Here are some random photos from my Bangkok 2012 visit. Enjoy!
Find more photos of Bangkok 2012 Highlights, a set on Flickr.
Category Archives: Asia
Getting around in Bangkok (II)
After presenting you the “normal” ways Getting around in Bangkok (I), it’s time to show you the more unique ways of getting around.
Tuk-tuks
Tuk-tuk or auto rickshaw is a usually three-wheeled cabin cycle. You can hire them like a taxi.
Never ask for a price, otherwise they tell you a fantasy price or take you on a “shopping tour” across Bangkok. Tell them a price that you think is right.
When bargaining remember that transportation is cheap in Thailand. A ride across the city with the BTS skytrain costs ruffly 50 Baht.
Motocycle taxis
First of all, use this type of transportation only if you want to kill yourself.
Motorcycle taxis are for short distance journeys. They drive between car rows and there’s basically no safety/protection. Like with the tuk-tuks, you have to know the fare otherwise you pay the farang price.
You can recognise them by the orange vests they’re wearing.
They usually wait in groups near the same shops and restaurants and corners of main streets during daytime.
Have a look at the following video about Motorcycle taxis by Tony from Thai-faq.com
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5UKuxypXNQ
Stay tuned for more upcoming posts about Bangkok and Thailand.
Getting around in Bangkok (1)
When you think about Bangkok and getting around in this big city, 2 things come into your mind.
“Tuk-tuks” and the dangerous moto-bikes.
But there are far more ways getting around in the city of angels known as Bangkok.
BTS Sky train
this is a train service that runs through many parts of the city.
It runs on tracks above the streets. The fares start at 10 baht for a single journey. Take the stairs from street level to the station.
Go to a ticketing machine select the fare for your route and pay, receive your paper ticket, go through the fare gate.
Next take the stairs or escalator up to the trains. Board the train, get off and exit the station through the fare gate.
Day passes are also available for 150 baht. You can purchase them only at the ticket counters located at some stations.
There are currently 2 lines running through the city, you can use your ticket on all lines.
The government of Bangkok is still working on extending the existing ney network. E.g the trains don’t run to the northern districts yet.
MRT
Bangkok also has an underground/subway train service.
There’s an interchange with the BTS Sky train at the Asok BTS station. The MRT network is still very simple. There’s one line and it runs from the north to the south.The Bangkok goverment is still expanding the network.
Taxi
There are two different types in Bangkok. Taxis and metered taxis.
The metered taxis work like in most other countries. But you can also find taxis without meter. Then you have to know the price for they journey and know how to negotiate with the driver.
You can recognise the difference by searching for a sign on the roof of the car. As Thai people write things differently in english, look for “Taxi-meter”.
If you just want to get around, take a metered taxi. Please make sure that the driver starts the meter. Otherwise you may end on a jewellery and tailor shopping tour through the whole city. 😉
Bus
Getting around by bus can be a unique experience in Bangkok.
There are not only modern air-conditioned buses, you may see some of the older ones that look like, they’re from the 1960.
Get on the buses at bus stops that consist of signs with the buses’ numbers on them. Make sure you give a sign to the driver that you want to get on the bus.
Tickets are bought on board the buses. Show the driver you want to get off the bus by standing up approaching the doors.
Stay tuned for part 2 of Bangkok – Getting around, in which I write about more Bangkok styles of getting around.
Dark alleys of Chinatown – Singapore
Singapore has much more than just beautiful gardens and shopping arcades. Singapore has some dark secrets. One of the best places to learn about Singapore’s history and dark secrets is Chinatown.
If you can spare two hours on Friday nights, do a the Official Singapore walks tour starting right next to the MRT station ” Chinatown” (North East line).
A local will walk you through Chinatown and its surroundings. You will learn something about its past, taste some local cuisine and find some stuff you didn’t expect in Singapore.
Learn more on the official website.
5 Things I Love About Singapore
Gardens by the Bay
Gardens By The Bay is a brand new attraction in Singapore.
About 1 year ago Singapore finished the construction of a garden with gigantic super trees and two fantastic flower domes.
The entrance to the garden is free, but if you want to either visit the flower domes or go on top of the super trees then you have to pay admission.
Tip: You get a discount when you present a Singapore airlines boarding pass at the ticket counter.
Chinatown
This is a must visit district in Singapore. Chinatown has a unique atmosphere. lots of little shops and restaurants. It can be conveniently reached by the SMRT on the North-south line.
Tip: Do a “Original Singapore walks” tour on Friday nights. It’s amazing!
Singapore Flyer
The tallest Ferris wheel is not in London. It’s in Singapore! Welcome to the Singapore Flyer – the world’s tallest Ferris wheel. It’s located across the Marina Bay Sands hotel. On top you can enjoy a view of Gardens By The Bay, Marina Bay Sands, The Esplanade and the Singapore Skyline. Breathtaking views – worth the admission fee.
The Esplanade
The Esplanade (Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay) is an amazing event location with indoor concert hall and outdoor theatre. The outdoor areas often feature free concerts and plays.
There are also retail and food spaces at the Esplanade Mall.
You can visit this place easily by SMRT, look for station CC3 – Esplanade. 10 minutes walking from there.
Changi Airport
Singapore Changi Airport is one of the most awesome airports.
It features lots of leisure and business facilities. Also, you can dine and shop at over 300 stores and restaurants. All terminals have several gardens.
For example you can visit the butterfly garden in terminal 3. It contains more than thousand different butterflies.
Other highlights are free WiFi, phone charging stations, TV and entertainment areas, free movie theaters and a swimming pool on the roof of terminal 1.
Tip: if you have at least 5 hours, do a free Singapore city tour. Counters can be found in all terminals.
Free WiFi at Singapore “Changi Airport” (2012/2013 Edition) – How to
[note color=”#FFCC00″]Info: Updated guide! Changi Airport now offers 3 different ways for free WiFi.[/note]
The team of Changi Airport offers international travellers free WiFi in all terminals. Just connect to the WiFi and you’re online? There are several ways. Read this guide for details
Method 1 (December 2012)
On my latest stopover 2012 I discovered another option for Free WiFi at Changi Airport. It’s much better to use than the other options.
Changi is calling it a beta test when you login. I tried it and it’s amazing!
- Connect to the network “#WiFi@Changi”
- Read the terms and conditions
- Click on the big button below the terms & conditions
- You’re online!
Method 2 (January 2012, verified in Dec. 2012)
step 1 – check requirements:
- You need your passport
- Your Netbook/Notebook/Tablet/Pad/Smartphone oder other WiFi enabled device
Okay, let’s start.
- step 2:
Go to any information desk in the transit area, you can find them every few hundred meters in all terminals. - step 3:
Ask for the “Free WiFi Pass”. The staff of the information desk will eventually ask you for your passport to note the details.You get a piece of paper with login details. - 4th step:
Connect your WiFi device with the access point “Wireless@SG” (SSID). As soon as you want to visit the first website, you will be redirected to a login form. - 5th step:
Enter your the login details from the paper and submit. Now you’re online!
Select as service provider “M1net”. The username contains @m1net.com.sg. The password is uppercase.
I’ve used this WiFi in Terminal 3 at Singapore Changi Airport a couple of times. It should work the same way in the other terminals.
[note color=”#FFCC00″]Info: The access for each Username/Password combination is limited to a few hours.[/note]
Method 3
Method 3 requires a Singaporean Sim card. I haven’t tried it, but it’s not as easy as the methods 1 and 2.
Announcement: Trip to Asia 2012
I am very happy to announce my upcoming trip to Asia.
My trip starts 14th November in Munich. From there I am travelling to Singapore and Thailand and report about
- hotels
- airports
- airport lounges
- attractions
- much more.
As a Star Alliance Gold member I plan to visit different frequent traveller lounges in Munich, Singapore and Bangkok and give you an review of the food.
6 hours at Singapore Changi Airport – What to do?
You have a 6 hours stop over at Changi Airport? Awesome. Singapore Changi Airport has so much to offer. The whole airport feels like beeing in a hotel.
Here are some ideas, how you can spend your time smart.
Plenty of time? You can do a Free Singapore city Tour and take in the sights and sounds of Singapore.
Experience international cuisine at one of the many restaurants and dining options.
Spent some time waling through the flower and plants gardens at Changi Airport. You can find different gardens in every terminal.
Enjoy some time at the fish spa in terminal 1.
Watch a free movie at one of the cinemas and Terminal 2 and Terminal 3.
Take swim at the roof top swimming pool in terminal 1.
There’s much more to do and explore at Changi Airport, I will update this article everytime I visit Singapore or fly via Changi Airport.
Free WiFi at Singapore “Changi Airport” (2012 Edition) – How to
[note color=”#FFCC00″]Info: This guide is outdated! Click here for the updated 2012/2013 edition of the article.[/note]
The team of Changi Airport offers international travellers free WiFi in all terminals. Just connect to the WiFi and you’re online? It’s not that simple. You can find here the original information page. Here’s a short and simple step by step guide:
step 1 – check requirements:
- You need your passport
- Your Netbook/Notebook/Tablet/Pad/Smartphone oder other WiFi enabled device
- step 2:
Go to any information desk in the transit area, you can find them every few hundred meters in all terminals. - step 3:
Ask for the “Free WiFi Pass”. The staff of the information desk will eventually ask you for your passport to note the details.You get a piece of paper with login details. - 4th step:
Connect your WiFi device with the access point “Wireless@SG” (SSID). As soon as you want to visit the first website, you will be redirected to a login form. - 5th step:
Enter your the login details from the paper and submit. Now you’re online!
Select as service provider “M1net”. The username contains @m1net.com.sg. The password is uppercase.
I’ve used this WiFi in Terminal 3 at Singapore Changi Airport a couple of times. It should work the same way in the other terminals.
[note color=”#FFCC00″]Info: The access for each Username/Password combination is limited to a few hours.[/note]
My Top 3 Airports worldwide – Cairns, Munich, Singapore
Here’s the thing, I love airports!
That’s why I’m presenting you my Top 3 Airports (from small to huge).
Cairns International Airport
This is my favorite airport of the category “small airports”.
It’s located 2 km north of Cairns in Queensland, Australia. It’s a small, but also international, Airport at the north east coast of Australia.
This airport is served by Qantas, JetStar, Virgin Australia and other. I love especially the Domestic Terminal of cairns Airport. You pretty much need just 10 minutes from Check-in to the Gate.
There lots of small shops and eating places. Even a small pub, known as “Blue Sky Brewery”, can be found in the domestic terminal.
Munich Airport International
This is my favorite airport of the category “medium-sized airports”. It’s located 30km outside of Munich. The airport is perfectly connected by train, bus and the motorway. I prefer the train connections between
Munich Airport and the city of Munich. Trains run on the lines S1 and S8 every 10 minutes. Even until 2am. The airport itself serves people in Terminal 1, Terminal 2 (The Star Alliance Terminal) and the Munich Airport Center.
Terminal 2 is the home of Lufthansa’s second Hub in Germany. Lufthansa flights and partner airlines depart from here until 10 pm at night. There are a few shops in the public area of this terminal. Most of the shops can be found in the passenger area. Many famous brands have their own flagship store at Munich Airport. You can even find an erotic and adult store in the transit area for your personal “pleasure”. You need your coffee in the morning? Starbucks can be found next to the arrival area of Terminal 2.
Terminal 1 is much older, but it’s also stuffed with shops, snack bars and restaurants. BA and other Oneworld partner airlines depart from Terminal 1.
The already mentioned Munich Airport Center is located between both terminals. Basically a shopping mall with big open air area and an Biergarten, where you can enjoy some delicious Bavarian Beer. The Beer is brewed at the airport at the AirBräu brewery. Awesome! It is also home to many fun sport events and other activities. Have you ever been surfing at an airport? Munich Airport was home for an big wave surfing event. Lots of people headed to the airport to go surfing. Sounds strange? That’s Munich. 😉
Munich is famous for its 30 minutes connection time. That means you can arrive from an international flight, go through passport control and board your domestic flight in under 30 minutes. Have you ever tried that at Heathrow Airport?
Singapore Changi Airport
First, this is my favorite airport in the world. It’s huge and it’s the world’s most awarded airport. The whole airport looks like a 5-star hotel. The whole airport is stuffed with carpet (almost everywhere) and plants. Free WiFi in the whole
airport, several gardens (Butterfly garden in T3 and cactus garden in T1), free cinema, awesome shopping malls…. You get it 😉
Changi Airport consists of 3 terminals, connected by automatic shuttle trains between them. It takes about 10 minutes if you want to walk from Terminal 3 to Terminal 1. The airport itself is perfectly connected by SMRT (Singapore Mass Rapid Transit) train service.
Terminal 3 is awesome. all famous brands have their own stores in the shopping area. Lots of dining and beverage options. E.g. Starbucks, Subway, Hard Rock Cafe, Boost juice bars.
You can find drinking water dispenser and foot massage chairs all over the terminal. Don’t know what to do? What about a free foot massage in one of those chairs that you can find almost anywhere in the terminal. Or you can jump over to the free movie cinema, where blockbuster movies are shown. Click here for the current screening times. What about a swim 
Terminal 1 has the biggest shopping mall I’ve seen so far. Hundreds of shops, restaurants and fast food. All major brands have their own stores.
This Terminal is also home to another open garden of Changi Airport. The famous Cactus garden features many surreal plants. Terminal 1 also has a place that is very unusual to find at an airport. On the roof top of Terminal 1 you can find a leisurely swimming pool.
Terminal 2 offers a sunflower garden. I heard it’s very beautiful. I haven’t been to Terminal 2 yet, hence I will write more about this terminal next time when I am at Changi Airport.
I will feature these airports in upcoming posts with much more detail. Stay tuned.