Bangkok

Several of the most interesting spots listed in my guide book were in the northern half of Thailand, so I figured that I should probably aim for Bangkok as my next destination, since it is, more or less, in the middle of the country in terms of latitude. Unfortunately, the ten hour overnight “sleeper” bus from Khao Sok did not live up to my expectations based on its name. The bus was airconditioned, and I was in a cushioned seat without anyone sitting next to me, but the road was generally bumpy with regular potholes, and the seat was designed for someone six inches shorter than me (which is, I think, the average Thai man’s height). My condition at my 5:00am arrival in Bangkok was best described as “zombielike.”

A Dutch girl (Ragna) who lives within about four miles of me in Amsterdam was also on the bus, and we shared a cab from the bus station to Khao San Road, which is apparently a famous “backpacker ghetto” that serves as a resting (or starting, or finishing) point for travelers traveling within or close to Thailand. Within three minutes of getting out of the cab and walking up the street with our packs strapped to our backs, we were approached by a group of drunk men who were still going strong from the previous night, and who walked (or, in some cases, staggered) alongside us for a but while talking and looking for their next drink. This seemed to be a sizable part of the Khao San Road experience: acting like a college kid in Las Vegas.

After another five hours of waiting until check-in time at the guesthouse I found, Ragna and I left the Khao San Road area to take the guidebook suggested walking tour of the part of Bangkok we were in. In the next hour, we were exposed to all of the negatives of Bangkok mentioned in travel guides. It was around 90 degrees and humid, and the streets were packed with loud, smog belching vehicles that used their horns liberally. There was little shade and no plant life. The intercom system outside the Grand Palace conveyed the following message on a loop: “DO NOT TRUST ANYONE” (after a pause, this was followed by a description of what is apparently a common scam around the Grand Palace, where a cab driver will tell a tourist that the palace is closed, and the tourist will then get in the cab and be taken to various seedy stores or worse). But we also saw some of the amazing temples that were shown in my guidebook, including Wat Pho and Wat Arun.

Wat Pho contained several stupas (kind of like Buddist temples) covered in small glittered panels and several life sized golden statues, but it is most famous for its giant “Reclining Buddha,” which is 40 feet high and 150 feet long.

Wat Arun was directly across the river from Wat Pho. The main attraction is a 250 foot high tower with steps that are incredibly steep, even by my Amsterdam standards. The tower is covered in multi-colored porcelain that apparently sparkles in the morning sunlight.

After a day spent mostly recovering from the lack of sleep, walking all around Bangkok in the sun and heat, and the noxious effects of the mixture of Thai rum and cola they serve in plastic buckets (advice: skip this if you're in Thailand), I toured the Grand Palace, which is apparently one of the holiest sites in Thailand, and housed a large selection of breathtaking statues and temples. 

Apart from the temples pictured above, I didn't find Bangkok all that enjoyable. It was noisier, dirtier, more urbanized and hotter than the previous places I'd been, and other destinations in my travel guide seemed much more appealing. So I made my third night my last night there. In that third night, I was able to visit the only other place I had circled on my guidebook: the "Skybar," an outdoor bar on the 63rd floor of an upscale hotel in Bangkok. There was an advertised dress code, so I bought an ill-fitting pair of shoes for ten euros, since I'd only packed sandals and running shoes, and I put on my best shirt and pants, which had been packed for functionality when mosquitoes were surrounding me in the jungle rather than for a night at a fancy bar. Fortunately, everything worked out, and I was able to enjoy my ten euro glass of Amareto on the rocks.