Bangkok — mika ohata

Travel diaries of my first (real) trip of 2019! Being in Japan gives me the opportunity to explore Asia. I’ve come to Japan many times, but have yet to explore the Southeast Asian Countries. Bangkok/Thailand has been on my to-go list for a while now. And I’m so lucky to have one of my close friends from college living there! Read about our food adventures and our seven-day jam packed itinerary…

Day 1: Asiatique, Iconsiam

I started my day early by catching a 7 AM flight to Bangkok from Narita airport. I arrived in the late afternoon after flying for seven hours ~ Vichida met me at the airport and we made our way to explore the city! It was my first time in Thailand and I was excited to eat (and sweat) my way through the city. The minute I stepped out of the plane, I could feel the Bangkok heat.

Our first stop was Asiatique, a shopping area next to the river. Although the mall is quite touristy, it’s a great stop if you like shopping and souvenirs. DMK is quite far from the city, so if you’re flying on a budget airlines like I did, you might have to travel a bit farther to get into Bangkok city area where your hotel/airbnb most likely is. Asiatique is vibrant at night, but if you go in the day time, its a little less crowded. You can grab some snacks at the mall and enjoy the fresh Bangkok fruits and foods. I had a mango smoothie and some roti with egg! They even had a valentines day market with clothing and food vendors. If you’re brave enough to try crocodile meat you could even get that…

After driving through Bangkok traffic, we ended the night exploring one of the most popular malls, Iconsiam. The mall lies beside and overlooks the Chao Phraya river. The bottom floor is modeled after a floating market where you can buy “street food” and find local vendors. We opted for eating on the top floor where there are several famous thai restaurants! My first meal included deep fried fish, shrimp cakes, thai veggies, and butterfly pea tea.

Day 2: Chinatown, Temples, Khao San

I woke up to the Bangkok humidity and heat, but was still happy to be on vacation and to be with great company. We woke up the next morning and got brunch in Chinatown. If you’re looking for a trendy cafe, check out Lhong Tou, a dim sum cafe that has unique seating arrangements. You can pick to either sit on the ground floor or up elevated above the ground. My favorite dishes were the shumai and of course the Thai Coffee!

After walking up and down chinatown, we headed for the temples! Bangkok is best known for the temples and history. We started at the Grand Palace, perhaps the most popular temple in Bangkok. Thai residents get in for free or discounted while I had to pay the tourist price. The Grand Palace was a bit expensive and over crowded but it’s a must go spot. The temple buildings are simply incredible covered with jewels, gold, and other metals. While it was over 90 degrees by the time we reached the temple, you must enter with covered shoulders and knees. So dress appropriately. If you’re like me and sweat a lot, than make sure to wear thin, cool fabrics!

After exploring the Grand Palace, we caught a boat to the other side of the river to Wat Arun. This was my number one temple to hit and I was so glad we went. The price to enter was much cheaper, and although the temple and grounds were much smaller, it was way less crowded than the Grand Palace. The details of the temple were equally stunning. And we were blessed with sunny weather for perfect pictures!

Last on our list was Wat Pp to get massages. If you’re looking to get a massage, the shop is actually located inside the temple grounds. So you have to pay to get in. But luckily, I was with Vichida and we got in for free. For all temples, they have a separate entrance and line for Thai people and tourists. If you happen to have a Thai friend, you can try to sneak in (but not recommended as they’ll probably ask for your id or try to talk to you)! We caught Wat Po during Golden Hour, which was probably the best time to view the buildings. Vichida insisted I had to try a Thai Massage but after sweating all day we opted for a foot massage instead. I’ve honestly never had a message before so I didn’t know what to expect. Thai massages are definitely sore and I was mostly cringing the entire time of pain. But it was a great experience…maybe next time I’m in Bangkok I’ll try a full body one.

Finally, we stopped at Khao San Road. The area is really touristy. If you’re looking to party and get souvenirs, this might be the place for you. We ate some underwhelming pad thai but I got a great deal on a straw purse getting the “thai” price with Vichida helping bargain for me. By the end of the night, we were ready to shower and get into bed.

If you want to watch our full day, check out Vichida’s vlog here -> https://youtu.be/sxRNjzVb2wc

Day 3: Chatuchak, Pretty Cafe Day

The next day, we started off at Chatuchak Weekend Market. If you’re into shopping, this is the place to get just about anything. And of course, you have to try the food here! I had the most delicious mango passion fruit smoothie that I am still dreaming of today. We also tried paella which is not thai, but really great nevertheless. The market is HUGE, and you need at least half a day to explore every nook and cranny. For us, we were so hot and honestly weren’t that interested in buying anything, so we left after an hour or so.

We then started our “pretty cafe day”. First stop was Patom Cafe! If you love greenery and architecture, this is the perfect spot. Patom is a glass building in a green oasis. It’s a perfect insta spot for all you bloggers out there. Patom is an organic cafe and they serve food drinks, and even skincare and body care. The food and drinks were okay but the atmosphere and views were great.

Next, we stopped at Naipa Art Village. The cafe is small and the area is quite similar to Patom. You can’t explore the area much so I wouldn’t go here unless you’re dying to take pics. It was a bit underwhelming, so we decided to walk around the area and stumbled upon a magical street cart selling fried chicken. Just ask Vichida. I can’t stop talking or thinking about it. It was a random stand on the side of the street. But the chicken was soo good. My mouth is watering while writing this. After enjoying our chicken, we stopped by a dog cafe, Dog In Town. If you love dogs, this is certainly the place to go. They have pugs, shiba inus, huskys, and more! The entrance fee includes one free drink, and you can sit in the cafe and play with the dogs as long as you want.

For dinner, we went to a Michelin recommended restaurant, Suppaniga (https://guide.michelin.com/th/en/bangkok/supanniga-eating-room-thong-lo/restaurant), with Vichida and her friend. The cuisine was northern thai cuisine. We had green curry with fish cakes, cabbage with fish sauce, crab patties, pomelo salad, braised beef, and curried shrimp. Honestly I have no clue any of the thai names but everything was soo good. And for a fancy restaurant, the price was pretty affordable considering the amount of dishes we ordered. We ended the night getting a drink from a speakeasy called The Locker Room. The drinks are modeled after past, present, and future ~ giving a creative twist on classic drinks.