My First Cultural Experiences In Bangkok Thailand

Bangkok has been the first of many cultural experiences for me. It was the first time I visited a weekend market, a Wat and took a boat to cross a river. I loved most of my experiences there, though not all of them. I have been here for a few days and am leaving tomorrow.

Bangkok Cultural Experiences

Chatuchak Market

Claimed to be the world’s largest weekend market, Chatuchak is a must-visit while in Bangkok.

We rode a tuk-tuk to Chatuchak Market and spent the whole afternoon there. We explored, we ate, and we shopped.

Bangkok Wats

We went to three temples in Bangkok. The first was the Emerald Buddha at the Grand Place. The fashionable Buddha whose clothes are changed by the king according to the season: summer, rainy, and winter.

The second was the Wat Pho, the Temple of Reclining Buddha, featuring the biggest sleeping Buddha in the world. Sleeping is Buddha’s last posting before he died. We learn many interesting facts from the guide. This was where I bought good luck for $20 to put 108 coins in 108 bowls.

The last temple was Wat Arun, the ceramic temple. We wrote our wishes and prayers on the yellow cloth wrapped around the temple.

Bangkok Floating Market

We know not to miss out on the floating market experience, a quintessential part of Bangkok culture.

Jim Thompson Thai Silk

If you are getting only one type of souvenir from Bangkok, make sure it’s the Thai King silk from the Jim Thompson collection. We visited the Jim Thompson House Museum and had an in-depth experience of  Thai culture and architecture.

Bangkok Tiger Show

We also went to the notorious Tiger Show out of curiosity. It’s an adult show of dancing ladies performing some mind-boggling acrobatic movements. We watched, regretted and left the show almost immediately. It was beyond sad to see all the girls dancing emotionlessly. I wonder whether it would be the same in developed countries?

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