well if its your first trip to bkk or first trip overseas it will be better to get a tour package. esp for thailand. lots of people are out to con you in thailand. like:

"this place closed, its this holiday, blah blah. so go buy these gems over here with my friend the tuk tuk driver" hahahaha

if you wan REAL backpack experience..
buy a guide book that suitable to you.... do some research...... and plan....

not take a guide tour... 

Kaze
www.backpackies.com

i been to bkk so many times and do not know of this "cheese popcorn" you speak of.... please elaborate so i can find it next time. sounds interesting.

Chatuchak is weekends only.  Thus why its called the weekend market. Opens as early as 7am, might be a bit quiet though.

Damnoen Saduak is outside of BKK city right? I'd say taking cabs would be pretty costly, since they are both outside of the city.  Better to get a coach ride or a van to take ya'll there.

Sure why not..just negotiate wth any taxi outside the hotel...last time I got offered 800bath whole day trip to Ayuthaya. wth few stop inside gems sores to collect petrol vouchers haha  ...cheap meaning have to enter those scam gems thing

Yeah whole day but u must agree wth them to enter those scam stores..otherwise I fun think u cab get so cheap..yes to floating market same rate 

I din goto the safari & snake farm although on the same way bcos my family dislike zoo...sked of snake, crocodiles & all kinds of big cats...so i told him to forget about the elephant farem 7 ect although he din offer....(those farms sometime also givbe petrol vouchers to taxi drivers wan...

Yeah pay him after the trip..he also happy bcos got free makan & also free petrols from those gems stores...   at nite diff story liao..all tuk-tuk so expensive wan bcos no more subsideised petrol
Oh yeah..tuk-tuk during Morning & afternoonb also very cheap wan...can be as cheap as 20bath or FOC..provided you agree to stop at gems stores...

Sum Luan u can take the MRT. Lumpini park. From somewhere mid span of Sumkhumvit..cant remember the station name liao..pratunam has no MRT & skytrain station.. u need to walk to the nearest at Sumkhumviute near Central, thereafter take the Skytrain to the MRT station towards Suan lum.

Otherwise taxi-lah...cheaper than Tuk-tuk

no-lah, pratunam located further North & east of the BTS (Skytrain line & no MRT - bangkok underground system)

OK, I googled for the Bangkok Metro system...seems like the Airport ERL (The red line opening soon, & if open, that line probably cutting thru Pratunam  (Not sure)...



From the above maps, Pratunam area is located in between Ratchatewi & Chitlom BTS...BTW, it is not near hor...walking distance in between both stations either way is >1km. depending on which buiding in Pratunam area.

To goto Suan Lum, the easiest & fastest is by Taxi from pratunam..just crossing South to MCK & thereafter the University & that's Lunmp-ini park/Suan Lum...To take Metro system..U walkt to Chit Lom station, take BTS to Asoke, switch to MRT underground to Lumpini station...& u walk-up & see Suan Lum. 

I will probably put all this info on post 1 when free..

I dun hv really nice hotels to stay bcos normally on Family Holiday, we go on budget or grab whatever FOC hotels from my vacation club..last time I used to stay in Rama IV rd mandarin but the hotel burnt dy.. On working trip I stay in avg 3 stars hotel at Soi7/8 near Nana station at sunthumvit....can't really remember the name liao...anyway, just get those closer to BTS/MRT stations...There are few forumers tried budget hotels near MBK/Siam paragon area..If u can get any hotels surropunding this area...very good dy..bcos this is similar to Bkt Bintang area dy..

Sumkhumvit area - also very near to BTS...but day time abit boring..Pratunam - day time very active but far from nearest MRT/BTS unless the airport train (In red start operating)

Silom - old area wth banks & etc...but near patpong/lumpini

Chinatown /khou san rd- far from BTS/MRT too but can use water taxi

On taxi, it's all depend on your negotiation wth taxi drivers. U can ask him to fetch to any places u can think off bcos they act as your full day driver...However they sometime will like to bring you to expensive places & eateries...for eg..I requested him to bring me to chep ferry terminal at Damnoen saduak but ended up he brought me to motorised boat terminal..that wanted to charge 1500/boat!! after hard nego i got it for 800bath too...BTW, I was told that certain tourist agents in Khow san rf also offering full board package to floating market for T$800/pax...no diff from taking taxi!!

More like for me THB1600/2 not 3..Yes if 4 than it will be cheaper by sharing the cost of the boat..but I dun think u can get THB880/boat...the more ppl they will slaughter u more...those boat opertors looks fierce, the more u argue they will show their temper....chinese gangsters hor...can scold u in chinese too..

Well I fight back in my lousy teochew... ...& walk out from the terminal & ask the taxi driver to drive me back to bangkok without taking the ferry...That gangster pull;ed me bck & agrred on thb800 or thb1000 wthich I could not remember..& telling me not to tell the policemen manning checkpoints that I got such rate bcos it's cartel protected pricing....well mana ada such policemen  ...bohong onli.

lol @ thai chow kueh teow.
hard to find tomyum? really? i go all the places it got lah. even the road side stall have. always have tom yum goong. not super good. but i never eat tomyum in kl. so its nice to have once in a while. but yeah. pad thai still the best dish. always gotta add more peanuts though. heheh.  also love the thai fishcake thing. mmm.

yeah to JJ just take the skytrain to the mo chit station i think. after get down you will be able to see the market and just walk there. bring a hat and becareful of pick pockets. since everyone walking so close together easy for people to curi your stuffs.

hahahah. well i eat at the ones i got used to. so got comfort zone already. hahaha. plus i learned from my friends which one is "safe" hahah.
well the food tastes good at the food courts too. so you not missing out on anything. except maybe the ambiance of exhaust fumes and cars honking. hahaha.
yeah i guess so. whichever is easier for you. although be wary of the traffic. make sure when you go back from the JJ market to take a taxi that is driving through. dont get the ones that are lined up along the road. many of them dont use meter.... unless its an official taxi line that is.

pad thai is like stimix said. thai kueh teow. you will see it everywhere. give it a try. malaysia has no pad thai that can compare to teh ones over there.