Lots of the experiences I've had over the last couple of days are quite similar to things I could have done in London, but FELT very different.
Public Transport
I used the Skytrain (BTS) a lot [Docklands Light Railway]. My hotel has turned out to be quite well located, at the interchange between the Asok Skytrain and Sukhumvit underground (MRT) [tube] stations. The hotel is a long way from the historic centre where nearly all the sights are, and neither BTS nor MTS go more than half-way there.
Congestion
Bangkok has London beaten here, it seems to me, with much worse traffic. It could be the Tuk-Tuks that enforce this impression, hundreds weaving in and out of other traffic, changing lanes incessantly.
In any case, it takes AGES to get anywhere by road - eventually a deterrent from going all the way into the historic area every day (but see below)
Sights (1)
The first place I went on the Skytrain was Victory Monument [Trafalgar Square if it had twice as many lanes of traffic round it, all full, and no way to get to the middle]. This is one of many places where a walkway sits below the Skytrain track but well above the roads, lifting people above the noise and fumes.
Places to Wander
After peering at market stalls round Victory Monument, I decided to stroll off down some random backstreets to see what serendipity would turn up. In this case it didn't, really. The canals on which Bangkok was once apparently built are now absolutely filthy and threatening to health, but strangely not very smelly.
I ended up under a long elevated motorway, where there were lots of stalls and eating places, all for locals.
This was moderately interesting but, after walking for ages I checked my map and found I was stuck the wrong side of a canal, veering away from anything I wanted to see.
Scams
I now fell for two in a row, but no hard feelings.
1) Below the motorway, I hailed a passing Tuk-Tuk and asked to be taken to the Emerald Buddha temple. He named a price - 200 Baht or £4. I agreed, as it wasn't going to break the bank, but wondered what it should have cost. I later heard that a Tuk-Tuk should cost 100B per hour, and it took about half an hour (a large part in traffic jams). I guess it should have cost 50B or £1, but it got me out of a hole so good luck to him.
2) As soon as I got to the temple, an official-looking chap said it was closed for prayers for the next 90 minutes but, as luck would have it, the Thai government had an incentive scheme going so a Tuk-Tuk driver would take me some places for 20B and bring me back after. First we went to see a big Buddha statue then we went to the "Thai Centre" that the government was backing. This turned out to be an ordinary tailor's shop (I heard later from a metered-taxi driver that the Tuk-Tuk driver probably got 200B from the shop for taking me).
Anyway, I'd heard good things about cheap Thai bespoke suits so I thought I'd see. I chose good quality cloth, but was surprised that 2 suits would be £700. I said I might just be able to justify it at half that price and, because I was genuinely ambivalent, stuck to that. Eventually he did meet that price (2 suits in different material, each with spare trousers). It was only afterward that I thought it wouldn't be such a bad thing to give myself a treat.
I think I must have got a reasonable price, because the salesman was quite sullen once the deal was made. Later I told a taxi driver what I'd paid and he said he'd expect 3 suits at that price. That made me think I'd done pretty well - a tourist (only there to be ripped off, surely) paying only 50% more than a local - not too bad.
I've received the finished suits now and am quite pleased with them :-)
The driver then took me to a jewellery shop, which didn't detain me long, and said he'd take me back. I insisted he take me to the other place mentioned in the 20B pitch, and enjoyed clmbing the Golden Mount and the views from the top.
Sights (2)
Many of Bangkok's top sights are temples (Wat in Thai). One can only see so many. I remember visiting Rome many years ago, and feeling "all churched out."
The complex comprising the Emerald Buddha (solid jade) and surrounding temple buildings were extensive and very impressive, as was the royal palace - French walls, Thai roof, specified by a king well travelled around the world at the time.
Bearing in mind I'd only landed 6am that morning and just popped out to fill in the time until I could check in, I reckoned I'd "done" half of Bangkok, so resisted offers of a canal cruise and got a ride back to the BTS with the taxi driver who gave me the inside track referred to above.
Traffic Antidote
Saturday's road congestion nearly deterred me from going into town again, but on Sunday I thought I'd try a river trip. This turns out to be how to travel quickly where BTS and MRT don't reach. I got the Skytrain to "Central" (S6) and got on the blue-flag tourist boat that runs up the river with some commentary in English (25B one way).
It good enough that I went to the end and came back to where I planned to get off (although the northern-most part isn't really worth seeing).
Sights (3)
Wat Pho IS the most-must-see temple complex, complete with vast reclining Buddha.
I then went across on the little ferry to see Wat Arun (3B each way). Unfortunately, the grounds were full of military people, mainly in dress uniforms but some in green with guns for security. I guessed it was a graduation ceremony, and couldn't get any closer. At least I saved someone else the fruitless crossing a bit later.
I hopped on an ordinary Orange-flag river bus and got back to Chinatown for 14B.
Street Market
When I was a teenager I worked on a stall down Walthamstow Market. The street market reminded me of it a lot, but then I followed it into long narrow alleyways and we were back in Bangkok again. There was only room for one file of people each way between the close-packed stalls, which meant a problem whenever anyone stopped to look at anything. Hectic and different. I hailed a taxi to get me to Hua Lompong mainline train station. This had welcome calming air-con but concerning lunges between minuscule gaps in lanes of traffic jam, with many near misses. Back from there by MRT.
Filthy-Canal-Express-Bus
On Monday morning, I followed another route into town as described in Wikitravel. Skytrain to N1 then big motorboat bus on the remaining navigable canal. This whizzed along, causing lots of spray. Unfortunately, the spray was the filthy canal water. The boat has blue nylon-cloth sheets along each side, that can be pulled up to shield the spray. A choice between seeing something and catching something!
I returned the same way, and carried on back to the airport (Skytrain from Asok to Thaya Thai, then the cheap City Train to the airport, and thence Phnom Penh.
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