I loved Bangkok from minute one, and funny enough, I stayed in an area called "little Japan." I never experienced any of the pains that people complain about until I went to the famous temples (and ran away from them... way too many people).
We extended our stay because the city has so many layers and much to offer (the coffee scene is unbeatable). I'm very curious to experience it with my little one because I remember it being very hot during the day and pretty impossible to walk on the sidewalks.
Don't shorten your essays; they are packed with good tips and good writing :)
I LOVED all of these tips, we are travel twins! I think we were actually staying around the same area in Bangkok, where I also loved using the skytrain and the motorbike taxis! It makes me sad when I hear people make assumptions about the city (lots of people asked me why I would stay there for a long time or just see it as a place for backpackers and parties). Yeah the heat is no joke! Do you have plans to go back?
Love this! I recently went to Lisbon and had such a hard time figuring out where to go to get that sort of cultural immersion. I couldn't pick up on the energy of the city and found myself feeling annoyed at the overtourism -- which I recognize I absolutely contribute to as a tourist myself. I did book a food tour and a walking tour which definitely helped me understand the city, but I probably should have done some more research myself to get a deeper experience. That experience is certainly making me re-think some things about how to travel more deeply even with limited time (if that is even possible!)
This is how I often feel when I travel!! It’s like I want to get closer but I just can’t figure it out. It also largely helped that I was in Bangkok for 3 weeks as well, so I had the time to see different parts of it. For shorter trips, I have to settle on maybe just getting to know one neighbourhood (but the FOMO on everything else I’m missing out on is real!)
You truly get it and have given me some fun new ideas before traveling. I've never thought of mapping a city out but that makes so much sense! Also, yes I loveee walking tours! I should have known a trip I went on with an old friend of mine was going to be... "interesting" when I mentioned doing a history tour in Morocco and she looked at me like an alien haha. Thanks again for sharing your thoughts with us
😂 people are missing out on tours! There actually aren’t many friends I could probably travel with because of how different our travel styles are. I just got back from a group trip to Paris where the others just wanted to eat in McDonald’s and KFC 🥲.
This was such a phenomenal read. Having been to both Thailand and Japan for extended periods of time, both with similar experiences as to what you described from the comparisons in the book you read…I am more inclined to immerse myself before a future trip, during, and after to really embrace the beauty of my next travel destination
Thanks Marco! It did really change my perception of Thailand and I hate that so many people have a negative perception of it/just think it’s for partying!
love this! I would add some of my own. Drawing the landscapes, talking to your tourist guides (especially walking tour guides). Iistening and reading from the area really helps--I was listening to a Pescado Rabioso from Argentina when I went there and holy shit do the landscapes even feel different and I totally totally get it!!
Yes to drawing landscapes!! I was considering adding something like this into the 'art' section of the post, but it was getting too long. I love love using creativity to practice presence and a deeper connection to a new place. For me, that's through writing - I wish I had the skills to do nice drawings or watercolour paintings. Sounds like we're super aligned on how we think about travel 🙏
I love this, it's actually very similar to how I travel (not self-promotion but maybe you enjoy a post I wrote about travelling like a local https://www.anansuetravel.com/blog/local-travel-10-tips-that-actually-work )
I loved Bangkok from minute one, and funny enough, I stayed in an area called "little Japan." I never experienced any of the pains that people complain about until I went to the famous temples (and ran away from them... way too many people).
We extended our stay because the city has so many layers and much to offer (the coffee scene is unbeatable). I'm very curious to experience it with my little one because I remember it being very hot during the day and pretty impossible to walk on the sidewalks.
Don't shorten your essays; they are packed with good tips and good writing :)
I LOVED all of these tips, we are travel twins! I think we were actually staying around the same area in Bangkok, where I also loved using the skytrain and the motorbike taxis! It makes me sad when I hear people make assumptions about the city (lots of people asked me why I would stay there for a long time or just see it as a place for backpackers and parties). Yeah the heat is no joke! Do you have plans to go back?
Love this! I recently went to Lisbon and had such a hard time figuring out where to go to get that sort of cultural immersion. I couldn't pick up on the energy of the city and found myself feeling annoyed at the overtourism -- which I recognize I absolutely contribute to as a tourist myself. I did book a food tour and a walking tour which definitely helped me understand the city, but I probably should have done some more research myself to get a deeper experience. That experience is certainly making me re-think some things about how to travel more deeply even with limited time (if that is even possible!)
This is how I often feel when I travel!! It’s like I want to get closer but I just can’t figure it out. It also largely helped that I was in Bangkok for 3 weeks as well, so I had the time to see different parts of it. For shorter trips, I have to settle on maybe just getting to know one neighbourhood (but the FOMO on everything else I’m missing out on is real!)
Really great information, thankyou ☺️
Such good tips! Feel inspired to be better with my deep dive research before my next trip and to book walking tours (underrated).
You truly get it and have given me some fun new ideas before traveling. I've never thought of mapping a city out but that makes so much sense! Also, yes I loveee walking tours! I should have known a trip I went on with an old friend of mine was going to be... "interesting" when I mentioned doing a history tour in Morocco and she looked at me like an alien haha. Thanks again for sharing your thoughts with us
😂 people are missing out on tours! There actually aren’t many friends I could probably travel with because of how different our travel styles are. I just got back from a group trip to Paris where the others just wanted to eat in McDonald’s and KFC 🥲.
This was such a phenomenal read. Having been to both Thailand and Japan for extended periods of time, both with similar experiences as to what you described from the comparisons in the book you read…I am more inclined to immerse myself before a future trip, during, and after to really embrace the beauty of my next travel destination
Thanks Marco! It did really change my perception of Thailand and I hate that so many people have a negative perception of it/just think it’s for partying!
It’s such a beautiful natural landscape & rich culturally too. Honestly, I’m now inclined to go back again :)
Great article - and such an important message!
Thank you!
love this! I would add some of my own. Drawing the landscapes, talking to your tourist guides (especially walking tour guides). Iistening and reading from the area really helps--I was listening to a Pescado Rabioso from Argentina when I went there and holy shit do the landscapes even feel different and I totally totally get it!!
Yes to drawing landscapes!! I was considering adding something like this into the 'art' section of the post, but it was getting too long. I love love using creativity to practice presence and a deeper connection to a new place. For me, that's through writing - I wish I had the skills to do nice drawings or watercolour paintings. Sounds like we're super aligned on how we think about travel 🙏