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Published: October 27th 2010
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We made the decision to get a daytime bus the 12 hour journey down to Bangkok so we didn’t have to wait around until evening after checking out of the guest house. However, we departed our guesthouse at 6 am ad the us left the terminal at 7.15 am. It was a more comfortable 1st class bus with better air con and films - although these are in Thai - it makes for some interesting interpretations of the story line!! We soon found out that daytime buses appear to stop everywhere for everyone including picking up and dropping off family and friends!!
We eventually arrived in Bangkok at 7 pm (ish) and after a drink at the terminal got a metered taxi to the guest house near Khao San Road. It was a very eery place to arrive at in the dark. After walking down an alleyway to the end, we had to ring a large bell that was the doorbell and wait for the owner to shuffle across the courtyard and unbolt the door. We were ushered into the living room of an old style traditional teak house. After we explained what room we wanted she promptly went and
made the bed!! Feeling very tired and weary we eventually dropped off our bags in the room and went out to find something to eat - knowing that the Khao San road was not far away and geared for tourists we headed there! We found lots of street vendors but we had no change so went to one of the cheaper restaurants. We enjoyed some lovely food and a nice cold beer before trekking the 5 mins back to the guesthouse to rest! Though we had a fan room we had to turn it off half way through the night as it was an antique fan that had lost its settings so was on full blast and we had no blankets!!
The following day we took a walk up to Dusit Park, which we had assumed was a park - but that would be too simple!! It is actually an old royal residence complex that has been turned into museums and exhibition halls. Although the buildings are still there, internally that look nothing like they would have in their heyday. So we walked around those and got to see some of the many pieces of pottery from the north
as well as all the handicrafts that the Queen is attempting to protect. Not what was expected but some good points overall.
We returned to the guest house and in daylight quickly worked out that this was the old couples home and they had opened their house and kitchen to guests. We were free to make tea and use the kitchen to cook if we so desired - but when food is less than £1.50 each for a full meal - not much point in cooking!! So we wandered down to the Khao San to eat and have some more beer!!
We soon moved to a guesthouse on the next road to the Khao San which made a little more sense - although a little more pricey the bathroom was closer and there were restaurants just downstairs which soon became useful as both of us suffered from a stomach bug. Mark had it first then I caught it off him so being close to all amenities was a plus point!! However before I got ill we went to the grand palace and then downtown Bangkok so I could see where the trouble had been.
GRAND PALACE AND
WAT WITH THE EMERALD BUDDHA
This is one of the most important Wats in all of Thailand as it holds the Emerald Buddha, though it is made of Jade rather than Emerald. Only the King or his appointed representative is allowed to change its attire and it has different attire depending on the season. Despite this being a sacred sight it is also a massive tourist trap and you have to manoeuvre your way through many a tour bus trip before you can get any where! Even those families offering food for merit and luck were surrounded by people rushing past to see all they could and tour guides shouting to their group. We looked around the site and were particularly taken with the miniature model of Angkor Wat which is across the border into Cambodia. There are many creatures and Demons which are at each entrance to the wat and each building entrance that help to keep bad spirits away from the Emerald Buddha, which are ineresting. After the Wat you go through into the grounds of the Palace - where you can not go into any of the buildings except the museum. One of the buildings is
A mass gathering
People going on Custom tours rather than doing it themselves and paying four times the price!! still used by visiting Dignitaries and others are used in the coronation of new kings. As you can see there are a lot of ’on show’ guards around who must be similar to those as Buckingham Palace who get fed up with all the many tourists standing next to them for a photo! The buildings were stunning and of many different styles, with the main palace looking like an old Victorian building.
After the Grand Palace we escaped the main bulk of the tourists with a walk down to the river and onto the River express, avoiding those trying to get you on overpriced river tours. 26 baht (50p) later we were on our way 15 mins down the river to downtown Bangkok. Unfortunately because we had paid on the boat a family had seen which pocket Mark put the money into and tried to pinch it - however we are not that silly and soon squashed that idea!!
We got off at the Oriental and walked what I mistakenly thought was a relatively short road to Lumphini Park. An hour later we finally arrived with both of us feeling a little achy in the legs. Lumphini park is
where the trouble was centered when the red shirts barricaded themselves in so though we would see what damage they had left. As you can see from the photos not much evidence remains. The park itself is a welcome green haven from the concrete jungle that is Bangkok. People practicing Thai boxing and groups meeting in the shelters, along with kids practicing street dance, all made for a relaxing walk though the park with the added bonus of a visit and pose from one of the resident Monitor Lizards. After this we walked another 45 minutes up to Sukhimvit Road and then along to Central which is the second largest shopping mall in Asia which they tried to burn down in the protests. The shopping complex is set over seven floors with the cinema going over at least an extra one floor. They are currently rebuilding about half the complex due to the fire but you’d still need a week to walk around the whole place! We go he Skytrain back to the closest stop we could to the Khao San Road ans walked another hour and half to our accommodation. Many a tuk tuk driver tried to flag us
down with the last one telling us we still had 1km to walk and it had started to rain! We persevered and got home a little wet!
The day after Mark was actually feeling much better however I had caught the stomach bug and spent the day in bed. We went out in the evening for food but that was as far as I made it. We then made arrangements to meet up with Shirley again to go over to Kanchanaburi. So back on to the sky train and out to Mo Chit to meet her.
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