Time in Bangkok
From backpacking soul seekers to cosmopolitan business travelers, Bangkok is a mecca for adventure seekers worldwide. The city pulsates with modern life but is inextricably linked with a deep sense of tradition.
You can spend one day scoping brand names in a glitzy shopping mall and the next haggling with local vendors in the marketplace. Rickshaws rattle alongside buses crammed full of commuters, while the reliable and dependable SkyTrain zips you around the central city. You’ll find yourself alternately dealing with massive commotion and moments of zen, and loving every minute of it.
When to Go
You’ll often be blessed with warm, tropical weather in Bangkok, especially between March and July. The rainy season hits around August and can last through October. If you can brave the waters, it’s not a bad time to travel, and you can avoid the crowds that come during the drier and more temperate November to February.
Bangkok Weather Forecast, Thailand
Food and Drink
If there’s one constant in Bangkok, it’s the abundances of savory, adventurous and delicious food. A walk down the street is a culinary experience that can’t be missed, but you can also find cheap treats in mall food courts and marketplaces. Less adventurous types can stick with steaming bowls of traditional pad thai and grilled satay, while more daring eaters can go for crispy fried grasshoppers and beetles.
Bottled water is widely available, and highly recommended. If you have a strong stomach, you shouldn’t face any problems with eating fresh fruit and vegetables. But if you’re not willing to take the risk, you’ll do just fine eating only cooked foods.
Currency
The currency in Thailand is the Thai baht (Bht, Bt). One US dollar is currently worth about 31 Thai baht.
For up-to-date currency conversions, visit www.xe.com/ucc
Tipping
There is no standard rule to tipping in Bangkok. It’s not common practice, but is beginning to be more accepted in higher-scale hotels and restaurants (even if a service charge is included). Airport porters and bellman may expect between 10 and 20 bt for each bag carried, and you may considering rounding up for cab drivers.
Airport Information
Bangkok International Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) is located about 15 miles from the city center. If you’re planning to fly within Asia, there are several low-cost airlines available—domestic flights generally leave from JetStar Asia (a subsidiary of Qantas Airways), recently moved into Bangkok Airport and flies between Asia and Asia Pacific. Nok Air, the low-cost subsidiary of Thai Airways, and One Two GO Airlines both fly out of the newly reopened Don Muang Airport.
Transportation
SkyTrain Web site: https://www.bts.co.th/en/index.asp
Resources
Thailand Embassy: https://www.thaiembdc.org/index.htm
U.S. State Department (passport/visa information and travel advisories): https://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1040.html
English language news: https://www.world-newspapers.com/thailand.html
