Bangkok Thailand offers easily a week worth of worthwhile things to do.  While experiencing the culture and antiquities, we also enjoyed walking the streets and getting to know the people of today.  The sights and sounds of Bangkok Thailand are a tourist attraction in their own rite. The tuk-tuk is an easy and affordable mode of transportation that sometimes offers a thrill and often comes with a surprise or two.The tuk-tuk is a motorized three wheel vehicle.  The motor bike in the front pulls a sort of covered chariot where the guests sit.  The tuk-tuk was named for the noise the motor makes.  It is not unusual to see a dozen or more tuk-tuks lined up on a street corner near any tourist site waiting for riders and therefore, they are always easy to hire and to negotiate pricing with.

While riding in the tuk-tuks, we saw elephants with riders on some of the rural roads, we routinely saw motor bikes with families of 3-4 people and bags and boxes piled up scooting along the road.  People on the motor bikes and scooters generally carry drinks with them in a plastic bag with a straw so they can easily sip while driving.  These bags hold about 10 ounces of fluid and the drink is poured directly into the bag.We passed a McDonald’s in Bangkok with a 10 foot statue of Ronald outside.  He is posed like a Buddhist with his hands held up in the traditional Buddhist greeting.  McDonald’s are popular tourist spots because of the free Wi-Fi hotspots offered.

The early morning brings busy streets, with monks roaming around asking for food.  A part of the Thai and Buddhist culture is for most people to become monks for up to a year to become closer to their beliefs.  The monks take to the streets each morning and the locals have their gifts ready for them, including food, money and anything else they may need.  It’s really a fascinating scene to see a dozen monks, all dressed in bright orange garbs walking along the busy streets at sunrise.  Street vendors are setting up their stands for the day, deliveries are made and children are running off to school or doing errands.

While the store fronts by day seem to be just that, the families who run the shops also live there.  At bedtime, the counters and chairs are pushed aside and bed rolls are set up for the family.  When it’s time for a meal, they go to the street vendors for their meal and sit outside the storefront and eat.  Without a kitchen or fridge, they buy the food just as they are ready to eat it.

Custom suit being fitted

Bangkok, Thailand is known for it’s multitude of tailor shops, all eagerly waiting to produce custom made suits and clothing for customers in just 2 to 3 days.  While a rush job for a 24 hour suit is possible, it’s better to give them time to make the quality products they are known for company website.

In our case, we had decided to use Tom’s for our custom made suit because they were recommended by a past traveler.  We took a tuk-tuk to Tom’s from our hotel.  The tuk-tuk driver really pressured us to go to a different shop, he even offered to take us there for free and finally admitted that he would received the equivalent of $35 USD just for bringing us in.  We insisted on going to Tom’s and he wasn’t happy with us.

Jared ordered and was fitted for his custom suit that morning; this was one of the main attractions that brought him to Thailand in the first place.  It was a really interesting experience.  We went early in the morning to choose the fabrics and have sizing done.  At 5 PM the next day, we went back to the store for a fitting.  He tried the pants and shirt and they made a few minor adjustments; already he looked great.

We waited around for the tailor to arrive by bicycle with his messenger bag.  Inside was the shell of the suit jacket, rolled neatly.  They put that on Jared and three guys went to work pinning and marking his jacket like they had done with his pants earlier.  They added the sleeves when they were done and pinned them.  We were told “the suit will be ready tomorrow night and delivered to our hotel”.  Just crazy.  He is going to look good for prom this year.  Our itinerary was very full for our week in Bangkok, but we were glad we fit the tailor in early.

The suit, along with two dress shirts and ties, that were also custom made from his choice of fabrics and colors, was delivered as promised and fit to perfection.  The suit bag was sturdy enough to travel for another 3 weeks and to be used for future travels.  While there are several reputable and professional tailors to choose from, we were very happy with Tom’s.

This fabric and workmanship are a better quality than anything off the shelf in the USA.  The cut and fit are impeccable and the price was fantastic, at under $200 USD for the entire package.  The next time over, I may have some dresses or suits made for myself.