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So, you only have one day in Bangkok before you head south to the beaches. Don’t fret! There is plenty to do to make you feel as though you have seen it all. All you’ll need is a little bit of cash, and your walking shoes!

On Foot For A Day: Itinerary

8am: Breakfast

If you are staying at a hotel/hostel that serves food, grab a quick bite to eat there. If not, start walking towards the Golden Mount and you are bound to find a delicious food stand. Try something… Try anything!

But before you set out, read this: Avoid wearing short sleeve shirts, skirts above the knees or shorts if you plan on visiting temples. This is a sign of disrespect to the Gods and you will be forced to rent or purchase appropriate clothing. If its too hot to wear them, bring a change of clothes in your bag.

9am – 10am: Wat Saket & Golden Mount
Between Th Wora Chak and Th Boriphat, Admission 10b, 8am – 5pm, bus 508, 511 Blong taxi to Tha Phan Fah
The Golden Mound is a small stupa that offers 360 degree views of Bangkok. If you can wake up any earlier, try being here by 8am to watch the sun rise over Bangkok.

11:30a – 1:30p: Lunch, Democracy Monument and Wat Arun
After all the heat, you are bound be hungry and in need of a cool place to sit. Head towards the Grand Palace and the bank of the Mae Nam Chao Phraya. Don’t forget to take a quick snapshot of Democracy Monument along the way. Democracy Monument was erected in 1932 to celebrate Thailand’s transformation from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional one.

Head onwards towards Th Maharat, find a restaurant overlooking the water and grab yourself a Pad Thai (notice how much spicier it is then in the states, yum!), a beer Chang and gaze over at Wat Arun. If you have a bigger budget, try The Deck restaurant located on the water (Arun Residence, 36-38 Soi Pratu Nok Yung, Th Maharat, dishes 170 – 690bB, river ferry Tha Tien).

Wat Arun is a Khmer style tower situated on Th Arun Amarin (Admission 20b, 9am – 5pm, river ferry Tha Thai Wang). If you are pinched for time or planning (or returning) from a trip to Angkor Wat in Cambodia, you can afford to see this from a distance.

2:00pm – 3:30pm : Wat Phra Kaew & Grand Palace
Admission 350B; 8:30am – 3:30pm, bus 508, 512, river ferry Tha Chang

Wat Phra Kaew is the name of the compound that contains The Grand Palace, the former residence of the Thai Monarch. The main attraction here is a surprisingly small Emerald Buddha (66 cm).  If you are starting your trip and/or you are not yet sick of all the monuments in Thailand, spend an hour here; I wish I had done it first, the architecture is phenomenal. Crowd Alert: This is the most popular tourist attraction in Bangkok.

4pm – 5pm:  Wat Pho and Wat Pho Traditional Medical and Massage School
Wat Pho: Admission 5ob; Wat Phra Chetuphon, 8am – 5pm, bus 508, 512, river ferry Tha Tien/Wat Pho Traditional Medical and Massage School: Soi Pen Phat, 8am – 10pm
Wat Pho is home of the largest Reclining Buddha, and the largest collection of Buddha images in Thailand. After you take a walk around this impressive golden statue depicting Buddha entering Nirvana, get a 30-minute massage at the national headquarters for the teaching and preservation of traditional Thai massage (220b for one hour massage). They have massage centers within the temple area!

5:30pm – 6:00pm: Amulet Market
On your way home, adjacent to Wat Mahathat and between Maharat Road and the river, you might be able to catch the last of the vendors selling Amulets on the sidewalk. Here you will find monks, collectors, and the like searching through an abundance of amulets to ward off, well… everything!

6:30pm – ?:  Dinner, Drinks and Shopping on Khaosan Rd.
Last stop, Khaosan Rd. You have arrived in Backpacker heaven. Anything and everything that you are looking for can be found here: Thai fisherman pants, beer, sex, a boy/girlfriend, jewelery, hair braiding, drugs, cheap hotels and restaurants, and tourists galore. I would recommend some places to eat and drink but only because of the wonderful people (and thus memories) I made in them and not the meals I had. It would be wrong if I stole that experience from you and so, it is up to you to find your favorite spot (among many) on this wild ride. Enjoy!

Morgane Veronique Richardson, Writer/Editor

Source: Prices, hours of operation, address and monument facts taken from Lonely Planet Thailand Guide, 13th Ed.

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I arrived at the Niras Bankoc Boutique Hostel (204-206 Mahachai rd. Samranrach Phra-Nakom, Bangkok) in Bangkok solo. To my surprise I was relieved (and just a little nervous) that I was doing this on my own.

I had heard that Bangkok was an easy place to travel alone as a woman. “Everyone is out to meet new people and, if you want be anti-social, there are enough things to see to keep one occupied.”

Like clockwork,  I was greeted by two fellow solo travelers, Jennifer and John Park at the check-in desk of my hostel. Jennifer was making a reservation and she had brought her friend (they had just met as well) along with her.

They invited me to join their posse on Khaosan Rd. and though I was in a state of delirium after having spent a a few emotionally crazed final days in Cambodia, I immediately agreed.

Khaosan Rd. is the mind-blowing and world famous mecca for new-age frugal travelers. There, you will find everything from cheap (and often dingy) hostels, hair braiding, clothes, jewelery, and an abundance of drinking and dining options. You can easily spend your entire time on this strip.

We ended the night in Soi Cowboy, where I obtained a rude awakening into the distressing world of sex tourism, money and the delicacy of eating cockroaches.

The following morning, I awoke to find an incredibly sick Jennifer in my hostel lobby asking to share the room with me. Despite my initial uneasiness (what if she wanted to steal my identity or put drugs in my bag?! Hello, Brokedown Palace), I let her crash in my room. I figured I would want someone to do the same for me… plus I had already made sure that all my valuables were with me.

Thankfully, I had made plans to see the tourist attractions of Bangkok with John Park that day and so I was distracted by my sudden “paranoid Mother” moment as we took a hilarious journey through the city.

I returned to my room just the way I had left it, but Jennifer was never to be seen again (if you are reading this, I hope you made it home safely!).

I spent the following few days with John Park, meeting fellow travelers, starting a dance party in a disgustingly American, but enormously fun bar on Khaosan Rd., avoiding scams (and getting caught by one, ha!) and pushing away men who reminded me too much of a member my own Posse at Middlebury College.

Despite my fun, there are a few things that all travelers to Bangkok should be aware of:

1. Always ask Taxi drivers to turn on their meters before going anywhere. They tend to rip you off otherwise.

2. Avoid using tuk tuks in Bangkok. They are horrible drivers and they charge a lot more money. If you must, look at tip #1.

3. When visiting temples, the Grand Palace, etc don’t be fouled by people who tell you it’s a holiday and the temples are closed. They are trying to get you to go somewhere else so that they can make a commission.

4. Don’t wear flashy jewelery and clothes. You won’t get robbed (most likely), but someone will assume that you are wealthy and try to exploit that.

5. Avoid telling everyone you meet that you are traveling alone. Be smart, use your instincts.

6. Plan some of your itinerary ahead of time so that you don’t get sidetracked and end up in an uncomfortable situation. However do leave some room for unexpected encounters.

7. Find someone (or multiple people) that you trust and stick with them.

All that being said, flying solo in Bangkok as a woman turned out to be a blast.

Morgane Veronique Richardson, Writer/Editor

“Who am I?” and “What do I want?” are the questions that invade the minds of all the twenty-something’s I know.

After four years of college, we leave with more questions about who we are then when we started. All that defined us slowly shifts and the people we love transform.

Many of us travel around the world in search of the answers only to find them in the most unusual and unexpected places.  Yet we need the chance to step away from our homes in order to pay attention to the solution.

For me, that took flying out to visit a close friend in Cambodia where I realized that I had lost her and gained a better understand of myself in return. What started out as a casual escape, ended in a world of self-discovery.

Letting her go was difficult, but I gained something more. I gained an appreciation of myself and the decisions that I have made.

And so, I boarded the plane for Thailand alone, with butterflies in my stomach, but proud of the decisions we had both made. And let me tell you… Thailand as a twenty-something woman flying solo was breathtaking… but I’ll divulge later (the pictures is a “sneak-peek”).

Oh, and who am I?…

I am a compassionate womyns rights advocate and a queer woman of color who finds pain in staying still and believes in a womyns right to choose (everything).