It was briefly mentioned before, but a 2-3 hour private river boat ride on the Chao Phraya is not to be missed...true insight into the days of past in Bangkok when the river was the center of trade and transportation for the city and the country for that matter.

Head down to the pier near the Oriental and bargain for a long-tail boat ride through the klongs. Forget about all the hawkers on the street before you get to the pier selling boat tours - just go straight to the nice man on the pier and bargain depending on how much time you want to spend / what route you want to take.

Make sure you tell him you want a slow boat ride - otherwise they'll just speed you through the course as fast as possible...you'll have to pay a bit more, but you'll enjoy it much more.

I always forego the "tourist trap stops" such as the snake farm / etc, because I've seen them all before. My preference is simply a nice leisurely ride through the canals as slow as possible - plenty of photo opps, plenty of chances to stop along the way for some beer / ice / snacks, and a great time all around!

Even having lived in BKK for almost 5 years, I still enjoy this trip every now and then, and it's top of my list when friends visit me...