A Survival Guide to Bangkok, by Thailand 2+2
MONEY & TRANSPORTATION.
CURRENCY: Thai Baht.
1 Pound (GBP) = roughly 48-49 Baht, the rate fluctuates on a daily basis.
I currently find it is much easier to work off ‘50’ to get a rough idea of the prices.
Generally, you get a much better rate for cash over here, than say at airport currency exchanges.
Thai bank notes & their approximate Sterling value, whilst working off 50 baht to the £.
1000 baht = £20.00
500 baht = £10.00
100 baht = £2.00
50 baht = £1.00
20 baht = 40p
Silver Coins:
10baht = 20p (similar in appearance to our 2 Pound coin)
5 baht = 10p
2 baht = 4p
1 baht = 2p.
Bronze coins:
These are Satang, the equivalent of cents, almost worthless in value.
Contrary to advice (allegedly!) given on other cruise sites, US dollars are not accepted as currency for payment of goods, fares or services in Thailand, other than at Banks, Currency exchange bureaux, or Hotels for currency exchange and settlement of hotel bills. NB. Hotel exchange rates always favour the hotel
TAXIS:
Metered Taxis start at just 35 baht and go up in increments of 5 baht per km for the next 2 kilometres, then reduce to 3 baht per km, with a 'time' charge added if waiting in traffic.
Please Note: if you take a taxi from a rank in town or at an airport, they will add a further 50 baht waiting time to the final fare, this doesn't show on the meter, but is a perfectly legal charge.
This applies similarly at hotels, if the cab is parked and waiting for a fare, BUT if called straight off the street by the doorman, the 50 baht surcharge does not apply.
MORE ON TAXIS:
Primary taxi colour is Yellow and Green, but some other companies operate in Pink, in Green, and in Red & White. They all have a "Taxi Meter" sign on the roof.
When hailing a taxi on the street, look for the Yellow light in the bottom corner of the passenger side windscreen. If the light is out, it already has a fare, is nearly out of gas, or is going off duty.
Few taxi drivers speak any discernable English, so we’d suggest you ask a hotel concierge, your tour guide, or maybe somebody from an information booth in one of the big stores, to write down your desired destination AND ALSO your return point, especially if you need to get back to a SHIPS TOURS/ EXCURSION pick-up point.
Tipping: Most Thai people don't tip taxi drivers beyond the nearest note value, so you don't need to go mad with tips.
Say a short journey in town metered at 57 baht, the driver would expect no more the 3 baht from a thai person, if at all! Most of us 'farang' would probably round it up to 70 baht in total.
On a longer journey to the airport, a 30 baht tip is about right! But again, tipping isn’t really expected, and certainly nothing like the ridiculous US$6.00 dollars a journey that we've recently heard being spoken of!!
TUK-TUKS.
These were once the original taxis of Bangkok, and most other thai cities too.
Be warned! Sadly they priced themselves out of the main tourist market long ago by blatant overcharging, the lack of any metering system, as well as becoming very dangerous as the city's traffic increased over the years.
They are still easily found around town and often used by thai locals for shorter journeys. They are certainly worth a go for a few minutes of fun, just to experience the ride, but as a means of getting across town? Forget it!
ALWAYS agree the price before you get in, otherwise you may well find yourself being ripped off afterwards.
Many stories that one still hears about Taxi rip-offs in Bangkok, owe their origins to the antics of the infamous Tuk-Tuk drivers of the past!
THE SKYTRAIN (BTS):
One of the easiest ways to cover city distance quickly and all above ground, is to use the Skytrain. All stations signage and announcements, (plus the onboard train announcements) are repeated in English, as well as in their own Thai language.
Like most transportation systems nowadays, it operates on a zone basis, the first zone is 10 baht, with an additional 5 baht per extra zone.
Arm yourself with a supply of 10 baht coins, (change booths at all stops) consult the layout map at your start point, YOU ARE HERE is marked in red, find your destination station and the zone number marked on it. At a ticket machine press the zone number and then proceed to feed in the required fare in 10or 5 baht coins only. A thin plastic ticket is issued when the correct fee is paid.
(If travelling to a 15baht zone, the ticket machine will return a 5 baht coin, on receipt of sufficient 10baht coins to 20 baht value, likewise for any other additional 5 baht fare above the amount paid)
At the platform entrance slip the ticket (arrow first) into the front of automatic gate, it rapidly returns to you on top of the gate, take the ticket again and the gate opens, walk though. You are ready to travel.
Remember to keep the ticket handy, as you will need it again to exit the system at your destination. Same system as before, except the ticket is captured, and the gate opens, once the ticket has been checked.
It's a very cheap and easy way to get around town. But do be warned, rush hours can be 'crush' hours nowadays!
SUBWAY (MRT):
This is a new underground that encircles the Eastern (main) part of the city from close by the Chao Phraya River in the north of the city to the same river in the South again. The system was completed just over two years ago. It also has Thai/English signage and announcements, and operates in a very similar way, with automated ticketting and controls, to the Skytrain network, with various walkways or linking points, between the two networks along the route. (Note on the MRT: They now issue a small coin sized disc, rather than a thin plastic ticket, but used in a very similar way! The disc is read by placing it on a pad to gain entrance to the platform, and put in a slot upon exit)
Both Networks are separately owned and operated, so the tickets and discs are not interchangeable.
BUSES:
Though very cheap, we don't really recommend that you use the buses unless you have become very familiar with Bangkok and the bus route networks, and have more than a smattering of thai language, otherwise you will not be understood, or similarly understand in return.
CHAO PHRAYA RIVER EXPRESS:
This is an excellent alternate way, of seeing many of the famous sights of Bangkok by river, rather than tour bus, especially for those of you who are maybe attempting 'On your own" excursions.
The Express riverboats run every half hour from Taksin Bridge in the south to Khung Thon Bridge in the north, and vice versa, with 16 stops in all, many stops are very close to all the BIG must see, Temples (WATs) and Palaces. Most express boats have an english speaking guide to point out the main attractions en route. It's a wonderful way to see the city, in our opinion.
Ferries operate across the river at many of the stops, especially those near to famous sites, these cost about 5 baht each way per person. Expensive eh?
An all day, hop on- hop off ticket, on the River Express will cost you just 100 baht each! It's a lovely way to get a feel of the city, even if you don't get off the boat at all.
Try getting a riverboat trip from Greenwich to Wandsworth Bridge and return, for just 2 quid, in London!
