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Published: October 19th 2015
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The first stop on our journey after jumping continents to get us to our starting point. We intended to use our time here to recover from the long haul and unwind into our travel adventure.
When our plans began to firm up many months ago now, the standard of accommodation we should aim for was quite a discussion point. Hostels were tentatively suggested but, in the words of Miss Winehouse, I had to say no, no, no .... I don't need The Ritz but I do need safe, clean and if conveniently situated so much the better (not that I'm suggesting hostels are none of these things but my final stipulation was private bathroom and hostels and private bathroom are not words you see in the same sentence very often). We agreed on budget hotels. Steve drew up a shortlist and I had power of veto, though he sneaked this one past me when time was pressing at one stage.
And what a gem Tara Place turned out to be. It would probably be described as 'a bijou boutique hotel' by those who do the media-speak. To us it was a little oasis of calm hidden just off the
busy road but a million miles away from the noise and hustle. Spotlessly clean, quietly efficient, and 24 hour sticky buns and coffee if your body clock was still adjusting and you wanted to chill out in reception at 3 am. Perfect. When we saw one of the hostels that had been on the first list of suggestions I knew we'd made the right decision though, in fairness, there were many guesthouses which looked to fall somewhere between hostel and hotel which looked fine and for about £4 a night for a hostel bed or only £1 if you just wanted a shower who can argue with that?
We'd previously visited Bangkok probably more than a decade ago now, where we'd done a quick typical tourist overview of the city's main cultural attractions. It was another stop en route somewhere so I can't say we did it justice then and we probably didn't serve it any better this time but I did notice some subtle changes this time round. Previously Bangkok had seemed colourful and vibrant, possibly ever so slightly on the edge and all the more exciting for that. This time round it seemed a little jaded and
somewhat tawdry, with tuk-tuk drivers not just overcharging tourists (almost an expectation) but delivering them to places they didn't want to go in the first place and leaving them with only one (expensive) option of return to point of departure. One story we heard was of a couple of backpackers who had to pay money they couldn't afford to get back to Bangkok by boat after the tuk-tuk driver scarpered. We were offered one price involving one stop, another price for two stops and a third, most expensive, price for a journey direct to the hotel. Steve had to barter hard to get a fair price and I think that's the saddest thing - the drivers know you know they are playing a scam and it's up to you to decide how much you want to be ripped off.
Anyway, we managed to experience some of Bangkok's attractions without too much aggravation but the constant hassle was tiring. We'd previously visited the Grand Palace so we went to the nearby Wat Pho which boasts a magnificent reclining Buddha, quite awesome in its scale and 'goldliness' but treated most definitely as a tourist attraction rather than as a symbol of
reverence and we shuffled past it along with the hordes of others. There was plenty to explore within the Wat and it was surprisingly quiet away from the main attraction. There are apparently about 1000 other Buddha images in the wat and some remnants of the centre of excellence the Wat once was, with a school for Thai medicine that still operates there. We wandered down to to the river market area and along to the Khaosan Road; once backpacker central, now it seems to hawk only tourist tat and the backpackers seem to have moved on. You can still, if you want, buy a degree in any discipline you choose, no questions asked, together with any accompanying fake ID. It used to be a place to get lost from and it seems that's still the case!
What else about Bangkok? Well, they drive on 'our side' of the road so that was helpful. There were no birds to be seen, not even pigeons. There are lots of cats, everywhere (maybe that's why there are no birds) and the very few dogs I saw were of the fluffy pampered variety. The river and canals were filthy with dirty water pouring in straight from the riverside houses but, amazingly, they teemed with life. I thought I saw a crocodile swimming by but I don't think they have them in Bangkok so I've decided it was a monitor lizard. The place seems full of sharks of many varieties anyway ......
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Anne
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Hi you are not going to believe this but I have sent two other messages to you. Feeling quite proud of myself for remembering how to do it pity I didn't wait for "submitted". Daniel Odonnel is out of strictly yippee didn't think that would happen. Please ignore all grammatical mistakes not used to composing these days. On Sunday I wondered whose turn it was to ring - old habits die hard, Can you please mention in your next blog if you got this message. Bye for now xxx