Category: <span>Travel</span>

Date: January 20, 2023

After walking through Khaosan Road for the first time, I booked a Grab bike taxi and decided to head towards Yaowarat Road, the main street in what is dubbed Bangkok’s Chinatown.

Road to democracy monument Bangkok — The bike passed around Democracy Monument

Sao Chingcha Giant Swing Bangkok — We then passed by Wat Suthat Thepwararam compound and Sao Chingcha a.k.a Giant Swing

Sao Chingcha Giant Swing Thailand — Giant Swing is one of Bangkok’s icons

Towards Yaowarat road Bangkok — As I reached Yaowarat road, I got down near a canal

Sharp Mitsubishi Electric Bangkok — I honestly wasn’t sure where exactly I was dropped off

I walked over to Ong Ang Canal (Khlong Ong Ang in Thai), which it turns out, got a makeover during COVID19 and has now become a tourist attraction.

Bangkok Ong Ang canal panorama — The canal was cleaned up and new murals were painted

Khlong Ang canal Bangkok near Chinatown — ‘Khlong’ is Thai for canal

Eateries along Ong Ang canal Bangkok — Along the canal, on either side, are many eateries

Chai Mafiya Indian restaurant Bangkok — There was a surprising number of Indian eateries too, like this Indian snacks shop

Khlong Ong Ang restaurants Bangkok — Across the canal were dine-in Indian restaurants, a few right next to each other

Mamas Indian restaurant Bangkok — This one is called Mama Restaurant, run by a Punjabi

Ong Ang Canal Thais sitting evening Bangkok — There were sitting areas and a school girl was even singing really well entertaining the passerby. I think she was trying to raise money for some cause.

Khlong Ong Ang canal mural painting Bangkok — The Bangkok Metropolitan Authority (BMA) gave Ong Ang Canal a makeover with mural paintings and lights on either side

Khlong Ong Ang canal is a nice example of how authorities took advantage of COVID19 lockdowns, to make improvements to city infrastructure, before re-opening the city for tourists.

Unfortunately as my phone’s battery drained, I noticed while I was carrying my powerbank, I forgot to take the charging cable!

Yaowarat road Bangkok no traffic — So I went looking for electronics shops nearby, just to get a USB charging cable

I ended up walking into Always One Plaza near the canal but most shops I saw there were shops selling toys, figurines, and collectibles.

Always One Plaza toy shops Bangkok — Geeks into otaku culture would love this place!

Gunpla figurines Always One Plaza — There were stores selling Gunpla model kits and other figurines

Hobby tables Always One Plaza Bangkok — There were tables set up for school boys to play card games or indulge in other hobbies

I didn’t have much time to explore the rest of Always One Plaza since I had to keep my phone’s battery in mind.

Mega Plaza toy mall Bangkok — Right across Always One Plaza is Mega Plaza — Thailand’s biggest toy mall

Mega Plaza houses hundreds of shops across 6 floors, all dedicated to anime and other pop culture figures, collectibles, hobbies, card games, video games, radio-controlled cars, toys, and digital cameras. Basically if you are into all things tech and a otaku culture — you must visit Mega Plaza when in Bangkok!

Warhammer club Mega Plaza Bangkok — Like this is a store dedicated to the Warhammer franchise, but I’m guessing mostly a place to gather and play the card game

Far BB gun store Mega Plaza Bangkok — They even have a few stores selling BB guns

Mega Plaza toy shops Thailand — It was my first time here and I didn’t know what to expect

Mega Plaza floors Bangkok — I just wished I came here a bit early, as most shops were closed by 6pm, or were on the verge of closing shop

Figure showcase Mega Plaza Bangkok — But many shops at Mega Plaza deal in anime and other pop-culture figurines

Figures showcase Mega Plaza Bangkok — Lots and lots of figurines

Lego figures Mega Plaza Bangkok — From the affordable LEGO models…

Large figures display Bangkok Thailand — … to the expensive, detailed models

Demon Slayer figures Mega Plaza Bangkok — Demon Slayer was very popular

Expensive figures Mega Plaza Bangkok — But one can easily find One Piece and other popular characters out of Japan

If you love anime and all things Japanese pop culture, you’ll find a lot of things to spend thousands of That baht on at Mega Plaza.

I managed to buy a charging cable from a 7-Eleven nearby, and felt a bit relieved as I could now charge my phone using my powerbank.

Ong Ang Canal at night Bangkok — By the time I walked past Ong Ang Canal again, it was all lit up

Ong Ang canal night lights Bangkok — It looked even more beautiful now!

Ong Ang canal night mural Bangkok — Even the murals really stood out at night

Khlong Ong Ang kayaking Bangkok — You can even go kayaking here!

I don’t know what this stretch of Ong Ang Canal looked like before COVID but I must say, I like the makeover BMA has given to the canal. The canal water didn’t smell, and the fact you can kayak here shows what can be done to a city’s waterway for sports activities or tourism!

Bangkok Bustaurant Thailand — Ever wanted to get a tour of Bangkok in a bus while dining on great Thai food — inside the bus? Try Bangkok Bustaurant!

After spending a lot of time near Khlong On Ang, I walked along Yaowarat Road towards the main stretch that most tourists know as Bangkok’s Chinatown. That will be the next post.

Previous posts in this series:

Thailand: Visiting Khao San Road For the First Time

Thailand: Capturing Wat Arun at Sunset

Thailand: Hindu god shrines around Sukhumvit, Bangkok

Thailand: Siam Square Walking Street, a good place to find K-pop stores in Bangkok

Thailand: Phayathai Food Center and Bangkok’s Gundam Base

Flying AirAsia from Manila to Bangkok

Date: January 20, 2023

Yesterday, I most spent my time photographing famous Buddhist temples — first Wat Saket, and later Wat Arun. Today, after finishing my work, I decided to visit yet another popular Bangkok destination I had yet to explore — the famous Khao San Road.

Panthera Group Bangkok Thailand — Right outside my hotel was a company that is in the marijuana business. From the luxury cars outside… you can tell it’s clearly a profitable business!

Crab fried rice Bangkok — I had crab fried rice for a quick lunch

After that I decided to take the BTS.

Blackpink Lisa True ad banners BTS Bangkok — BlackPink is hands down the most popular K-pop girl group in Thailand. And Thai member, Lisa is literally the biggest celeb Thailand. Lisa is everywhere!

I got down at Chit Lom BTS station, walked through Gaysorn Village mall, and reached Pratunam Pier.

Pratunam Pier Canal taxi Bangkok — I was once again going to take the canal boat taxi service to get to the ‘Old Bangkok’ area

You can watch a video I made about my visit to Wat Saket, to get an idea about the canal boat ride:

The boat taxi is the quickest and cheapest way from Sukhumvit to the Old Bangkok quarters. You can take the canal boat taxi to the stop for Wat Saket, and just walk a kilometre to get to Khao San Road.

Continue reading “Thailand: Visiting Khao San Road For the First Time” »