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Published: December 2nd 2006
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Like many travelers who have come before me, I chose to get reacquainted with Bangkok by heading straight for Khoasan Rd., the backpacker Mecca of South East Asia. With an abundant selection of affordable lodging, block after block of restaurants, bars, street vendors and cheap tour agencies, Khoasan provides an excellent home base from which to explore the city. It’s a transient place, where the Thai people mingle alongside hippies, backpackers, and an international twenty-thirty something set. The tightly packed five block area ebbs and flows against the backdrop of street peddlers, taxis, motorbikes and music infused with exotic sights, sounds and smells, some but not all of them pleasing to the senses.
The flight from Dubai was a six hour red-eye, so I was happy to spend my first day recovering by the pool, catching up on some sleep and indulging in my favorite food from a street vendor, shrimp pad Thai noodles. Day two I was fit for a little bit of exploring and hired a Tuk-Tuk to ferry me around to various Wat’s and Temples. For those unfamiliar, a Tuk-Tuk is a covered 3-speed, 3-wheeled “Go-Cart” like motorcycle taxi. They are noisy and belch out a tremendous
amount of fumes, but they’re fun, colorful and as much a part of this city as Buddha and the Chao Phraya River. Anyone who had been on one can attest to the thrilling rush of adrenaline you get from shooting in and out of the busy Bangkok traffic and zipping down narrow alleys with the sticky, smoggy Bangkok air rushing in your face and through your hair. In my opinion, it is by far the most fun and authentic, albeit smelly way to see the city up close and personal. As with everything in most parts of SE Asia, it’s also incredibly affordable. A two-hour buzz around the city set me back about eight dollars, a beer and pad thai noodles about three dollars and decent lodging starting at fifteen dollars per night. The smile you get from riding a tuk-tuk in Bangkok - priceless!
On the Tuk Tuk tour, I set out for the cities cultural and holiest sites, the Wat's. Most spectacular was the Wat Pho, home to the grandiose reclining Buddha. The size and scale of this guy is amazing. Its about 50 feet high and at almost 200 feet long, snuggly reclining inside the walled
Wat Pho
Elephants off room. We also stopped to see the presidential palace, and the Wat Phra Kaew. From here we walked through a wet musty village to the banks of the Chao Prya river where we could glimpse the graceful and modern Rama VIII Bridge and fed bread crumbs to the thousands of large carp swarming on the surface of the river. In the evening, I did some browing around the mega shopping malls in the city center. The traffic downtown was paralyzed, so I decided to jump on the back of a motorcycle taxi for the trip back to Khoasan Rd, thinking it would be much faster. Please remind me to never attempt this stunt again. My crazy driver was a direct descendent of Evel Knievel, only in the body of a Thai man. Not only was it the fast way home, it was the most death defying. We weaved in and out of cars, played head-on chicken with large tour busses and narrowly missed clipping a few pedestrians crossing the street. For most of the ride, I just had to close my eyes, keep my arms and legs in, and imagine it was an amusement park ride where nothing ever
Bed Supperclub
images courtesy of google goes wrong. Only later did I find out that even the Tuk Tuk drivers (who are crazy drivers themselves) call the motorbike taxis crazy and dangerous....hmm.
Bangkok nightlife is famous, or infamaous depending on how you look at it. I was lucky enough to be in town during the 1st annual Bangkok DJ Festival, showcasing some of the worlds top DJ talents at the stylish Q-Bar and Bed Supperclub. Since I had been to the Q-bar before, I decided to start off here. The chic Q-Bar was hosting DJ Premier from New York spinning Hip-Hip and old school rap to an enthusiastic crowd of Thailands beautiful people and a mix of internationals. Later, I walked over to the Bed Supperclub where an equally glamerous crowd pulsated to the beats of Ibiza's renowned DJ Jamie Lewis. The Bed Supperclub is a jetson like steel ensconced nighclub, dressed all in white and hovering one story above the ground like a spaceship. Other DJ's at the festival included Jazzy Jeff, Louie Vega and Stephane Pompougnac.
Since I’ve been to Bangkok before, and had seen many of the sights, I was more interested in melting into the scene for a few days
and just being there, eating the food, doing my Christmas shopping, and people watching from the bar in front of my hotel. Because I wasn’t moving around much, I didn’t have many “photo ops” over the last three days, so stay tuned for Chiang Mai and Laos, coming up.
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Oleg
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Hey Buddy! Great trip you're taking all of us on. As a fellow traveler I am proud. Adam and I will be on our way soon to Hong Kong, Macau, Koh Samui, and then Bangkok (mostly business of coarse) before heading back home to Las Vegas. It would be great if we crossed paths, but either way I look forward to catching up with you and sharing stories back in SB or LV. Keep exploring, and good luck on the rest of your journey!....lol