Bangkok (for the 2nd time around)

When you buy a ticket on Bangkok Airways to Koh Chang the airline provides a shuttle van to pick you up at your guest house and delivers you the airport in Trat (which involves a 30 minute ferry ride). There are three flights a day out of Trat and Bangkok Airways built the airport specifically to get people to the surrounding islands.

The ferry was jam-packed and it was standing room only. I'd never ridden a ferry where so many people were standing. It kinda gave me a slight uneasy feeling and I was thinking about how similar this scenario was to ferries that sink in 3rd world countries due to overcrowding.

Arrived into Bangkok around 2:30 PM yesterday. Given my last foray on the Bangkok train system left me a bit flustered I decided I was going to spend the cash and hire a taxi. The process is to line up outside the airport, tell the clerk where you are going, the clerk tells you the price you'll pay, he writes the price on a chit which is handed to a taxi driver. This ride was going to cost me 450 BHT plus tolls, plus 50 BHT for the driver (all stipulated at the kiosk at the airport). It was around 3:00 PM by the time we departed the BKK airport. Man, what a totally different scene than my last trip into the BKK airport. Now we were in rush hour traffic. It was completely grid-locked, we're sitting in traffic and scooters are whizzing in and out between cars, switching from lane to lane. It was something to see.

I check into my guest house again and feel good that I know a bit of the lay of the land. I decide to go to the MBK Centre and check out the seven floors of mega shopping. Holy toledo! These floors totally reminded me of the night bazaar in Chiang Mai, the floors just kept going and going with aisles turning into other aisles. Each floor of MBK specializes in something. The 3rd floor is all electronics: cell phones, every kind of cell phone/IPad cover you can imagine, cameras, computers. The prices were no steal. The Samsung Galaxy 4 was about $400, not much cheaper than at home. I did buy a pair of Beats earbuds for $14... they're knock-offs (Grade A, she called them) but the sound is amazing. They came in a sealed box with the manual, spare ear pieces etc. This is the first time I've ever bought knock-off anything so we'll see how they hold up but for $14 I'm not holding my breath.

I find the food fare on the 5th floor. I'm no expert on Thai food but it certainly didn't look like "fast food" fare that we get at home. I settled on a Vietnamese salad roll. 70 BHT (just over $2 Cdn), and it was actually 3 rolls, cut into chunks. It was okay.

The popular items at MBK seem to be Thai silk scarves, luggage and knock-off purses. I believe I added another 10 scarves to the suitcase load I'm bringing home. Speaking of luggage, I had to buy another piece to get all of my purchases home. Just a small Samsonite carry-on and so many people were wheeling the same suitcase around the mall. Obviously most people are going home with much more than what they came to Thailand with.

I set the clock as I plan to go to the Grand Palace today and have no clue how to get there, how long it'll take and how long I'll need once there. I have to be back at my hotel by 3:30 as I am going on a dinner cruise and need to get to Taksin Pier for 5:30 PM.

My guest house offers a very nice complimentary breakfast. Eggs cooked to order. You make your own toast, cereal, homemade yogurt (delicious), fresh fruit and coffee. I left my hotel by 8:45 feeling a bit intimidated by the Bangkok train system. My first attempt two weeks ago kinda shook my confidence in commuting on the train. Anyways, I'm on the train before 9:00 with all the office workers. The train is freezing cold and I have to put on my long sleeved blouse that I brought along for when I go to the Grand Palace. I find my station no problem and also find my way to Taksin Pier no problem. Then I pay 40 BHT for a ticket to ride the ferry system. River travel is the #1 mode of transportation in Bangkok. I was thoroughly impressed with the "tourist boat". It was narrated and the young woman pointed out the various piers and what tourist attractions were at them. I had planned to get off the ferry at Pier N9 for the Grand Palace but at the Pier previous she mentioned that is where the Reclining Buddha was located. I had read about the Reclining Buddha and decided I'd better hop off and check it out.

Tourist boat.

Many famous Wats have entrance fees. I don't recall how much I paid to enter Wat Pho, perhaps 100 BHT. It was something to see. Photos don't do justice to what you see with your eyes in person. The Reclining Buddha was absolutely massive: 46 meters long and 15 meters high! Wat Pho has the largest collection of Buddhas in all of Thailand. It was so huge that it was impossible to get a decent photo of it because it fills up the entire temple it is housed inside. Aside from the Reclining Buddha there is a lot of very interesting architecture to look at in Wat Pho. I really enjoyed it.

There is a dress code for most temples and especially the super popular temples. Modest dress is key. No tight clothing, no capris, no shorts, no tank tops, no bare midriffs, no open-back or open-toe shoes (even though you remove your shoes to enter the Temple). For the tourists who don't dress appropriately, you can purchase the ever-so-popular Thai cotton pants for 200 BHT outside the Wat, or in the case of Wat Pho they had long lime green coloured housecoats that some people had to put on.

If you show up at a Wat dressed inappropriately these pants can be purchased outside the gates.

I exit Wat Pho and it's another scorcher of a day in Bangkok, +33 C. I stop and admire the amulets... I've had my eye on them since arriving in Bangkok but being I don't know the quality of what I'm looking at, some obviously antiques by the price being quoted, I hadn't bought one yet but I was determined to own one before leaving Thailand. I found one I really liked, Buddha on one side and a Monk on the opposite side, and I buy it for 150 BHT. I also buy a bag of watermelon slices too for 20 BHT.

I go to a different ferry that crosses the river for 3 BHT each way. It goes to Wat Arun. Waiting for the ferry, I ask a lady to take my photo. I return the favour for her. We introduce ourselves. She is Monica from Indonesia and is traveling alone too. She is going to Wat Arun so we hang out together and take photos of one another and together and we connect as Facebook friends. After yesterday's facebook rant about stuck up tourists it was so wonderful to finally meet someone to converse with. 

Monica from Indonesia.

Wat Arun was mind-blowing. It was totally wicked. Gorgeous! We climbed up these majorly steep high steps to the top of the Wat. OMG! We had a slight in-trepidation in doing so. Each step was at least 14" in height, narrow and extremely steep. The railings were wrapped tightly in rope so you could hang on going up and down. We climbed to the first level and took some photos from the lookouts. Then we climbed up another level and walked around the Wat and took photos, then we climbed up as high as we could go. Oh my word. The views from up there were worth the trip. Amazing. (Gosh, I almost have tears in my eyes trying to describe it). Just breath taking and amazing. Now we've gotta come down! One lady in front of us must've been terrified as she went down the stairs step-by-step on her bum.

 Each step is at least 14" in height.

                                           Holding on - even when going up the steps.     

 View from the first level of Wat Arun.

Monica has already been to the Grand Palace. She estimates I'll need at least two hours there. I don't have enough time to take it in leisurely, get the ferry and train back to my hotel, and then make it back to Taksin Pier. I decide the Grand Palace will wait til tomorrow. Monica and I take the 3 BHT ferry back to the other side of the Choa Phraya river where we part company. She is catching a 6:30 PM bus to Chiang Rai to the see the Golden Triangle (it's an 11-hour bus ride).

I make my way back down the river on a non-tourist boat. Oh my word. We were crammed in like sardines (or like the Vancouver skytrain). What a view though. I loved it. I was supposed to pay 40 BHT to return but didn't pay. On the way to the Wat, if you did not purchase your ticket beforehand (I did), they came around and collected and checked your ticket. I asked about paying for the return fare and was told to pay on the boat but no one collected from me and no one appeared to be collecting, not that you really could with it jam-packed like it was. I really enjoyed this ferry ride with the locals and the monks.

Non-tourist boat.

My back cracked this morning. I was already babying it because it felt like it wanted to go out... it didn't really go out, it just cracked. I thought I'd best get a massage to extend the life of my back before it does go out fully. I went to the massage studio across from my guest house. I told the lady that my back was sore as I was unsure which type of massage I should have. I decided a 90-minute Thai massage. Sa was my massage lady. Oh my word. She left me totally impressed. Thai massage is not a fluffy massage by any means. They give you cotton pants & shirt to put on and you lay on a mat on the floor. It's not that dissimilar to Shiatsu and Yoga mixed together. It's really a stretching of all your body parts. She put some ointment on my back and gave me the most amazing shoulder and neck massage. She put her knees on my sacrum and pulled back on my shoulders. Oh geez! I'll never forget it. It totally impressed me and I wished I had her techniques. I've booked a repeat for tomorrow night at 8:00 PM and hope to go back on Saturday for a head, neck and shoulder massage if my lower back is feeling pretty good by then. When I asked when she was working again I was told she works every day. Yes, 7 days a week! Her hours tomorrow are from 11:00 AM to midnight! I can't imagine massaging for 13 hours. Thais are definitely hard working people.

After the massage I head back exactly to where I came from a few hours earlier: Taksin Pier. I am having dinner on the Loy Nava rice barge which cruises the Chao Phraya river. It came highly recommended on Trip Advisor. The boat isn't even 1/2 full of patrons. But they do two sailings every evening and I chose the sunset dinner cruise. Perhaps the later cruise would be busier.

It is assigned seating. Everyone is seated along the outer edges of the boat. It's a lovely ambiance. Red & gold table cloths. I chose 1/2 seafood and 1/2 Thai food. I paid for this many months ago... long before I could've guessed I would be sick of Thai food by now. In hindsight I wished I had gone with 100% seafood. Oh well... I did eat most of the green and red curry! So much food... it just kept coming but it was served in such a way, with non-English speaking waiters, that I didn't really understand how or in what order I should be eating. I proceeded to eat my rice, not knowing the curry was coming. Thankfully they served two small steamers full of rice so I still had some left in which to soak up the curry.

The cruise gave us a souvenir booklet pointing out all the areas of interest that we sailed past. We also got a small garland that I've admired all over Thailand. It smells like Jasmine flowers and then has two red flowers attached to it. It's common to see them hanging from rear view mirrors. I hope mine dries okay and that I can transport it home okay. If it makes it to Vancouver in one piece mine will be hanging from my rear view mirror too.

Garlands are hung from rear view mirrors, 

on Spirit Houses and all things you wish to have protected.

I saw the Bangkok protesters up on one of the bridges we sailed under. Man, what a massive noisy crowd... blowing whistles and waving flags. I'm grateful that seeing them from a distance is as near to them as I've come thus far. A bit saddened by all the tourists who cancelled their Thai vacations out of fear that the news stations were reporting. Bangkok is such a huge city it's been really easy to never cross the paths of the protesters.

The cruise is worth it for the views, or at least I thought so. I chatted up two Germans after the cruise. They weren't impressed but I was. They were comparing it to Singapore and said it just didn't measure up. I have nothing to compare it to so I enjoyed it and thought it was worth it. I think it was around $50 for two hours.

The alarm is set for 6:30 AM on Monica's suggestion that I be at the Grand Palace at 9:00 AM before it gets overly crowded and hot.

I only have two full days remaining in Bangkok. I made a list of each day and what I hope to do on those days. I sure wish I had more days in Bangkok. I don't understand those people who say "fly into Bangkok and then get out". I'm really enjoying this city and keep comparing it to New York - simply because of how large it is. I will have to read up and compare the two for size. I'm thinking Bangkok must be larger but I don't know for certain yet.

Bangkok, Thailand

Flight from Chiang Mai arrives in Bangkok at 4:00 PM. It's 4:30 by the time I am headed to the basement of the airport for the train. I stop at the tourist booth and ask about the train and how much it costs. 150 BHT for the express train, I'm told. The express train only runs every 15 minutes but I'm told it's much better than the city line train which will stop at every station. I push "English" on the pay station and punch in the final station as that is where I need to change to another train line. It tells me that I owe 45 BHT. Hmmm... the tourist booth must've been mistaken. The machine dispenses a red plastic token that you touch to a sensor on the access gate. I go down a few levels and am thoroughly impressed with what looks like a state-of-the-art train system. There is a wall of glass separating people on the platform from the train, with openings in the glass where the train doors will align. A train comes but I have no clue if it's the express train. I ask someone and am told that the express line is on another platform on another floor. Where? I approach someone else who speaks Thai to a security officer to inquire for me, the security officer asks to see my token. I have bought the wrong token and need to go back to the information desk. To get to the desk I have to deposit my red token. Out 45 BHT. At the desk she sells me a 150 BHT token and tells me the express train runs only every one hour. After all that, some 1/2 hour later, I am finally on the city line.

The trains are much wider than the skytrain line at home and about twice as long. Although the train is very crowded it doesn't have that packed in like sardines feel to it. There are sufficient poles and straps for people to hang on to. It's air conditioned and the windows are tinted which gives the outside skies a gray look to them. I can't tell it it's the windows or if it's smoggy here in Bangkok.

Following the instructions on the guesthouse website I get off at Siam Stn., and taking the advice of Victor the guesthouse owner in Chiang Mai, I phone the guesthouse to inquire as to which exit I should take out of the station. The station platforms are huge... some easily a block long in length. The guesthouse tells me I am at the wrong station and to go to National Stadium which is one more stop. I get back on the train but the next stop is not National Stadium. I look at a map and find out National Stadium is on a totally different line! Off the train I get. I ask a security officer and he tries his best English to explain to me I need to go back to Siam Station. What? I return to Siam Stn and ask how to get to National Stadium. A woman who speaks perfect English tells me I am in the right place, just wait for the train... Argh! Finally I arrive at National Stadium but when I go to exit a message pops up on the screen telling me to see the information desk. I owe 3 BHT to exit the station because I had only paid to Siam and am now at National. No cheating (unintentional or otherwise), this train system.

There are 3 teenage girls drinking something similar to Starbucks specialty coffees on the platform. An officer approaches them and tells them to dispose of their drinks. No eating or drinking on the platform or on the trains -- and I think twice before taking a sip of my water while on the train.

Finally, I get to the station where I need to exit and I am dropped off in the midst of a neon skyline. Where ever I am appears to be a hub of shopping activity. I have no clue where to exit and it looks like a freeway below so I don't want to make the wrong move. Lucky for me, I find another Good Samaritan who speaks perfect English. I show him the map on my IPhone indicating that my guesthouse is somewhere close by. Although unsure he points to the exit he thinks I should take. I follow his advice, walk 1/4 block and find the street I need. I walk down what, back home, we would consider a back alley but here in Thailand it's just a normal less busy street. 

It's now dark outside as it's taken me more than 2 hours to get this far since getting to the train platform in the BKK airport. I walk down the back lane really hoping my guesthouse is on his street. Food carts are cooking food, and men are playing cards at a few tables in the back lane. I walk past what look to be some high-end hotels. Eureka! My guesthouse.  I get a bit of a sinking feeling when I'm asked if I have a reservation.... Yes, I made it many months ago. Knowing that my email doesn't work, I can't dig up the confirmation email to prove it. Shortly, after a bit of looking on their part, they confirm I have a room.

My room is as small as a matchbox. I have to turn sideways to get into bed. The only place to sit is on the bed. No clue how two people would stay in this room. It's only $45/night so I can't complain, but it is one of the most expensive places I've booked in Thailand, it's rather run down in that it could use a paint job inside the room and new furniture but it is clean. Got this place off Trip Advisor too. I'm on the 2nd floor and there is no elevator. Thankful they have a porter who can carry my 55 lb. bag up the narrow metal stairs.

The Wendy House (Bangkok)

I want to find something to eat. The front desk lady speaks good English and she pulls out a map. I am right across the street from BMK Centre (I think it's called). A huge shopping mecca. She tells me the 6th floor is the food fare.

I stroll over to the mall and pass through a metal detector and a bag check to enter. I find a chain pizza restaurant and decide that's what I'll have for dinner. Don't feel like getting lost in this monstrosity by venturing off the first floor but am looking forward to the shopping in this place when I return in 11 days time.

I'm now back at the Bangkok airport. I've had enough of the train system so paid 350 BHT for a taxi. I plan on taking a taxi to and from this airport when I return too. The train is too much of a hassle when most stations don't have escalators or elevators and I have to carry my suitcase down (and up) a couple flights of stairs. It took 1/2 hour to get to the airport at 9:00 AM today with no traffic.

Thailand is so very quiet. There are no horns honking, drivers are very considerate and respectful and it's common to see 3 or 4 modes of transportation abreast.  In Chiang Mai there were no lines on the road. As much traffic that can fit side-by-side is totally fine and acceptable. I have never witnessed a single accident so far.

The only people I have seen smoking in public are tourists. I asked Sutthi about that and he said that Thai people usually smoke in private but rarely in public. They prefer to keep it hidden from view. I have noticed there are no cigarette butts littering the roads and sidewalks.

This morning, I noticed janitors wet mopping the plaza at the shopping mall. The cleanliness of this country has surprised me pleasantly.

I'm off to Trat by air. It's a one-hour flight. Then I shuttle across the island and catch a 30-minute ferry to the island of Koh Chang where I'll get some beach time in for the next 10 days.