Day 19 and 20: Palaces and Piss ups

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Just a quick catchup from day 19. We landed in Bangkok safe and sound, obviously or you wouldn’t be reading this. We got ourselves to the hostel about 5 minutes before it shut. Lucky. The Luck Yimm Hostel is situated right next to the big swing and about half an hours walk away from the river and the Grand Palace. Guess what you’ll be reading about later on… We had a double room just below the hostel type area and it was large. The colour scheme was charcoal meets grey (I’m aware) which we felt would be better for us being able to get some sleep. We had a lap around the immediate area and didn’t find anything. I’d skipped the meal on the flight but could not source any food so sulked off to bed.

Steps: 5490



The next morning we ended up lying in until half eleven before dragging ourselves downstairs and out towards the grand palace. You can’t miss the palace itself, sitting just in from the bank of the river in an isolated block on its own. Large amounts of shimmering red greeted us as we passed through the doors. The actual entranceway and surrounding area itself was free but there was a lot of heavy work being done on that area. We were told to cover-up which resulted in a thick pair of black jeans in 30 degree heat, and as such this is a fairly sweaty story. 500 baht entry (£12.50) to get into the actual palace area. Traditional east Asian palace and temple décor awaited on the inside, the dragon guards, masked statues. Particularly impressive was the mural that stretches right around the wall of the palace. It seemed to detail legends and historical points through history of the palace. In the centre of the palace was a giant red building where we were told to take our shoes off before entering. Inside was a large buddha shrine with a specific section for locals to pray. Just outside the main temple was a museum in honour of the King of Thailand. For those unaware, the people are particularly patriotic and it is deemed a crime to disrespect or insult the King. Inside the museum there was a selection of gifts presented to the King of Thailand from other countries of high value and quality… And a plastic space shuttle model from America (of course they would.)



After this we got a ferry boat across the river (5 baht apiece) to a temple across the river. The temple itself was impressive but we were a bit miffed that we were not allowed to climb to the top, as the internet had told us we could. We ferried back over the river and got ourselves lunch (grilled chicken on a stick. Exactly what it says on the tin.) We then walked back past our hotel and the big swing as we headed to the Golden Mount Temple. The temple is 344 steps upwards in a circling motion around the top which holds a golden Buddha. The view over Bangkok is nice without being too high up. The pathway up is partnered by sets of gongs that you are encouraged to hit on the way up. I’m sure you can tell by this point we are a bit templed out, and as such the descriptions in future will be less and less detailed unless something is really unique.



We went back to our hotel and relaxed for a short while before deciding to head down to Koh San Road. Koh San Road is the tourist destination for a piss up in Bangkok. The street itself is only 400 metres long or so but is decorated with multiple bars, food stalls and those people that try and flog you roast insects and those wooden frogs with a stick that makes that hideous noise. Krrrraaa, Krrrraaaa Krrraaaa. You know the one. It all gets a bit hazy from this point. It started well enough, we drank a pint from an Irish bar before going to a roof bar, whilst it was still quiet so we could people watch from above. We then stopped for food at a stall, having cheap Pad Thai, and having since eaten more pad thai we can confirm it was cheaper than most for a reason, but after a few beers you think any food is the best food ever. We then hopped back to the Irish bar and ventured upstairs into the locals area, exploiting happy hour. Meg then thought we should have a “cocktail”, which despite clearly asking for one glass, ended up being a bucket. The buckets themselves could have powered our flight back from New Zealand. From here I can remember a game of pool in a night club. I can remember dancing, and I can vaguely remember walking home. Meg tells me I refused some Nutella pancakes on the way back. Drunken Fool.



Steps: 20346



Bites: I’ve completely lost count

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