At times the Bangkok traffic is so horrendous that chances are pretty good it may have been faster to walk rather than take a taxi.

This traffic, viewed from the overpass where we got off the train at the JJ Weekend Market, was considerably less grid-locked than usual.

Traffic, horrendous but such cheerful colours!

Fortunately, there are several other ways to get around Bangkok. There’s the ferries, tuk-tuks and now the Skytrain!

We were in the middle of the city the first time we took Bangkok’s sky train and I felt like I was in one of those futuristic movies where you ride seamlessly through the air, curving around skyscrapers with the city laid out below you. What a rush!

But the BTS (Skytrain’s other name) is more than just some futuristic transport. You can get to many of the city’s prime destinations on this miracle rail system.

Here is how it works…

The destinations are on this panel. You pick your destination and the number listed is the amount of baht needed to pay for your ticket.
This is the ticket station. You select the fare, insert your coins, take your ticket and then take your change. Some ticket stations take bills – others have a ticket seller who will give you change.
They have a lot of advertising everywhere to help subsidize the cost of tickets. This is an escalator up to a station.This is a train itself. They had one with cats and dogs all over it but I only saw it the first day I was there, loaded up with luggage, and unable to take a photo. Sadly I never saw it again and it was my fave…

A Few Critical Stations:

Saphan Taksin station connects with the River Transit system: http://www.chaophrayaexpressboat.com/en/tourist/. This is a different system and a new fare has to be paid, but travelling on the river is one of the few ways to semi-cool down in Bangkok, and there are lots of interesting sights. This is also the best way to get to Bangkok’s Chinatown.

Phaya Thai station connects with the Metro Station that will take you to Bankok’s BKK Airport. It is a different system, with a new fare, but if you are travelling during the long ‘rush’ hour you will get to the airport faster than in a taxi. (Note that Bangkok has two airports; the other is Don Mueng and there is NO transit to this airport.)

Mo Chit station leads to the ‘JJ’ Weekend Market, a must-see if you are in Bangkok over the weekend.