We've arrived in Saigon now, and while our time in Bangkok was great, six days passed in a flash and I didn't have time to do all that I'd wanted. So here's my list of things I missed doing this time and will have to do on my next visit to Thailand.
I'd wanted to take a longtail boat tour up the klongs, or small canals, especially on the Thonburi side of the river. Alas by the time we got around to trying to arrange one, we were told that the river was up too high to navigate the small canals and the tour could only take us up the main stretch of the Chao Phraya. Since we'd traveled that many times already, we decided to save our money for another time.
I'd also read about traditional Thai floating markets. There are some that are close to Bangkok that apparently are quite touristy, but if you set out early or make an overnight trip of it, you can visit some less touristy, more authentic ones.
We saw several wats (temples) but didn't make it to Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn, and one of the most famous landmarks in Bangkok. It always looked neat as we passed it along the river, and I'd like to take a closer look around.
And the food!! I never found coconut custard concave tarts, or kanom krak again. And I never ate sticky rice and mango. And I forgot to order banana flower salad the final time I saw it on the menu, though every time I saw it I wanted to. And who knows what countless other treats I missed? Hundreds! Thousands!
Yes, it's clear: a return trip to Bangkok is in order.