Bangkok, A Concrete Jungle

Day 1 – April 28

We departed Chiang Mai on Thai Airways at 11:05am, landed in Bangkok at 12:15pm, walked straight off the plane and out of the airport hassle free because we were able to carry our backpacks on, took a 50 minute Uber ride to the city ($14.99), and arrived at our AirBnB around 1:45pm.  I love when everything goes to plan.  Makes traveling so much more enjoyable.  We’ve certainly been extremely lucky these past 3.5+ months.  Knock on wood, our streak continues.  We will be staying at a “Hip Studio Of BKK+River+BTS+WIFI” for the next 3 nights at an affordable price of $45.67.  This is our very own place vs. Chiang Mai where it was a room within a house.  The host is Bee (who actually lives in Alberta, Canada – eh) but her father (or father-in-law, not quite sure the relationship there) is Thai and manages the property.  Bee was extremely helpful leading up to our arrival and her father was incredibly welcoming throughout our entire time there.  The room is located on the 13th floor of a sky rise building.  For those that are superstitious, uh oh.

We were starving by this point so did some research online and walked about 15 minutes to Nilan’s Kitchen for lunch.  Cute little place.  The food had a “home cooked” taste to it.

I know I sound like a broken record when it comes to the weather.  You get it, it’s hot.  Of course it’s hot, it’s Southeast Asia in April.  Duh.  But I’m just going to put it out there.  Bangkok might be the most miserable so far.  The weather app said it was 101 degrees but “felt like 117” due to the humidity.  That’s just stupid.  We explored a little bit after lunch but neither of us could handle being outside so we headed back for a little R&R in the AC.

Tonight, we have a hot double date with Kendall and Brendan.  As mentioned earlier, I met Kendall through my friend Ashley.  They were best friends during college at Brown University (so smart of them).  Kendall and Brendan decided to move to Bangkok a few years ago as a hub to traveling Southeast Asia before having kids.  However, Kendall got pregnant a few months before that plan was about to be executed yet they still stuck to it.  Today, they have 2 boys under the age of 2, both of which were born here.  I have the utmost respect for them as a couple and as parents.  Oh and did I mention they met at Harvard Law School?  No shortage of brains in that family.

Since it is such a rare occasion to see familiar faces on this side of the world, Vinny and I decided to put ourselves together for once.  He did his hair and I did mine, including adding a little makeup (me, not him).  This is the third time we’ve both looked like humans in 106 days (I counted for you, Womble!).  Made me feel good.  When you are constantly traveling and on the go, appearance isn’t your first priority.  But after awhile of wearing the same clothes, always sweating and starting to resemble Krusty the Clown, it starts to eat at your self esteem.  A night like this was definitely needed.  We met them at their place, which was right on the river with breathtaking views, had a drink and then headed to dinner at Baan Chiang.  We let them order all the food since they are pretty much locals.  And they sure did a phenomenal job at it.  I tried a new dish called Morning Glory and am now obsessed.  Nothing fancy, just very tasty and apparently popular in this region.  We had such a fun time tonight.  Thanks Kendall and Brendan for hosting us!

Day 2 – April 29

We both woke up in the middle of the night in a puddle full of sweat.  Yuck.  How can we be that hot even with the air conditioning running?  Well, we quickly discovered it was because the AC unit broke.  Are you serious?  No.  This can’t be happening.  We immediately emailed Bee in Canada at 5am (obviously mid-day for her, we wouldn’t be that rude.  Well, maybe) who called her father and at 8am, he came to check it out.  While he was playing repair man, we walked to Classico Coffee down the street for some  breakfast.  Their options were limited since it was a smaller operation, which was totally fine because one of their specialities was waffles with chocolate sauce.   Yes, please.

When we got back to our AirBnB, Bee’s father was still there trying to figure out what happened.  We couldn’t be outside because it was so hot yet we couldn’t be inside because it was even hotter.  Not a big deal though.  Don’t sweat the small stuff.  Literally.  It forced us to get our day of sightseeing started earlier than expected, which worked out better.  Our first experience of the day was taking the Bangkok Mass Transit System, commonly known as the BTS or the Skytrain, which is an elevated rapid transit system that runs through all the important downtown disctricts and major transport hubs.  It was a 15 minute walk from where we are staying and cost less than $1 per person each way for most of the routes we took.  Plus, it was air conditioned so I could have stayed inside forever.  Packed with locals and tourists alike, the people watching was amazing.  And because the tracks were high above the city, it made for great scenery as well.  We would hop on, then hop off, then hop on, then hop off throughout the day.

While walking around the city aimlessly, Vinny met a new friend…

And we were able to observe the insane traffic from up above…

The streets of Bangkok have so many different smells, it’s overwhelming.  One minute you are smelling trash and sewer water, the next you are smelling fresh fruit, then you are smelling meat and fish as they hang from street vendors in full form, followed by random soaps and body products.  With every step you take, it’s a new smell.  And just like in life, you never know what’s next or how long it will last for.  Sometimes I chose to breathe through my mouth to avoid those unwanted scents and sometimes I took extremely deep breaths through my nose to fully enjoy those fresh smells, hoping they don’t go away.

It’s only be a day but Bangkok isn’t winning me over quite yet.  Everything seems to be very spread out and traffic is horrendous at all hours.  It takes forever to get from point A to point B.  Walking is the preferred method of transportation but unfortunately, the weather doesn’t really help with that.  I’m afraid my thighs would never unstick from each other.  Maybe we are just here at the wrong time of year?  Who knows.  Either way, I will keep an open mind for the next 24 hours as I do really want to enjoy this city.

That night, once the sun went to bed and the stars were struggling to shine through the pollution, we embarked on a 25 minute walk to Asiatique The Riverfront, which is a large open-air mall facing the Chao Phraya River and Charoen Krung Road.  It was very touristy but we actually enjoyed our evening here.  It sort of reminded me of a more upscale Santa Monica pier with lots of action all around you.

There was a massive Ferris wheel…

Various shops and tons of restaurants…

Rainbow bright twins…

Young kids, racing mini ATV’s, wearing no helmets (this would never fly in the US)…

Great views from across the river…

We had dinner at one of their outdoor places that specializes in Northeastern Thai Food, called Rodniyom Somtam…

We finished our evening with a very yummy Westernized dessert at Swenson’s…

Day 3 – April 30

Today was our last full day in Bangkok so we woke up early, left our place around 7:45am and took a boat upstream for 14 THB or $.40.

Our first stop of the day was the Grand Palace, which is undoubtedly the city’s most famous landmark. Built in 1782, it was the home of the Thai King, the Royal court and the administrative seat of government for 150 years.  The Grand Palace is a grand old dame indeed, that continues to have visitors in awe with its beautiful architecture and intricate detail, all of which is a proud salute to the creativity and craftsmanship of Thai people. Within its walls were also the Thai war ministry, state departments, and even the mint. Today, the complex remains the spiritual heart of the Thai Kingdom.  But with every good thing, comes people.  Tons of people.  Bus loads of people.  Herds of people.  And this was no different.  It was quite overwhelming and hard to enjoy what you are experiencing with so many people.  You can’t move, you can’t breath, you can’t think.  Sounds dramatic but it’s true.  At least for us that’s how we felt. It was definitely a bummer.

 

Despite the immensely overpowering crowds, you can’t help but stand in awe of the intricate detail the Grand Palace incorporates.  Everything from the walls to the roofs to the statues to the doors to the floors are over the top stunning.  I still think this is a must see in Bangkok, although Vinny is pretty adamant it can be skipped.  Either way, be prepared for your personal space to be invaded at all times.

 

Next we walked to Wat Pho, a compound that incorporates a host of superlatives including the city’s largest reclining Buddha and the largest collection of Buddha images in Thailand.  The highly impressive gold plated reclining Buddha is 46 meters long and 15 meters high, and is designed to illustrate the passing of the Buddha into nirvana. The feet and the eyes are engraved with mother-of-pearl decoration, and the feet also show the 108 auspicious characteristics of the true Buddha.  Very impressive.

What time is it?  It’s lunch time!  Always time to eat.  We grabbed some food at Jin Chieng Seng, which was a short 10 minute walk from Wat Pho.  Besides Morning Glory, one of my other new obsessions is papaya salad, although I don’t like papaya.  So weird, I know.  But the salad aspect is made from shredded unripe papaya, which makes a difference I guess.  It is also includes tomatoes, chili peppers, garlic, green beans, lime, palm sugar and then topped with my favorite, peanuts.  Very refreshing and very popular in Southeast Asia.

We then took the boat back to our area, walked around, visited some more sites, explored with no agenda and attempted to enjoy the city while we can (attempted being the key word).  The weather was much cooler today which helped allow us to stay outdoors for longer.  There was a nice breeze drying my drenched clothes.  It’s crazy – I sweat as if I’m 300 pounds and Vinny doesn’t really sweat at all.  However, he smells like Oscar the Grouch (who lives in a trash can, you get it?) and I don’t smell at all.  I guess we all release heat differently .  Don’t bright and colorful buildings just make you feel happy?

We got back to our AirBnB around 4pm and literally 27 seconds later, it started down pouring with lightening and thunder.  Talk about perfect timing. That’s probably why the weather was a bit cooler today.  Hey, I’ll take it.  I absolutely love the sound of rain falling down as you lay on your bed.  Very few things in life are as peaceful as that.

For our last meal, we went to Tealicious Cafe, which was delicious.  Owned by a “smaller” British husband and his Thai wife, it takes a while to get your food because she cooks everything from scratch.  And you can tell.  All the ingredients are fresh and made with love.  It is located down a random alley and we sat outside.  What a perfect way to end our  3 weeks here.

Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed our time in Thailand.  It definitely offered us some high points followed by some low points back up to high points.  But that’s okay.  We can handle it.  The low points certainly test you as an individual as well as us as a couple.  There are moments we wanted to throw in the towel and give up, on this adventure as well as each other, but as soon as those storms passed, we realized how foolish that would be.  And that’s the beauty of having a partner.  They are there for you no matter what.  Maybe not right away or willingly, but they always come through.

The islands of Thailand are incredibly beautiful.  Overcrowded and touristy yet relaxing and visually attractive.  Chiang Mai was wonderful as well.  Very quaint and charming.  I can certainly see why so many expats call this city home now.  Bangkok wasn’t my favorite but I didn’t really expect it to be. Some people love it, some people don’t.  We all look for something different in our experiences and if we all liked the same thing, life would be so boring.  However, Thailand and its modernization came at the perfect time for us as we were in need of some familiarity after being in such foreign, underdeveloped, remote places for the last 3 months.  Although having 7-11’s on every corner in addition to Starbucks, McDonalds, Burger King, Au Bon Pain, Baskin Robbins and Subway was a bit overload, it was still nice to get a taste of home.  But that was enough.  We are ready to go back to the unfamiliar again.  The locals are incredibly hospitable and happy, hence the nickname Land of Smiles.  There is so much more of Thailand to see but sadly it’s time for us to turn the page on this chapter.  Until we see you again, thank you for introducing us to the underworld, for providing us with picture perfect sunsets, for showing us all the different shades of blue water can be made up of, for unknowingly throwing me a fantastic 32nd birthday party, for allowing us to call an elephant our friend and for teaching us how to cook your fabulous traditional dishes.  These are memories that we will hold close to our hearts forever.