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Published: October 2nd 2009
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Road near Lumphini Park, Bangkok. So I decided at very short notice to go on a 4 week adventure to South East Asia with on of my closest friends, with no time to save or to plan anything properly, we knew it would be interesting!
Bangkok, Bangkok!! First stop, Bangkok! Outside the airport our taxi awaited, the driver wasn't impressed with our lack of Thai vocab and I was less impressed with his driving. The road into central Bangkok was hectic. There were so many cars and motor bikes in one space at one time, also so many accidents in one place at one time. 45 minutes later, we arrived at our hostel a little nervous, how good could it be for £5 a night? We booked in London through HostelWorld. The room was very basic but no less than we needed.
We decided to head out after a long nap, majorly jet-lagged, we jumped on an express boat for a few cents and took a ride down the river. Everything was closed by now, even China Town..they actually close on Monday nights to clean the streets, kinda cool. Saw the saddest thing ever this night, a baby elephant was being tugged along
Wat Arun
the Water Temple, located near the riverbank. the busy streets by his ear as his keepers offered tourists the chance to feed him for $1.
For the next couple of days we rode tuk-tuks, walked a lot, ate (or in my case, didn't eat) street food and visited temples. We were told that Lumpini Park was nearby so we decided to take a stroll, after work hundreds of locals gather for public (and free) aerobic sessions and Thai chi sessions in the park. Was really great to see so many people exercising together, who needs a gym?! Wat Pho or temple of the Reclining Buddha was amazing, apparently the Reclining Buddha is the biggest in the world, quite breathtaking actually. Everyone removes their shoes before entering temples and ladies, remember to wear appropriate clothing or you might not be able to go inside. Outside the temples we made friends with one of the security guards, I think he really liked us 😊 we learned some Thai words and phrases to help us out..like how to barter with a tuk-tuk driver (never pay more than a couple of US dollars for a single journey) or just how to greet a local. Wat Pho is also home to
Khao San Road
Street Vendors a professional massage school, for $8 each we enjoyed a half an hour Thai massage, those women might be tiny but the really are powerful! Would recommend checking it out, perfect ending to the day.
A little break from the hustle and bustle of the city took us to Kanchanaburi, near the border of Burma. The tour included the 3 hour bus journey, a visit to the river Kwai and a scenic train ride followed by an elephant trek and bamboo rafting. Bought from a local TAT office, we were unsure if we had been scammed or not, the owner of our hostel advised us to be careful as some TAT offices are fake. We didn't sleep a lot that night! 6:00 AM and we were on our way, first packaged tour for me so a bit apprehensive. The Bridge over the River Kwai was surrounded by locals selling souvenirs, I suppose the area is popular since the movie was released. We decided to escape the crowds and found a wooden deck over looking the river to relax on. It was nice to watch people get on with their everyday activities, a farmer lead his cattle to drink from
Wat Pho
The Reclining Buddha, too many people to get a better shot. the river whilst a child swam nearby. This was the best part of the tour, the elephant trek and bamboo rafting were definitely packaged for tourists, each lasting no more than 10 minutes which was disappointing. It is worth the effort and time to look into the packages in greater depth, maybe paying a little more money would have made it a better experience.
Best (and worst) of Bangkok: • Wat Pho and surrounding buildings
• Thai massage at Wat Pho, so relaxing
• Tuk-tuks - crazy yet fun and efficient
• Food (for the adventurous) - on every corner for a small price
• Aerobics in Lumpini Park at dusk
• Need long clothing and proper shoes to visit the Grand Palace (we missed out)
• Always have a map, its so easy to get lost in the city
After 3 days in the Thai capital our Vietnamese visas have arrived and we were on the move. Time to leave Thailand and it's pad Thai behind for a couple of weeks. See you soon!
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