Bangkok! We arrived at the airport and were promptly bundled into a car by men in suits. This ride cost us 600bat to get to our hotel. We learned later, however, that metered taxis at the airport will take you to the same place for half the price. Another trick is to catch a taxi at the terminal departures, and thus save the 50bat fee for leaving from the arrivals terminal.
A good place to visit for the first timer is Kaho San Rd, which is filled with tourists. This three-block long street is lined with hawkers, guesthouses, travel bureaus, and, of course, bars. You will find mostly everything you are looking for here, but will pay a little more, given the concentration of tourists.
We hopped into a tuk tuk to get away from the tourists, and were taken to many places. A tuk tuk is a three-wheeled motorbike with a seat up front for the driver and room in back for 2. For about 500 to 1000bat (100$US is about 3500bat), or whatever you want to give him, a driver will take you all day and night to see the sights. It is important to avoid those who charge very cheap (20bat for a tour is an example). They will take you shopping to get a commission. You will see silk, silver and woodworking factories, tailor shops, souvenir shops, and will be offered boom boom massages and anything else you can think of (snake farms, elephant farms and all the good and not so good stuff that Bangkok has to offer, that cost extra). It is much better to set a price (lets say 500bat) and demand to visit the sights ONLY.
Here's a bit of advice; take a day to visit the free stuff. This way, you get a full day to get acquainted with the value of money. In South East Asia, people take advantage of the 24-hour time in which we don't know how much goods and services are worth. It is also good to bargain here, as they put their prices up, expecting us to haggle.
Exchange only a bit of your money at the airport; you get better prices for your money on Kaho San Rd. If, however, you go south after Bangkok (beach resort areas), get money exchanged in Bangkok, as they give VERY POOR exchange rates down there.
There are many, MANY things to see here. There is the Royal Palace, which is a must, and countless temples. The temple with the 100-foot-tall Buddha is nice to see. Once there, you will see a vendor with little cages full of birds. For 80bat, you can free these birds; which is supposed to bring you good luck, along with the good feeling that setting birds free brings. What few foreigners know, however, is that these birds have been brought up in captivity for generations, and as soon as they are freed, they fly to their home cage, to be put back into small cages, for foreigners to set them free again.
All in all, Bangkok is a great place to visit. I recommend taking taxis or tuk tuks for the first time visitor. You can rent a scooter for 100 to 150bat a day, but driving is somewhat crazy here. It is a city of 10 million people sporting a huge amount of vehicles, with motorbikes constantly weaving through the cars when traffic is stopped. The smell of exhaust fumes is often sickening when sitting in a tuk tuk, so many prefer air-conditioned, metered taxis.
Bangkok is a big city, so don't base your impressions of Thailland on your visit here.
Have a great visit!