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Published: July 26th 2010
Our scheduled six hour bus ride from Siem Reap to Bangkok turned into a 12 hour mess. The trip to the Thai border wasn’t too bad, but it definitely wasn’t very well organized. They basically dumped us off at the border and told us to find them on the other side. After we figured out our way through the border, they pushed us into these little sardine cans they called minibuses and dropped us off at some random hotel. They left us there for like three hours so we ended up getting something to eat- the bus company probably makes some sort of commission there. We were on our way to Bangkok again hours later on a crappier bus with no AC that stunk like feet and outhouses. I got stuck at the back of the bus with like 10 people so no sleep for me.
They finally dropped us off somewhere in Bangkok and we were assaulted by tuk-tuks and con artists. Can’t trust anyone, they all want to scam you. A few of our fellow passengers from the Cambodia bus got in taxis or tuk-tuks right away, not Cheryl and I though- we were determined to find the
main tourist area walking on our own. Turns out it was like five minutes away from where we were dropped off. The main tourist area (Khao San Road) was pretty sweet, lots of action and lots of lights. Reminded me of Vegas a bit. There were street vendors selling everything from hammocks to scorpions on a stick.
We found an OK hotel called Kawin Place that offered hot showers, AC, private bathroom, and wifi which was only accessible on the main floor. The hotel itself was good enough and the location was really close to Khao San Road. 470 Baht later, we were off to explore the strip. There were lots of restaurants and pubs to choose from there, but our favourite place turned out to be 7-11. These are located on every corner in the city, and we always made sure to stop by every single one we passed by for a quick AC break and sometimes snacks. They don’t seem to be very big on the slushies down here, but they love the Ovaltine. Now we love the Ovaltine.
The next day we decided to check out Chinatown and on the way, a helpful stranger told
us that all of Chinatown was closed in the afternoon. He sounded very convincing, however, we decided to chance it and check it out anyways just in case some shops and restaurants decided to stay open during prime time when everyone is eating lunch and strolling around town. I wanted to smack that guy for trying to lead us elsewhere with such a ridiculous statement. It’s very common here in Bangkok to be told that main tourist sites are closed and try to convince you to go to another(where they make commission) that they will conveniently drive you to, for a price!
On our way to Chinatown, we walked by many Wats (religious temples) and through this museum park with a gym in the park -an actual gym with weights and everything just right inside the park beside the trees and pond. After what seemed like an hour of nonstop walking in the sun, we finally found some Chinese symbols on buildings. We were here! The first area we checked out was this amazing maze of markets that sold everything from bobble heads to porn to tazers. We stopped for dinner and a break from the heat and just
when we planned to check out the markets again, a flash flood hit us and we were stuck in the restaurant for a bit. By the time we reached the markets after the down pour quieted down a bit, everything was already closed. We ended up getting lost in Chinatown and decided to catch a cab to our next destination- Patpong.
Our driver of course tried to screw us over and asked for 100 Baht to take us to Patpong. Luckily, we read about these scams and demanded that he used the meter instead -ended up costing us 60 Baht, sucka. Patpong houses a night market along with one of the biggest red light districts in Bangkok. Everywhere we went, there were people telling us to check out their “ping pong” shows and sex bars. We refused but we did get a couple of glimpses inside their establishments. Inside almost every bar were Thai girls standing on a stage in their bikini’s with numbers on them just looking bored and not doing anything, Cheryl later said “they were all fat and boring” and couldn’t see why anyone would go... I do agree in that they all stood there in
their bikinis and did absolutely nothing on stage. Not so much of a show but more of a viewing gallery. I’m sure there was more inside...
The next day we decided to check out the Grand Palace and the famous Wat Phra Kaew. On the way there we were approached by the usual scammers asking us “where you from? where you go?” And obviously where ever that was- it was definitely closed. That day, however, we also encountered new scammers. These were aggressive corn grandmas that forcefully placed bags of corn into your hand by ramming the bags in between your back and backpack and when you pulled it out they would use your hand on the bag to dump the seeds on the ground to feed the pigeons for “good luck” and demanded money afterwards. They were actually violent and scratched me up a bit trying to get money from me. Sweet old ladies they were. About 1000 pictures later, we left the palace and booked a half day tour to the floating market for the next day along with a bus to get us to Phuket afterwards.
The floating market was pretty interesting. The tour company
picked us up from our hotel and we bussed it near the market and got a ride on a longtail boat there. We boated by the houses and restaurants on the canal town. I was freaking out as we almost capsized 10 times due to all the heavier humans being located on the right side of the boat where I was sitting. There was every imaginable thing being sold on boats there - fruit stands, coffee stands, noodle boats, boats full of hats, statues, etc. Some lady tried to sell Cheryl an ugly dress for 7200 Baht ($225), we laughed and walked away. We ended up buying some vegg Chinese dumplings and spring rolls off of a couple boats and iced coffees off another. We wasted the rest of the day on Khao San, where Cheryl bought some dresses and I almost bought a 64 gig flash drive for $40. Time was up and we were off to our bus for Phuket!
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Uncle John & Aunt Bernice
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Travels
Hi guys, An interesting country you are traveling in. Sounds like you are having a great time. Amazing how different things are in all parts of the world. One doesn't realize how similiar some things are in different countries, like we have experienced the pushing and shoving here while we shop also, especially during the boxing day sales. Love the pictures, makes us feel as if we are right there with you. Travel Safe and Take Care!