Bangkok- jetlag, stranger danger, and yummy banana honey pancakes

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Dec 8-12...
Flight from LAX was not too bad. Flew on EVA in the Elite section and I had VIP room passes (oh ya!). Love VIP rooms for the snacks and endless supply of cocktails. I was nice and toasty when I boarded the plane. Movie selections were not good. Saw Public Enemy (just to look at Johnny Depp) and Cold Souls. Sat next to a dirty old man going to the Phillipines...he was creepy. I swear he was staring at me when I was sleeping. A little child kept kicking the back of my chair during most of the flight and kept talking about sponge bob squarepants... really, why do the parents allow their kids to torment others? They should make a section for children in the back of the plane....
BKK- there was a crazy people mover-escalator thing. I felt like Buddy from "Elf". It even had hills. Had to brace myself so my bag would make me slide back. Jumped into a cab and paid 500 baht to sit in traffic for 1.5 hours. Was very peeved that my iphone would not work. Really wanted to use mapquest.....
Intercontinental Hotel- decided to splurge at the beginning of the trip since I would be me, myself, I for a few days. I wanted to be comfortable and not scared. It did not disappoint. The bed was plushy with a pillow menu and there was an ipod dock. My room came with wifi which kept me entertained with my iphone. The pool was pretty with amazing city views. It's next to the skytrain and Central World Mall. There is also a supermarket around the corner. I loaded up on all of my essentials there. It's all local, so don't expect anyone to speak english to you. Just smile and say ka-puhn-kah (thank you). Also cover up...nothing screams tourist like short shorts and a tank top. The jetlag is making me wide awake. The first night I worked out in the gym and took 2 aerobics classes. I have no idea what the teacher said....I just heard 1, 2, 3 GOOOOO....and then did a billion sit ups. Then for the 2nd class it was like a dance class. The only thing I understood was "MAMBO...1,2,3 GOOO!" After that I walked around some more after dinner and then finally conked out at midnight.

Kidney Stealer- Some random guy comes up to me at the pool and starts rambling...totally interrupted my tanning time. He had been living at the hotel for the past 3 weeks getting "medical procedures" with his brother. When I asked what he did for a living to afford a month stay at a 5 star hotel he just said we do "global business". Ya, that sounds like code for drug dealers or kidney stealers. I mentioned to him that I was doing a day trip to ayuthaya and he asked if I wouldn't mind if he booked it also. To me- the more the merrier- do what you want. After that he was weird and wanted me to go out to dinner and lunch with him...I politely said no. Then he said to use their driver to take me anywhere I wanted to go...politely declined---> all red flags. I saw Broken Down Palace! There was no way I would get in a car and go out drinking with a stranger. He also kept saying things to gain my trust...another red flag. Then he asked if I would visit him in ethiopia if he paid for it...uh, no! Keep in mind that I did not hangout with this person, go anywhere with him, and he did not pay for anything. The next day on the tour he got mad at me because I told him he was being fussy and acting like a little girl. I loathe complainers. He also had the impression that I was going to use my camera to take pictures of him 1) I'm no personal photographer 2) he was fug. After that he ignored me...totally proves that he was shady. Try to be nice to people and it attracts the weirdos. I thought this was funny...my facebook posting as it pretty much sums up that situation...

Jenny xxxxx hows the trip going??? heard you had a stalker...
December 13, 2009 at 11:07pm · Comment · Like · See Wall-to-Wall

Kristy xxxxx yes, it was a possible touristas situation. I think he was a kidney stealer/drug dealer/pimp...I saw brokedown palace!
December 16, 2009 at 1:15am ·


Other than that the trip has been good. I walked around the Silom area and local spots. Really liked this area. It's less touristy, no backpackers. It was mostly all asian tourists. I was too chicken to go on the skytrain by myself, but used the skywalk to bypass all the people.
Ayuthaya was worth just seeing once. Booked it through the Grand Pearl http://www.grandpearlcruise.com/index.php#itnerary@1. You start off in the morning by bus and then end it on a boat cruise. Very important---you must be dressed appropriately. No short shorts or skirts. Shoulders must be covered. I wore an Ella Moss cotton dress that covered my knees and then a long sleeve cotton voile shirt. I like to keep things light and airy. If you are not dressed right then you will have to rent clothes there (there is no choice).
First stop was the Bang Pa-in palace. The highlight for me was seeing the infamous "monster fish". Other than that I was bored. I'm not big on looking at buildings or furniture.
Next was Wat Mahathat (buddah image in tree trunk)- REALLY IMPORTANT...don't be the lame american tourist like me. When you take a picture with the buddah you must kneel, no standing. I totally got yelled at by the guard. So if you don't know, now ya know! Then we went to wat phrasrisanphet.
The cruise on the River of Kings was good. Good food (really good!) and it's air conditioned.
It's was super hot, so bring money for bottled water and snacks. Also bring a hat or an umbrella.
Met my tour group today. There are only 6 of us... 2 Canada, 1 New Zealand, 2 UK, and 1 USA (me!).
Grabbed dinner on Khao San Road. Had some chicken/beef skewers and then a banana honey pancake. Also got a foot massage (120 baht) and an oil massage (200 baht)....sooooo heavenly! Stayed the night at the viengtai hotel on rambuttri road. Nice, basic hotel next to Khao San Road. TIP- walk towards the pier on rambuttri, there are plenty of restaurants and it's much calmer than khoa san road.

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Photos

BKK crazy escalator

ayuthaya Wat Mahathat
buddah image in tree...

ayuthaya
all heads are missing on the buddah statues

what to wear at ayuthaya
must be temple wear...no short shorts or skirts. Knees and shoulders must be covered

Comments

[Far and Away]

Welcome to TravelBlog
We are new to TravelBlog as well. We also just took a trip to BKK. Dec.10-30th 2009. We haven't posted any blogs yet but we will. Anyways, I (Lori) just wanted to say, Ya what is up with that weird escalator? I guess it is so you can wheel your luggage easier?

[orangecrush6]

haha, I just thought it was funny because if you didn't stand your bag right it would just roll back down. Looking forward to seeing your blogs. I kept a travel diary so I'm just typing it all now. I was gone for 5 weeks so this how I'm trying to cope with the jet lag!