Bangkok Crazy

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So, after a quick stint on two of the many tropical islands that Thailand has to offer, we took a two and a half hour ferry from Koh Tao to Chumpon on the East coast of Thailand. Here we had an hours rest until we boarded the 8pm night bus to Bangkok. I (Lucy) was extremely happy as it meant that I was getting closer to the famous markets that everyone who has been there has been telling me about! The journey was not too bad at all, we had one stop at midnight at Hua Hin where there were approximately 50 odd other coaches doing the same thing, obviously a popular stopping place! Drifting in and out of sleep on the comfortable coach, we finally arrived in the outskirts of Bangkok with the driver kindly switching on the blinding lights to wake us all up! Travelling through the streets of Bangkok at 4.10am was a surreal experience, they were busier than Camberley high street on a Saturday afternoon with a lot of locals seemingly sitting around just watching the world go by, watching the motor bikes, push bikes, tuk-tuks, taxis and coaches whizzing by on their own night time mission.

Having already booked what looked like a decent hotel on the internet we took one of the many taxis lined up at the bus stop to Win Long Place. Well, after about 20 minutes I thought that the taxi man was taking the proverbial and driving us round in circles, but it soon turned out that the self reported ’centre of town’ hotel was in fact on the outskirts! Checking in we found a comfortable clean enough room, and at 4.45am all we wanted to do was sleep in a horizontal bed!!
By 10.30am the next morning (well same morning if you are being pedantic!) we decided to head back to the real centre of town and look around some of the famous Temples and Buddahs before looking for another place to stay which would save us on taxi / tuk-tuk fairs to and from our hotel. Our first experience of a tuk-tuk (a small three wheeled cart with open sides) was immediate as one pulled up next to us beeping his hooter asking where we wanted to go. Specifying the Grand Palace we were soon whizzing through the streets and traffic of Bangkok. It is such a busy city, cars, bikes and tuk-tuks speeding every which way weaving in and out of each other and fighting for the already limited space. Suddenly we pulled up on the side of the road, and not seeing the Grand Palace anywhere in site (and trust me, it is too big too miss!) I started to ask Andy was what going on. The driver then turned to us and started jabbering away in half English half Thai. Not understanding a word Andy got him to slow down and then eventually understood that he was trying to convince us to let him take us to a friends silk shop for a suit. Telling us we would not have to buy anything and it wouldn’t take long I immediately said no, and after a few minutes of being forceful we were soon on our way again to the Grand Palace.

For anyone coming to Bangkok and not wanting to be ripped off be warned of these tuk-tuk drivers. They will always try and charge you more than they should so make sure you always bargain for a good price. They seem to always quote 200 Baht for wherever you want to go but this is usually far too much. Always barter with them and you can get it lower, maybe even down to 100 Baht. Also, once aboard a tuk-tuk, do not let them take you to a ‘friends’ shop, they will inevitably make you part with more cash than you wanted to and it will take out a huge chunk of your day. Most tuk-tuk drivers work on commission with their ‘friends’ so they will try anything to get you there. Just be stern and know exactly where you want to go and how much you want to pay and you will then be able to sit back and enjoy the fun almost go-kart like ride through the bustling streets of Bangkok!

Anyway, having arrived at the Grand Palace, we made our way inside (I had to hire a long skirt as I only had shorts on and it is against the religion to show my legs) and what an experience it was. The architecture and structural work was unbelievable, it must have taken years to have constructed something so intricately beautiful. The colours of the temples were so bright and vivid and the cultural aspect behind the Palace was very opening to learn. You can easily spend a few hours here wondering around all the grounds and temples, but after about one hour we decided to move on to see the Reclining Buddha, or Wat Po as it is in Thai. Walking about 20 minutes down the road we came to Wat Po and again it didn’t disappoint. A massive 80m long golden Buddha lying down in a temple with mother of pearl artwork on it’s feet, it is certainly a temple to visit. The grounds around it also had some gorgeous landscaped parts to it, a gorgeous waterfall surrounded by intricately carved stone figures with massive cat fish and small turtles swimming around in the waters. We also continued to walk onto Wat Arun, a huge temple on the other side of the river made out of porcelain. You can reach this temple by taking a very easy 2 minute boat trip across the water and again wonder around the gorgeous grounds visiting other equally stunning temples. You can also climb to the top of Wat Arun and see the city of Bangkok spread out around you. The steps are extremely steep though so be prepared for some serious climbing!!

After a long morning full of site seeing, we then ventured onto Khaosan Road, the so acclaimed ‘backpackers avenue’ of Bangkok. Having some lunch and refreshments in one of the many bars lining the streets, we then went in search of a cheap place to stay and came across the Dang Derm hotel. Newly opened, this Thai style hotel is situated at the Police Station end of the road and is very clean and comfortable and in an excellent position for seeing Bangkok. Having found a new hotel we went back to our way out place for one night and then checked out the next morning.

Moving to Khaosan Road was definitely a very good move. The street is alive with bars, cafes and small market stalls selling pretty much everything from cd’s to clothing and souvenirs. At night time the street becomes crowded with even more stalls and food trolleys and packed with tourists eagerly buying all their goods. If you look behind the face of the stalls spilling out onto the streets, you will find more shops and alley ways leading to further stalls and boutique shops. The food from the carts is among some of the best on the road as they cook it in front of you and it tastes very good, even better is the cheap price it is sold at.

On Sunday we made our way over to the Chatachuk market - the mother of all markets in Bangkok. It took about 25 minutes to get to in a taxi but it was so worth it! The market was absolutely massive and it is like a huge maze! The stalls run in blocks and cells and you can wonder around them all for hours on end. The market is only open on weekends but it is definitely worth a visit. Everything is sold here, including unfortunately, small puppies, but once you are out the pet section you can browse the endless stalls for good bargains. I of course brought a fair bit, spent one and a half grand’s worth, but thankfully that was Thai Baht and only equated to about 27 English Pounds!! Andy browsed everything too, eyeing up a few bargains, but sadly I could not get him to part with any of his cash, mind you I wasn’t exactly trying too hard as I was too busy spending my own money!!

We have now spent four days in Bangkok and have to move on to get out of the country before our fifteen day visa runs out. After the bustling world that is Bangkok we are ready for some more island life so are heading to Koh Chang for some relaxation and to give my bank manager a rest from his heart attack!! It has certainly been an adventure visiting Bangkok, one which I have thoroughly enjoyed. It is a city where you can barter to your hearts content and find some very good deals. For anyone coming here soon - happy shopping!!

Hope all is well back home and that things are going well.

Take care

Lucy and Andy

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