“You’ll probably pass through Bangkok multiple times en route to someplace else as most planes, trains and buses eventually lead to the Big Mango. You’ll be confused and challenged when you first arrive, relieved and pampered when you return, and slightly sentimental when you depart for the last time.”
-- Lonely Planet: Southeast Asia on a Shoestring Travel Guide
It took about 23 hours of traveling but we finally arrived at the Bangkok airport at about 7:00pm. After a few minor mishaps involving a lost debit card and a cancelled bus we made it to the infamous Khao San Road, an extremely popular street for backpackers and tourists. I don't think I have ever seen anything quite like this street-- it is full of loud drunk tourists, unique smells (both good and bad), rowdy bars with American pop music and tons of street vendors selling inexpensive clothing, food and of course alcohol. Our hotel was right in the middle of Khao San Road but was surprisingly felt safe and wasn't too noisy when going to sleep.
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| Khao San Road by day |
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| Khao San Road by night |
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| Our hotel's roof top pool |
Our first full day in Bangkok we could not resist taking a tour of the city on a Tuk Tuk. Since it was the last official day of the Thai new year we were able to have a Tuk Tuk take us to popular destinations for only 40 baht (about $1.25). Afterwards we treated ourselves to our first of hopefully many Thai massages. We each spent a whopping 120 baht (about $4) to get half hour full body massages.
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| Inside the Tuk Tuk |
For dinner, we wanted to try something different so we went Bangkok's Chinatown. The busy streets were lines with food vendors and outdoor restaurants and there were very few tourists. We decided to eat at a vendor that seemed very popular with the locals and ordered what we thought was going to be some sort of dumpling soup (they definitely weren't dumplings).
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| China Town |
Our last day in Bangkok we spent touring the Grand Palace and Wat Pho, two destinations that we heard we could not miss. Our first stop was the Grand Palace which is the former residence of the Royal family. This complex of buildings is beyond magnificent with vibrant colors and details -- pictures do not do it justice. Our second stop Wag Pho, is the oldest and largest temple in Bangkok and had similar architecture to he buildings at the Grand Palace. The highlights at this site was the BIG Buddha and observing the monks pray in one of the temples. After this we had to head to the train station to make our overnight train to Ko Pha-Ngan which I will post about soon!
Overall, our stay in Bangkok was colorful and fun but we only needed two days and nights before we were ready for the beautiful and relaxing beaches of Thailand.
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