So far, I've learned that when someone in Southeast Asia tells you "Ten more minutes" they mean twenty, and so on. What I didn’t know when I wrote my last entry was that we would actually make the remaining 7 hours of what turned out to be a 12-hour return to Bangkok in a cramped minivan. But, I still consider myself lucky…as an individual traveler, I got a seat…and the rest of the people on my bus had to ride in the bed of an open pick-up truck.
After crawling through Bangkok’s infamous traffic, our driver left us at Khao San Road, the most famous party street in town. Immediately, the scam artists showed up…”Hey! Where you Go? Tuk-Tuk! Tailor Suit! Ping-Pong Show!” Admittedly worn out from the long ride, I was having none of it. From that point, I went from place to place along the strip, inspecting rooms before I made a reservation. I looked at four squalid sweatboxes before I found a gem at the Khao San Palace, which charged for every little thing, but had hot water, cold AC, and a spotless bathroom… something I haven’t enjoyed since I left on my trip. Also, they have a fabulous pool on the roof, with amazing views of the city, that I managed to take a dip in before it closed.
After my swim, I washed up and decided to explore the area. It was full of drunken European kids using the street as their toilet (oddly, I ran into no Americans) and old men with teenage hookers (which honestly made me nauseous). There was nothing authentically Thai about it…there were even two McDonald’s on the same block. Not my cup of tea. I had a couple of (overpriced) beers and went to bed.
It was good that I got some sleep, because I’ve found Bangkok even harder to navigate than Beijing. At least in Beijing, the alleys don’t dead-end at canals full of garbage. Every Thai I asked directions from gave me cryptic answers (as if they didn’t even know exactly where they were) and after walking in circles and almost getting attacked by a dog with the mange, I decided to hire the next Tuk-Tuk to the nearest ferry boat station.
Taking a ferry up and down the Chao Praya River is one of the hallmark moments of a trip to Bangkok. While I thought it was pretty neat, it was still crowded and hot, and not the relaxing photo-op I hoped it would be. Stepping onto the pier, I resolved myself to return to the first place I slept in town, called Refill Now! Besides being near the airport (which is important for my flight tomorrow) the staff at Refill Now! have been really friendly and helpful. It’s clean, they have a pool, and it’s situated in a real Thai neighborhood with real Thai street food.
It’s not my intention to bad-mouth Bangkok, because I really haven’t gotten to know anyone here. But in my two days, I’ve covered a lot of ground, and I don’t see what the big deal is yet. I suppose if I came here just to party with my friends or to pay for sex it’d be alright, but I’m really looking forward to flying out tomorrow. Even if Phuket ends up being a sweltering tourist trap, at least they’ll be a beach nearby.
