Bangkok
Note: This post was written some months back but has sat quietly in draft form until a time that I can’t remember what else there was to write about.
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Most people told me it wasn’t going to be pleasant, but of course I didn’t really believe them. Our first night in Bangkok at the beginning of the trip wasn’t particularly pretty, but I put that down to spending it jetlagged at a dodgy train station.
Spending a few days in Bangkok really wasn’t very exciting. The heat was horrible because with it came intense pollution and that special type of claustrophobic feeling that only a gazillion overpasses can really give.
But at the same time, Bangkok is a huge place and I didn’t explore nearly enough of it. Being the end of the trip with our bags already full may have had something to do with it.
The taxi drive (and driver) from the airport was crazy – I’ve always thought that indicating while doing over 100kms in heavy traffic was silly too. After being in Cambodia, the neon lights, traffic jams and crowds of people were almost too much to cope with.
Our hotel was one of those huge 1200 room places which are fine as long as you’re not paranoid about fire. Amusingly, there were ‘no jackfruit’ signs posted on the walls in the style of ‘no smoking’ signs. As for smoking – hell, do that wherever you damn well please.
Good bit of Bangkok: Night markets. We bought funky clothes, bags, tiger balm, scarves, pashminas, chopsticks, placemats, cushion covers, t-shirts and then finished off the night in a crazy German style beer hall. We could’ve even had pork knuckle.
Bad bit of Bangkok: Tuk-tuk drivers who tell you the markets don’t start until 9pm when they actually start at 3pm. This particular driver decided to drop us at his friend’s restaurant instead. It took ages to get there but turned out to be just around the corner. We hardly had time to get angry because we realised that the Australian Open tennis final was on at a tiny pub around the corner. Lleyton Hewitt was playing so we weren’t the only Aussies there.
Good bits of Bangkok: The food court on a high floor of the shiny new shopping centre. It was the best $3 laksa ever. In fact, it was probably just the best laksa ever. And I loved the high-techiness of getting a card with a barcode, eating what you like on it and then just paying on exit.