We had a ferry from Koh Tao to the mainland and a bus a few hours later to BKK. Our bus left on time, where the bus which was supposed to leave 3 hours before ours got stuck 200m away from the bus station due to parked cars on the road. There was a big celebration for the king and all the visiting people blocked all the surrounding streets for the big bus. As we got picked up by minivan and driven to a meeting point 1 hrs away under a bridge with our "VIP" bus. We could see the bus from "10 miles" away, as it had neon lights illuminating the engine. There was a fancy railing going up from the lower level of the bus to the top. I felt like in a house! We were supposed to arrive in BKK at 6am. At 3.30am we got kicked out of the bus on a big road close to the palace. 192 taxi and Tuk-Tuk drivers were already waiting for us and in our face before we even could get our bags. That was pretty annoying, especially when you just woke up and your entire plan got messed up due to the early arrival and on a place where you couldn't sit down and wait for a more "civilized" time. After many back and forth, we decided to take a Tuk-Tuk and drive to Siam station. This was the area where we would meet our friend Andy at 7:30am. We only had 20 Bath left. In front of a shopping mall entrance we settled down and waited until it was 7am.
Then we walked to the Kempinski hotel to meet Andy. After handing our backpacks to the elegantly dressed doorman, we explored the lobby and some of the public areas and took a seat at the pool terrace to wait for him.
We had breakfast with him and enjoyed the extensive buffet with fantastic breads, just like home and a lot of fantastic cheeses and cold cut sausages. Don't ask how often I went to fill up my plate again! Thank you Andy! Together we took a taxi to his place where we dropped our bags before exploring a part of the huge city by foot. At a small place we had a tasty duck dish. Afterwards We had some coffee and did some work on the computer.
For dinner we went to Korea Town to have Korean BBQ. It was delicious! Andy hosted us for the next 2 nights in his new apartment he just moved in to. As Andy had to organize some stuff in the morning, Chrisy and I went to do some sightseeing. We took a boat to cross the river. After arriving there, we realized that wasn't where we wanted to go and crossed the river again. After this adventure which didn't bring us really anywhere except once over to the other side and back, we found a boat which went along the river to the north. We wanted to visit a temple which is supposed a temple you have to see, even if you are not interested in art.
After arriving at our destination it was so hot and a refreshing fruit juice was necessary to cool down our body.
The temple "Wat Rakhang Khositaram" had a reasonable big buddah statue in a nicely decorated room. Otherwise it wasn't that spectacular then what we had expected. However, we sat on the comfy carpet for 5 min and reflected in silence.
When we came out again I found an empty spot where I had left my shoes. The floor was boiling hot and I was thunderstruck that somebody would steel my nice sandals in front of a Buddhist temple. So I had to walk like on fire to a not too far away market where I found some Flipflops for 1.70$. They should do for one day.
We then walked to another temple, called Wat Arun, which we saw from the boat. It was a high tower with steep stairs.
It is decorated colorfully with ornaments and figures from bottom to top.
After a scary climb of the steep stairs we got rewarded with a spectacular view of the buildings around us. This was more likely what I expected of an temple here in the world metropole BKK. And I still had my shoes when I left this temple!
On the way to the meeting point with Andy I was very closely looking at all the secondhand shoe vendors on the street. I thought a couple of times I found them, but when I got closer I had to realize that my mind played games with me.
We had a coffee with Andy and kept on catching up with our stories.
Afterwards we walked along the palace back to the river to a restaurant he recommended. The sun set quickly.
The Thai restaurant was amazing and we tried many different new dishes. The warm evening air next to the river felt good and our choices were perfect.
The view from our balcony seats was spectacular. A wonderful evening!
The next morning we drove to the famous weekend market at Chatuchak Park to go shopping and soaking in the atmosphere. It easy to find take the skytrain to the last station in the north called "Moh Chit" and follow the crowed. This market offers everything (and more!). From animals, decoration, cloths, food, souvenirs, plants etc, etc. Also whole sellers are coming here to stock up for their shops. The stalls are small and packed with things. The paths are narrow and full of people browsing. If you see something you like, you better buy it as there are around 10.000 shops and the chance that you will find it again are slim. A lot of shops are so individual that you find their offer only once on the market.
We spent the entire day there and it didn't get boring. Afterwards we sorted our transportation for the next day out, which would depart from a bus terminal close by.
We had dinner in an Indian restaurant before heading back home to Andy. Next morning we had to say goodbye as he had to go to work and we had to go to the bus station. Thank you for the great time. Looking forward to seeing you soon again! Then you will have a place to stay with us!
Pictures from Bangkok.
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