From Sky Trains to Ferries

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Geo: 13.7308, 100.521

Bangkok is a fascinating place, what an incredible visit… minibus, bus, sky train, ferry or water taxi, moto taxi, rickshaw, moto, cycle, you name it, they've got it, and I loved it.

My first trip into the big smoke was via minibus, then sky train, then ferry, all of which went very smoothly and I thoroughly enjoyed. I had a trip north and south of the Chao Praya River most of which I had my head stuck out the side of the 'water taxi' as we careered through the city, what a wonderful experience and I had no idea that it was here. I'm blown away by the Bangkok skyline which is incredible so much so that I stayed on the river until the final stop of Nonthaburi Pier where I got off and found a fantastic local market. Although clothes and various goods on the outside tiers I wandered through to find butchers, fishmongers, fruit and veg stalls, local cooked food, BBQ's of chicken and fish, whole roasted duck hanging with the neck and heads neatly tucked under a wing looking out at you or hung up on butcher hooks. I ended up buying some fresh BBQ pork and sticky rice, some fruit - mangosteen's and lychee's, an ice tea plus a long sleeve shirt out the market.

Now last visit was a few years ago and although I visited the Grand Palace and the Floating Market's, we only had a few days in Bangkok half of which was in plush hotels, taxi's, the Koh San Road via tuk tuk which was hilarious with Raymie but a very different experience, I think I was too nervous to really enjoy properly – it was just such a complete culture shock but probably what gave me the confidence to head off on my own trip this time!

I visited more local markets in Chinatown, as well as the main tourist attractions, a number of impressive Wat's, the Temple of the Dawn etc. however not all on the same day. The water taxi is definitely the best way to travel around the city as there are no traffic jams, but the speed, fumes etc. of the boats can be a bit overwhelming at times, but despite that the amount of fish in the river is astounding and the joy factor of being blasted by the wind with my hair flying was worth every second.

I visited the Bangkok Culture and Arts Centre which was a fantastic experience and I loved all the artworks displayed, very modern and cultural. This was followed by more sky trains back to Victoria Monument which is an impressive structure however I didn't get far before I jumped off the bus to go to JJ's market at Chituchek, now this was an experience and a half which I loved, with hardly any tourists it was a maze of local and handmade produce, antiques, second hand goods, you name it they have it, what a place. A visit to the National Stadium as well as the infamous Koh San Road made Bangkok an absolute joy, and I truly loved the experience despite me thinking before venturing into Bangkok, that I'm not big on being in the city!

Koh San Road and the surrounding area is the best place ever for people watching and I loved my time there which was needless to say a bit wild! I'll let the photos speak for themselves but needless to say I had lots of fun… is that not what it's all about? I remembered the noise of the wooden frogs being played by the women trying to sell them, as well as bracelets, trinkets, hats etc. but one of them was so funny that not only did I buy something the first night but the next night when she found me again I bought something else. I tried the scorpions and the crickets and I'm glad that's over… tick, but also discovered that Chang beer although incredibly strong a 6.4%!i(MISSING)s actually just a guideline of the alcohol volume which may be inside and could be as high as double this figure!

Although I had visited before, I went back to the Grand Palace. My highlight this time was Queen Sirikit's Textile Museum and her own stunning wardrobe, she was such an incredibly beautiful and stylish young woman when she married the not quite yet King and subsequently became Queen of Thailand, and has supported and redesigned the Thai style over a period of time, even winning various awards with her flair and stunning style, click here for some images. The museum showed video footage of the young King and Queen meeting not only other Royal families when they traveled abroad, but local craftsmen and women and was a real insight into some of their life. The Queen's style and outfits were detailed and shown behind glass panels and have got to be the most beautiful, stunning outfits that I have ever seen, and what a figure… this combined with her beautiful hair in various styles and designs meant that she won various awards.

Cycling in, through and out of Bangkok I have to admit took ‘nerves of steel', some of my roads were 12 lanes of traffic going my direction with 4 lanes above on the tollway, that's 16 lanes of traffic one way, all I will say is I've learned a lot, came out un-scathed although maybe not my nerves, and for the majority was swept along with momentum of traffic, heart pounding away, praying I would make it to my destination safe and sound… yep a lot of praying is involved in dealing with the traffic in Bangkok with it's population of around 11 million and I'm glad I made it. After starting out my cycling in metropolis scale cities of Xi'an, or Chengdu, Kun Ming with equally huge populations, I am really proud of myself for being aware and careful and of my polished ducking
and diving skills to get me through.

Phew, what a blast!

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Photos

Bangkok
Found again :) New hat this time though