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Published: October 2nd 2008
Landed in BKK
Happy couple arrived at destination after 3 flights and too many hours travellingOur little exodus started in Bangkok. We landed on the 15th of September (the day after our 1st anniversary) to a gloomy grey and raining day. Being rainy season, this was going to be the norm through out our short but more than long enough stay in Bangkok (the city of angels). Walking out of customs we immediately saw a little thai face jumping up and down with a big smile shouting TAXI TAXI, pointing towards the escalator, signalling us to come up to the second floor. Welcome to Thailand!!!!! As we found out over the next couple of days, being a foreigner or "farang" as they call you means that every Tuk tuk; taxi, sawngthaew and bus driver beep at you to see if you want their services. Being farang also means that you pay at least double if not five times more for everything and anything than a Thai would, but that is just the way it is....
We arrived at our guest house and found a very pleasant and clean environment, until we got in the shower and closed the curtain to find what looked like something the French would probably scrape off and spread on
Our "home" in BKK
Friendly, central and relatively cheap. a piece of toast calling it cheese.
Nothing that we couldn't live with.
Bangkok has some beautiful sites to visit, Wat Pho with the famous reclining Buddha and standing Buddha. The Royal Palace with its emerald Buddha (which is tiny BTW in comparison with the other 2). After visiting a couple of temples and the compulsory shopping in huge endless malls, it seems all that is left to do is breath in toxic fumes!
Beware of the scheming tuk tuk drivers, they will tell you that temples and other sites are closed in order to kidnap you for a couple of hours and take you to various shops where they get commissions! Once away from Bangkok, this rarely happens.
Bangkok is also a good place to get a tailor made suit, although if you are going to Chiang Mai it is said that the tailors are better and cheaper there. Luke had a suit made in Bangkok at a fraction of the price that it would cost to get one off the rack in the cheapest place in Europe. It is a very fun experience but takes a little time, having to go every
Jan and his tuk tuk
Our friendly guide for our first morning in BKK. He charged us a misery for 2 hours, but ended up taking us to see places where he gets cupons for free petrol! day for a fitting.
A 5 hour train ride landed us in Phitsanulok where we caught a bus to Sukhothai (ancient capital of Siam). We really enjoyed our little break here, where we stayed in a gorgeous bungalow on stilts and explored the ancient ruins of the old capital. The peace and quiet was just what the doctor ordered.
A second train ride of 8 hours through lush forests of jungle, and we arrived at our home to be for the next couple of months, the country's second largest city: Chiang Mai.
We are currently gathering footage for our next blog where we will tell you more about our lives in Chiang Mai.... Stay tuned!
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