Tag Archives: Thailand

We arrive in Bangkok at 7.15am. The station isn’t busy at this time in the morning and we are quickly out onto the forecourt and in a metered taxi. We have booked a hostel just of Samesen Road in Soi 6 one of the narrow maze of streets that run between the main thoroughfares. First impressions of Bangkok are of an ugly, unappealing city cut by huge concrete flyovers and apart from its myriad wats, little to recommend it architecturally. We arrive too early to check-in so leave our luggage in the hotel and feeling a little jaded (and with a cold taking hold thanks to our Belgian friend) we set off to explore the surrounding area. It turns out that we are within walking distance of the famous Khao San Road which along with the surrounding area is well-known for it’s bars, street food and stalls selling ethnic clothes, T-shirts, jewellery and the like, all designed to attract the backpacker crowd. At this time in the morning the stallholders are in the process of setting up all the way along the pavement on one side of Samesen Road and along Khao San Road We head for the Grand Palace, but a friendly Thai explains that it is closed this morning for a Thai celebration and isn’t open to 2pm. But do we know that for 20 Baht we can get a yellow tut-tut to take us on a two-hour tour of the temples courtesy of a special promotion? Is this some sort of scam, we belatedly ask ourselves after we’re comfortably ensconced in the tut-tut?

First stop is the big Buddha, a huge gilt standing statue which towers over the surrounding wat. Our driver assures us the the 20 Baht fare (40p) is correct. At the next wat a very helpful Thai tells us that the government is running a week-long promotion to boost tourist income in the wake of the recent closure of Bangkok airport. Flights into the capital are down from 800 a day to 300 and in an attempt to encourage tourists to spend more the government is givng petrol vouchers to tut-tut drivers when they take their passengers to duty-free shops around the city. So as part of our tour we visit two jewellers, two tailors and a duty-free handicraft centre, where we try to feign a modicum of interest but leave as soon as we can! We see a surprising amount of the city during our tour, skirting around the Dusit Zoo, the Chitralada Palace and the Royal Turf Club and passing in front of the Anantasamakhom Palace which is vaguely reminicent of the White House, as well as a number of wats. The wide boulevards around the Democracy Monument are quite pleasant and the wats are beautiful examples of Lanna architecture, but in the main this is not the most attractive of cities.

Back in Khao San Road in the evening things have really livened up; bars are pumping out loud thumping bass and drums (I hesitate to call it music – that’s my age showing) and everywhere is buzzing. Several Hmong in their very distinctive box hats decorated with shells and silver studs and chains are mingle with other hawkers as they attempt to bracelets, wooden frogs (which make a noise uncannily like croaking when stroked with a small stick) and other items to the assorted crowd who sit in the bars or promenade the streets. We take a seat, order some cocktails and get talking to a couple from Bristol who are coming to the end of a two-week holiday in Thailand.

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