Bangkok Baby

สวัสดีคนที่ยอดเยี่ยม

 

Prior to this trip I had only ever visited Europe and North America, both of which have amazing countries but are all (obviously) very westernised. I had never been anywhere exotic, so I was excited and fascinated to finally land in Asia and experience a completely different culture to what I was used to. And Oh My Sweet Lordy, Bangkok did not disappoint! After the luxury and splendour of Dubai, the chaotic, colourful, noisy and pretty smelly streets of Thailand's capital proved to be the most bizarre, yet enthralling experience I'd ever had.

It's safe to say I will never forget my first Tuk Tuk ride. As we sped through the traffic (usually on the wrong side of the road), I constantly thought of health and safety requirements while gripping for dear life onto the tiny metal bar that separated me from certain death on the tarmac. The roads were a mix of motorbikes (usually with a mother holding a child), taxis, tuk tuks and wagons driving in complete chaos. Surprisingly it worked; everyone seemed to know what to do and where to go and there actually seemed to be a method to the madness before me. When we finally stumbled out of the tuk tuk outside our hostel (alive) and asked the driver how much, he replied 'how much you want to pay?' Welcome to Asia.

For any backpackers looking to stay in Bangkok, I would completely recommend staying at Nappark hostel. It was a bit pricier than other hostels in the area, but in my humble opinion it was so worth it! (Also it was the start of my trip and I though my money would last forever, how wrong I was. SOB). The staff were super friendly, dorms were clean and modern and the whole place was airconned! Plus the reception area was covered in mats and pillows, which  meant it was a great place to meet other travellers or just chill and watch a film (usually The Hangover Part II or The Beach; you'd never guess you were in Thailand).

 

If you're looking for an authentic Thai experience, full of locals and traditions your best bet is to avoid the following... However, if you want a crazy, buzzing night out head straight to the backpacker Mecca of Bangkok: Khao San Road. By day the street is rammed with market stalls offering everything from fake ID to best selling novels; however by night it's a chaotic mix of lights, booming music, buckets of rum and the obligatory Brits abroad. Cheap alcohol is rife, be it a bottle of Chang or a bucket of Sang Som, lady boys roam, ping pong shows & tattoo parlours are everywhere and your drunken snack is guaranteed to be some form of insect (I chose a grasshopper). Despite these deviations from the norm, Khao San Road is pretty much like any other popular clubbing street you'd find in European holiday destinations, just with an extra dose of crazy. As a backpacker in Bangkok, Khao San is a must and will always be a great topic of conversation when you go on to meet other travellers in Asia.

 

 

 

 

Aside from drinking on Khao San Road, we did manage to pack in a bit of Bangkok culture and, as newbie travellers, learnt some important lessons along the way. It appears that the majority of tuk tuk drivers have some deal going on with their mates and never take tourists to where they actually want to go. On our second day in Bangkok we decided to go to the famous floating market, so got a tuk tuk to take us there. We arrived at the river and were assured by the driver that his friend would give us a river tour and then take us to the floating market. True, we did get a nice tour of the river, but sadly the floating market consisted of one woman in a boat trying to flog souvenirs. Initially passing off this experience as bad luck, we went on a temple tour around the city in a tuk tuk and magically found ourselves at a travel agents rather than a temple. Again, as newbie travellers we were sucked into buying a 'bargain' package consisting of elephant rides, trekking, tigers and accommodation. While we weren't massively ripped off, we soon learnt it was just as easy to book everything ourselves, and thankfully didn't make this mistake twice. Luckily though, as we'd bought something from the travel agents, we actually got to go on the city temple tour. Shocker.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bangkok lived up to everything I had imagined in terms of craziness (credit to The Hangover II) as well as everything I'd hoped for in terms of a culture shock. The people, food, sights, smells, buildings and transport were all a million miles away from the westernised culture I was used to, and this proved to be a refreshing change. During my time travelling Asia I discovered that apparently Bangkok was like Marmite, people either loved it or hated it. I definitely fell into the former category, as I can safely say there is no place quite like Bangkok & I'd love to go back!

 

ลาก่อนสำหรับตอนนี้