Here is the link to my Bangkok movie
August 9th
On this day I woke up early to the sound of Na Oan's dog's barking and birds chirping outside her house. I packed my bags the night before so I could lazily enjoy my last morning in Southern Thailand. They made me a wonderful breakfast. Na Oan's sister had to go to work in the morning and she wanted to show me off to her coworkers. We drove around the different regional Board of Education buildings meeting several people who all had big smiles on their faces. They were so kind and excited to meet me.
We ate lunch at a small restaurant near her main office. The food was one of the spiciest meals I've ever ordered at a restaurant as far as I can remember. But mercifully the nerves in my tongue have become dulled to the chili peppers effects and I could finish my meal with ease. This was one of my most proud accomplishments. I think what I enjoyed most about this meal and other Thai meals is the large portion of raw green vegetables they serve with chili sauce. In Thai culture as well as Chinese culture you have "hot foods" or foods that heat the body when eaten; no relation to spicy foods really, and you have "cold foods." Cold foods consist of most raw green vegetables, red wine, melons and cantaloupes. A good balance of these foods is recommended for a healthy diet. That's why they serve these vegetables as a snack before and after your meal. I really couldn't imagine a Thai meal without them.
At about one Na Oan took me to the bus stop. It was sad parting ways with her and her' sister. They were so kind to Polly and I and I was so happy they took me in like they did. It showed me a Thailand reserved for those who either live there or have family there. Without them my trip wouldn't have turned out as blissfully enjoyable as it had. I was so grateful. I expressed my gratitude in the form of a big bear hug and then I waited for my bus inside the Krabi bus station.
I took the bus to the city of Surat Tani. Surat Tani is known as the gateway to the eastern coast's many world class dive sites and coral fringed islands. The city itself is actually very charming. It has no real draw to tourists other than being a transfer spot to other destinations. What it lacks in attractions it makes up for in charm. The architecture is cool and there are schools and students everywhere. I think on the second bus ride, the one from the bus station to the train station, I saw over ten large high schools, universities and Junior High's.
At the train station I bought my ticket for Bangkok. I reserved a sleeper car costing me about $20. I had lots of time to kill before my train came so of course I went looking for some food and in particular Durian. I found a huge mid-day market full of street foods. I walked about a Kilometer gazing at all the different delicious options. The place was packed with people so I observed which stand attracted the largest crowd. As a rule of thumb these places are where you wanna eat. On the way back I started off with a bag of green curry. It was delicious. Then I had some fried banana type stuff and eventually I found my Durian. While waiting for the lady to prepare my durian a strange man came up to me and started yelling, "where you go! where you go!?" I looked at him and shrugge my shoulders saying, "I don't know!" Then I think I said something in Japanese. He then said "no!?" "yes!?" Confused, I said "no." He walked away briskly seeming satisfied with my answer. I looked at a young eight or nine year old girl next to me and simultaneously we shrugged our shoulders and laughed. The adults around us saw our little mutual gestures of humor and laughed. I think the guy was just crazy, maybe autistic.
While I was waiting for my train I talked to some German guys about my age. I had them try durian for their first time. One of them almost vomited and the other slowly finished his' fruit. I told him he will smell the durian fruit again and he will think of the strange taste. In order to make a final verdict against the durian fruit he will try it again to satisfy his curiosity. But by this time, I told him; he will be a durian eater like me.
I boarded my train at 7pm. In the coach next to me was this abnormal family. Well maybe not so abnormal in today's world but unique in their own way. There was a 65 or so year old Australian man, a 40 year old Thai woman and her 18 or so year old daughter. The two met on a dating site and have been together for three years since. The daughter loved her new father. The man spoke of his family in such heightening praise it made them seem like the pinnacle of Thai society. I liked them. They didn't might when I finished my durian on the train. The sun went down over the Thai country side and in the morning I would wake up to the streets of Bangkok.
August 10th
I arrived in Bangkok at around 9am. The city was surprisingly clean but excactly what I expected in therms of scale. The main train station is small. There are only eleven or twelve train terminals. Although it is small and quite old the station is very clean. It smells nice and is not as busy as I was expecting. My cabin neighbors pointed me to the underground metro subway, MRT entrance.
Bangkok built one of the best public transportation networks I've ever seen. The MRT runs underground and the BTS runs above. Both are incredibly efficient, clean and punctual.
I took the subway to Silam street. The Silam area is kind of Bangkok's financial center. High rises tower above the push cart food stall line streets below. Another surprising thing were the "no littering or get fined" signs posted everywhere. Five years ago Bangkok went through a bit of gentrification and clean up. Today you will be surprised how clean the city looks. Aside from the traffic my first impressions were of a safe and clean metropolis.
I couldn't find the hostel I had researched but nearby I found a quaint little youth hostel for cheaper. It is run by a kind Thai family who try to keep the place quiet for the guests. They try and restrict alcohol consumption in the rooms and they enforce their cleanliness and noise policy to a tee. I decided that this place was better for me. It would serve as a very nice home base for my daily explorations into the city.
I have a tradition when visiting a new city. I walk. I walk everywhere I can. Even in the blistering Thai sun and sultry heat I couldn't help imploring this habit of mine. However I did make use of the BTS and river boats. Ahh the river taxi's. They are the best thing Bangkok has to offer tourists. They travel to all points up and down the Chao Phraya river. I don't remember ever paying for one until the last day where I paid the fair out of guilt for riding free so many times.
My first destination in this unfamiliar city was the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. It was located in the historical center of the city which has no high rises. The only buildings that tower above the skyline in this area are the historic temples. The Temple of the Emerald Buddha, known in Thai as Wat Phra Kaew, is one of the most magnificent. Inside the main temple is the large jade Buddha statue so worshiped and adored by Thai's and Buddhists around the world. I paid my respects and even did a short sitting inside.
Afterwords I walked to the Grand Palace. The Grand Palace is the home of the Thai king and the royal court. Its the colorful administrative seat of government in Thailand. As a tourist attraction its pretty good. I found the architecture very pretty. When I was satisfied with sightseeing I took a river taxi back to the BTS stop and then took the BTS back to my hostel to shower up.
For dinner I ventured out into the streets of Silam. I found a great street food area full of people so I decided to order food here. I cant read Thai so I just pointed to what I wanted. The people were very patient about it. My first dinner in Thailand was a Tom Yam soup with vegetables and noodles. It was awesome. The guy making the soup was working so fast; cooking the soup, cutting vegetables and peeling shrimp. The guy made the soup with love and you could read it in his manerisms. He had pride in his' food and that's why so many people waited in line for it.
Its hard to describe the plethora of smells in Bangkok. Most are pleasant. Its an odd olfactory bouquet of flowers, incense, car fumes and food but I learned to appreciate it. I guess every city has it's own scent. Bangkok's scent was highly tinged with food smells so maybe that's why I like it so much.
At night I just went to bed early. I didn't get a good rest on the train and now I have a cozy bed perched seven floors above the busy streets below.
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| My nightly eagle's view and home base. |
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| Jackfruit |
August 11th
Today I woke up at 6am and headed out toward the BTS station. I walked around the river area before I boarded the river taxi. The taxi only had a few customers and even so I didn't have to pay. I got dropped off in Chinatown. Today I decided to walk the whole radius of the old city center. The sun was hot. Starting in Chinatown I walked through some cool neighborhoods. I ate at a small hole in the wall restaurant outside of Chinatown. They were very puzzled why I was there and so I gestured that I walked from the river area. They looked shocked and gave me extra food from the look of it.
I journeyed up a few small streets using the sun's possition as my compass. I was looking for Wat Saket or "The Golden Mountain." It sticks out and soon I could see it's spires. I had walked about three or four kilometers already. The temple was full of Buddhist monuments and artifacts. The gardens surrounding the temple had large bells each equipped with mallets. The perpetual rings echoed throughout the neighborhood. I even rang a few in observance of ritual.
Next to Wat Saket was another must see temple. The Loha Prasat or "metal castle" is located inside Wat Ratchanadda. The structure of the castle looks more like an eastern European castle than a Thai temple. The inside is adorned with meditation instructions and Buddhist statues. I really like this temple. The surroundings were full of meditation centers. Large groups of monks were walking around the area as well.
After I walked around the Wat Ratchanadda area I went to the Democracy monument, then to the Giant Swing and Wat Sutat. The temple’s construction was commissioned by King Rama I to shelter a bronze Buddha image dating back to the 13th Century. I thought the temple was beautiful, maybe my favorite. I liked the sweeping grand roof and beautiful murals.
My next stop was Wat Pho. Wat Pho is the largest temple in Bangkok and houses the famous "reclining Buddha." I was lucky because there weren't very many tourists. The reclining Buddha statue was grand and beautiful. I've seen its image in so many magazines, books and TV programs but to see it up close was something very special indeed. I spent about an hour walking around Wat Pho.
I headed back into Chinatown, another three or so Kilometer walk. I bought some street food, some AWESOME street food! I actually ate at several carts, sampling various Thai and Chinese foods. I am a foodie and somewhat of a street food connoisseur and Bangkok delivered on its reputation as a street food mecca.
Back at the hostel I met a traveler from Vietnam. He was cool so I invited him to come get dinner with me. We ate at a really nice but cheap Thai restaurant. Then we hung out in the Silam area for a bit. We talked about Vietnam and America, our travels, our family and our girlfriends. It turns out he is an economics student in London. Afterwords we headed back to the hostel and watched some Olympic boxing on TV with the hostel manager. I think Thailand was fighting Russia and Thailand won. The owner was yelling and cheering, it was pretty cool. At about midnight I passed out from utter exhaustion. I had walked over twenty kilometers around the old town of the city. My legs hurt but I felt good and full of delicious Thai food.
August 12th
I woke at 6am again and caught the train to the famous Chatuchak Weekend Market. I've never seen anything like it. A huge outdoor/ indoor market with all kinds of street stalls and venders selling everything from furniture to trinkets, clothing and food. I bought a shirt from a local artist. He goes to university and has his' mom and sister sell his stuff. I thought it was the coolest shirt I've ever seen. Everyone who has seen it agrees with me.
I think I drank about five Thai ice teas before lunch time. I felt like a crackhead with a sugar rush, way too much caffeine.. but Thai ice tea is the most delicious drink on the planet, hands down. Jacked up on caffeine I took the river taxi to Wat Arun. The famous 70 meter spire towers over the western bank of the Chao Phraya river. Climbing this massive temple was a feat in and of itself due to the severely steep angle of the steps. You could take one step and fall twenty feet vertically. The temple has beautiful Hindu and Buddhist carvings on it's exterior. The deep colors of the stained glass and Chinese porcelain radiate throughout the temple complex. Next I went and saw Wat Rakhang and the small Wat Suwan temples.
I think by this time the heat was getting to me and so I decided to head back. I ate dinner at another small Thai restaurant near my hostel. It was a bit expensive and full of people on dates. I felt kind of like a loner, or rather I felt people were thinking I was a loner but regardless the food was delicious. There was a Japanese man with a young pretty Thai girl sitting next to me. They were speaking Japanese freely as if nobody could understand. He was throwing all kinds of charming lines, even asking her if she wants to move to Japan with him. Her Japanese wasn't all that great and I couldn't help ease dropping into their conversation. I was laughing inside at his lack of romantic strategy and utter business man demeanor. Oh the power I have being bilingual, haha.
Tonight I decided to go find some kind of dance club. I wanted to see what the electronic music scene was like in Thailand. I love dancing to electronic house music. Its one of my favorite things to do. There is something about the power the DJ has with the audience.
I researched this club, I forgot the name, which was supposed to have the best underground house music in Bangkok. Also it was where all the University kids went to dance. I thought it would be cool and a good opportunity to meet people my age. I wore my new shirt, drank tons of water in preparation for dancing like a madman and set out to find the club. Its in Silam which is full of strip clubs and other seedier venues. I found where the map said it was but there was no sign for the place. The narrow alley where the club was supposed to be had a club, just not my club. There was house music playing but a different type. Not the underground funky music I like but some very village people-esque house music. There were all dudes. Big muscular dudes waiting outside and they looked pretty happy I showed up. hmmmm not my club. It must have been closed down and turned into a gay club. I was a bit bummed. I spent the rest of the night walking around the neon lit streets of Silam. Even though there was a seedy atmosphere in this place it was very safe. I never saw a cop and never heard of any body having any trouble. Nobody was very pushy trying to sell me things which I appreciated. I guess the electronic club experience was not to be. I didn't let it phase me and just called it a night.
August 13th
Again I woke up a 6am. There were two Japanese kids waiting downstairs for the hostel owner to come back so they could check in. I heard one of them say to the other, "go ask him, my English sucks..." Then one of them came and asked me in typical broken Japanese English when the owner was coming back. I told him in English and he went and told his friend in Japanese. Then he came back and asked me where I was from. I said Michigan in the USA. I played stupid and asked him where he was from. He said, "I'm from Japan." Then I put a shock to his face by asking him in Japanese which part of Japan he's from. It turns out he's from Chiba and his' friend is from Kagoshima. We talked for about a half an hour in Japanese, they were really cool.
I went to Bangkok station and boarded the train heading two hours north of Bangkok to the city of Ayatthaya. This is the ancient capital of Thailand and home to many ancient ruins. I sat next to a missionary couple from the U.S. They were really nice and shared some funny stories about Thailand. I got there at around 10am. The heat was blistering. I bought a huge bottle of water and set out to explore the ancient city. I didn't do what I should have done, which is to hire a motor boat and guide. What I did was way more adventurous though. I walked around the whole city. In this heat it was not a good idea; I had to rest a few times in the shade because I almost passed out. I did get to see most of the old temples which are all very very old. However because of the heat I was exhausted and I didn't get to see Wat chaiwatthanaram which is the most famous ruins in Ayatthaya. I boarded the train back to Bangkok.
Back in Bangkok I went to a few other neighborhoods and walked around. I decided to head to the Sukhumvit area to find some middle eastern food. It was still Ramadan so all I could get was a Turkish coffee. But after walking around a bit I followed a group of Indian men into a small Indian restaurant. I knew that if a group this big was going here at 4pm for an early dinner it had to be good, which it was.
Just for fun I walked through Bangkok's most seedy road, Soi cowboy. Its full of lady boy go go bars and adult themed shows. Not my cup of tea at all but I thought it would be fun to film the street with my Go Pro camera and so I did just that and headed back to the hostel.
August 14th
This morning I got up at about 6am again, a good habit when traveling. Sadly, I fly out of Bangkok today and this is my last day to explore. I took the river ferry back up into the old city, this time to the north and I explored the Koah San Road area, full of backpacking hippies; not worth my time. Then I saw the old Phra Sumen fort. This was pretty cool and very old. Next I walked along the river and bought some blessed charms and postcards for my coworkers.
When I got back to the Silam area I took the BTS to the Siam area of the city. I walked around a bit and went into some air conditioned malls. Siam square is a bit like Tokyo or London's famous neon lit shopping districts. When I got board of this area I walked to Bangkok's highest building, the Baiyoke Tower II. This 85 story building is the tallest in Bangkok. They had cool rotating observation deck at the top with a quirky star wars-esque interior design. The view was amazing!
When I got back to Silam I noticed the sky turning a somber color and ominous swirling black clouds started rolling in. The winds picked up and a downpour of rain drenched my clothes before I could find shelter. Lightning struck near the city and the thunder roared through the streets and vibrated the skyscraper windows. Suddenly a large swirl of clouds came down and hit a high rise construction site, blowing trash and pieces of paper into the air. I felt like a tornado was about to destroy the city. But just as quickly as it began it ended. No tornado in the news and a bit of a scare before my flight.
I returned to the hostel, showered up and prepared for my last meal in Thailand. I had my sights on a seafood place nearby which was rated among the best in Bangkok and also packed with people daily from 4pm onwards. I got in there at 4:30. It was packed with Japanese people. The food was expensive for Bangkok but oh man was it worth every bit. I ordered curried sea bass and their special crab. I spent about two hours devouring my meal at a snails pace. Then I made my way out towards the local brew pub. They had all kinds of German beers on tap. I didn't drink anymore than a beer or two this whole trip but before my flight I decided to drink my fair share of nice German beer. It was great and I was so full I felt like I weighed 70 kilo's more than I did in the morning. I took the BTS to the airport, got on my plane, and flew home to Japan still buzzed off German beer and with a mouth still smelling of fish curry.
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