Bangkok has plenty of unique things to see with tons of temples and palace grounds to see. In fact, if you hang around the Khao San Road (the infamous tourist space for backpackers) you’re likely to pick up a local friend with impeccable English who’ll offer to guide you around to all the local sights in addition to probably dropping you off in between to a number of their mates’ stores where you’ll be encouraged to buy something. I fell foul of this trick when I went to Kochin in India and it always begins the same: Questions about where you were from, what have you seen and how long you were planning to do. Apparently I look Thai because most people only seemed to approach me when I pulled out a map to plan out the next part. A warning sign is that these guys ride rickshaws – the yellow taxis that you flag down won’t give you the same trouble.

Massage is a huge part of being in Bangkok with all sorts of styles and places providing them. One of the more unique ones that I’d read about where the “fish massages” where you put your feet into a tank and let the fish “massage” your feet. I was a bit sceptical about this at first, but considering it was something like £3 for half and hour, would be worth trying out. You are asked to first wipe your feet down before putting them into the tank. As you lower your feet into the tank, the school of fish literally swim to the surface in reaction to the approaching shadow in their direction. It was a strange reaction from the fish and as you placed your feet down, they swam up to every nook and cranny.

You don’t have to worry about the fish as these are the sorts that seem to be “cleaning types of fish” you might see around larger fish. They kinda of have sucker-like mouths – you can see many of them clinging to the sides of the tank before you lower your feet. It feels more ticklish than anything else, as they must eat the dead skin off. I’ll have to admit that my feet felt much nicer and cleaner by the end of the half an hour and well worth the money spent for something a bit of a novelty. I do wonder how long the fish last for and what happens with so many people putting their feet into the tank but reassure myself with the fact that it wouldn’t have lasted so long if it didn’t continue working.

Thailand’s main religion is Buddhism, therefore there are plenty of temples and various places of worship. These provide an escape from the bustle of the city and a quiet place for contemplation. Many of the temples are brightly coloured and well decorated including many gorgeous and sometimes, lavish decorations – far greater than what you would expect. Unsurprisingly many of them are in pristine condition. One of the more spectacular ones include Wat Pho (the famous reclining Buddha) and Wat Pria. You really do have to go and see if for yourself although you want to spend a bit more time and not just go for the photos.

One of the other big locations that need visiting is the grand palace. This is a majestic ground, immaculately kept and really lovely. They even have a small weapons museum in one of the buildings. Bangkok has plenty of other places to go and keep yourself occupied – far more than a week and that’s not even including all the activities, beaches and places you can go to relax and unwind.

Bangkok has lots to see and do. There’s plenty more attractions, sights and markets to visit and except for the current government-protest situation would highly recommend it.