I spent some time in China Town (more on this later) and took quite a few pictures during my ride on a Tuk Tuk. Getting there is no problem as you have plenty of options including the BTS, motorbike taxis, the water taxi, busses, normal taxis etc. I rode the river taxi up the Chao Phraya because it was basically 60 seconds from my room and got off around China Town drop off point.
I think I mentioned this before but you have to pay attention as there are scammers all over and I ran into them a few ties. As I made my way around, a guy walked up and pretended to be a friendly Thai citizen helping a foreigner (more on this later). He offered to flag a tuk tuk driver down “for me” and ask him to take me to some buddha sites (temples etc) and also to a special wholesale shopping area. The shopping area was a special gift to me as it was a buddhist holiday and he felt should add something in to my sightseeing tour due to religious requirements.
I've been through this before so I went along with it and hopped into the Tuk Tuk. The driver was very patient and waited for me at all the major sites while I wandered around and took pictures. I was his last fare for the day as he was about to take an eight hour bus journey home for vacation so he wasn't overly concerned about my required shopping trip. Anyhow, I saw things like Wat Pho, The Golden Mountain, China Town, 15 Meter Buddha, Reclining Buddha, Wat Saket Wat Phra Kaew, Wat Mahatat, Wat Intharawhan, Wat Chanasongkram and a bunch of the surrounding area.
Along the way we stopped at the special shopping area which was a shop where they hard sell tourists to buy a tailored suit. Since I was on to the game I walked in and told the guys I’m not buying anything so don’t waste your time. They gave up on me after af ew minutes and I hopped back into the Tuk Tuk and finished my tour.
Be advised, when you wander around Bangkok friendly Thais will walk up and innocently ask you what you’re doing, where you’re from, have you seen Bangkok, etc. It’s a ruse and there isa tuk tuk nearby, working with the friendly stranger that approaches you. They normally have a map or ask you if you have one and outline all the fabulous sites they will arrange for you to see out of the goodness of their heart and overflowing love of tourists. What he really wants is to get you into a store where some high-pressure salespeople can drive you crazy trying to sell you something. Be wary while in Bangkok as these guys are expert as pretending to be your friend and they are very good at it.
Hey, a guy has to make a living but on the other hand knowledge is power and westerners stick out so they’re easy targets.
This a long story so I'll break it up into smaller parts, stay tuned.