Chapultepec Forest
aka Chapultepec Park
Architecture, women, tapas bars, history, churches, walkability, metro. And i'm talking about several notches above your normal expectations, even for someone who's traveled a lot.
Madrid was unreal. Seville had already impressed us. Nice to know that a city (Madrid) can make a surprising impression like that, at this stage. It's easy to think you've seen it all. Foolish to think like that, but......
- a friend asked me
A friend messaged me in Jan '24 and asked me what else I was doing in Bangkok besides going to rooftop bars. My reply
Sometimes people only have a few days in Bangkok because they are traveling to other Thailand destinations. My neighbor was in this situation. I helped her come up with the most reasonable plan for her visit to the Thai capital.
Arrival Day + 4 full days + Departure Day
Arrival Day
*Check into the hotel
*Relax
*Get to first rooftop bar by 5 pm
*Enjoy a drink and maybe an appetizer until sunset
*Leave rooftop by 6:30 to go have dinner elsewhere
*Try a mall food court for the best street food in a clean environment
*Get a Thai, oil or foot massage to end the night
*Rest at hotel for an early start in the morning
First Full Day (needs to be weekday, just not Monday)
*Leave hotel by 7 AM to go to Benjakitti Forest Park for a nice stroll. If you could leave by 6 AM, even better. You will reach it by BTS (skytrain) and MRT (metro). Easy.
*Back to hotel. Another mall for lunch. Or if you see a nearby restaurant to try, go for it.
*Take it easy in the afternoon. Shopping, coffee shop, etc..
*Big night. Go to King Power Mahanakhon skyscraper for rooftop experience. Take BTS. Must leave hotel by 4 PM. Important to be up on rooftop by 5 PM. Take sunset and wear suncreen. Sunset is at 5:48.
*Leave by 6:15. Go to Chinatown. BTS, then switch to MRT. Chinatown gets going at 7 PM. Walk the main road, Yarowat Rd. Snack, eat, enjoy. MRT/BTS back.
Second Full Day
*Sleep in.
*Massage
*Lunch - maybe another big mall
*Rest, shop, do your own thing
*Rooftop bar - arrive by 5 PM, depart by 6:00
*Jodd Fairs night market (one behind Rama 9 mall). Take MRT there. You will get there by 6:45. Eat, drink, explore.
Third Full Day
*Grand Palace + Wat Arun + Wat Pho. Must start early. Leave hotel by 7:30 AM. BTS to Sathorn Pier. Get on the Hop On Hop Off boat. Go to Wat Arun, then boat back across to Wat Pho (Reclining Buddha). Walk to the Grand Palace after Wat Pho. Enjoy the undergound near the entrance to the Grand Palace. You can rest there before going behind the palace walls. When done with the Grand Palace, walk back to the MRT to catch it back to your hotel.
*Rest all afternoon.
*Massage
*Rooftop Bar - 5 PM
*Dinner somewhere
Fourth Full Day
*Jim Thompson Home Museum (where I met Kade) - get there by 10 AM. Take BTS, then short walk.
*Lunch at Siam Paragon gourmet food hall. Go up to bookstore Kinokuniya on 3rd floor. Look out back window (behind shade) to see temple.
*After Siam Paragon, walk across to Siam Square to see stores and do some shopping.
*Rest back at hotel
*Rooftop bar
*After rooftop, go to Erawan Shrine, then walk the area to see the other five shrines.
*Have dinner at Central World food festival or at restaurant inside Central World.
Next Day
*Departure
* 2016 e-mail to a friend who was considering a trip to Prague
I wish I had my old Prague contacts. All I can say is Prague has always been on a list of places where I would like to return. I also loved Budapest and Salsburg, which are nearby. In addition, if you have the time, I would highly recommend Krakow (plus concentration camp), a city in the Ukraine (just across the Poland border) named Lviv, and the Baltic nations. To me, Estonia was very beautiful and perhaps the most surprising of my stops. Let me know of your plans as they come together. I too have thought of Europe, since South America is having its problems. I want to go to Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Stockholm and Oslo! Who knows when and how?
We did go to Amsterdam in 2018, and this year we enjoyed Copenhagen. There's a strong possibility we will go to Stockholm and Oslo in 2027.
January 2018 e-mail
Bought our tix today for Europe: May 25 - June 25. Italy 14 days, Paris 9 days, 1 day Luxemborg, 5 days in Amsterdam. Flying Asheville to Florence, Amsterdam to Asheville. Have agenda in Italy loosely planned out, but have to make final decisions in coming weeks - rooms, tours, train tix, etc..
Eating well and varied is at the heart of this journey, as is people watching, exploring neighborhoods and finding great spots for photos. Will do some touristy things, of course, but in a relaxed manner.
Monet the person intrigues me. I know the gardens would be beautiful, but who he was, how he lived and what inspired him appeals to me as much as anything - same for eccentrics like Tolstoy or my Uncle Watty!!!!
