pronunciation guide twice, and all the people at the front desk laughed at me for five minutes (myself included). The porters who helped lug my suitcase to my room were also very nice.

Later that night, as I asked the poor receptionist about the best way to get to the Grand Palace (by taxi) and Wat Phra Keuw (the Temple of the Emerald Buddha), a nice Australian lady named Ann Le-Bernstein overheard me and asked if I wanted to split a cab to it. We ended up getting dinner together and went to the Grand Palace the next day together. I also saved 450 Baht by leaving my luggage in her room the next day rather than keeping my room an extra half-day.

TIP#6 Bring your hotel's information card with you when you go out. And grab a free map.

Instead of trying to pronounce Suvarnabhumi, I miraculously had the foresight to grab a hotel card (which I took initially as a bookmark). Sometimes fate is on my side.

However, the cab driver still got lost. Good thing the other cabbies were helpful. Speaking of cabs, make sure your ride is properly metered- if you don't see it, ask your cabbie to turn it on/if he has one. If he won't, then flag another cab. Fares start at 35 Baht for the first 2 km then, 5 for every subsequent km.

TIP #7 Don't trust strangers telling you the Grand Palace is closed, and pointing you to random Tuk Tuks.

The Grand Palace is open 8:30am to 3:30pm everyday, unless there is a state function. Always check to see if the main gate is open, even if someone else tells you otherwise.

In case you were wondering, someone else did indeed tell me otherwise. Luckily Ann had to find a restroom, so we ditched the "wily stranger" and made our way to the main gate.

TIP #8 Bring your own napkins to the bathroom.

This is pretty self-explanatory... Just do it.

TIP #9 Bring an umbrella, or get one there.

Summer on the northern hemisphere = rainy season in Thailand.

TIP# 10 Have your passport with you at all times.

On the bus to Mae Sot (Pronounced Mae Sod by the Thai and locals), the immigration patrol boarded to check ID's twice. The ID-less were taken out, and after they unloaded their luggage, we drove on without them.

And that was that for Bangkok. Lovely city! Enjoy.