Bangkok now feels familiar and very much like home. There are so many things I love about this city! Though I would be remise if I didn’t say there are also characteristics that drive me absolutely batty, like the traffic and, more often than not, the humidity. But, like most things in life you take the good with the bad.
We’ve been in Thailand for nearly a year! Coming up with bits about Bangkok has become, well, a bit more difficult recently. I think could be due to already sharing a number of tidbits as well as how everything now feels commonplace.
I’ve been keeping notes in my phone and I’ve compiled a list of some new tidbits about Bangkok …
- Shops on wheels {see picture above}. From brooms and dusters to food and spices, each navigates their way through the busy streets of Bangkok. All the while blaring a horn to ensure all potential patrons know they are a-comin’! I often wonder how much they actually sell considering I’ve rarely seen anyone purchase something.
- To keep with the shopping theme, there are an abundance of pop-up shops in malls. The goods available for sale are always changing. I’ve seen everything from clothing, shoes, food and books to motorcycles.
- Water is incredibly affordable. This is probably because the tap water isn’t potable, but either way I will take it! Buying a bottle of water from 7-11 will run you about 10 baht (about 30 cents).
- Many places like restaurants, department stores and the malls don’t open until 10am. I often forget that places aren’t open at 9am and have found myself sitting outside the mall (not so) patiently waiting for 10am to roll around.
- The Thai national anthem plays everyday at 8am and 6pm. It plays on the radio, television as well in the BTS/MRT. I’ve only been on the BTS once when it played – Thais and foreigners alike stopped walking and silently stood to show respect until the anthem concluded.
- Napkins are more like tissues … okay they are tissues. Thailand needs to change this STAT!
- Let’s talk butter for a moment. Do you prefer salted or unsalted butter? I’m not talking about when you’re baking or cooking. In Thailand, butter for your toast is always unsalted. It tastes kind of strange to me without the salt. Are we heavy handed in America with salt?
- Booze can only be purchased during the hours of 11am-2pm and 5pm-12am. Between the hours of 2pm and 5pm – no buying booze from stores for you. :)
- Check-in kiosks are virtually non existent. In the states they always want you to check-in for a flight at the kiosk and only if you have an issue or need a baggage tag do you speak to an airline representative. In Thailand, more often than not, check-in will be a personal affair, not online or at a kiosk.
- Scrambled eggs must be ordered dry, else they come out runny, very wet or undercooked … at least by American standards.
What’s your favorite tidbit about Bangkok so far?
Incase you missed it, please check out the first, second and third installment of Bits of Bangkok. More of our Bangkok adventures, to date, can be found here or please follow along on Instagram.
