The recent weather schizophrenia we’ve had (hot days and cool thunderstorms) is identical to the weather I experienced during my 36-hour trip to Bangkok in July. Â I’ve been dying to visit Thailand for many years now, and my expectations were exceeded. Â Bangkok is a vibrant, colorful city that perfectly blends centuries-old culture and modern marvels. Â If you have only a few hours to spend in Thailand, here’s what I recommend:
Stay: I checked into the SilQ Hotel in Bangkok, right in the heart of the business and entertainment district of Sukhumvit.  The comfortable bed and hot shower revived me after my 3.5-hour red-eye from Hyderabad, and the delicious free breakfast prepared me for my day of meetings.
See: No trip to Bangkok is complete without visiting the Floating Market. Â While I had to wake up at 5 a.m to fit the visit into my schedule it was well worth it. Â I thoroughly enjoyed floating around the market, checking out wares (was in the market for a Buddha statue) and people-watching. Â I recommend applying bug spray and wearing a hat, as it can get quite hot. Â A spontaneous trip to a temple in Ayutthaya after a meeting was peaceful and inspiring – and saying a little prayer never hurt anyone :)
Play: My colleagues took me to dinner at one of Asia’s biggest (and nicest) malls, Siam Paragon. Â I was sorely tempted to pop into the Mulberry, Chloe, and Balenciaga stores. Â This mall is Bangkok’s equivalent to 5th Avenue in Manhattan, complete with air-conditioning and polite fellow shoppers. Â The restaurant selection is phenomenal as well; we dined at a Japanese steakhouse that boasted some of the best fish (cooked and sushi) I’ve ever had. Â Sukhumvit, the area my hotel was in, is home to Thailand’s famous night markets – I recommend a midnight stroll among the vendors. Â No trip is complete without multiple reflexology sessions. Â Chivit Chiva was my favorite – beautifully appointed, clean, and the masseuses were extremely polite. Â I recommend their Thai massage and reflexology treatments.
Taste: An avid Thai food fan, I was in heaven in Bangkok.  I dined on fresh fish at every meal (tuna neck is a specialty I highly recommend), pad thai from street vendors, and a full kilo of perfectly ripe mangosteens (as pictured above).  I trusted my hosts to order for the table, and loved everything I ate – raw mango sauce atop fried fish, spicy tom yum soup, delicious fried rice and noodles…I can go on and on.  I recommend keeping an open mind and tasting everything while in Thailand.
I’ll definitely go back to Thailand – and spend more than 36 hours there!
