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BangkokAfter clearing customs and immigration at Bangkok airport (which were both reasonably quick and easy) I had to somehow get into the city and find somewhere to stay. After standing in the oppressive heat for 5 minutes waiting for a bus I opted for the luxury air-conditioned cab option - the heat was going to take some getting used to!! With the help of my trusty Lets Go guide I had already decided where I was going to stay. Communicating that to the taxi driver was a different matter entirely, of course!Bangkok is a chaotic city. When you first walk out into the city you are faced with the heat, humidity, noise, traffic and thousands of people. This is quite a shock for someone who's never been to Asia before and is very daunting. Where do you start??! Add that to the fact that there are a lot of people trying to rip you off just because you're there and it all gets a little unnerving. 
I spent 4 days in Bangkok, and all in all didn't really like it that
much. I guess it was the culture shock, the heat and the general chaos
of the place. While there I went to see the Grand Palace which is a
pretty impressive place. Most of it is made from precious stones of
one kind or another and for religious reasons you have to wear
trousers and socks when you go in. For those who come unprepared, you
can borrow a very fetching pair of tie-dye trousers from some of the
shops nearby. I looked quite a sight in my trousers and white socks -
lovely!And then there's Khosan Road - the mecca for all backpackers in Asia. This is a single street jam-packed with restaurants, bars, travel shops, hostels and everything else you could ever need. They even had a branch of Boots! The local Tuk Tuk drivers have a knack for spotting the newly-arrived backpacker (probably something to do with their pasty-white complexion and the bemused look on their face!). These guys are very chatty and will talk to you about anything, but only because they want to take you round the city in their little motor-trike. They are very persistent and won't take no for an answer. The best way to say 'no' is not to speak to them at all. To me this seemed like a very rude thing to do, but it is by far the easiest way of avioding any hassles. Bangkok is as good a place as any to get horribly drunk, although the local Poison (Chang) gives you very nasty hangovers. The Red Bull here has a little something extra which really screws you up! For the first time ever, I lost about 2 or 3 hours of my life - how I got home is a mystery to this day! The next stop after Bangkok was the island of Ko Phangan. |