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Published: January 11th 2012
Happy New Year! We made it back to Bangkok where we stayed in the
Ambassador Hotel which was a nice treat at the end of this trip. 3 nights B&B plus the New Year dinner for just £150 between us.
The hotel was in a different part of town to where we had previously been so we were able to explore the abundance of Indian restaurants. Actually, we didn't eat Indian in the end. We had Middle-Eastern meze and smoked shisha in an Egyptian restaurant instead! It was interesting to see the street traders at night and it was quite extraordinary to see just what you can buy on the street. I fear some youngsters may read this blog so I shall just leave it to your warped imagination! We were smack in the middle of a whole host of international bars too with Australia, Spain, Germany and Manchester United very well represented!! Close to our hotel was a shopping centre with an international theme. We were particularly taken by their floor decorated in an "English" style, complete with red phone box, a fibreglass life-size London bus and columns of postage stamps. We didn't buy anything but it was well worth
a look around.
On New Year's Eve we had a nice morning by the swimming pool. After that we headed out on the Skytrain to Tesco. Yes, Tesco, that famous British supermarket, have branched out into parts of South East Asia in the form of Tesco Lotus. Ok, so we didn't find the bisto gravy powder we were looking for but it was a jolly good shopping experience! From there we went on the Skytrain to the Central World shopping centre for a swift shot of Starbucks!! Everyone was gearing up for the big countdown later that night and security was hot. The TV presenters were hot too!!!!!
Back at the hotel we put on our glad rags and went down for our "sumptuous international buffet" which turned out to be pretty good. We treated ourselves to an expensive bottle of Argentine red which, after tax and service which we hadn't noticed on the menu, we reclassified as ultra-expensive!! It WAS good though. We also won a prize in the raffle - a meal for two at another posh hotel. Unfortunately the prize wasn't valid until 4th January and we would be back at work in Vietnam by
then. Things fizzled out very quickly and we decided not to hang around the hotel for the countdown. We couldn't afford the drinks for a start!
Instead we went to the Australia Bar where we saw in the New Year amidst tispy revellers. Lower class, maybe, but far more fun!
What a year it's been. Egypt - pre-revolutionary Tunisia - evacuated to a very cold UK - post-revolutionary Tunisia - Barcelona - a very cold UK July - summer school in scorching Tunisia - a few days in the UK again - Vietnam and finally Thailand. Let's hope 2012 is just as exciting but a little less eventful!!
So, a new year, but we still had plenty to see. On New Year's Day we ventured into Chinatown. It was good fun exploring temples, being splashed with holy water by boy monks, shuffling through the market and seeing some of old Bangkok. Not sure what Mr Beckham's little business venture is though (see photo!). The end of our walk featured such instructions as "follow the lane with the curious collection of engines" and how right they were. We even popped into church.
Next we caught a river
Streetside Bar
In an old VW Campervantaxi and made our way to the Kho San Road. We had heard a lot about this haven for backpackers. To us, it was awful! Still, we had to see it with our own eyes. There were so many bars and restaurants, AND backpackers to boot. Tattoos, drinks, trinkets, tacky souvenirs, lady boys or "the best girls in town" - they were all there! It must be quite a sight at night but somehow I don't think we'll be going there. We are starting to sound snobbish but this level of intense backpackerness is not for us any more, we seem to be looking for more off-the-beaten-track haunts.
We got an interesting tuk tuk ride back to the Skytrain. It seems odd that the busiest tourist area is not served by the mass transit system in the city. Still, it means you get to experience a death defying ride without going to a theme park! Seriously though, we love the tuk tuks for short journeys. They are great fun but they sometimes make manoeuvres to take your breath away.
Our final evening in Bangkok saw us back at the Londoner. They have a fantastic Sunday buffet complete with
roast beef and Yorkshire puddings. You can't beat it! A taste of home is always welcome from time to time and it was also an opportunity to meet up with Richard again. I hope you enjoy our raffle prize mate!!!!
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Donna and Neil
Donna and Neil
what a year for you!
Revolutions and a big move to Vietnam, well you saw the year out with a bang and we are sure you are going to have loads of fun exploring Asia in 2012. You are just like us looking for stuff in Tescos...if you wanted bisto you should have tried the Foodland chain of supermarkets. Alternatively, Malaysia will probably have it while you are there - look in Cold Storage or Mercado in Pavillion (in KL, on the bottom floor where the food court is)! By the way, the Cadbury's sold in Malaysia is almost the same as the UK Cadbury's.