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Published: April 15th 2013
Leaving Cambodia
Our bus and an overloaded trailer waiting to cross the border.I was up early on Monday morning after a wakeful night. Today we leave Cambodia and heading to Bangkok via bus. There was last minute packing, checking and double checking to do, breakfast to be eaten, and all bags downstairs for our 7.00am pickup. We were all feeling a little stressed, I think, as we are on the move and have a long day ahead.
Our pick-up tuk tuk arrived right on time. We looked at each other and wondered if two would have been a better idea, as between the three of us we have rather a lot of luggage. Apparently not, as the driver piled our suitcases and backpacks in, leaving us to fit in as best we could. The tuk tuk was horribly overloaded, but we got to the bus office without losing any luggage or falling out ourselves, so all good.
We left only ten minutes late with a half full bus. Everyone was able to spread out and occupy two seats. This is an express bus, (tickets $30) so we knew no other passengers would be picked up along the way. We didn't stop until reaching the border town of Poipet, just over two
hours later.
We filed out of the bus, passports in hand, and joined the queue of people at the departure point, all waiting to get 'USED' stamped over their Cambodian visas before we were able to leave the country. We stepped out into 'no man's land', between the Cambodian and Thailand borders. We had officially left Cambodia but were yet to enter Thailand....
That process took a little longer, as forms had to be filled out to get a visa stamp in our passports. As we were entering Thailand overland we could only get 15 day visas, as opposed to 30 day if we flew in. They cost us nothing, all we needed was patience. We waited in the inevitable queue only to have the counter close before we reached it. So we joined another queue and waited again. Finally, after the grim faced official behind the counter had done a lot of banging with his rubber stamps, we had our passports back and were officially in Thailand.
The trip took longer than expected, and we pulled into the Bangkok Bus Station about 4.30pm, retrieved our bags, hailed a metered taxi and headed to our accomodation, the
Crossing the Border
Dozens of these loaded trailers and wagons were coming from Thailand. All of them were pulled, and pushed, by people. Phranakorn-Nornlen Guesthouse. This is the most individual accomodation I have ever stayed in, and can only be described as quirky vintage. The entire establishment has hand painted murals on every wall and retro furniture. Someone has thought outside the square when decorating this place, and I love it's individuality. When I saw it online, I booked it just so I could have a closer look. Thankfully, Petra and Ginny are charmed by it's difference too.
After settling in to our room we decided to hit the streets. We needed to eat, and as Khao San Road was (supposedly) within walking distance, we got directions and headed out. Well, it was within walking distance if you wanted to walk forever! I think we were all having second thoughts after trudging along for half an hour, but persistence paid off, and we finally saw bright lights ahead of us.
It's been seven years since my last visit, and how things have changed. The sprawling neon signs that light up the street at night are still there, as are the pushy tuk-tuk drivers, and the street vendors peddling everything from fried insects to croaking ornamental frogs. But Khao San Road has
Crossing the Border
Another one. Photos taken from bus as no cameras were allowed in 'no man's land'. expanded enormously and the chaos has now taken over neighbouring streets. Add the unstoppable influx of fast-food outlets (Starbucks, McDonalds and Burger King) and incongruous shopping malls, and I can't help but feel Khao San Road has lost it's soul.....
We wandered around, dined at a bustling eatery, then decided to head back to our room. We were approached by a tuk tuk driver who quoted us 150 baht, almost $5, to get us home. We said 'no thanks' and hailed a taxi from the street that got us back for 35 baht, about $1.15.
My first full day in Bangkok can't be spent sight seeing as I'm due at the dentist at 1.00pm. This appointment was made via email from Cambodia. I broke a tooth last week, and Bangkok is the only chance I have of getting it fixed before I head to India. The appointment was a breeze - quick, efficient and professional, absolutely no complaints there. But my patience was sorely tested when it comes to getting a ride in this town!
It's illegal for Bangkok taxi drivers to accept fares without using their meters, but they flaunt that law every opportunity they can.
The Thai Border Crossing
Once we pass through here, we're in Thailand. I knocked back, or got knocked back today, by a dozen sullen faced drivers simply because I refused to get in their taxi if they refused to use the meter. They'll suggest an inflated price, usually double or triple what the fares worth, and rip us off unmercifully.
It's the biggest tourist rip-off I've ever encountered, but they wore me down today. All I wanted to do was get back to the guesthouse after my dentist appointment. I was cranky and discouraged, as I realised the longer I resisted 'their system' the longer I was going to spend standing on the footpath. The next driver who suggested a price I could swallow had me as a passenger, after first telling me it was 'too far'. Goddam it, are you a taxi driver or not? He finally got me home after 45 minutes in the traffic. By Aussie standards, I guess he earned his $6.50 fare.
On Wednesday I had another dental appointment. My broken tooth requires more work than anticipated, so extra appointments have been scheduled. After the dentist we visited Terminal 21, a lifestyle shopping mall with personality...
Each level of this shopping mall features a
Hotel Sign
Our guesthouse is down a lane so this sign helps people to find it. different city. Find yourself wandering around a maze of shops in Tokyo, sauntering down London’s Carnaby Street, bagging a bargain in an Istanbul zouk, or shopping for lunch at Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco. Many local independent clothing labels have small shops here, and I enjoyed browsing as I hadn't seen the inside of a mall for three months. It was certainly more interesting than malls in Australia, which are full of franchise outlets and all look the same.
Tonight we have a special night out. Petra purchased a gift voucher from the Banyan Tree Hotel chain for my birthday in February, and tonight we are dining at Vertigo, 61 floors up, and listed as one of the best open air bars in the world. With an unusual narrow and elongated shape, the entire top of the building is occupied by the bar and restaurant which gives patrons an uninterrupted 360 degree view of the Bangkok skyline. It is completely open air, no walls or roof to obstruct the view. We arrived around 6.00pm so were able to take some great sunset photos.
We were handed huge menus and tiny flashlights to read them with. We enjoyed a
Big Night In
Pet chilling with her mocktail and computer in our room. lovely meal served by very attentive staff and left about 9.30pm. We had the usual problem with taxis to get home, even though we were standing at the doors of a five star hotel with the doorman doing the legwork. Half a dozen knockbacks and finally we scored an honest driver who delivered us home 45 minutes later.
Thursday morning finds us repacking our suitcases, and packing backpacks with the barest minimum we need for two days away. Our main luggage is going into the guesthouse storeroom, and we are heading to Ayutthaya for a couple of days.
No tickets have been booked. Ayutthaya, which lies 76klm north of Bangkok, is a popular tourist destination so we figure there will be plenty of trains heading that way. So, we caught a taxi to Hua Lamphong Railway Station and joined the queue at the ticket office. We're in luck, and purchased one way, 2nd class tickets for 245 baht ($8) on an air-conditioned train leaving in ten minutes. It was running late, and eventually left 30 minutes later than scheduled.
Our reason for visiting Ayutthaya is to see the ancient ruins of this UNESCO World Heritage Site. Ayutthaya
Our Guesthouse
Beautiful murals cover every wall and all the furniture is retro. is strategically located on an island surrounded by three rivers connecting the city to the sea. Ayutthaya's historic temples are scattered throughout this once magnificent city and along the encircling rivers.
The train, ancient as it was, moved at a reasonable pace and we were in Ayutthaya two hours later and at our guesthouse, Prom Tong Mansion, not long after. We grabbed a map, hired cycles, and headed out on what we thought would be a cruisy orientation ride, followed by lunch. But instead it turned into a marathon ride around the island, looking for restaurants which a 'helpful' staff member marked in the wrong spot on our map! Eventually, we were pointed in the right direction but, hot, hungry and more than a little peeved, we returned to our room.
Many of the ruins there are easily accessible on foot or by bicycle, which is how we choose to visit them. Interesting as they were, they couldn't match the splendour of Angkor Wat, and I probably didn't appreciate them as much as I should. We enjoyed riding our bikes around town as the streets weren't busy, and even though we saw a lot of big tourists buses
Our Guesthouse
Another lovely hand painted wall. we didn't see many other people at most of the places we visited.
Ayutthaya isn't a party town and, except for the ruins, doesn't seem to have a lot to offer tourists. Limited shopping besides the usual markets, no decent restaurants that we could find, and the centre of town was dead by 9.30pm.
On the recommendation of the guesthouse, we visited Ayutthaya Floating Village, but I really wish I had looked on Trip Advisor and seen the negative reviews first. It was a very depressing place, aimed more at locals than tourists. The 'floating village' is a 15 minute boat ride down the channel, so we passed on that. Instead we browsed the 'attractions' on shore. There were the usual market stalls and lots of battered cutesy figurines to take your photo with. We passed on that as well. The saddest sight of all was a tiger, existing in a concrete based cage with no greenery and, we noticed, no drinking water. He lay at the rear of his cage, with his back to the people. There were also two ostriches in an enclosure, baking in the heat. They had most of their feathers missing, which is
Our Guesthouse
The guesthouse has it's own little shop. They make a range of body care products here as well. a good indication of their mental state. We bought fruit to feed the elephants that were there, and then left.
At 4.00pm, we joined a two hour river cruise in a longboat. We visited temples we wouldn't have otherwise seen, but I was more interested in taking photos of life along the river. It was a very pleasant two hours for the princely sum of $5 each. Last stop was the night markets which were still setting up. We bought cold watermelon slices to eat before flagging down a tuk tuk and heading back to the guesthouse.
We were heading back to Bangkok on Saturday and were at the railway station at 8.30am. Once again, no tickets were pre-booked. We tried to buy them yesterday, but the attendant refused to sell them to us, telling us to come back tomorrow.....which we did. There were no air-conditioned trains until 1.00pm, and we weren't hanging around that long. So, we purchased 3rd class tickets for 15 baht each (.50c) and joined the locals. No air-con except open windows, the seats were padded and reasonably comfortable and the train left on time, so we're not complaining.
Saturday is also the
Our Guesthouse
The reception and dining area. first day of the Songkran Festival, the Buddhist celebrations for Thai New Year. It used to be a fairly quiet affair. Thai people visited temples to sprinkle scented water on the monks, symbolically bathing them. It is now a nationwide water war, where the weapons are water-pistols, buckets and hoses, and the battlefield is the street. So, we have been given zip-lock bags for our phones and cameras and we venture out at our own risk!
One of the best spots to spend a Saturday night in Bangkok at the moment is Talad Rot Fai – the Train Market. It occupies an abandoned Railway Station, not far from Chatuchak Market, and is a fascinating place to spend an evening.
But Talad Rot Fai is quite a different experience to Chatuchak Market, which is so huge and crowded, you need a compass, a map and contingency plan for the first few visits. We had no problems browsing here as it seems very few tourists have discovered it yet. The market occupies what would have been the station building, platform, train tracks and warehouses. We loved this retro market and spent more than a few hours here, browsing the atmospheric
shops selling antiques and collectibles and the stands selling completely worthless but utterly charming second-hand retro stuff.
You can buy new clothes and souvenirs at Chatuchak, but this market specialises in retro collectibles and knick knacks, vintage clothes, and all sorts of oddities you won’t see elsewhere. We finished our evening there in one of the bars, sharing a huge cocktail which was served in a pitcher reminiscent of something from a chemical lab. It was more like a slushy, served with tiny glasses and long handled plastic spoons.....a great way to end an enjoyable evening, and for Ginny, her last one in Bangkok.
Sunday is Ginny's final day in Bangkok. She's up and on her way to the Royal Palace by 8.00am, as this is a 'must see' on every Bangkok visitor's list. Petra and I didn't go as we have both seen it before. Instead we decide to visit Pak Khlong Talaat, otherwise called The Flower Market.
We walked from Khao San Road to Phra Arthit pier, where we caught a ferry to Memorial Bridge, the closest stop to the market. From there it was an easy walk to Chak Phet Road where the market
Rooftop View
Taken from the roof top of our accomodation in Bangkok. is held. Pak Khlong Talaat is where Bangkok florists go to stock their shelves, but by far the majority of flowers found here are destined to be woven into garlands and used as offerings. Some will be offered to images of Buddha inside temples or on the shrines of private homes. The garlands symbolize good luck and respect, and all across Thailand, they adorn everything from Buddhist temples to taxicabs. After leaving here we catch a tuk tuk back to the guesthouse, and are soaked by buckets of water thrown by kids celebrating Songkran, along the way.
At 2.00pm there's a tearful goodbye to Ginny. Her taxi is waiting and she's got to go. We've had the best three months ever and I will miss her...
It's early evening and Pet wants to go to Asiatique, a huge new shopping and lifestyle complex that's recently opened. Two of the most popular shopping experiences in the city have been combined at Asiatique - a night bazaar and a mall. With over 1,500 boutiques and 40 restaurants housed under a huge replica warehouse complex, it would be easy to pass an evening here.
The easiest way to get there
Along The River
Someone's washing hanging out to dry. was via the river so we walked to the pier and waited for a ferry. Tickets (15baht or .50c) were purchased onboard and we enjoyed a 45 minute cruise down the river. A huge storm was brewing and the sky turned slate grey, as we watched the lights of Bangkok switch on. Of course it rained, which spoilt the evening as Asiatique is open air. We had dinner and a quick look around and decided home was looking good. We had missed the last ferry so had to do the usual taxi hop until we found a driver who quoted a reasonable fare. By then we were wet and happy to go home for hot showers.
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Linny
non-member comment
Vertigo
Love this photo....