Bangkok, the capital city of Thailand, is highly appreciated by tourists all over the world for its versatility – temples, the Grand Palace, nightlife, Thai massage, delicious food and endless shopping. If looking for a short and economical tour where one can enjoy to the fullest, shop to one’s heart’s content and party day and night, Bangkok surely has all of it on its huge platter.

Having travelled by Bangkok Airways, we landed in Suvarnabhumi airport in the morning. After getting our visas done (yes, we got our visas on arrival), we were straight away transferred to Hotel Grand Mercure Park Avenue which is conveniently located in a quiet lane in Sukumvit Soi 22. After check in, we decided to keep our luggage in the room and explore the hotel. To start with, the hotel has an Indian restaurant (which is run by a Punjabi settled in Bangkok for decades) and an Italian restaurant called Viva Vino.  The swimming pool, the gym, the spa, the location and the ambience, everything seemed perfect. Oh yes, and the view from the hotel room was awesome.

A good way of discovering the unique beauty of Bangkok is by going for the city tours. From the city’s most splendid temples to its evocative floating markets, the excursions surely offer you a taste of Thai culture. Discovering Bangkok’s finest temples: Wat Traimit which houses a striking 3-meter tall Golden Buddha image – a gleaming, 5-ton figure of solid gold, Wat Pho, which houses the highly revered giant Reclining Buddha and traditional massage school and Wat Benjabophit which is famous for its elegant, white marble facade and Buddha images lining the cloister walls behind the main chapel, was surely a pleasurable experience. A visit to the 61 acre Grand Palace is a must if you want to encounter the Temple of Emerald Buddha.

In the evening, we decided to explore Thai cuisine by converging with a journey along Bangkok’s River of Kings. Aboard the luxury cruiser, it was an amazing experience to admire the sparkling temples and the bustle of river life while supping on a sumptuous meal.

Our second day tour in Bangkok consisted of the much talked about ‘Safari World With Marine Park’ tour. Spread over an area of about 300 acres, the journey through the ‘World’ is undoubtedly one of the most memorable events of one’s life. Witness the picturesque African settings with intimate encounters with dolphins, orang utans, seals, birds and other such animals at the adventurous Safari World. Be it listening to the chirpings of the beautiful birds, watching the superb performances by the sea lions, or clicking photos with the baby leopards, everything seems to be just perfect. We returned to our hotel in the evening and later decided to explore the Sukhumvit area.

Sukhumvit area is the city’s main commercial area and host to some of the biggest shopping malls of Asia. The innumerable small streets crisscrossing the area are home to a wide selection of restaurants, budget hotels and nightclubs, whereas the main street front areas are populated with luxury hotels, shops and shopping malls. The side-walk turns into a buzzing night market once the sun has set and souvenirs of all types can be purchased here at a bargain. The easiest way to access these areas is via BTS trains which are fast and definitely very economical. If one is looking for budget shopping, visiting the wholesale Indra Square shopping mall or the Pratuman market are the best options. The malls are host to unique collections of shoes, handbags, perfumes, clothes, accessories….the choice is endless. It is very easy to go bankrupt in these shopping malls. If you are a gadget freak, MBK shopping centre is your place to be in. The 2500 shops spread along 8-330 mts long floors, surely leaves one spoilt for choice. For all brand freaks out there, Emporium Shopping Center is the place for you, boasting brands like Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Rolex.

On our third and last day in Bangkok, we decided to keep our luggage in the hotel concierge and pay a visit to Siam Ocean World. The aquatic aquarium which is the size of three Olympic swimming pools will dazzle you with innovative world-class exhibits and over 30,000 curious looking creatures from various depths and aquatic regions across the globe. It’s an experience of a lifetime to meet some of the world’s record holders, transported all the way from the Amazon River or the Jurassic period when dinosaurs still roamed the earth. Greet the ocean’s deadliest predators in the 270-degree underwater tunnel, sneak a peek into the open ocean from a glass-bottom boat, or, if you really can’t resist, dive in and have a swim amongst the sharks and rays.

Having enjoyed to the fullest, it was now time to just relax…and what better option could come to our minds other than the world famous Thai massage? Honestly speaking, the massage makes one attain the state of Nirvana.  Later, we returned to our hotel to get transferred to the airport for our return flight. In simple words, the journey was “short and sweet”. We enjoyed every bit of it and would surely love to go back to Bangkok once again…or maybe Pattaya this time. Keeping fingers crossed!