When we set out on our trip, we specifically chose southern, less developed countries as destinations as we thought they would be more interesting to visit. We have not regretted our decision so far. However, after four months of hard travelling in Africa and the Indian subcontinent, Bangkok was a welcome break. From the ultra-modern (albeit unpronounceable) Suvarnnabhumi airport, to the city metro system to just plain paved roads, traffic lights, and no open sewers everything works, is clean, and new in Bangkok. It was sort of like showing up in Las Vegas after spending a year in Siberia. As much as we have loved the past few months, everything we have done has been difficult. From travel arrangements, to lodging to food, everything was an effort. Bangkok on the other hand was like taking candy from a baby. Because the city is a popular destination for independent travellers, amenities catering to them like accommodation, food, travel agencies, laundry services etc. are plentiful and inexpensive. Also, the city is easy to get around, and full of fun and exciting things to see and do (not to mention eat and drink),and, because of the political troubles the country has had recently, the city was not as packed with tourists as it usually might be at this time of year. Bangkok was the perfect destination for us at this stage in our trip, and although we were only there for four days, we packed in as much as we could.
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| Bangkok street |
We started off in the Kho San road area, which is the epicenter of the Southeast Asia’s independent traveller culture. What a show. It was a weird mix of spring breakers, hippes, and hard core backpackers, all stuffing their faces with cheap pad thai and even cheaper beer. Every storefront was either a massage parlour, bar, or restaurant. The highlight for me was sitting at an outdoor bar attached to our guesthouse surrounded by young Thais, other travellers and ladyboys (transvestites – Bangok is teeming with them), drinking beer and listening to two fifty something Thais strum their guitars and belt out 70s classics by the Eagles, Willie Nelson and Johnny cash. Their accent rendered the songs barely intelligible, but they were having a blast, and so was everyone watching. I had the laptop with me and wifi was available, so I was able to skype my brother in Melbourne so he could join in the fun. Cold beer, a mangled version of Me and Bobby McGee, a motley crowd watching the show and even more just wandering by, street vendors, bright lights and my brother with me on the computer, all just outside our guesthouse. Not exactly an African experience
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| The reclining Buddha |
Kho San road is in the old part of town, near all of the important Temples and palaces in the city, and we took in as many as we could. I think we saw all the important Buddha temples: the Emerald Buddha (really made of jade, not emerald), the reclining Buddha (46 metres long, 15 metres high), and the Golden Buddha (made from 5.5 tonnes of gold). I like my Buddhas big, so I think my favourite was the reclining Buddha. We also saw the royal palace compound which was quite impressive. Thailand is interesting in that it is a constitutional monarchy, but unlike other monarchies like Britain or Spain, the king in Thailand is respected and still has considerable power. His picture along with the motto “long live the king” is posted everywhere in the city, and lese majeste (insulting the monarchy) is a crime punishable by a stiff prison sentence.
Also near the old town, but on the west bank of the Chao Phraya river is Thonburi. Thonburi is riddled with canals (called khlongs in Thai) that connect the area like city streets. Development has not occurred here as rapidly as on the east bank of the river. The buildings are smaller (no highrises), the pace slower, and with a little imagination, you can get an idea of what Bangkok must have been like fifty or even a hundred years ago. It is difficult to get to Thonburi by car or on foot, so we hired a hang yaaw (sort of a long skinny motor boat) and spent an enjoyable afternoon winding our way through the khlongs taking it all in. We were less than half an hour from downtown Bangkok, but the maze of waterways choked with boat traffic, small wooden houses on stilts, temples and shrines set on patches of dry land, children playing in the water, and open areas of swamp and farmland all gave the feeling of a small village lost in time.
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| Bangkok sunset |
While the old part of town was great, no visit would be complete without taking in the newer part of Bangkok. We switched to a new hotel near chinatown to be a little nearer to the action (the place was ok, but it had a great roof deck with amazing views of the city skyline, perfect for a sundowner), then set off to take in as much as we could. Siam square, Sukhamvit road, the skytrain, crowds, highrises, shopping malls, bright lights, all fun in their own right, but again, after months in places with open sewers and cows in the streets, the modernity was almost novel to us . We even got to spend New Year’s Eve in Siam square (Bangkok’s answer to Times Square). Loads of festive people, a countdown and fireworks, what more can you ask for?
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| Long live the king |
So that was our four days in Bangkok. I’m fairly certain that I would not want to spend months travelling in cities like Bangkok, but it was a great break from our regular travels, and I loved every minute of it. Anyway, Camille has joined us, and we are now in Laos. As a matter of fact, as I write this, I am drinking a very cold beer watching the sun set over the Mekong river in a small village near the Cambodian border, but more on that in the next post…
Michael
Vong Paseud Guesthouse,
Champasak, Laos
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