Phrom Phong Area

Phrom Phong (BTS: Phrom Phong) is a great area of Bangkok to hang out.

Here are some of my picks in the area:

Food

Bourbon Street


Sukhumvit Soi 22, in Washington Square
The best home cookin' in Bangkok, hands down. Everything has been fantastic here: gumbo, crawfish, brisket, pizza, breakfast... Okay, so let me tell you about something called "Mexican Buffet Night." Every Tuesday you can go to Bourbon Street for an all-you-can-eat Mexican buffet (About 300 baht). The food isn't excessively authentic, but it hits the spot when you get your cravings for Mexican.

Coyote
Sukhumvit Road, near soi 33

This is a huge ex-pat hang out on Thursday nights for ladies night.

The Londoner
Sukhumvit Road, at soi 33

The Londoner is a place where you can eat some good hearty pies or pasta while watching a live football (soccer) match. It's actually in the basement of a building- don't miss it!

The Dubliner
Sukhumvit Road, between soi 24 and soi 22

The Dubliner serves a mean Irish breakfast all day long. They also have great Irish pies.

Attractions

Emporium Shopping Mall
BTS: Phrom Phong, sky walk to mall

Emporium is a collection of high-end stores, great eateries and a cutting-edge movie theatre.

Queen Sirikit Park

This small but beautiful park is home to picnickers, joggers, and families. There's a fountain show at night, but it's not much to write home about.


Flower Street Vendor
BTS Phrom Phong

On Sukhumvit Road, across the street from Emporium, is a great selection of fresh flowers. You can get a bouquet for as little as 25 baht (less than a dollar). It takes up a big portion of the block- it'll be hard to miss.

Thai Snack Vendors

Thailand is famous for snacking, which is why there are vendors lining every major road in Bangkok.

Diced fruit on the go?
Pork satay on the go?
Roasted bananas on the go?

It can ALL be located in this food-loving city. A word of advice: It's all cheap, so give everything a try!

Here are some of the snacks/vendors you might encounter...

Roasted Bananas


Fresh-Squeezed Orange Juice from Mr. Orange


Belgium Waffles


Spring Rolls

Safety

How safe will you be living in Bangkok? It's a massive city in an area you've probably never visited. Of course you're going to be nervous about safety.

Here are the key points:
1. There is crime, but most crime happens in touristy areas and is typically petty crime- like pick pocketing or purse snatching.
2. There has been and will continue to be (for the foreseeable future) political unrest. The unrest is not geared toward tourists. When they plan rallies, the media relays the information (date, place, number of people) days in advance. If you register with the US Embassy (highly, highly recommended), they will send out e-mails warning you of future protests. They are peaceful rallies, but should be avoided anyways. It's a big city, go somewhere different.

But that being said...
Bangkok has one of the lowest crime rates for a major international city. In my 10 months here, I've never felt threatened, scared or unsafe. Bangkok is a very pleasant city. But even so, use common sense like you would in any other world city. Don't walk alone on the street at night, lock your door... the basics.

Here are some English media sites to bookmark:
The Bangkok Post
http://bangkokpost.com/
The Nation
www.nationmultimedia.com

Register with the US Embassy

Shopping

Here are some of the best shopping spots in Bangkok

Emporium
BTS: Phrom Phong

Emporium has a collection of high-end stores like Hermes and Chanel, a movie theatre, grocery store and a great selection of eateries.


Paragon, Siam Discovery, Siam Center
BTS: Siam

These three malls are all within a 10 minute walk from each other. Paragon is known as "the pride of Bangkok," for its high-end fashion, aquarium named Ocean World, and car showrooms- including Ferrari, Lamborghini and Maserati. Siam Discovery and Siam Center are just other beautiful Bangkok malls.


Central World
BTS: Chit Lom

Central World is a somewhat affordable mall for a teacher's salary. Their department store has very reasonable prices, many sizes (unlike street clothes) and frequent sales.


Siam Square
BTS: Siam

Siam Square is across the street from Paragon. It has inexpensive and fashionable clothes, shoes and accessories.
My favorite shop "Kini I Ri Ma Shi Ta" is on Siam Square soi 3.


Chatuchak Weekend Market
BTS: Mo Chit

This 35-acre weekend market sells fashionable clothes, antiques, artwork, pets and souvenirs.

MBK
BTS: National Stadium

MBK is a massive indoor market- styled mall with kiosks for clothes, new and used electronics, souvenirs and more.


Platinum
BTS: Phaya Thai

This market-style mall contains kiosks selling the same things over and over, except a few kiosks. It's like going through a thrift store- you'll find something good every once in awhile.

Pantip Plaza
BTS: Phaya Thai

This market-style mall contains kiosks selling DVDs and electronics of all kinds. It's like Best Buy, but way better.

Weekend Trips

Just because you don't have enough time to get out of the country... It doesn't mean you don't have enough time for a weekend getaway.

Here are some great spots to go-

Kanchanaburi
Travel time: 3 hours
Leave from the Southern Bus Terminal
Favorite Place to Stay: Sam's Place


You can go to the Erawan Waterfall, a 7-tier waterfall.


You can see the famous "Bridge on the River Kwai."



Koh Samet
Travel time: 4 hours
Leave from the Eastern Bus Station or go by mini-bus from Victory Monument to Rayong. When you arrive in Rayong, you can purchase individual ferry tickets (cheap, hour ride, you have to pay the park entrance fee) or go by speed boat with several other people (boats are usually 1,500 baht- the more people the merrier, 10 minute ride, don't have to pay the park entrance fee).
Favorite Places to Stay: The Lost Resort (up the hill on Silver Sand Beach) and Silver Sand Resort




You can relax on the white, sandy beaches. It's truly an island experience.



Pattaya
Travel time: 2 hours
Leave from the Eastern Bus Station
Favorite Place to Stay: Anywhere on Jomtien Beach

You can hop on a cheap ferry to Koh Larn (gorgeous beaches).


You can visit Nong Nooch Gardens.



Hua Hin
Travel time: 3 hours
Leave from the Eastern Bus Station


You can visit the Hua Hin Vineyard for a tour on an elephant.



You can spend time on the beach.

Thong Lor

The Thong Lor area (Thong Lor stop on the BTS) is considered "The Beverly Hills of Bangkok."

On this short street, there are three Starbucks, many of Bangkok's top restaurants and clubs, boutique dress and suit designers, two grocery markets, karaoke and bowling alleys.

Here are my top picks for Thonglor...

Food - Lunch and Dinner

Beccofino
Located on Thong Lor, at about soi 4

This is an up-scale restaurant serving fine Italian food, from pasta to pizza to steak. Dishes start at 300 baht ($10) and head northwards for dishes like steak.


Witch's Tavern
Located on Thong Lor between soi 8 and soi 10

This is a great restaurant that is frequented by young professionals in Bangkok. The meals (pasta, salad, pizza, appetizers) start at 200 baht ($6). They have live jazz on Wednesdays for ladies' night.


Woodstock
Located on Thong Lor soi 13 on the left, about a 5-minute walk from Thong Lor

This American-owned restaurant serves your favorite American food and has the best burgers in the city. Meals start at 250 baht ($7).


Ana's Garden
Located on Thong Lor, between soi 1 and soi 3

This Thai restaurant serves some of the best Thai food I've had- with a menu full of options. It's all very fresh and spicy.


Soi 38 Night Market
Located at the Thong Lor BTS stop, at Sukhumvit 38


This street, which opens every night around 6pm, serves the best street food in Bangkok.

Food- Breakfast

Little Home Bakery
Located on Thong Lor, between soi 23 and soi 25

This has a huge American breakfast and lunch menu, as well as several Thai dishes. The meals start at 100 baht ($3). They have great banana pancakes!


The Witch Pie Factory
Located on Thong Lor soi 1, between Thong Lor and Sukhumvit 53

Although they have traditional Irish pies, this restaurant serves a killer 99 baht breakfast breakfast on Saturday and Sunday mornings until 1pm. The breakfast comes with toast, eggs, potatoes, tomatoes, baked beans and bacon.

Food- Bakery/ Sweets

Sparkles
Located on Sukhumvit soi 53, about a block from Sukhumit Road

This cupcakery is the finest in Bangkok. The cupcakes are made with all-natural ingredients and come in unique flavors such as: lavender, Nutella, and chocolate-orange. This bakery sells cupcakes, cookies and cheesecake (the cheesecake flavor changes each week).

Places to Go, Things to See

J Avenue
Located on Thong Lor, at soi 15

This area has popular eateries (Greyhound Cafe, Au Bon Pan, iBerry... and even a McDonalds), a bowling alley on the top floor, a grocery market- Villa, and boutique shops.


Tops Market
Located on Thong Lor, at soi 4


This collection of shops is similar to J-Avenue- just a smaller version. They have a grocery market- Tops (that has a really good, and cheap, Mexican counter), ice -cream parlors, restaurants and boutique shops. On Sundays you'll see some ridiculous cars (Ferraris, Bentleys, Lamborghinis, Porsches, etc) parked in the lot.


Sorbet, Boutique Store
Located on Thong Lor soi 13 on the left, about a block from Thong Lor.


This dress and skirt shop makes one-of-a-kind dresses for about 3,000 baht ($100). They use the extra fabric to make matching shoes. Their dresses, skirts, and shoes are worth saving for- very high-quality!

Traveling

You'll find that traveling to and from Bangkok is very inexpensive and easy.

Here are the best ways to travel:

By Mini-bus

Victory Monument- There are mini-busses that leave all day. Ask around for mini-busses, and they'll point you in the right direction. This is the fastest form of transportation, because they make minimal stops.

By Bus

Ekkamai (Eastern) Bus Terminal- Right off the BTS stop at Ekkamai, there are kiosks serving individual destinations. 

Mo Chit (Northern) Bus Terminal- Close to the BTS stop Mo Chit, there are kiosks serving individual destinations.

Si Thai (Southern) Bus Terminal- Literally it's in the middle of nowhere. You'll have to catch a taxi to take you to the other side of the river. This station is huge and services travel across the whole country.

By Train

Hualumpong Station- Right off the MRT stop Hualumpong

By Plane

Suvarnabhumi Airport and Don Muang Airport are excellent ways to travel within and outside of Thailand. I suggest flying Air Asia, as they usually have the most promotions, least expensive tickets and excellent service.