This time last year I was anxiously boarding the MV World Odyssey for my Semester at Sea voyage. My voyage began in Bangkok, Thailand, so myself and my best friend Erin (along with her parents) flew ourselves all the way there on New Year’s Eve. We had, after the atrociously long flight, about 3 full days there to really experience the city. Erin and I have agreed that we definitely want to return to Thailand to see the rest of the beautiful country, we were just only able to see Bangkok in our short time there.

GETTING THERE:

We had quite the long travel day to get to Bangkok and I didn’t sleep once. First, we flew Louisville to Chicago on American Airlines. For some reason, it was WAY cheaper to book a flight out of Chicago and a separate ticket there rather than a flight out of Louisville. Erin’s parents have lounge access, so I felt so bougie just eating whatever food I wanted for free. Lounge access for myself is now definitely on my bucket list.

From Chicago, we flew nine hours on Korean Air (a Delta partner) to Seoul, South Korea and then after a two hour layover there, we flew six hours on Korean Air to Bangkok. Korean Air was definitely nothing like Delta. None of the attendants spoke English (so I definitely regretted not having a few Korean phrases written down) and the people around me kept ordering this pungent spicy ramen. There was also no in-flight Wi-Fi or texting, and sitting alone for hours next to strangers that did not speak English made me really miss that modern perk. The Seoul airport was straight out of Cars 2 (I was freaking out the whole time and definitely sleep deprived). The bathrooms were beautiful, they had nap zones, and there were luxury stores everywhere you looked. We went to a lounge again here and they had such fun and authentic Korean options for food. They also randomly had corndogs. The flight to Bangkok was basically just six more hours of the previous flight. I will say that the food served on Korean Air was very good!

We finally landed in Bangkok and had to go through immigration. This was surprisingly easy and we just walked through a long hallway for customs. It was a great experience personally. Once we got out of that area, we grabbed some cash (needed for taxis and tips) and then found our hotel chauffeur. I would 100% recommend setting this up because after 30+ hours of travel, it was so nice to have this taken care of and not have to haggle with a driver.

STAY:

Because I was with my friend and her parents, we got a very nice hotel room at the Landmark Bangkok. It was truly the nicest hotel I’ve ever stayed in and the staff was so kind and wonderful. They had free breakfast for us every day with a full buffet and the option to order a-la-carte as well as a cocktail hour with appetizers every evening. There was also a wonderful chauffeur service if you did not want to deal with the taxis outside. While this accomodation was more than most people spend in Thailand, it was great for us. This was my first time in Asia, so I really appreciated having breakfast taken care of and a safe hotel in the city center. Also, the staff was full of suggestions and helpful tips which made our experience even better.

EAT:

The first suggestion I have fits into both places to eat and activities, but I 100% suggest the floating markets. They are definitely a tourist trap, but it is just such a unique experience that I loved. You get in this tiny canoe and pass by 100s of vendors selling absolutely everything. Erin got coconut ice cream in a coconut and loved it.

Otherwise, the food options depend on how authentic or touristy you want to be. We stayed on the touristy side of options for sure, and I ate so much fried rice. Every restaurant we went to had a variety though. Erin was way more adventurous than me and tried prawns and spicier options. One note I do have is that the Thai people LOVE spicy food. If you like spice, that’s awesome! If you don’t, make sure you tell the server (they may put only salt on there when you say something though).

DO:

We saw over 30 temples in our short time in Bangkok, and there were still so many more. The three main ones people recommend are Wat Arun, Wat Pho, and the Grand Palace. These were all stunning and we walked around FOREVER. If you are planning to go visit these beautiful spots, make sure your shoulders and knees are covered. You’ll also want to wear comfy sneakers that you can easily slip on and off. The reason for this is there are so many stairs throughout these temples yet you also have to take off your shoes to go in the holier spaces. I would also recommend reading about the history of each place before you go. That really helped me to appreciate the architecture and culture so much more.

Some other random suggestions are a river boat tour (took us through many neighborhoods and allowed us to see so much very quickly), traditional Muay Thai boxing (a mix of dance, boxing, and karate), and a rooftop bar (the skyline at night is beautiful). Our final adventure was to Grand Siam, a kinda-miniature version of Ancient Thailand. Each of the building were at a smaller scale and were so gorgeous. We also had the opportunity to feed elephants in this park. I would not say Grand Siam is a must, but it’s definitely a cool experience if you have a free day.

Well that’s all I have for my three days in Bangkok! Erin and I have agreed that we really want to return to visit Chang Mai and Phuket as well as just have more time in Bangkok. Stay tuned for my Malaysia travel guide.