I think it is fair to say, even if you have never been to
Bangkok, you probably have heard many stories or have certain preconceptions
about what it might be like. I know I
certainly did. Also, when travelling
around like we have been you meet many people whom I would consider “real”
travellers. Very often when the subject
of Thailand comes up you hear…oh, too many tourists, too crowded etc….compared
to other places in S.E. Asia. However, there is nothing like seeing a place for
yourself and it was with that backdrop that we landed in Bangkok’s fancy
airport, still with Veronika’s brother Vincenz by our side.
There is just no escaping the fact that certain aspects of
Bangkok are sleazy….really sleazy. At the same time, however, it is quite an
intriguing place. Given that Culture comes before Sleaze in the dictionary we
decided to take in a few sights before seeing the seedier side of town. For no particular reason, we had given the
job of picking city sights and tour guide to Vinci. Wisely, he selected Wat
Phra Kaew, also known as the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, which also has the
Grand Palace within the same grounds. Not so clever was the fact that he had
forgotten to remind us to dress appropriately for visiting such sacred places.
(Ok, maybe we should have known anyway). Our shorts were in clear violation of
the rules. Thankfully, you could “borrow” sarongs and baggy trousers near the
entrance. Finally, doing our best impersonation of MC Hammer, we were in. It
was worth the quick change and both the temple and palace were impressive to see. Doing our best to avoid the dodgy tuk-tuk
drivers, we then walked to Wat Pho, the oldest and biggest temple in Bangkok,
which has a huge reclining Buddha definitely worth a look.
Go-go bars and ladyboys….probably not what the local tourist
office wants its city to be known for but there you go. As sleazy as it is, and
it’s certainly not for everyone, you almost have to visit Patpong (the infamous
red light district) once. With “shows” of everything and anything on offer the scam
artists are out in full force trying to lure the gullible tourists in….and
lured in we were! It is, however, only part of the nightlife scene and there
are also many good pubs and fancy rooftop bars if that’s your thing (and in
your budget…..a shock to the system after Vietnam).
Just in case you are in any doubt about Bangkok the
following comes straight from a “Useful Phrases” section of a mini guide we
were given shortly after arriving:
-
You are very beautiful
-
I love you
-
Where is the restroom?
-
Please help me
-
I lost my wallet
After a couple of days of big city life it was back to
nature for us as we took the bus a few hours north to the little town of Pak
Chong. From here it was a half hour drive in the back of a jeep to our hotel
which would be the base for our visit to the Khao Yai National Park. The next
morning we set off, again in the back of the jeep, for our jungle trek. This national park consists of one of the
biggest monsoon forests in mainland Asia and is home to a few hundred elephants
and some tigers apparently……must have been on holiday as we did not see any!
(It is huge, to be fair). As it was
rainy season the trail was very wet and we once again had to put on the special
protective socks to keep the leeches out.
Sticking closely to the guide, we walked through the dense forest as
calmly as possible only stopping, at times, to observe the monkeys playing in
the trees above us. We did encounter a snake, a green viper, but thankfully
(for us) it had eaten something before us and was now in a better place.
However, the huge black widow spider we saw was very much alive and it
certainly made you think twice when you had to duck and weave your way through
the overhanging branches on the trek. The reward at the end of the trek was supposed
to be a nice swim near a lovely waterfall but unfortunately due to the high
water levels it was temporarily closed. Just as we were reflecting on the trek
during the drive back to the hotel, the jeep came to a screeching halt with the
guide shouting at us to jump out the back. There, in the middle of the road,
was another green viper minding his own business. Fortunately, the guide was soon able to usher
the snake across the road and into the jungle again and off we went.
Sadly, we then had to say goodbye to Vinci as his two weeks
travelling with us came to an end. It had certainly been an eventful two weeks,
and great fun, but I think Vinci was looking forward to some of the home
comforts of Vienna again.
As most people know Veronika is an excellent planner. I am
not. When it was decided that I would be responsible for the next destination
there were two major consequences. Firstly, it would be all last minute stuff.
Secondly, it would involve less trekking and more chilling. So, on that note we
ended up on the beach on the island of Koh Samui. There are so many beaches and
islands around this part of Thailand that choosing one can be tricky. However,
given that we were still in rainy season, the statistics indicated the chances
for better weather was on the Gulf coast…so Koh Samui it was. We found a nice
place to stay in a relatively quiet stretch of the beach and for a few days
just enjoyed swimming in the sea, reading on the beach and generally chilling
out. We did have to walk about 100 metres along the beach though to get our
daily Thai massage….bliss. A personal
highlight for me in these few days was when Veronika opened her toiletry bag to
get her hairbrush but instead out came a little gecko. I think everyone within
a mile radius heard the scream.
A few days on the beach were enough before we were itching
to get moving again and, of course, yearning for some more culture. We soon
found that in the old city of Sukhothai which is located about 7 hours from
Bangkok by bus. It is, however, only a quick hop by plane…so we flew. The
decision to fly was actually due to the awful floods in the north of Thailand
at the time and flying north really did give us a great perspective to just how
bad the flooding was. The highlight (and really only reason to go) of the trip
to Sukhothai were the impressive ancient ruins in and around the historical
park. With hardly any other tourists around, we had a great time cycling around
the park getting off the bikes every now and then to go and inspect yet another
giant Buddha.
After a quick stop back in Bangkok we then flew to Singapore
to have a look around for a few days. We had both been to Singapore about 15
years ago so were keen to see how and what had changed. Well, the prices for
one thing! Aside from a few of the obligatory sightseeing musts (Orchard Road, Chinatown,
a drink in the Long Bar in Raffles Hotel, etc) we spent much of the time just
walking around and exploring the city...always stopping in at the nearest Hawker centre for some tasty seafood and
noodles. However, given the cost of living in Singapore it is no coincidence
that it is not a backpacker mecca…so after a few days we were ready for our
next stop….Cambodia.
