Bangkok - Seven nights in the oriental capital

Seven Nights in Bangkok

Bangkok is an amazing short stay. The city seeps energy from every street alley and crevice. A city that really never sleeps . We arrived late at night into a real dive for accommodation and decided to go straight for dinner to see if it looked better on a full stomach. It didn't, however it was the start of a week full of culinary delights, which even Michael has now started to eat zealously. The average cost of a meal being 130 baht a day each in a cafe only $5.60. There are cheaper street food options which we've grazed from but it's so inexpensive, we've just enjoyed more quality meals. Beer at average 50 baht, is a refreshing treat after Malaysia, where many cafes refused to serve alcohol being a predominant Muslin country or if they did, it was very expensive. Our accommodation incredibly basic, is situated in the heart of Bangkok. With no need for trains, our mode of transport around has just been walking and the occasional tuk tuk. A fun way to weave in and out of lanes or between them at high speed, avoiding the traffic congestion that plagues the city. The fumes like Kuala Lumpur, again have played havoc with my chest. Two weeks on, I'm still struggling to shift a chesty cough and start to understand why so many people wear masks. Unlike KL, the streets are reasonably clean and there seems more pride in the city, caring and maintaining their many impressive landmarks and temples. The Thai are again incredibly friendly and we have been treated with so much kindness from people willing to help us, often without being asked.

Our week here has been jam packed.
We took a boat tour around the old part of Bangkok and through the river city, where the houses are built on stilts in the river. It was a real eye opener into the poverty in Bangkok, but we were met with smiles waves and a sense of a real community and warmth. We had a local who found us looking lost on day one, assist us to the Jetty and persuade the owner to reduce the vastly inflated tourist cost of 1500 baht per person to 800 each. He agreed and through warm conversation, he also gifted us the use of his tuk tuk and brother as a driver for free for the rest of the day. Acts of kindness like this were prevalent throughout Bangkok when we stayed clear of the tourists ghettos and took the time to talk and interact genuinely with the locals. A tourist river taxi is also a cheap way to move between the main attractions at only 50 baht for a single one way trip or you can purchase a day pass for188 baht. No congestion and a nice way to visit the sites.

Bangkok has been our first real encounter with tourists, our hotel situated minutes from Khao San road, a hot spot of bars, markets and backpackers. Here the price doubles on everything, but it has a fun holiday feel to the area with travellers from all over the world. We met lots of lovely people on adventures of their own. A lot of the market merchandise can be purchased direct at half the cost in China town wholesale markets . After 2pm the stalls allow single item purchases, so if you have a lot to buy, save on bartering and buy at cost.

We are officially over Buddha's and Temples! As spectacular as they are, they are everywhere and the modern ones all start to look the same after a while. With lots more of Asia to see, we have decided to become more selective on the sites we visit from here on in. Wat Pho was without doubt a stunning visit.  Also known as the Temple of the Reclining Buddha, which is 46 metres long, it was the favourite of all the temples we visited.

We took a bus tour to Ayutthaya which was again a worthwhile trip, where we visited 5 temples ruins which included Wat Mahathat, famous for the Buddha head entwined in the roots of a tree. The trip was 1800 baht for the three of us, which provided air conditioning transport from the hotel, a guide and lunch. This was a great way to see the sites out of the city, but left you prey to the tourist touts and sellers, which can be costly and even aggressive. Poor Jason, normally mild mannered and calm, over heated and frustrated at being ripped off for the third time in one day, lost his cool and showed kiwis aren't always easy going pushovers!!

Michael has coped really well in Bangkok. While crowded, there is a sense of space, as the old part of Bangkok is free from the tall skyscrapers. Roads are wide and spacious and he's felt less overwhelmed. Even managed to get him a hair cut, where a barber literally pulled him in off the street after seeing me trying to persuade him . I'm guessing we were the first foreigners in his salon as we caused quite a stir. With no English and only Google images we were relieved Michael liked his cut. The heat has got to us all, hitting 39 most days and 28 most nights. We have been constantly drenched in sweat and dust and looking forward to standing in a cold shower and washing the dirt, sweat and grime of the city away each evening. We were fortunate to have a Thai massage parlour next to the hotel and Jason and I finished each day with an array of different massages, which have been fabulous .

A learning for us in Bangkok is that we need to be smarter with our accommodation. While cheap and perfect location, it is not somewhere we can just sit and relax in the afternoon and has no pool. So instead we have been out constantly and are all exhausted. We are looking forward to moving to the more rural location of Kanchanaburi and having a day off. Michael's study has been hard as not had the space or time for him to relax quietly and work. We have however had to start sex education lessons earlier than I would have liked with the abundance of I quote, 'disgusting' ornamentation and symbols around the city, as well as lady boy waiters and masseurs.

Michael has started complaining less and we can visibly see he's trying to enjoy himself. Interestingly he loves the learning attractions such as the National museum of Thailand, where he proudly showed off his knowledge of Hindu gods and history, which he's apparently learnt from Playstation games !!! He seems a little more confident in meeting new people and rather than lose the plot when feeling overwhelmed, has told us how he's been feeling and we've listened and endeavoured to move on or accommodate him. Definitely starting to have a few wins. We have put our foot down around food and forced him to start eating local dishes, as western alternatives are nearly three times the price and were blowing the budget . With no choice, he's found a number of balanced local dishes which he likes and is starting to become more accustomed to them and in turn his health and energy levels seem to be doing much better. Touch wood we've turned a corner !!!
Overall we have really enjoyed Bangkok, but for us as a travelling family, a week is more than enough to see it all. Time to move on and looking forward to escaping the city and back to green spaces.
Catch up soon x