Backpacking Bangkok - A Three-Day Adventure Of A First-Timer (Part 2)

As promised, here is the second part of my trip to Bangkok. :)

As I mentioned on the Part 1 of this story, I asked Anny, a Thai Lander who I met on Twitter and is a fellow Teen Top fan, for directions. I’m more than thankful for her for this. She speaks enough English but is not that confident about it so she’d rather write it or tweet it to me. Yes, even though we’re basically face to face. Hehehehe. It’s cute and really thoughtful. Thank you, Anny! ^0^

Before going to Thailand, I already thought of the things to do there. I asked friends and researched. But the thing that stood out of all the options is… TO RIDE AN ELEPHANT! Haha! Even before the plan to go to Thailand has been made, or even before the opportunity presented itself, I already told myself that I would go to Thailand to ride an elephant. Call me a kid or anything, I WAN TO RIDE AN ELEPHANT!

So, the research mainly focused on this. Where can I ride an elephant in Bangkok? Apparently, there are a lot of places in Bangkok where you can ride an elephant and for cheaps as well. So, that settled, I next searched for “one-day trip in Bangkok”. I found many but the one that stood out from the rest is the one that even included the directions on how to get from one place to the next. My plan polished, I set out.

We woke up at 7am local time (8am in the Philippines) the next morning. I am to set out to my day trip in Bangkok while Aen and Anis are to go to the airport in hopes of finding available tickets back to Malaysia. I asked them to go with me instead and just go back the next day but they couldn’t because they have to make sure that there will be any flights to Malaysia first. Okay. So, I head out alone.

Aen wanted to assist me as much as she can and I really appreciate it. Really! When we checked out, because the room was in her name and that I would have to book another room on my name, she still assisted me. I know I can handle that but yeah, she busies herself with it with her totally hilarious way of conversing with the Thai receptionist who couldn’t speak English at all. Hand gestures and all, it’s really funny! Hahaha! What the receptionist did was to phone someone to translate things for us. Technology is A-Oh-Some!

So there, back to the new room which I have all for myself, we head out. The receptionist hailed a cab for us and we thanked her in the language she will understand.

I just want to say that I feel proud about this. Although it’s a simple, Kop Khun Kha, I like the delight I see in their eyes when I speak this to them. Thai Landers have specific way of speaking for men and women. Men use “Khap” to finish their sentences when they want to be polite. Women, on the other hand, use “Kha” for the same purpose. So when I get back to the hotel that night and thanked the taxi driver with the proper way, he was definitely happy. He probably thought that I would just mimic what he said when he thanked me using the local tongue. So the happiness in his face is infectious and contagious! I alight the taxi and walked up to my room on the second floor, feeling beat but happy. Thai people are so nice. :D

I haven’t even started telling how my day went and there I was talking about creeping up into my room and packing the day up. Hehe.

Okay, so here it goes…

Aen, Anis, and I boarded the taxi towards the train station where they will ride the train to Don Mueang Airport. As for me, since I am to go back to Victory Monument then transfer to BTS at Phaya Thai, I am to ride another taxi to get there. But as we look at the train map in the station, I learned that I can board the train from there too. That makes it easier for me and relatively cheaper. Taxis in Thailand flag down at 35 baht.

I don’t remember the name of the station anymore but I boarded there and alighted in Phaya Thai. So I just took a shortcut. That instead of going to Victory Monument station where I will board the train and alight on Phaya Thai, I made an easy cut which made me happy and giddy. Hah! Finding my way in the public transpo in a foreign land boost my pride. Hehehe.

I hugged Aen and Anis goodbye with the promise that if they don’t find any flight back to Malaysia, they will join me back in the hotel. They didn’t. When they get to the airport, there are no flights to Malaysia for that day and the next day so the option to join me back at the hotel then leave for Malaysia the next day is out of the question. When I was back in Philippines, I found out that they resorted to taking the 22-hour ride train. I feel bad for them. :(

Okay, back on my story. I am now in the train station. I was to go to Bang Wa station where I will ride a taxi to Bangkok Safari World. This is where I will be meeting my elephant friend. Hehe. The train ride was long but very much comfortable.


Here's the coin ticket for this station. It's a different color than that of the Airport Rail Link.

Look at how clean the station is! Woah!

Was so amazed by this. The red lights are stations we already passed. Green are the stations to come. My stop is at the end of those green lights. Sooooo far! Hahahaha!

At Bang Wa station, I approached a security guard to ask where I should exit if I’m going to Safari World. This takes a while because the guard couldn’t speak English and we’d have to wait for the ticket selling officer to entertain us. I like that they really tried to help me even when I know that they’re also having difficulty understanding me. Haha. Apparently, Safari World to them should be like “Safali Woh”. Another small incident that made me laugh as I made my way down the taxi stand.

Now, what comes next almost drained me. I didn’t know that Safari World is too far from Bang Wa station! Ugh! It took almost 4 hours in the taxi and my bill went to 580 baht. Yep! But, again, the taxi driver is really friendly.

I bought a local sim and loaded it with internet. I learned how difficult it is without internet in a foreign country so I decided to avail of it. The thing is, EVERYTHING IS IN THAI!!! So, how did I manage to activate it? Simple. I didn’t. I tried to ask the driver to activate it for me but he also couldn’t do it. Huhuhu. So yeah, money wasted on that.

He keeps saying, “I solly, I solly. No Englit.” With that genuinely apologetic smile. It’s okay, I kept telling him but he would still say the same thing. Bless your kind heart, Kuya! Hehehe.

Finally, we reached Safari World! Or should I say, Safali Woh? Hehehe. In very limited English and a lot of hand gestures, he asked me what I want to do at the zoo. I told him I want to ride the elephant. He doesn’t know what an elephant is so when we reached the gate to the zoo, he parked the taxi first in front of the signboard where the animal shows are listed. There are pictures so I pointed the elephant. That’s when he understood. He was smiling this “Ah-I-Get-It-Now” smile after that. It’s really amusing, I tell you. Didn’t know visiting a non-English speaking country can be both difficult and fun at the same time. Hehe.

This is the wooden elephant right outside the zoo. Kewl!

Now inside the zoo, he told me to wait inside the taxi first as he ask the woman selling tickets. At first, I was confused why he did that but when he came back and told me in a very sad tone and face that there are no elephant shows that day, I smiled at his kindness. He really wanted to assist me as much as he can. Again, thank you, Kuya!

I told him it’s okay and thanked him many many times before we parted. The magic of Kop Khun Kha worked its charm once more and he smiled.

Before purchasing my ticket, I first read the board posted right outside. There are trip options. You can ride the screened bus and go inside the part of the zoo where lions, giraffes, and other land animals are. This is for 15 minutes and for 500 baht, I guess. I don’t remember anymore. Another option is Ocean World where you can walk around the zoo freely, visiting the caged animals. You can also choose the option of both which, of course, is more expensive. I picked the Ocean World and on I walked around the zoo.

From the entrance, I was immediately greeted with dehumidifiers because Thailand is a tropical country. It is even coined one of the hottest due to its position near the equator. Thankfully though, it was near Christmas so the clime is friendlier to me. Much like how it’s like here in the Philippines, actually. Although I know it would've been hotter had I visited it during the summer season.

I was given a map after purchasing the ticket but I folded it and treated as a souvenir. Hehe. Well, you wouldn’t need any maps because everywhere you look, there are direction signs that tell you where the animals are. I roam around for a while before remembering to have a taste of the boat noodles which the site I stumble upon boasted about.

The system in the zoo is that you will exchange your money into these paper money bills to make a purchase while inside the zoo.

Now here is the boat noodles that's one of the most, should I say famous, delicacies in Thailand. It's being sold for 65 baht. And I think it's called boat noodles because it's being sold on a boat in the lake beside the eating area.


I don’t know if my stomach is upset because I haven’t had any for breakfast except for the slice of cake which was the leftover of my quick dinner after the concert, or just that the boat noodles is not to my taste. The noodles feel dry and the flavor is too strong for my liking. The meatballs are good, though. It’s tasty so I ate it and left the rest.

On my way to exchanging my baht to the zoo paper money, I came across this woman who speaks English. She actually translated to me what the lady in the “money exchange” booth is telling me. So after eating, I approached the English speaking lady once again and asked her if she can help me with my mobile internet connection. Thank you! It was easy, actually. I almost got it on my own despite all those Thai characters. You know what stupidity transpired that hindered me from connecting to the internet? I didn’t put it the hashtag/number sign. Yep. This. # hahaha!

Anyway, I thanked her once more before moving along to my trip to the zoo.

At the back of my mind, I’m already getting sullen because the very reason why I came here, which is the elephant, is not here apparently. But since I’ve traveled for hours to get to the zoo and paid the not-so-cheap ticket, I decided to just enjoy what’s in there for me.

I have to say this fact: THIS IS MY FIRST TIME IN A ZOO!

Hahahaha! Yep. So, every animal, I’ve seen them for the first time in Bangkok. So many firsts in Bangkok, no? Soo fun!

Where am I? I’ll just post all of the photos I took while in the zoo.

Was definitely amazed at the huge number of these Koi fish(es). Look! So beautiful!

Now this photo was taken with zoom. Hehe. I'm scared to go near it but like to take a photo, so yeah. :P

The zoo is pretty big but thanks to the signs, I was able to visit every corner without getting lost in the wilderness. Haha! Again, I was convinced that I wouldn’t see, or worse, ride an elephant, right? So you can only imagine my happiness when I read the sign that points to “Elephant”! Kyaaaaa!!! I didn’t let my hopes climb up, though. I was thinking that maybe, at least I can see them up close. But lo and behold! When I entered the den of the elephant, (is that called a den? Hehehe) I saw other tourists riding two elephants! I couldn’t hide my giddiness as I watch them and wait for my turn.

While waiting for my turn, I looked at the walrus freely swimming inside his very own pool. I didn’t know that Walruses create such loud sound. Anyway, he’s a scary huge beast! I got scared of his two large front teeth but still tried to take a photo of it which I failed to accomplish because it keeps submerging and emerging in the water. So yeah.

Dehumidifiers are also placed around the place which I assume is for the benefit of the elephant. Now talking about elephant, the tourists that came before me are now down and leaving! Tentenenen! It’s my turn! Hah!

I was smiling when I approached which made it not so difficult for the care takers to know that I will ride the elephant too. I am such a kid! Haha! I asked how much and they pointed the sign that says “100 baht”. You have to understand that they also pronounce the numbers in their local tongue. Unlike in the Philippines where it’s so common for people to say it in English although we also have local terms for that.

Can you tell by looking at these photos that I greatly enjoy this part? Suuuuper!

What’s not shown in these photos is that I was able to ride two elephants at the price of one! Haha! I don’t know what the caretaker saw in me but he asked (without actually using words but mere body language) if I want to ride their pet another time to which I quickly said yes. I was immediately back on my feet, handing my camera once more to another caretaker.

While I was on the back of the elephant, I was touching its back gently and in my mind, calling it a “gentle giant”. Because that’s what they are. I’m a little scared that it could squish me to my death but it didn’t show any signs that would realize those fears. The skin feels rough, almost scaly, and they have hair around their body that are spaced from one another by half an inch at the least. They wear chains as collars where the tourists are asked to hold on to especially when the elephant did this trick! Look at that! It’s soo fun, I tell you!! Soo soo fun!

When it was time to pay, I didn’t immediately understood what the caretakers were gesturing until I saw the elephant’s nose approaching me. Apparently, the elephant will be receiving it from me through the nose. I got scared, seeing the holes of its nose twerking as it breath and clamp around the money when I let go. A little icky but still fun. Haha!

I waved goodbye to the gentle giant and thanked the caretakers as I go. The thought running inside my head was, “Mission Success!” hahahaha! I was smiling as I make my way out when I saw a few more signs leading to “Giraffe Feeding Terrace” so on I marched towards our giant friends.


Here are some photos I took of and with them. Giraffe feed prices at 100 baht. I didn’t bother. Hhehehe.


And the selfie of the year goes to...

I couldn't bring myself to get any closer than this, scared this friend might bite my head off. Hahahaha.

In front of the pool where the Walrus is earlier, there’s a huge aquarium with huge inhabitants! And on my wandering after seeing the giraffes, I saw these giant fish(es) again! Only this time, they're albino. The elephants' neighbor earlier were of color. Hehehehe.

Huuuuge, right?!

Walking out of the zoo, I saw this eerie yet equally interesting decor (?). 

Look at that pony! First time seeing this baby too! :)

It was 4pm when I decided to leave the zoo and continue on with the itinerary I found on the net and saved on my phone. I am to go to Wat Arun. It is a Buddhist temple that tourists climb to get a good view of the city from. There are taxis waiting outside the zoo so I quickly approached a group of three drivers, sitting idly by while chatting and tell them where I want to go.

They tried to fix a price but I said, “No, meter.” One thing I easily learned in my short stay in Bangkok is to use the simplest English I could to avoid confusion. They didn’t agree so I looked for another. When I found one, we quickly drove away from the zoo.

Now seated inside the taxi, oh, I have to mention this fact.

All taxis in Bangkok have the license of the drivers posted in front of the passenger seat like this.  I like this. Makes me feel safe although in the Philippines, I have this phobia of riding taxis. I’d rather walk than ride one is my motto. So when I heard from Anny that I’ll be taking the taxi frequently although I can take the bus of the tuktuk, the taxi being the most convenient mode of transpo for a tourist like me, I braced myself and swallowed this fear. Thankfully though, I felt safe and at ease in taxis in Bangkok. Kind drivers, although there are still those that will try to get more from you, there are still more of them that are genuinely willing to help a lost soul. ^0^

This time, the driver has zero English. Yep. Not one English word he uttered to me so we were silent. I was reading my itinerary when I saw that Wat Arun is open only until 5:30 p.m. By this time, it’s already 4:30 ish and judging by the distance I needed to travel to get to the zoo, I know that I wouldn’t make it to Wat Arun. Realizing this, I told him, “Wat Arun. No. Wang Lang.” On and on I repeated that until he understands that we’re not going to Wat Arun anymore and that he should instead take me to Wang Lang market. Thankfully, he understood not too long after.

Some 500 baht after, I reached Wang Lang market. This is a market that stretches through a long street where you can find local delicacies, merchandise, and be exposed to Bangkok’s everyday living. I saw students emerging from schools, housewives shopping for their dinner, and a lot of people simply passing by as they head to their rightful destinations.

I looked around and try to buy anything that could snatch my interest and ended up buying this huge kikiam as we call it in the Philippines. I didn’t know what it’s called in Thailand but it looks yummy. That’s been my rule of thumb: Buy anything that looks yummy. And yes, this one’s good. Typical street food. And it’s not spicy so for that, I’m thankful. A serving of this is for 30 baht.

Have you noticed that this is my lunch? Hehehehe. At 5:30 p.m., I’m having my lunch in Wang Lang market in Bangkok. So you see, this isn’t a food blog. Not even close to a food trip. Sorry. :P

I walked around some more and couldn’t keep from my mind that the market looked very much the same with the markets we have in the Philippines. Even the price is not that different, considering that the exchange rate for baht and peso is at 1.30 something for each peso. In the end, I didn’t buy anything else because as I said, even the clothes or anything else, they can be bought in the Philippines. Plus it’s getting dark already and I know that I’m still wandering far from my hotel. But this, I didn’t mind at all. This time, I’ve memorized how to go back to my hotel so I walked around some more.

When I saw that I've reached the end of the street where the docks are, I know I have to go home. Still following my itinerary, I walked towards the ticket booth and purchased ticket for the boat.


Since I am in the Wang Lang Market, it's only rational that I will be embarking from the Wang Lang Station, right? Heh.


Still munching on my giant kikiam, I stood on the ramp, waiting for the boat to arrive. When it does, on we went to a more than half an hour boat ride.

I always love boat rides and I enjoyed this one as much. This trip to the market and now this boat ride allowed me to see Bangkok in her everyday busy-ness. I saw locals going about their normal lives, oblivious of a foreigner among them since I look just like them. They never stop to wonder whether I can understand them or not. Well, maybe I was blending in so well, following the crowd and mimicking what they do so as not to stand out.

I also got to see monks in the boat with me. They aboard maybe three stations from Wang Lang and it's so cool to see real life monks in their monk garbs and shaved heads. It's soooo cool! :)

This photo revealed that I was standing at the farthest end of the boat and closest to the water. I just had to. :)) Oh, the boat could accommodate maybe a little less than a hundred people? I'm not sure. But yeah, it's pretty spacious, especially with most passengers standing up (just like me. :P).

30 minutes after, I actually thought that I missed my stop because the boat ride was really cheap and the thought that I would be alighting the boat real quick came automatically in my mind when I purchased the ticket. But yeah, here it is! Saphan Taksin Station. This is the station where the boat and the train meet, so this is my stop. :)

Again, I found myself in a train in Bangkok. And again, I will say that navigating in Bangkok is fairly easy because almost everything has an English translation right below the Thai name just like what you see in the photo above. :)

And now, we are back to Victory Monument. Here it is at night. It looks like the photo was taken in the Philippines, right? 

It's past 8pm when I get back to the hotel. After packing my things, I showered and slept -- my second night in Bangkok just ended.

Before sleeping, I took a photo of these bank notes, I'll be exchanging them for dollars at the airport before leaving the country, so this is the best opportunity I have to do this. Here they are. :) Except for the writings, it doesn't look too different from Philippine notes.

All my bags are packed. I'm ready to go! :)

But before leaving, I have to have a photo of my room with its red wall and that huge and comfy bed. Is it huge or am I just small? Hehe. The room's for 700 Baht a night. Cheap! :)

I set an alarm for 7am local time. My boarding time is scheduled at 1:05 pm and departure time at 1:50 pm. I got ready early to make sure I have plenty of time to do some more things before flying back to the Philippines.

I left the hotel at around 8 am (?) and as what's been my usual routine, I hailed another cab and asked that they drive me to Victory Monument. If you remembered on the part 1 of this blog entry, I failed to remember the Thai name of Victory Monument, so all taxi drivers shook their heads no when I gave them my preferred destination.

I stopped to think by this time. Then I remembered that I can ask them to drive me to Phaya Thai instead. This is the station where I will alight after taking the train on Victory Monument. Phaya Thai is the station that connects to the Airport Rail. So, changing plans, I tell the next taxi driver, "Phya Thai", making it sound as local as I could. He nodded and I thanked goodness. :))

Since I won't be going to the Victory Monument now, the driver took a different route than what I got used to for the past hours that I've been commuting around Bangkok. Since he couldn't speak English and I can't speak Thai, I just pointed him the highway that my other taxi drivers took. He shook his head no and pointed towards the direction we were heading at. I sat silently and observed the road.

I wonder if I've said this enough but Bangkok doesn't differ much from the Philippines. The infrastructures look the same, the road constructions look the same. Well, even the people look the same. Hehe. What sets Bangkok apart from the Philippines though is that the city is soo clean! Soo clean!

I enjoyed garbage-free and beggar-free streets as well as the sidewalk vendor-free footbridges. I observed this when Aen and I walked out to hunt for food the night after the concert, I noticed this too while I was out on my one-day adventure in Bangkok. Yup! Even when I visited their main market, I didn't see garbage littering the walkways, even the sidewalks. Everything is so clean. The vendors, I noticed their absence in Victory Monument. You see, this place is like the equivalent of Cubao. With its interconnected footbridges and walkways, public transportation depot, commercial buildings, and shops all around. It actually seems like being back in the Philippines minus the garbage and the stench.

Another thing I've observed in the streets of Bangkok is that their drivers are much more disciplined, respectful, and humane than our drivers here. On my way to and back from the zoo, since it took me hours on the road, I was able to observe how Thai drivers behave: They give way to other drivers. They don't attempt to drive past you when you're trying to take the U-Turn slots. When you signal left or right, they will let you pass and again, not drive past you as what's the general custom here in the Philippines. I also didn't see much jay walkers. Actually, I only saw one. This was on my way to Phaya Thai on my last day in Bangkok.

Now, back to the taxi ride to Phaya Thai. Upon reaching the station, I first ate my breakfast and lunch in one at a fast food. Nothing fancy. Food done, up I go to the station. Again, the easy to follow signboards made it easy for me to locate the platform, purchase my ticket, and board the train. 

Phaya Thai Station.

My breakfast/early lunch. This one's called R2. Kidding. I can't read the name. Thankfully they have those meal codes to make life easier. Hehehehe.

Now here's something funny. Upon reaching the platform, I saw that the Airport Rail is on the other side of the station and at first glance, it seems to me that I couldn't get to the other side without getting past the e-ticket port. I told the guard, "Airport Rail" as clearly as I could and with matching hand gestures towards the Airport Rail to best convey my meaning. She motioned for me to go down the stairs on my left, out on the street, then go up from there to the platform of the Airport Rail. I nodded in understanding and thanked her.

The thing is, when I was on the street, I couldn't see where I could climb up to the Airport Rail platform. With my heavy backpack, I don't have the patience to search for it, so what I did was climb back up to the station, purchase a ticket, then just went to the e-ticket port and onto the platform to the Airport Rail. Now, I know I spent some baht for that but at that time, that was the best option for me. (I later realized that the stair was on the right side of the station. I walked to the left when I went down to search for it. Hehehehe)

I boarded the train and soon found myself in the airport. I still got some 3 hours before my flight but I decided to check-in right then. But that was after taking this photo. There are at least 4 of these statues in the departure area. Cool, right? :)

I didn't had a hard time locating the right check in counter where I need to check-in and soon fall in line. Now, here's another misadventure. As I approach the check in counter, I quickly joined the then short line. In my head, I was thinking that it's a good thing that I decided to check in earlier because the line is still short and I could finish early and have some more time to go around.


Still waiting for my turn, I was looking around when I noticed this loooooong line of people on my right. I wondered then why they're staying there when in my line, there are really few people. That's when it hit me: I was standing in line on the Business Class. Apparently, the electronic board in front of us clearly labels the ticket classes. And, could you guess? The long line was for Economy class. So that's why there is virtually no line where I was standing. Only luggage being checked in one after the other by one man. So what I did was pedal back and join the continuously growing line on the Economy class. He he he. Here, folks, is a back-to-back account of my misadventures. Hahaha.


Check-in done, I went to exchange currencies from baht to dollar. Every processes done, I found myself in the departure area and was satisfied with what I saw. There are shops, plenty of them, and currency exchange too!


Thinking about how I was not able to withdraw money and exchange currencies before leaving the airport in the Philippines made me think how awesome the airport in Bangkok is. Really! Having shops for souvenirs, ATMs, and money exchange depots, for me, is a must with every departure terminal.


I bought some locally-prepared and packed products then headed to my departure gate. Now here's another misadventure. Hehe. I read my ticket wrong and went to the wrong gate! Hahahah! Good thing I ran well and was able to reach the right gate right on time! People are asked to board the plane systematically and based on their seat. I reached the gate right when the stewardess is calling my seat aisle! Haha. Talk about a fine stroke of luck! Happiness!


I left Bangkok with a happy heart. An excited, giddy, ecstatic, and proud-of-myself heart. Hehehehe.


There have been so many firsts for me on this trip and I'm just glad that I took the leap and went on the trip even with a little over a month's preparation. I love the spontaneity of it and I love that I got to have this wonderful experience, exploring alone in a foreign land.


Here's to looking forward to more adventures! Cheers!