So Bangkok or Krung Thep as the Thai's call it. This translation however misses out fourteen other words which make up its full Thai name, yet intact it still doesn't give much of a description of what is to be found there! Roughly translated Krung Thep means the City of Angels, I'm not sure where this came from as the city is smoggy, congested and once again, although much more subdued than in India, full of rip off merchants!
After lazing around on the southern beaches and putting up with almost constant rainstorms I was happy to be heading back to the urban life. Arriving on the back of a twelve hour bus journey I was delighted to be awoken at 6:30 in the morning as this journey had been possibly the most uncomfortable of my time away. From the moment we had stepped aboard the omens had not been good. As foreigners, or farang as the Thai calls us, we had been given the prime seats next to the toilet and the wonderful aromas which wafted up the stairwell all through the night. On top of this the bus attendant seemed hellbent on putting us through hell. Within minutes of the sun setting the lights on the bus were suspended and loud music was pumped through the cabin. Quite what the logic behind this was I do not know. It seemed that the tour company were putting us through some sort of sensory deprivation. It seemed to work, within minutes all of the Thai passengers had closed their eyes and reclined their seats, irking me further. Perhaps this is how the Thais have learned to deal with long distant travel. I did, however, find humourous solace in an American passenger who did not stop complaining for the entire journey and when unable to read stormed off to the toilet and the sole onboard light to complete the remainder of his book. At least I wasn't as pissed off as this tortured soul.
Anyway, I digress. Having been in Bangkok for four nights already I still don't feel as though I have seen much of the city, this place seems to suck in time and give little in return. After the aforementioned bus journey I spent much of the first day in a stupor wandering around the Khao San Rd before taking a taxi to watch Thai boxing only to sit in the infamous Bangkok gridlock for almost and hour. Frustrated we jumped out and hitched a taxi back the way we had came in order to wake up for the next days excursion out of town. This exursion, where we risen at 6:30am, visited four different places in one day and managed to sit and touch a tiger, only exacerbated matters to the point where drinking three beers that evening felt like an all day session!
Events, however, returned to normality following an un-interuppted twelve hour rest period the following day. After completing a full day of sightseeing around the Grand Palace and Wat Pho, home of the 'reclining' Buddha along with some electronics shopping we managed to squeeze in a extended drinking session well into the wee hours. So far extended into the wee hours in fact, that the touts, who hang around outside our hotel thought I was off on another excursion when I returned to the hotel at the crack of dawn.
Well that pretty much covers my experience in Bangkok. We leave tomorrow afternoon bound for Chiang Mai and have seen no sex shows, or for that matter much prostitution. There have however been plenty of offers from persistent Tuk Tuk drivers, always accompanied with the customary cheeky grin as they pull out their crumpled little porno flyers as an aid to enticing tourists. Anyway enough of that only the FA Cup final to watch and I'm through with Bangkok although I would definetely return, despite the pollution, congestion and irritating local businessmen.
