Vegan backpacking in Bangkok – Hua Lamphong area
If you’re on a vegan backpacking trip through Thailand and stoping in Bangkok, you’ll love these tips!
Back to Thailand, after my wonderful visit to Malaysia, enjoying the best vegan food, art, culture and the incredible colonial architecture.
There are two ways to get back to Bangkok from Penang, you can do it smoothly or rough, like I did!
- The night train is very comfortable and takes you directly to Bangkok, no worries no stresses. The ride costs 1.400Thb (around 33€) and you’ll wake up in Bangkok. The train has a restaurant on board, which is very convenient.
- On the rough side, you can first take a mini van from your hostel or hotel, till the Thai city of Hat Yai, which will cost you around 300/350THB (around.8.50€), and then take the straight train to Bangkok, with a great variety of prices and classes to choose from. You’ll have the change to explore Hat Yai while you wait for your train.
I was on a very tight budget, specially after wasting so much money buying a visa I didn’t need, so I could have volunteered in south Thailand previously.
I paid 350thb from Penang to Hat Yai and then 250thb from Hat Yai to Bangkok. A total of 600thb (around 14.50€), less than half of the fare of the straight train.Hat Yai is famous for conflicts and bombings in the past, so you’ll see paramilitaries carrying machine guns and a bit of tension in the air, but it’s fine, Hat Yai has been conflict free for a while now. You won’t find many tourists here, which is cool, you get to see a bit of tourist-free Thailand.When I left Penang I had no idea of what to do or where to go. I had no maps with me, but I had a whole week ahead of me.
Near the Hua Lamphoong train station there’s an incredibly nice local 100% vegan restaurant with amazing prices and great variety. I highly recommend that little spot to all vegetarians and vegans traveling in Bangkok.
As a vegan backpacking in Bangkok, I couldn’t stay away from vegetarian options.
Su Ki Jeh Ru Yi – Bangkok Vegetarian Food
Endereço: 285 Soi Phraya Singhaseni Street, Bangkok, Thailand 13330
Hourário: 9:00 – 22:00 Daily
Tel: 02 219 1721, 086 068 9384 Check out the map: Here
I had been a loyal client here right after I arrived in Thailand. The staff is very friendly and helpful and the menu is bi-lingual.
These are the 30thb dishes, the cheapest and most simple ones (I was running out of money here!).
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| Delicious sweet & sour soy with rice and salad |
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| Gluten free rice noodles with veggies |
Although Thailand, specially Bangkok, offer a great variety of restaurants with vegan or vegetarian only menus, this was probably the best suited for me near the train station.
If you have to take the train at the main station, when eitheer traveling north or south, this is your best bet! A 5 minute walk from the station, the best prices and a wonderful variety. It includes drinking drinking water.
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| Vegan fish with rice and salad |
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| My take away |
Hua Lamphoong is a very central area, near Chinatown, walking distance from the river, where you can cruise alone the monuments, temples and palace.
I tried to avoid being anywhere close to the infamous Khao San Rd. So Hua Lamphoong was a great central option. But I’m moving to Lumpini Park, to stay at a wonderful budget hostel, with 180 views of the the Bangok skyline and near the biggest park in the city. The central park of Bangkok.
| By the river near the train station |
For more info on vegan and vegetarian food in Thailand:
VEGAN AND VEGETARIAN FOOD IN BANGKOK
VEGAN AND VEGETARIAN FOOD IN KOH LANTA
English
A very simple way of finding vegan food in Thailand is to look around for restaurants labelled gin jay – กินเจ in Thai. Gin jay is connected to a set of religious beliefs originating from China. There will be a lot of restaurants offering this type of food in mid to late October when the vegetarian festival takes place. There is a good and tasty selection of food available in a gin jay restaurant, it’s good to eat even if you’re not a vegetarian.