Walking in the footsteps of a legend - Bangkok (Thailand Part 1) - July 2015

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With the recent passing of a man I have always admired for his travels, story-telling and food passion, this is perfect timing. To say that it has been a lifelong dream to go to Thailand would be an understatement. I guess the beaches, the food, the people has always been just fascinating to me. Bourdain has and always will be an inspiration to me and seeing him sit at a little plastic table in some Asian country eating spicy noodles or some other concoction has always just tugged at my inner parts to experience it for myself. And lo and behold here we were. Ready to take off on a major adventure with a long, long flight halfway around the world (yeah, we have done the 15-hour South African flight, but that does not stretch multiple time zones and take 24 - 30 hours to get there). Add on that Nikkie was about 5 months pregnant and we surely were in for an adventure and then some.

Our flight was pretty delayed and at some point there were fears we would not even take off. From everything I read China Southern was not the greatest airline. It was actually fine, but then again as long as it is somewhat comfortable and the service is not too horrendous we won't complain. The airport in China was not as bad as advertised (we did not have the pleasure of having to buy anything which I read was super-expensive) and the customs process surprisingly was a breeze. With the delay the China connection was actually pretty short and so 26 hours or so later we touched-down in BANGKOK or should I say SENSATIONAL BANGKOK. Let the adventure begin.

Generally, I am very hesitant to take trains/ trams/ buses from airports, but in this case, it seemed that the train from Suvarnabhumi airport to downtown Bangkok was a breeze and a straight-shot so we took a chance. Well it was as easy as advertised. We got to a stop in Bangkok and from there it was relatively easy to get a taxi to THE ASADANG BED AND BREAKFAST (even though the guy had the hardest time finding the place). A great little B&B with a huge room, free drinks on arrival, and a good location. I would describe as an old Thai house with the historical decor and furnishings to give it that old/ rustic feel.

Well it was still early afternoon so we set-out for the Grand Palace since that is the must-do in Bangkok. Well surprise, surprise (and not the first disappointment or wrinkle of this trip) it was closed - apparently it closes at 3 every day. Come on man! WAT PHO was right around the corner so why not. We walked around and were immediately amazed by the structures, the colors, the details... just all of it. Up and down steps we went to get better views. Statues. Golden budhhas, yellow-robed buddhas (not real ones), orange-robed MONKS (real ones) walking around ... a kaleidoscope of colors and everything you have ever seen in National Geographic - all in one place. An incredible temple complex. Part of the attraction here is the RECLINING BUDDHA - a massive golden buddha and by massive, I mean around 45 feet high and 140 feet long. What a sight. To me the even more interesting part was the bronze alms bowls lining pretty much the length of the buddha (I think just over a 100 of them). Apparently dropping a coin in each is good luck. Not this time monks! Before leaving we also stopped at WAT PHO FOR A MASSAGE. The temple is known for its massage school so we signed up and were led to a room with many beds, people and masseuses everywhere. If privacy is your thing stay away from this. Laying down (clothes on) they stretch you, rub you, knee you, elbow you, dig into you and do pretty much any other thing that people should not be doing to you when you pay them. Ahhh - but it's all worth it at the end because you do feel oh so good when you walk out of there. A good message for a really good price. We walked around a little longer and caught a soccer match being played right there on the grounds of the temple. These are the magical times and small things that tend to stick with you for a very long time.

Right as we started leaving we got caught in one of the notorious Thai monsoon storms. There we sat at one of the entrances waiting out the rain on our 7-year wedding anniversary day. We finally could walk the streets again smelling the freshly fallen rain. Food was high on my priority list for this trip. We stumbled onto a Starbucks and also the PAK KHLONG TALAT AT NIGHT FOR FLOWER MARKET. There were flowers everywhere. I guess flowers play a pretty big part in the offerings of the locals so this is a big business. We wandered the market and had to just stare in amazement at the mass of flowers for sale, the variety, the colors, the smells, the sounds, the bargaining, the chatter, and on and on it goes all through the night. Watch out for the porter guys transporting the flowers and various other items. The flowers are transported in these huge boxes and are either carried or maneuvered on a little cart and these guys must be paid by the load because once they have it they go and good luck to you if you happen to be in the way. In addition to the little market place selling pretty much only flowers, walking down the street I would say every second store is also a flower shop. The flowers spills onto the sidewalk. Any space, hook, nook, and hanging spot is taken up and filled with beautiful flowers for sale. A complete overload of the senses. Does not seem like life stops in this place since at 9 at night it seemed things just got started.

I found a lady with a little cart on the corner of the street surrounded by locals so this seemed like a good starting point for trying the local cuisine, right? She was grilling chicken (after tasting and pondering I concluded that very little of this was white chicken flesh and it was more the inner parts i.e. liver, kidney, etc.). I tried one of the "spicy" sauces which was really not bad at all. You just kind of grab your sticks of chicken, huddle around the cart and dip your chicken in the community sauce bowl and eat away. If you are one for hygiene then this is not your spot because there are many hands going into the same bowl and I promise you none of those hands were washed in the last 2 hours. I got my first taste of Thai street food and I was happy. Fresh fruit is always plentiful available here so we made sure to grab some fruit on the walk home as well. A good first day in Thailand.

This trip was a very "skip and a hop" kind of trip because we were constantly on the move somewhere (meaning flying or travelling to a destination). The next day was drama galore but you can read about that in the next blog (this is why it helps to be flexible). After taking an overnight trip, and spending 3 days in Cambodia we were back on Thai soil and in Bangkok for less than 24 hours for our second go-around. We landed at Don Mueang airport this time and took a rather expensive taxi cab to our hotel - THE BHUTHORN (again the taxi driver had the hardest time finding it). A sister property of the Asadang we figured we'd try it out as well. As usual we put our bags down and off we went exploring.

Not 10 steps from the hotel we found a hole-in-the-wall place serving what I would describe as Thai style tacos made with an egg and sugar foundation with either a salty or sweet filling. It was a good start. We walked down towards the river where they had many little stalls set-up selling street-food goodies. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Nikkie usually just steps back and observes because she knows this is my happy place. CHICKEN SATAY or pretty much anything you can put on a stick was for sale for pretty much next to nothing. I got some meatballs, chicken and sausage on a stick w/ spicy sauce. Never would have thought for a "to-go" meal they will just put your sauce in a little bag with a rubber band wrapped around the top to keep it all in - genius. And heaven for me. There was also this guy walking around with what looked like a musical instrument on wheels at first sight. Turns out he was selling dried octopus. Once you decide to buy a piece he heats it up on a little side grill and then rolls it through a little machine (over and over) to flatten it out (think pasta machine). He eventually hands you a dried-heated-flattened piece of octopus that is pretty much their version of octopus jerky. I actually quite liked it. Definitely fishy tasting but otherwise not much taste. Again, the FRESH FRUIT was available in abundance as well as juices, but be aware - most of these juices are made with sugar water so they are extremely sweet and artificial so not really our favorite.

Next up a RIVER CRUISE THROUGH BANGKOK. I am sure there are many ways to do this. For lack of a better way to say this "we got screwed on the whole boat thing". Before I knew it, we were in a boat $80 lighter. In happened in a flash. The one moment we were talking about doing it and next thing I know we were sitting in a boat. What just happened. At the time it seemed a ridiculous amount of money thinking about how much things cost in Thailand and I was not too happy about it. But then again, we were in the boat by ourselves and ultimately had a good time. It was not the most comfortable of rides but it was fascinating to see how people live, how they built their houses and structures to make life on the canal comfortable. Going through this maze of canals you feel like you are in a different world - a different time. Being exposed to this and gaining knowledge of the fact that Bangkok was built around all these canals was pretty fascinating and eye-opening at the same time.

We made it back onshore alive (the waters do get pretty choppy once you get back to the river because there is a lot of boat traffic) and started our walk to KHAOSAN ROAD which has been described as the backpackers' center of the earth. We were heading there for SNACKING YOUR WAY THROUGH THE DAY: THE ALLURE OF THAI STREET FOOD. It was all it was described to be. People of every race, color, background. Cheap wares being sold left and right. Cheap accommodation to be had, shoddy restaurants and other sorts of services probably best left undescribed. And then there is the food. Stalls with any type of creepy-crawlies and insects you can imagine - nicely fried as you would expect. I was here for especially the DEEP-FRIED LOCUSTS, but I did try some other critters as well including a couple bugs, worms, grasshoppers, and beetles. To be honest nothing earth shattering. Yeah, some pieces are a little crunchier than others and not all legs and limbs make it down as intended so at times you can be stuck with an unfinished insect leg in your teeth while talking to someone. Some pieces are a little juicier than others so there could be some spillage and you are left with worm guts over your upper-lip or in the corner of your mouth. All fun and games until people freak out. At the end of the day these things are deep, deep fried so 80% of the taste is oil, but I guess that 20% is still pretty scary for most. We also stopped at one of the stands for PAD THAI. This lady furiously attacked the noodles like they were enemies of the state and after a couple tosses here, chops there, and a cracked egg or two we had some pretty phenomenal pad thai with chicken. Nikkie and I plopped ourselves down at one of the seedy restaurants to people watch (that is half the fun here) and had a watermelon smoothie and Singha beer while taking in all the sights and sounds. Walking back to our hotel did not always feel the safest, but I can also confidently say that I never felt unsafe (I guess a big oxymoron, but you go figure it out). Walking is not always the safest option either since the driving can be hazardous and sidewalks are not always the widest. Lesson - don't be cheap and take the tuk-tuk.

Again, we were literally in Bangkok for less than 24 hours before taking off for our final and last adventure (see more blogs to follow). But not before we were treated to an incredible breakfast at the Bhuthorn consisting of 4 courses – a watermelon and coconut gelatin desert, fried dough, pork pieces over rice and rice porridge w/ pork. Not your typical breakfast for a westerner but we were very appreciative for a good start to the day with full tummies and the highlight of any trip is eating local food and developing an appreciation for others' culture and what they do and what they eat - even if that means eating pork at the crack of dawn.

Finally, after returning from our last flight we were able to settle down in Bangkok for 3 nights. It was one hectic taxi ride to get to the BAIYOKE SKY HOTEL. The tallest building in Thailand that also is a hotel. Just getting to reception took forever since this is also a major tourist attraction and finding an elevator for the couple floors to the reception almost proved impossible. We finally found some service elevator, checked in, and found our room somewhere on the 40th floor or so with some pretty spectacular views. The room itself was nothing special and somewhat outdated, but it was clean and a place to sleep (all we generally ask for). The hotel itself can probably keep you occupied for quite some time as they have a golf range, plenty of restaurants and plenty of other activities to keep you busy. We decided to hit the streets for dinner and finally settled for dinner on one of the busy streets - only after making our way there through all the alleys and side-streets selling all sorts of stuff. I went for the grilled fish covered in salt and stuffed w/ lemongrass which was extraordinary. Nikkie stayed with the less adventurous and more well-known SOM TAM (GREEN PAPAYA and CHILI SALAD) with prawns, but after eating it this should be called the adventurous dish when comparing the two. I read about this dish everywhere and it was truly an incredible dish. After dinner we wandered back to the hotel for some pretty incredible VIEWS from the top of the building. Crazy to see all the lights and try and fathom the millions and millions of people that live in this city.

The next morning, we got up, made our way to one of the upper floors for a breakfast buffet (lots of variety, but food was pretty sub-par so I stuck to little pancakes and croissants) and afterwards we caught another glimpse of Bangkok from the top floor. For the umpteenth time we packed our suitcases and got a tuk-tuk for our ride to Novotel Bangkok Fenix Silom which was to serve as our hotel for the last couple nights. I try and save money on trips wherever I can, but trust me - it is not worth your while trying to save money taking a tuk-tuk instead of a taxi with 2 huge suitcases and multiple other items of luggage. Lesson learned. A really nice hotel for very cheap awaited us (I think we had two bathrooms and a sitting room for less than $80 a night and all very modern). As was the case with most of the hotels we stayed at, we were welcomed with a welcome drink before being led to our room. STREET CHOICE IN BANGKOK continues the theme of eating on the street. SILOM ROAD FOR FOOD was a must as I read in plenty of places. We found a little side street with little restaurants with tables on the sidewalk and the food being prepared all in your line of sight. After Nikkie's green papaya salad the previous night I just had to get it so I got the Tom Sam salad and Nikkie had the grilled chicken over rice. I absolutely loved the salad - sweet, spicy, crunchy and tart all at the same time and refreshing in the heat. Off course we also had to do the STICKY RICE WITH MANGO. The restaurant did not make it themselves - instead they just ran across the street to a guy who was sitting there making it all day long and we watched as our dessert came racing back across the street. Talk about having your supplier right there! Now let's just be clear on the mango and rice thing. I was very apprehensive - I mean these things do not go together. And yet it was just another one of those Thai things where they have this ability to make it work even though every fiber in your body is screaming - THIS IS CRAZY. We wandered into some of the more touristy shops and had to BUY SILK, because that is just another thing this country is known for. After a long day of changing hotels, walking around, getting some more massages, and eating great food it was great to sit down at the Starbucks in the area and just watch life go by. That evening we walked along Silom road to PATPONG NIGHT MARKET. A wide street/strip for lack of a better description with 2 rows of stalls lining the middle and the outer walls having all the go-go bars or other stores selling the "more expensive" items. The shopping is incredible and overwhelming, but you can find anything your heart desires here if you look hard enough. The real draw here is the cheap touristy stuff and t-shirts or other ornaments with funny sayings/ drawings on them. Definitely something to experience once.

When we were in Thailand the big craze was, probably still is, and most likely has been for a while - DO A COOKING CLASS. Anywhere you go in Thailand they are offered so we settled for the BLUE ELEPHANT FOR COOKING CLASSES IN BANGKOK. We arrived around 10 or so and were immediately taken out into the neighborhood to secure produce for our class. A very informative time where our tour leader explained some of the produce/ ingredients and also explained some of the common local drinks/ food for sale and the reason how and why it is prepared as it is. Fascinating to hear about the chili paste and how it is made. Back in class it was a really nice set-up with instructions/ directions/ TVs and any other help you might need right there. You prepare an appetizer and a couple main courses and as you finish each they are taken away and kept warm until lunch time. At the end of it all you sit at a big old communal table and your dishes is served to you for lunch and then dessert is brought out as well. Talk about being a bad cook and then having to eat your own food at the end. Overall a pretty incredible experience.

On the way back to the hotel we walked through a shopping mall and kept snacking on all the street food. I hate ice coffee, but Thai coffee in general is pretty awesome because they make it with condensed milk and pour it between cups over and over and over so it is frothy and sweet - so I am a Thai ice coffee convert. So, I stopped for coffee whenever I could and the occasional crepe rolled up with a filling.

I love our books for the fact that it normally does have restaurants that are truly local - meaning they are not in the book because they are popular with the tourists because popularity with tourists generally does not equal good. So, when we got back to the hotel I asked the concierge if he could try and make us a reservation at BAN-KLANG NAM RESTAURANT. His first reaction was "How do you know of this place" almost like it was a secret or something. I explained and he just said, "This is the first time ever I have heard any tourist ask about this restaurant". He got us a reservation and that night we were off in the tuk-tuk. Through some seedier parts of town, side-streets, back to the main street, and then very residential to where Nikkie and I looked at each other thinking "where are we going"? Until finally we went down one last alley and there we were. We were greeted in Thai and served in Thai. Absolutely no English and when I say no English I mean no English. We literally ordered with pictures. A nice restaurant (actually a really big restaurant) right on the river with a great little breeze to fend off the humidity. We ordered the steamed white prawns w/ garlic which was huge prawns with spices and also the pepper prawns in a sauce (a little spicy). This got us our fix of EATING RIVER PRAWNS. And that was it - an authentic Thai meal at a really nice restaurant.

Breakfast at this hotel was free as it was at most other hotels. Every morning there was a pretty big spread and we stuck to the fresh fruit, sushi, hot sticky pork bun, etc. Your typical Thai breakfast food. Well this was quite the adventure for us, but there was one thing we wanted to do and experience and that was BANGKOK'S MARKETS. Yes, we already did the flower market, but this city is known for its markets and SHOPPING AT CHATUCHAK WEEKEND MARKET was definitely high on our priority list. After all this is the place that supposedly has a black-market where you can buy snakes and all other sorts of off-limits items (sorry I can't attest to the authenticity of these claims as I did not see anything of the sort). We were there pretty early (around 8) and the place was a ghost town - we definitely did not expect that. We were here for SHOPPING and yet there were none. It truly is a massive place with hundreds and hundreds of stalls all organized by types of items for sale with the CLOCKTOWER dab smack in the middle (so if you get lost this is your landmark). Things slowly started coming to life. Anything your heart desires. It's all done in sections. One section is all spices. Another section is houseware. Another section is clothing and so forth. 27 sections in all. I went to town on the spices. Nikkie on the necklaces and earrings. There is a bunch of other things I would have loved to bring back. Somehow, we completely missed the food market until right before we were supposed to leave. Yes - there was a massive cured pork stand (it was delicious) and I had more of the obligatory iced coffee.

We made our way back to the hotel since our time was getting short. Time for one last hurrah. We found this little corner cafe where every single person was Thai (not surprising as we were not really in the touristy area). Nikkie being pregnant stuck to the NOODLES WITH CHICKEN. I on the other hand went with the chicken noodle soup bowl (after being asked again "1, 2 or 3 chili spicy" and going with 3 again) and this is how I described my experience on Instagram - "Tuk-tuks and taxis flying by with the smell of exhaust smoke everywhere mixed in with the smell of the most amazing food aromas - spicy, sweet, sour, frying oil. It is hot outside and the chicken noodle soup bowl I just got is even hotter. Sweat is already dripping from my forehead by bite two, snot is starting to drip from my nose, my tongue is on fire, and my body is breaking out in a full sweat, but this food is amazing. Surrounded by locals and once again the only English word they know is "Coca-Cola". This is the Thailand I've always wanted to experience. My happy place." To top it all off we grabbed some DEEP-FRIED BANANAS on the way back to our hotel.

And that was kind of it as we made our way back to the airport for our last flight back home. For one of our flights we had to get dinner in the airport at the Golden Spoon and like all airports it was really expensive for the couple curries we got. As we sat there in the airport we talked about the country and the experience we just had. What a different world. Walking through the streets you see people working at their craft and trying to make a living. If you walk by that store a couple hours later (after it closes) you will still see the same people linger around. But this time they most likely will be hunched over the tv while sitting on their bed. Just a complete different existence.

Good - this is a truly awesome city for street food. It's clean, it's good, and you just have to spend some time finding the right place.

- no one will complain about cheap/ quality hotels and cheap massages.

Bad - as with any other country you will be ripped-off at the touristy spots.

- the canals were truly disgusting. There is no judging from us here since we know the infrastructure is most likely lacking or non-existent, but honestly it is really sad seeing all the trash in the canals

- most of the juices you buy on the street is really gross and taste nothing like orange or mango or any other fruit for that matter. Can't really describe the taste to you since we just stopped buying after try number 2 and stuck to water and iced-coffee.

Advice - the public transportation system is well developed and organized. Use it.

- watch out for any taxi rides to the airports. If there are any tolls you sometimes have to pay for those as well and they are expensive.

- we sucked down water like it was non-one's business. Anytime you go to a country this hot and humid you need to drink as much water as possible. Luckily in this case the water was really cheap in most places (like 10 cents a bottle)

- I almost forgot. The Thai pants are a must to buy and wear. Lightweight and baggy it is perfect for the humid weather.

And that is the end of our Bangkok adventure. Things we crossed off included Chatuchak Weekend market, shopping at Chatuchak Weekend market, snacking your way through the day: The allure of Thai street food, street choice in Bangkok, sensational Bangkok, Patpong night market, Baiyoke Sky Hotel, and Bangkok's markets. So, 310 down and 5,471 to go.

Til' next time from the land where bugs are killed AND EATEN

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Photos

Bangkok
Octopus jerky. It is a process to get it to this stage

Bangkok
Show me the money! Not that hard at a conversion rate of close to 40 to1!!

Wat Pho
Our first sites of this amazing temple complex

Wat Pho
A brewing storm over the temple

Wat Pho
Bronze alms bowls - apparently it is good luck to drop a coin in each.

Wat Pho
The Reclining Buddha

Wat Pho
Not one for smiles I guess

Wat Pho
These were fascinating to look at

Wat Pho
A good game of soccer on the temple grounds

Wat Pho
Waiting out the monsoon!

Bangkok
All parts of the chicken except the white meat part

Flower market
Little yellow and orange flowers everywhere

Flower market
Just pick your color. Any color you want. They got it.

Flower market
Even bright neon like colors

Bangkok
Now if only I could have one of each

Bangkok
The waterways of Bangkok

Bangkok
Who would be crazy enough to buy and eat all these bugs?

Bangkok
This guy!

Bangkok
It's the fat one's you have to watch out for because they are squirty

Bangkok
A beer and a smoothie while taking in the scenery

Baiyoke Sky Hotel
All the way to the top

Bangkok
Views of the millions and millions of people at night

Bangkok
Yes mango and rice does not sound like an appealing combination, but... it somehow works

Patpong Night Market
I mean you can get whatever you want here

Blue elephant
Happy cooking

Bangkok
Tom Sam salad

Bangkok
Noodles and chicken

Ban-Klang Nam restaurant
Playing with our food at the table

Chatuchak Weekend Market
All the cured pork your heart desires

Bangkok
Goodies we got from the market