One night in Bangkok

leboughton
Feb 25
2 min read

Actually two nights, but who’s counting?

Bangkok was a jolt after spending the last week in the relative serenity of Cambodia. It’s a big, active city and we dove right in with a very bumpy boat ride followed by a rushed meal of Pad Thai and mango sticky rice followed by a crazy night drive in tuk tuks and a walk through Chinatown. Sensory overload all around!

Me in my VIP ride in front of Wat Suthat and the giant swing

China town was hopping, though it was relatively quiet because it was Monday and they allow fewer street food vendors. I thought the selection was pretty good anyway - huge piles of lobster, frying whole fish, durian and many other exotic treats…

This is the largest Chinatown outside of China. Neon was everywhere. And I was amazed at how tangled and random the overhead wires were. I don’t know how they work!

I also loved the back alley glimpses.

It was sad to say goodbye to 3 of the 4 couples from our last leg - Mike and Christine, Ray and Nancy, and especially Mike and Mitch, who had taken me under their wing since the start in Hanoi.

But Daryl and Leslie are soldiering on with me and 3 new people - Glenda and Dan from the UK and Stacie from the US, now in Panama.

The next morning, we were meant to do a biking tour through Bangkok. Leslie wasn’t feeling well, so it was just Daryl and me. Unfortunately, the traffic and the tight corners threw me for a loop and I took a spill in the first 5 minutes. I got a little road rash on my thigh - nothing serious, but was going to tap out then and there. However, our local guide JoJo suggested we walk instead, and Daryl graciously agreed, so after I cleaned up at the hotel, we set out on a walking tour. It actually turned out great in the end - we both thought it was a better way to explore the city.

We saw so many Buddhist temples of all shapes and sizes. Most ornately decorated. Beautiful!

We also saw the giant golden Buddhas. Gargantuan.

After lunch at a market, we took a longtail boat back to the hotel. It was cool to see the homes and businesses lining the river. They ranged from shacks to mansions.