When you’re in sightseeing in Bangkok and other parts of Thailand, you will sometimes see these fish mobiles. Originally they were made from palm leaves, but nowadays they are often made from plastic bottles.
Even with the plastic bottles, it’s an ancient kind of toy or decoration for your house. And since plastic is nowadays a material that is quite more common than palm leaves, it’s just a way how the simple folk arts keep up with modern life. See it as a kind of environmentally friendly recycling art – much better than the bottle being thrown into some river.
Mos Burger Bangkok is a Japanese burger chain – and they make a very mean premium beef burger. Now, don’t get us wrong – we LOVE Thai food. We cherish it every day. The fresh ingredients, the perfectly balanced spices, the combination of textures…
but every once in a while, it’s just nice to eat something that UNHEALTHY, PROCESSED and full of calories and carbohydrates. And that’s where Mos Burger comes in handy.
Now they have a whole selection of choices and it’s up to you which one you pick. But after some serious testing, we’ve come to the conclusion that the Premium Beef Burger is the only burger any reasonably minded person would choose to eat at Mos Burger in Bangkok.
The Cheese Burger, the Rice Burger, the Teriyaki Burger – forget about them. Just go for the Premium Beef Burger – it’s like a hundred times more delicious than the other ones.
You go to the cashier, make your order, pay, and then you get a little number that you carry to your table. Then you sit and wait. And that’s the worst part about Mos Burger. Sometimes you wait 15 minutes for your order to come. So it’s not exactly fast food, and if you insist on calling it that way, then it’s probably the slowest fast food on earth.
But there’s a good reason why they make you wait: they wanna get it just right. And they do. When it comes to preparing burgers, there’s always a balance to find between speed and quality. Yes, you can get your burger in no time at McDonalds – but you won’t get quality. But with Mos Burger, it’s the opposite. You wait, and wait – but finally what you’re getting served is well worth the wait.
A Premium Beef Burger costs around 90 baht ($3), and it’s superyummy. Not cheap for Bangkok standard, but if you consider the quality of ingredients used, it’s great value for your money.
You can find Mos Burger at several places in Bangkok: in the food floor of the Siam Paragon, in Central World Plaza, in the Emporium, in Central Departmentstore Chidlom and in Future Park Rangsit. The one at Siam Paragon is probably the easiest to get to, as most people who go on a Bangkok sightseeing tour visit the Siam Paragon shopping mall too.
It’s your lucky day if you hail a cab and it’s a Porsche 🙂 What a day to go sightseeing in Bangkok.
Isaarn Teud Teung is a crazy place. The probably weirdest cabaret show in Bangkok. The music is too loud and obnoxious, the dancers are moving just a bit off, the singers are… well, not good at all, yet, somehow, the whole place manages to have something going for it.
The waitresses here wear short skirts and pink tops, and overall their clothing looks like when you load up a picture in photoshop and turn saturation to 200% – bright, shriek, out of place contrasting colors.
If you know the very popular and successful (and professionally managed) Tawan Daeng Brewery, this is kind of like it. Except, it’s run-down and for locals. Low income locals at that too (which is yet another markedly distinctin from the Tawan Daeng Brewery).
Again, don’t come here for “having a great time”. This is a weird experience, and if you come with the right mindset it’s funny. Don’t come here for the food – it’s average. But if you’re with good friends who can stand a night of absurdity, it can be a lot of fun.
Don’t come here before 10pm though – there’s nothing going on, it’s a late night place.
Here’s a beautiful time lapse video of Bangkok. How many of the places do you recognize? An awesome little Bangkok meditation.
Bangkok bicycle tours can be great fun! It’s not the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Bangkok. In fact, if you have ever experienced traffic in Bangkok, you might think that only suicidal people can be insane enough to move through it with a meek bicycle.
“When the spirits are low, when the day appears dark, when work becomes monotonous, when hope hardly seems worth having, just mount a bicycle and go out for a spin down the road, without thought on anything but the ride you are taking.”
Arthur Conan Doyle
But there actually are awesome places to go by bike, and experience the city in a very different way. There are many local communities that can easily and comfortably be explored by bicycle.
There are now many tour companies that offer Bangkok bicycle tours – but some of them just give you a bicycle and a “tour guide” who will drive with you along the way, without actually explaining anything. We have tried several of them, and in some cases it is almost ironical when people ask the guide a question, and the guide just answers: “I don’t know” all the time. In one case, a woman was taking interest in one building, and she asked the guide: “What’s that building?” And he answered: “It’s an old building” (which was obvious in the first place, and probably one of the reasons why she inquired about it).
Also, there are very different quality standards when it comes to bicycles. Some will give you a really state-of-the art modern and safe bike – while others will give you a bicycle that is old and worn out, and might even have issues with the breaks.
If you want to strike out on your own – you can also rent a bicycle in some places, and usually they are maintained quiet well.
You have different options of what to do and where to go. There are some really green areas of Bangkok where you can see the khlongs (small waterways) with lots of tropical trees and plants, banana plantations and a laid-back style of living. Then there are areas in the vicinity of Chinatown that are interesting to visit by bike, and get impressions from a unique subculture in Bangkok that has maintained their traditional style of living.
Whatever your Bangkok bicycle tour of choice – be free to contact us. We can help organize a already-made trip for you, or custom-create one that fits your interests and needs.
“The bicycle is the most efficient machine ever created. Converting calories into gas, a bicycle gets the equivalent of three thousand miles per gallon.”
– Bill Strickland, The Quotable Cyclist
There are many barber shops in Bangkok – and one reason for that is that Thai people generally tend to place a very high importance on a proper appearance.
You probably already know that Thailand is a Buddhist country, where more than 90% of the population are practicing Buddhists. But Thailand also has been influences by Brahmanism. In Brahmanism, it is believes that people should not cut their hair on Wednesdays – and that’s why some barber shops are closed on Wednesdays.
At many stores you can also get a wonderful, half-hour head massage. Just tell them whether you want to have some beauty products used on your hair or just a the head massage without anything.
It can be a bit hit and miss in terms of the quality of the head massage. But it’s well worth giving it a try, as when you come across someone who does a really good head massage, it’s a wonderful way to be even more relaxed for your Bangkok sightseeing time 🙂
The Brahmanistic influences have come into Thailand more via the ancient Khmer kingdom (what is now Cambodia) rather than directly from India, and that’s why it’s not a Hinduistic Brahmanism. One of the main reasons probably was a royal tradition – as in Brahmanism, it is common to declare that kings are in fact half-gods, which gives them more authority to rule.
Until today, it was possible to check in your luggage in advance with Bangkok Airways at the Makkasan train station in Bangkok. They have temporarily halted this service now, because there weren’t enough people were using the service.
Thai Airways however still has that option, so if you fly THAI you can still check in at Makkasan in advance.
Thai’s love to sing karaoke. And there are many clubs where you can go on stage, or rent a small karaoke room for you and your friends. Here’s what a room typically looks like – a couple of sofas, a table in the middle and a karaoke system:
Most of the time there are beverages on the table – particularly Thai whisky. But, sometimes, there’s food also (another thing that Thai people love is eating):
And sometimes, foreigners enjoy singing karaoke in Bangkok too 😉
If you go to a karaoke bar, always go with a lot of friends, it’s more fun. One of the good thing is that you can make a fool out of yourself and only your good friends will notice and enjoy with you. Unless, of course, you actually can sing well – but about 90% of the people who sing karaoke in Bangkok can’t sing well – they just enjoy singing. And once you got over your shyness, you will too, it really is a lot of fun to sing with friends 🙂
One of the things we offer is a Bangkok limousine service with experienced English speaking drivers. You won’t have to deal with taxi fares or drivers who steer a car as if they’re in an action movie. Instead, you get safe comfort and an insured ride to your destination.
Airport Limousine Service
If you want to go from the airport to your hotel, the rate is just 1200 baht* with a luxury limousine – after a long flight, this is money well spent for your personal comfort and security. You get to enjoy a comfortable ride in a new Toyota Camry. In case you are not familiar with the Camry – this car is a bit larger than other Toyotas, offering more space for you. We understand that after a long flight you want to enjoy some leg freedom and not be crammed into another sardine can like an airplane.
If you travel with a group of people (3 adults or more) we recommend that you rent a minibus instead of a limousine (or, if you don’t mind the money and want to have fun, choose the stretch limo). The Minibus costs 1500 baht*.
Stretch Limousine
If you want to indulge yourself – you can ride around Bangkok in an almost 9 meter long black Lincoln Town car. Up to ten people can enjoy the ride together and there are drinks, Wifi, a DVD player, an amazing sound system and more to make you enjoy this ride elegant even more.
Bangkok Limousine Service
If you want a limousine not just for the airport transfer – that is possible too. You can rent your private limousine for a half or a full day. This is really comfortable if you want to go shopping or sightseeing privately in a comfortable way, with air conditioning and flexibility. Of course, here you also get a professional English speaking driver and your ride is insured.
Of course, you could also just take public taxis and tuktuks. Many people enjoy an adventerous tuktuk ride – however, the fun quickly wears off when you are stuck in Bangkok’s traffic, inhaling exhaust fumes from other cars. And taxi drivers are notorious for overcharging tourists, particularly in areas that are mostly frequented by foreign tourists. When you use our Bangkok limousine service, it is in the interest of both you and our drivers to get you through Bangkok in the safest and fastest way possible. Each of our drivers knows the streets of Bangkok well, and how to navigate the traffic – which is an art and science in and of itself.
Renting a limousine for a full day costs 3500 baht*, renting a Minibus for a full day costs 4300 baht*. Half day rentals are also available.
If you want to rent a limousine with driver not just in Bangkok, but in other parts of Thailand, that is possible too. Please contact us for further information.
We recommend that you contact us 24 hours or more in advance before a booking, but immediate bookings can often be arranged too.
*Prices as of June 2011, subject to change.