23.9.18 Destination: B A N G K O K

5 min readSep 28, 2018

I’ve quit my job a little while back and had one week to rest before I pursue something new. And since I’ve been wanting to visit Thailand I’ve decided to make a spontaneous trip up to The City of Angels.

The name “Bangkok” is not widely known to the locals. According to an article from “Into Asia”, they often refer to this bustling city by its real name, “Krung Thep” which is an abbreviated version of the ceremonial full name:

“Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Ayuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit”

Which translates to:

“The city of angels, the great city, the residence of the Emerald Buddha, the impregnable city (of Ayutthaya) of God Indra, the grand capital of the world endowed with nine precious gems, the happy city, abounding in an enormous Royal Palace that resembles the heavenly abode where reigns the reincarnated god, a city given by Indra and built by Vishnukarn.”

There’s a rumor that the Thais named their metropolis “The City of Angels” because of their belief that the Gods have guarded over their land from being colonized by the west. If you ever visit Bangkok or anywhere in Thailand you’ll realize a similarity that lies within the Thais, that they are very loyal to their culture, their religion, and their King — especially the late Bhumibol Adulyadej.

Sidetrack a little, I was told by a friend that the month of October is the highest tourism season in Thailand. This month is also the month where the Thais would gather to pay respect to their late King to honor his death anniversary. Despite being Thailand’s peak season, many businesses would take a break from running promotions, which also means, that all advertisements are taken down from the billboards and replaced by the late Bhumibol Adulyadej photo during this period. Additionally, business websites are to also switch to black and white as an act of respect.

I can’t say Bangkok is in my Top 3 Favorites Places to Visit list and I am not quite sure if I would ever make another trip up to revisit. However, it could be perhaps due to the last minute planning, therefore, I did not have the luxury of having enough time to properly map out where I wanted to visit and how to get there. So I’ve ended up spending more time traveling than actually visiting places I’ve had in mind.

However, on the first day after settling down, I took a 3.7km walk to the Bangkok Art & Culture Centre instead of hoping on a grab or taking the public transport. Therefore, I had the opportunity to observe the streets of Bangkok.

Day 1: The Streets of Bangkok

Bangkok Art & Culture Centre

Day 2: theCOMMONS & Terminal 21

I had planned to visit the iconic Temple of Dawn — Wat Arun on the second day but unfortunately it was raining so I ended up at a commercial lot/dining place recommended by a close friend of mine. I guess you could compare it to Publika in Kuala Lumpur but in a much smaller scale.

Later that evening, I stopped by Terminal 21. I was so busy going through the stores to shop that I’ve forgotten to take pictures while I was there. However, in a nutshell, this mall has a different country theme on each floor and I must say, it was quite impressive. Everything was really well maintained. Even the toilet seats are heated.

The Grand Palace

The Grand Palace was built over 200 years ago right in the heart of Bangkok and it is home to one of the most remarkable temples in Thailand — The Temple of the Emerald Buddha. I was astounded by the magnitude of this place. The detail of the architecture was so impressive that when sunlight touches the surface of each building, gold radiance bounces off it and it was as if the building has a soul of its own.

Visitors weren’t allowed to take photos in The Grand Palace, but of course, I couldn’t help myself and took what I can. Honestly, that there aren’t any words that could ever do justice to describe what was right before my eyes. The Grand Palace is indeed the grandest place I’ve ever visited so far.