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More tourists than Thais!
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Day 22 - Arrival in Bangkok - my plane landed early afternoon and I collected my bag and after a bit of searching and asking people, found the Express Bus Service to Khao San Road. The airport is gloriously air conditioned and felt the same as Hong Kong, but when you step out of the revolving doors it hits you!
Once at Khao San Road I had already booked my hostel so I found it with ease using my Lonely Planet Guidebook map. The hostel is much bigger than I anticipated and very busy. My room was on the top floor and is very clean with air con and a hot shower! For 8 pounds a night I was spoilt - they even provided soap, loo roll, towels and a swimming pool! To start with I couldn't get my air con to work and I was literally melting in my room! I went and gt some lunch from one of many restaurants in the area - thai noodles with fried egg and chicken (yum!) - the hostel staff had got my air con to work! Sheer joy!
In the afternoon I walked arounf Banglamphu (area where my hostel is situated) and reminded me os some local areas of China that were full of hustle and bustle. However, it is quite different in the sense that there are so many tourists there are more westerners than thais! However this does have its advantages, as the area has more high class food stalls and eateries than one could imagine.
In the evening I went for dinner in the most local looking restaurant I could find near Khao San Road and had yet another delicious rice and shrimp concoction! It was also my first opportunity to taste Thai Singha Beer - and t was good!
Day 23 - I went to scout out the pier for the Chao Phraya River Ferry and picked up a bowl of fresh fruit and yoghurt from a street stall on the way (the fruit in Thailand is incredible). I found the ferry despite it being quite inconspicuous and boarded it to Ko Ratanakosin area of Bangkok. The ferry acts just like a bus, and pulls up with the boatman blowing a whistle and every jumps on or off before it tears off within moments! As you'll see from my China blog, and as this blog goes on, I find the transport one of the most exciting parts of travelling as it can be so dangerous, interesting and different from home.. despite all the tourists!
I arrived at the Grand Palace and despite purposefully dressing modestly I was told I couldn't go in showing my calves - but do not worry because they provide skirts to change into free of charge! I actually really enjoyed it as I got to wear a traditional thai silk skirt all day! At Ko Ratanakosin I saw the Grand Palace which is one of the King's former residences as well as Wat Phra Kaew which is absolutely stunning! The temple is very ornately decorated with gold and bright colours and is really quite a sight. Inside houses the reknowned Emerald Buddhe (which is actually made from Jade!). I enjoyed wandering ound the temple and found it such an impressive sight as my first Thai temple. The highlight for me however, is being asked by three separate groups to have my photo taken with them! It was so curious and amazing - I was just stood there admiring the sight when they'd approach me and gesture to a photo! I believe they were all Japanese and this makes me want to visit Japan as they were so amiable and funny! I now have lots of photos with randomers on my camera!
I debated visiting another temple in the area and in the end was so glad I did - Wat Pho is the oldest and largest Wat in Bangkok and houses the countrys' largest reclining buddha. It was quite a sight as it was quite enormous and it's feet were intricately inlayed with mother of pearl patterns. There were a lot less crowds at this Wat and I found wandering the grounds of the temple very relaxing.
I then continued in the same direction and walked to Phaharut, Bangkok's Indian District. I was finally the only westerner on the street and I came across numerous fruit and veg markets down little alleyways. I enjoyed exploring this part of Bangkok very much and drifted into Chinatown, where I milled about the Thieves Market (named after the hot items once sold here). I grabbed some noodle soup from a street stall near the market and as the language barrier became apparent I anjoyed a bowl with beef, herbs and meatballs to my surprise! I also bought a bottle of orange juice from another stall - it looked bright orange and very artifical, but is made from the sweetest fresh oranges at the stall!
I caught the river ferry back to Banglamphu thanks to a few lovely thai people pointing me in the right direction, and relaxed in / by the pool for the rest of the afternoon.
That evening I met John who I met on the China trip for dinner and then went for some srinks down Khao San Road. We ended up in a nightclub for a bit of a dance and staggered back to the hostel.
Day 24 - Today I wanted to go to Central Bangkok and bit the bullet to ask for a tuk tuk to the canal. After three attempts I found a nice one who didn't want to take me all over Bangkok (as they recieve a commission to do so) and took me straight to Wat Saket near the canal. Tuk tuk drivers in Bangkok are reknowned for being difficult and cheeky so I was quite pleased I got ther without being taken in all sorts of directions against my will! At the Wat, since I was in the area, I walked to the top of the hill it was situated on and got a wonderful view of the city, with traditional houses in the proximity and high rise modern regions beyond.
I found the pier for the canal boat (again, not exactly obvious) and it cost me 10 baht to Siam Square. Compared to the river, the canal is chaos! When it arrives you climb onto the side of the boat (like a big canoe) and drop yourself in squeezing betweenthe roof and a tarpaulin that uns along the sides. Then the boat takes off at a rapid rate and the purpose of the tarpaulin is realised - you use a pulley to pull the tarpaulin up and stop the water coming in! Whilst in motion, there are a few ticket collectors on the outside of the boat, stood on the side, going down h boat collecting everyone's money - don't worry though, they wear a helmet - and if they do that in Bangkok, it must be dangerous! Transport in Bangkok really is quite efficient it must be said!
At Siam Square I got the Skytrain to Lumphini Park, which is an excellent service as you can see the city from aboce and enjoy the air conditioning for a while! At the park I walked passed an area designated as an outside gym, with thai men lifting weights which is quite a sight. I then found a nice shaded area to relax for a bit. However, I heard something like a twig snap to my left and when I looked over saw a 2 metre long lizard at the foot of a tree, less than 5 metres away from me! It scared the crap out of me, and I suddenly remembered that I wasn't in England anymore! Needless to say I could no longer relax and walked back to the gate. On the way I saw two tortoises sunning themselves and when I moved closer to take a picture, saw another 2 metre monster with a live pigeon in its mouth! I scurried off for good!
I wandered round the shops at Siam Square after that and had thai green curry for lunch which was good and spicey! After a while the heat got too much next to the traffic and I got the canal boat and tuk tuk back to my pool!
I made the most of John's prescence in the city and met him again that evening for dinner and even more beer! We sat at a bar on the street (I say bar, but it was really a coolbox, shelf of spirits and tables and chairs on the pavement) and enjoyed some live music from a wonderful fat, bearded acoustic guitarist who sand Bob Marley and Pink Floyd in a brilliant husky voice - I couldn't help but tip him!
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