Joining a Local Klook Tour in Bangkok, Thailand

I traveled to Bangkok, Thailand, with my childhood friend for four days and two nights in November.
On the second day, we joined a Japanese-guided tour booked through Klook, which covered Ayutthaya Historical Park, the Pink Ganesha, and Wat Paknam. It was very convenient and well-organized.

Reservation

You can simply select the tour you want and purchase it through the Klook app.
Payment is made in advance by credit card, so on the day of the tour, you just need to bring your voucher.

The tour I joined cost ¥18,648 per person, but the price may vary depending on the date and selected options, so please check the details when you book.

On the day of the tour

According to the information page, there were two different pickup times listed: 6:00 a.m. and 7:30 a.m.
Since we were not sure which one was correct, we took a taxi from our hotel and arrived at the meeting point at 6:00 a.m. However, no one was there.

It was too early in the morning to contact customer support, so we waited for a while.
Later, I realized that an email with the correct pickup time had been sent the day before, but I was too tired to check it.

After noticing the email, I added the guide on LINE and sent a message, but there was no reply at first.
I started to feel quite worried, but finally, just after 7:00 a.m., the guide arrived.

Our guide was a man named Parrat.
He showed us where the restroom was inside the building, so we were able to use it before the other participants arrived. The meeting point was inside a building with a Don Quijote store.

The participants were my friend and me, plus two female solo travelers.
We traveled in a HiAce van, and the seats were soft and very comfortable.
There was a microphone in the front seat, and Mr. Parrat used it to guide us during the tour.

Wat Paknam Phasicharoen

We first visited Wat Paknam Phasicharoen, a temple famous for its artistic ceiling mural.
Since it opens at 8:00 a.m., we waited a short while before entering.
In front of the entrance, our guide, Mr. Parrat, took some photos for us.

We took off our shoes before entering.
The famous ceiling mural is located on the fifth floor, so we took the elevator upstairs.

There are many photo spots inside the temple.
Because we visited early in the morning, it was not very crowded, and most of the other visitors were also Japanese.

After going back downstairs and heading outside, we saw the famous 69-meter-tall Buddha statue.

Ayutthaya

We then headed toward Ayutthaya.
After about one hour by van, we stopped at Ayutthaya Elephant Park, located near the Ayutthaya ruins.

At the park, visitors can ride elephants.
Elephant rides are not included in the tour fee, so an additional charge is required if you want to try it.
We decided not to ride the elephants, but instead bought some food to feed them.
After that, we relaxed with coconut ice cream.

After the elephant park, we finally visited the Ayutthaya Historical Ruins.

Our guide, Mr. Parrat, explained the history of Ayutthaya along the way.
He also took photos of us in front of the famous Buddha head entwined in tree roots.
After that, we had some free time, but it was only about 30 minutes.
Because the site is very large, it was difficult to explore the entire area in such a short time.

Near the parking area, there was a small souvenir shop that was stylish and very cute.

Lunch

After exploring the Ayutthaya ruins, we got back into the van and stopped at a nearby restaurant for lunch.

Lunch was included in the tour fee, and we could choose between Pad Thai or Kuaitiao, a noodle soup made with thin rice noodles that looks similar to ramen.
I wanted to try these thin rice noodles, so I chose Kuaitiao.

That turned out to be the right choice.
The soup was beef-based and richer than I expected, but not too heavy or strong in flavor.
It was very satisfying.

Drinks could be ordered separately, but beer was not available due to the alcohol sales hours.

After lunch, we stopped by another nearby temple, but unfortunately, I don’t remember the name.

Pink Ganesha (Wat Saman Rattanaram)

We got back into the van and drove for about two hours to our next destination, Pink Ganesha.
Along the way, we took a short nap and had a chance to rest.

When we arrived, Mr. Parrat explained how to pray properly.
Since it was a special opportunity, I bought a prayer set and followed his instructions.

The prayer set included incense sticks, candles, gold leaf (to place on the statue), and flowers.
I prayed in the order that Mr. Parrat taught us.

I also whispered my wish to the mice, who are believed to be messengers of Pink Ganesha.

At Wat Saman Rattanaram, there were many other highlights, such as a large dragon statue and lotus-shaped objects.
Many local people were also there, praying sincerely.

Jodd Fairs Night Market

According to the tour information page, the drop-off location was listed as a night market.
To be sure, we asked Mr. Parrat about it. He said it was fine as long as all participants agreed.
We checked with the other two participants, and they were happy with the plan, so we were dropped off there.

The neon lights were bright and beautiful.
We arrived around 5:00 p.m., so it wasn’t very crowded at first, but it got much busier later in the evening.

First of all, we decided to get a beer.
We stopped by a craft beer shop near the entrance and made a toast.

The female staff member was very friendly.
We were served popcorn as a welcome snack, and they offered Thai craft beers as well as Japanese Asahi beer on tap.

After that, we tried mango sticky rice and crocodile meat skewers, which I had been curious about.
Then we went to a restaurant with seating and had dinner.

The tom yum noodles were delicious but very spicy.

Conclusion & Review

We chose this tour because we wanted to visit as many places as possible in just one day due to our tight schedule.
At first, I wondered if it would really be possible to see all these spots in a single day. However, since we were driven around in a van, we didn’t have to worry about transportation or searching for routes ourselves, which made the experience very comfortable.

Another great point was that the guide took photos of us at the best spots throughout the tour.

To be honest, the guide’s Japanese was not very fluent, so there were times when his explanations were a little hard to understand. That said, he was very kind, friendly, and had great hospitality.
The driver was quiet but polite, and we were also given one bottle of mineral water during the trip.

Considering the number of places we visited, the tour was very good value for money, and overall, it was a highly satisfying experience.

日本語版記事はこちら
Japanese ver  click here!

About the tour
Klook

Reference
Tourism Authority of Thailand