7 Days in Thailand: A photoguide to Bangkok and Pattaya #thailandinpictures

I arrived in Bangkok in the noon, got done with the immigration processes within an hour and booked an Uber for my hotel. In Thailand, you have another cab aggregator service called Grab which is more of a local venture. You can download both the apps and compare the fares whenever you need to book a cab. You can also take the ARL (Airport Railway Line) to Phaya Thai ARL station, walk to the BTS station and take the Banglok skytrain to your destination, which would be a much cheaper alternative to Uber or Grab. I was staying at Sukhumvit Soi 8, which is very near to the Nana Plaza BTS, a place always bustling with life.

I started the day by visiting a local school that had invited me for a function. The students later took us for a walk around the Siam Square. The Siam Square is a hub for all the cool things, an individual expression point where you'd see the styles shape and surface. Its a great place for shopping as well. You can reach here by the BTS, getting down at Siam BTS.

After bidding adieu to the students, we left for the Chatuchak market since it was a Sunday. The Chatuchak market is the largest market in Thailand and is operational in full scale only on weekends. What's for sale? Well you name it and you'll find it. If you're a seasoned bargainer, you can come up with a loot. A good place to buy souvenirs from your trip.
There's a BTS station at Chatuchak as well, so reaching here is pretty easy.

Day 3 had a number of places on the agenda, and though they all were quite close to each other, individually they took a lot of time to be completely explored. So after a heavy breakfast, we left early from the hotel for the Grand Palace. It is situated in the heart of the city and is the official residence of the rulers of Siam. The palace complex comprises many beautiful buildings including the Wat Phra Kew or the  temple of  Emerald Buddha.
The nearest BTS station is the Saphan Taksin station or S6 station on the Silom line. Getting down here, you need to exit from Gate 2 and look for the dock to take the Chao Phraya Express boat. Alternatively, you can take a Tuk Tuk, but always be careful while negotiating the fare. They will almost always charge you for the entire capacity of the TukTuk, which is even more than an Uber or Grab sometimes. But you can ask them if you could share the cab and pay only for your seats, that saves a lot of bucks.
The Grand Palace is open till late noon with the ticket sales closing at 3:30 pm.
Entrance Fee: 500 Bahts

After exploring around the palace complex for a while, we left for Wat Pho, or the Temple of Reclining Buddha. It is a short walk away from the Grand Palace. It is one of the largest temple complexes in Bangkok and is famous for its giant reclining Buddha statue that measures around 46 metres in length. It is also known as the birthplace of traditional Thai massage and still has a massage school operational where you can experience it. The temple is open till 5 pm.
Entrance Fee: 100 Bahts

After a long day of exploring temples and getting some rest, it was time for some vibrant fun in the night. And what better than the Khaosan road! The Khaosan road is like a global party in the night with travellers from all around flocking the road. You can grab some street food, drink at a pub, go clubbing or just enjoy the atmosphere on the road with other backpackers.

This was the last day in Bangkok. I had been planning to visit the famous floating markets in Bangkok since I had arrived and finally got the time. There are about five floating markets in Bangkok, but the biggest and most popular is the Damnoen Saduak floating market. It is quite far from the city and it is best to start for it early morning to catch it at its liveliest. Once you reach the market, you can hire a row boat for 200-300 Bahts or a motorboat for 500-800 Bahts. The boats will tour you through the network of canals surrounded by  shops and you can halt the boats wherever you feel like buying anything.

It was another long drive back from the floating market to the hotel. After getting some rest, in the evening we left for another popular attraction in Bangkok - the Sky Bar. Located on the 63rd floor of the Lebua Tower, the bar provides a 360 ° panoramic view of the Bangkok city and Chao Phraya river from a height of about 820 feet. The drinks are a bit on the expensive side, but the view totally makes up for it. So if you have a little time and money to spare, the place is a must visit.

After the fun packed four days in Bangkok, now it was time for Pattaya. Pattaya is about 150 kms away from Bangkok and there are buses running frequently from Bangkok to Pattaya. We boarded an AC bus from the Eastern Bus Terminal located adjacent to the Ekkamai BTS station on Sukhumvit Road at Soi 63. The bus ticket cost around 120 Bahts and it took around three hours to reach Pattaya. Getting down in Pattaya, you'd find their own larger versions of TukTuks and cabs. There's Uber and Grab in Pattaya as well, however the drivers usually won't linger for long around the places with a lot of local TukTuks or cabs.
We checked into the hotel and got some rest. In the evening, we left for the Walking Street. The Walking Street is perhaps the biggest and busiest partyspot in the whole of Thailand. About a kilometre in length, almost every building on the street is a nightclub, go-go bar, beer bar or a restaurant. You could go there for a week and still find new places every evening.

The next day started with a bit of a hangover, obviously. After breakfast, we decided to chill at the nearby Jomtien Beach for some time. The Jomtien Beach is a narrow but long strip of beach with shacks all along its length where you can relax while sipping on your favorite beer.

Next place we went was the amazingly beautiful Sanctuary of Truth. This place truly left me awestruck. The iconic structure stands about 105 metres tall and is entirely carved out of teak wood. It is decorated with intricate carvings and sculptures based on Hindu and Buddhist motifs. Overlooking the sea on one end, it also offers amazing views of the sunset.
The sanctuary is open till 6 pm.
Entrance Fee: 500 Baht for adults, 250 Baht for children.

Finally, we went to the famous Alcazar show. It is a cabaret show performed by ladyboys which includes dance performances from cultures all around the world. Initially, I was a bit skeptical about going to just another dance show, especially when on a vacation. But the show was one piece of art! Everything from the costumes to the setup and the choreography was just beautifully done. Definitely worth a go if you have time and money.
Ticket price: 600 Baht

This was our last day in Pattaya and we decided to take a tour of the Coral islands. We booked a package from our hotel itself, which included travelling to the islands in a speedboat along with a few activities like parasailing, sea walking, banana boat, jet ski and snorkelling. You can get a ferry to go to the Coral islands from Bali Hi Pier in South Pattaya for around 30 Bahts, or you can take a speedboat which charges around 500-800 Bahts for a return trip. Once on the islands, you can also rent motorbikes to roam around.