160,000 Steps: Four Days Backpacking in My Own City

Bangkok is full of places you can reach on foot or by public transport, so during Songkran I decided to backpack around a city I already live in.

The method was simple, and I recommend it:

1. Find and book a hostel for tonight.
2. Find places worth seeing along the path to that hostel.
3. Walk to them, arrive at the hostel whenever I arrive.
4. Sleep. Repeat.

No itinerary beyond one day. That constraint is what made the trip.

Day one

Samyan Mitrtown → Mahanakhon → Taksin Bridge → IconSiam (by boat) → back to Taksin → Asiatique (by boat) → House of Phraya Jasaen Hostel.

I skipped the Mahanakhon observation deck — around 1,000 baht felt like poor value for the day I was having. The parks under both ends of Taksin Bridge turned out to be the better find. IconSiam was luxurious enough that all I could do was feel outmatched by everything in it. The river at night from the boat was the real attraction.

At Asiatique I caught a live piano-and-violin duet from a restaurant — the chord progression was adorable — and rode the ferris wheel, which was frightening for about thirty seconds and then wonderful. My first time in a hostel, and the staff were so nice.

Awkward moment: walking back through dark quiet streets, a Korean couple happened to be going my way. I felt weird walking that close behind them, so I sped up and passed them. Then I went into a 7-Eleven — and they walked in too. Then another 7-Eleven, a while later. Same thing. I last saw them one block from my hostel. I still don't know whether they noticed. I definitely did.

Day two

Hostel → IconSiam (by boat) → Lhong 1919 → every nostalgic place near Suan Kularb → the Giant Swing → Old City Wall and Golden Mountain → Khaosan Road → LOBSUEK Hostel.

Woke at 11, too excited about the hostel to have slept properly. Lhong 1919 was the surprise — I did not expect a Chinese historical site sitting in the middle of Bangkok. Then I walked through my old middle school area and discovered how much had changed since I left. Khaosan was too crowded for me, though I learned a lot there (most of it strictly 20+).

Day three

Hostel → Rama VIII Bridge → Feel Good Hostel (walk-in booking) → Royal Barges National Museum → Wat Arun → Tha Tian and Museum Siam → everything around the Grand Palace → back over Rama VIII.

The walk from the main road to the Royal Barges Museum — houses and canals along narrow paths — was the most pleasant stretch of the whole trip. At Wat Arun there was a pop band playing "ดาว" by Pause, which I love, and a monk giving a talk using words like soft skill and fast-changing world. Museum Siam had an exhibition on "What is Thainess," on how Thai culture became what it is.

Dinner beside the Chao Phraya at Maharaj Pier. The view and the vibe were unreasonably good. Coming home over Rama VIII Bridge, there were people sitting underneath it listening to music, and that almost made me cry for no reason I can explain.

Three awkward moments, all the same shape:

At the hostel someone asked "คนไทยไหมครับ". After speaking English for days straight I answered "Yeah" — then reflexively added "ครับ".

At the Royal Barges Museum I'd bought my ticket in English, so I kept speaking English through a five-minute pitch for a canal boat tour. I declined; I already had plans. Walking away I heard him tell the other staff, "แหม่ หลอกไม่สำเร็จ". I felt bad for letting him think I was a tourist — though I am still curious how the same conversation would have gone if he'd known I was Thai.

At Wat Arun someone asked "คนไทยไหมครับ" from far enough away that I just nodded. He asked again. I nodded again. Then: "ขอดูบัตรประชาชนได้ไหมครับ". The moment my hand moved toward my pocket — "โอเคๆ ไปได้ๆ". I hadn't even known there was a foreigner entrance fee.

And then, at 2 a.m., I left my keycard in the room while going to the bathroom. I had to call a staff member in the middle of the night. The door code didn't work, so she talked me through finding the master key hidden at the front counter. (Seriousness aside: first time in my life I've talked to a woman for a full hour.)

Day four

Hostel → Central Pinklao → Democracy Monument → Royal Park → The Old Siam → Mega Plaza Saphan Lek → Ong Ang Canal → China Town → Bangkok Train Station → Samyan Mitrtown.

The staff came to check I was okay after the keycard incident, which genuinely moved me. My laundry was still wet from the humidity, I missed the hostel breakfast window, and ended up with a scone and coffee from somewhere nearby.

Mega Plaza Saphan Lek shocked me — an enormous building of video games, card games, figures, anime CDs, BB guns, toys. They had Contra for the NES and PS1 games. I think of collecting as "just a hobby" and then you see how big the room is.

Ong Ang Canal was the best thing I saw in four days. The graffiti, the design, the buildings — all of it detailed and deliberate. It was romantic enough that I caught myself imagining walking it with a girlfriend, which is not a thought I normally have.

Journey complete

• Walked: 160,000 steps (50+ km)
• Boats: 4 · Buses: 1
• Places visited: 131
• Total spend: ~3,000 baht (food + hostels + tickets)
• Hostels only: 1,200 baht
• Slept: 16 hours across three nights (7 + 4 + 5)
• Sunburn: 7 spots (I wore sunscreen T_T)
• Beautiful girls found: 0

Score: 8/10.

These are simple trips. But for a kid who was เรียนพิเศษ 24/7 from a very young age, walking my own city with nowhere to be was genuinely eye-opening. I have loved walking and backpacking ever since.