Bangkok Travel: All The Research I Didn't Do!

Bangkok: See It Or Skip It?

When my now husband and I were planning our honeymoon, we knew we didn’t want just any honeymoon. We wanted an around-the-world adventure. Maybe some little girls dream of their wedding day, but I was always focused on the honeymoon!

And my husband is the same way. We knew that we wanted to spend part of our honeymoon in a part of the world that would be brand new for both of us. Neither one of us had ever experienced Southeast Asia, so we narrowed our focus to that area. We deliberated for a long time about exactly which cities and countries to visit. We landed on Bangkok and Chiang Mai in Thailand, followed by Siem Reap, Cambodia. Laos and Vietnam would have to wait until next time!

First stop in Southeast Asia: Bangkok!

More than anywhere else in our travels, we had heard the most conflicting reports about this city. Some people said it was beautiful. Some people said we should skip it.

Are you also wondering if it’s worthwhile to visit Bangkok?

If so, I hope my experiences there can help you make an informed decision!

When to go

I’m usually very careful about choosing the best times of year to visit a new country. Maybe I’ll choose to go during peak season because it’s peak for a reason (we planned an early spring wedding specifically so we could see the cherry blossoms in Japan!). On the flip side, maybe I’ll choose go during off-peak season because the prices are better, knowing that I might be sacrificing some quality for that price cut (I’ll tell you about Bermuda in March another time!).

The point? I usually know what I’m getting myself into with my travel seasons, one way or the other.

In Thailand, I broke my rule. I made an assumption. I figured if it’s springtime in Japan, France, and America, it must be springtime in Thailand, right?

Nope.

I was wrong, and I should have known better!

Did you know that April is the hottest month of the year in Thailand? I sure didn’t! I mean, I expected that it would be our warmest destination during our trip, but it was a step beyond warm. It was miserable. One of the locals explained the weather pattern to me while I was out there. Something about how the rains would start around late May or June, so April and May existed in that oppressively hot time of year right before the rain finally breaks and clears it all away…something like that. I don’t remember. My brain was melting. I was too busy thinking about air conditioning and ice cream to fully pay attention.

Bottom line: my next visit to Thailand will be between November and December. Yours should be too. Never assume a springtime.

What to Expect: Local Environment and Culture

Since I live in New York, I am very comfortable in a bustling, hectic environment. I’m open to visiting other big cities on vacation, but they need to be pretty darn special (I’m lookin’ at you, Tokyo and Paris!). If I’m taking a vacation, it’s because I want to slough off my hardened New York City ways and release my daily worries. I thought that even though Bangkok was a big city, I’d still be able to relax a bit in its exotic, tropical environment.

Unfortunately, I was wrong again.

In general, the vibe of the city left me feeling mostly stressed. It was as if I were at home—hotter and more humid than home, better access to fresh mangos than at home, but similar stress levels. Why? Well, the main reason was a constant feeling of needing to keep my guard up and defend myself. Now, I’m ALWAYS a careful traveler. I’m always conscious of potential pickpockets, and I’m always aware of my surroundings. Even if I’m lost, I know how to project that I know exactly where I’m going. But there was something different about Bangkok. I never felt actively unsafe, but I did feel like part of the local culture involved exploiting the tourists.

One level of this exploitation came in the form of transportation.

Transportation

Now, I arrived with an expectation of traffic congestion and erratic drivers. Bangkok met and even surpassed those expectations. But that wasn’t so bad. I’m accustomed to terrible traffic and cab drivers in New York! The real stress? All of the drivers in Bangkok seemed to want to play games with the price. We’d heard that the cab drivers will often quote a flat rate to a desired destination rather than running the meter. If they refuse to run the meter, it is likely to ensure a higher rate. At one point, we were trying to get to a particularly touristy part of town, and we had to let seven cabs go by because they refused to run the meter. By the end of such a frustrating and draining journey, by the time we reached our destination, we had a hard time enjoying it.

Animals in Thailand: The Truth About Elephant Riding

Another element of exploitation that felt especially sickening was in the treatment of animals. Go ahead, strike up a conversation with a local. It will take less than five minutes before they pitch you some sort of animal show or elephant ride. And look, I get it. When I imagined a trip to Thailand, I always pictured myself enjoying a lush, scenic view from atop a majestic elephant. I couldn’t wait for that experience!

Then I did some more research.

It turns out that even though elephants look big and strong, their backs are not built to carry people all day. It hurts them, they don’t like it, and it’s not in their nature. So why are they doing it?

Simple.

Trainers horrifically abuse the elephants from a young age, training them to fear and obey humans through torture. If you pay for a ride on an elephant’s back, you are supporting, condoning, and financing this abuse. When I realized this, I gave up on my long-held dream of riding an elephant.

Feeling crushed? I know I was.

But don’t worry! There are humane ways to hang out with elephant friends! Look into visiting an elephant sanctuary like Wildlife Friends Foundation (I’ve never been, but it’s only a few hours outside of Bangkok). On my visit to Thailand, I went Elephant Nature Park, which is closer to Chiang Mai. I could talk about that experience for hours, so it will probably get its own post another time.

Animals: Beyond the Elephants

Unfortunately, I had to figure this out on my own because you won’t hear it from most locals. And it’s not just elephants. Among many other animal shows, a local guide also pitched an experience where we could feed and pet a baby tiger.

Now, don’t be fooled by my status as a happily married woman. I am by all accounts a crazy cat lady. When I’m not researching vacation destinations, I’m playing with my cats or watching cat videos. There’s nothing more appealing to me than the idea of bottle feeding a baby tiger, snuggling a baby tiger, giving a baby tiger an Amazon Prime box and a feather and watching it try to fit in the box and attack the feather….sorry. I get carried away in my baby big cat fantasies sometimes.

When we got to the promised tiger feeding destination, my heart sank. Something just felt off, and I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. I suddenly felt sad, which wasn’t at all what I expected. The cashier at the front was all too ready to take our money and promise us an amazing Facebook photo. That’s when things started feeling extra icky. We realized they didn’t care about the tigers at all. They were just props for a vanity photo to make the folks back home jealous. We had traveled pretty far out of our way for this tiger feeding experience, and and we ended up turning around and skipping it.

The Research I Should Have Done Before

When we got back to the hotel (AKA Free Wifi Land), I started doing the research I should have done before getting excited about holding a baby tiger.

I learned that baby tigers should not be held. Seems obvious, right?

I learned how dangerous and painful it is to declaw a tiger, which of course they have to do before handing it to a tourist.

I learned that if a tourist wants to pay to feed a baby tiger, that tiger will be fed, even if it’s forced.

I learned just how young these tigers are when they are taken away from their mothers.

I learned, most importantly, that I was right to follow my gut and save my money for a sanctuary.

Bottom Line

Bangkok was not the relaxing city getaway I had expected. I wish I had been better informed, and I wish I had done more research.

My advice: I don’t want to discourage you from visiting, but it’s not the best place for an uninformed tourist just looking to “wing it.”

If you do want to visit, be very careful about trusting the locals. Many want to exploit you, their country’s beautiful animals, or both. I recommend asking a local friend (if you have one) or a concierge at a nice hotel (just pretend you’re staying at one, even if you’re not!) about how much various cab rides should cost you before you agree to a price.

And as a general rule, if someone is selling you a wild animal experience that makes you say, “hey, that seems totally out of that animal’s nature,” think twice. It has experienced a lifetime of torture to achieve that level of submission. Do your research, and please don’t support any company that abuses animals. And for goodness’ sake, don’t go in April.