Bangkok es hot
After arriving in Bangkok and finally laying down in an actual bed to sleep, nothing felt better than that bed. Maybe I am remembering it wrong because of the exhaustion or maybe it really was an amazing quality bed, either way, I am actively looking for a pillow that will replicate the oversized down goodness the Tastoria had on our bed. I would be totally lying if I didn't say I've contemplated contacting the hotel to find out where the bedding is from. The only thing stopping me is the language barrier. I can only imagine how that email would get lost in translation. Even though we were ready to sleep, a few hours later we we're both wide awake recognizing that jet lag is a real thing. May as well make the most of the day, right? After all we really only had that day to really explore Bangkok. The bonus of being up that early was we were able to call home and let the kiddos know we made it. A 12 hour time difference meant it was still the night before for the kids. They thought it was so funny that it was already Friday for us. I think. It was so hard to keep track of days.
Before I continue, let's skip back to O'hare and even our early planning days. We knew it was going to be warm in Thailand. Hot actually. But there is hot and then there is Bangkok. While checking in at the airline counter, a young Thai woman overheard me tell the gate attendant our final destination was Bangkok. The women very eagerly smiled at me and said in her best English "Bangkok es hot" I probably looked ridiculous to her dressed in my travel sweatsuit. Deep down I think she was actually warning us or laughing at us. Sort of like a public service announcement. Either way, her advise to us became sort of a tagline for our trip. And I never wore that sweatshirt again while in Thailand. For the sake of this story, just assume it is always hot. Because it was. 90-100 was average with temps up to 115+ at the hottest part of the day. Every. single. day. So when we stepped out on our hotel balcony at 6am it was a bit eye opening how warm it really was going to be.
After showering, and getting settled in we decided to head down the the hotel restaurant for breakfast. I also want to note, the shower here was interesting. No curtain or door on the tub. I know this is a European thing but it just makes no sense. Water went everywhere. I swear it was even on the mirror. It just seemed so odd. Why would you want to drench your bathroom? It wasn't until probably the next day that Brett noticed an irrigation type system on the floor that drained the water around the perimeter of the bathroom into a central drain. Maybe it was a genius solution, or maybe they could just get shower doors?
Breakfast was good. I went classic with Eggs Benedict and Brett tried a Thai omelet, which was basically a version of scrambled eggs over sticky rice. Both were very good. Which was reassuring not knowing what to expect for breakfast offerings. An interesting thing about Thailand and maybe across Asia, there is not a standard breakfast food. They have breakfast type food, but nothing is limited to a particular time of day. They eat whatever, whenever. Chicken for breakfast? Sure, not out of the question. This was good news to me, as I prefer savory over sweet any day. Later on while in Phuket I often had a salad for breakfast.
Our hotel was located in the Sukhumvit District which is known for being vibrant and bustling. Lots of great nightlife, shopping and restaurants. For us it was a central location to the things we wanted to see but yet in a more up and coming area geared towards tourists. Bangkok is very big and very spread out with most districts having mixed classes. Poverty and wealth seem to live together seamlessly. It was so usual seeing a luxury building right next to one that you hoped was not inhabited but knew was. I think I expected Bangkok to be similar to New York. However it was nothing like I expected. The city itself seems very old. Yes I know Bangkok has been around but the technology and urban planning seem so outdated. All power lines are above ground and exposed. Air conditioning is not assumed. Personal washer and dryers are a luxury. Public bathrooms don't exist and if they do, bring your own toilet paper and be prepared to pay to use the bathroom. Everyone buzzes around on mopeds. When I say everyone, I mean everyone. We were shocked the first time we saw a child standing on the floorboard of a scooter with their parent, but quickly realized that was no big deal. We even saw an entire family on a scooter, Mom, 2 kids and a baby in a carrier. Mind blown. While that is the most common way for locals to travel, it is strongly advised against for tourist because of the choas on the roads. We encountered numerous tourist throughout the trip that were bandaged and banged up from scooter accidents.
With that said, we started off on foot toward Benchakitti Park. It was near our hotel and we thought it would be a nice place to enjoy a morning coffee walk. On our way there, we stopped at our first food cart for a Thai iced coffee. A staple and rightfully so. No lack of sweetness as it is made with sweeten condensed milk which gives it the most creamy delicious flavor. Up until this point most of the people we talked to spoke a bit of English, but this was all about to change. Bangkok was named as the most visited city in the WORLD in 2023, and while English is a common second language, the majority of people knew little to no English. Not knowing the language was very intimidating, but not even being able to sound out words because they have their own alphabet made of signs symbols was so strange. While waiting in line for our coffee we realized we had no idea how to order. There was no menu and everyone else just seemed to know what to do. Not sure how, but we ended up with what we were hoping for. The coffee was good and it was so cheap. Less than a dollar, however we only had large BTH bills at this point. For comparison, we basically paid for a 75 cent coffee with a 100 dollar bill. The poor women looked so frazzled and even more so when we tipped her. Tipping is not entirely common throughout Thailand and no one is expecting it. Certain things are so inexpensive that you just feel wrong not giving more or tipping someone.
Tong
From there we grabbed a Bolt, which is basically Uber, and headed to Khaosan Road. This area is known for backpackers and partying and the center of the Thai New Year celebration. Songkran. Which just so happened to be taking place while we were there. In Bangkok it is celebrated for 3 days. In Phuket, where we are headed next, it is a 5 day celebration. How do the Thai celebrate you might ask. Well it is basically a huge water fight. Everyone, everywhere throws water on each other. Water guns are everywhere! People stand in heards on the side of the street spraying anyone that walks by. Meant to symbolize the washing and cleansing of the past year for a fresh start. Most times it was refreshing but after a few days I started to find it obnoxious. And we didn't even go to the "hot spots" during peak hours. Huge parties that last all day/night with everyone dripping wet. No thanks.
We hung out there for a bit and had some beers and people watched before meeting some random on the street who hooked us up with Tong, our now personal tuk tuk driver and city guide. They explained to us that because of Songkran certain things were free or no tax and that began our day long adventure with Tong. Oh and Tong barely spoke English. I think at one point he just started saying any English words he knew, including Obama, repeatably. While cursing around in the tuk tuk we saw lots of the city, whether we wanted to or not. (Tong didn't understand no very well) including a temple or two, some random shops, one of which Brett bought two suits custom tailored. They actually arrived to our house a few weeks later. I had my doubts but they are beautiful custom designed silk cashmere suits. Probably the most impulsive things I'd ever seen Brett do.
Our favorite part of the day began when Tong dropped us off at a pier at along the Chao Phraya River. We boarded a private long tail boat for a tour of the city from the river, which also included the channels and a floating market. The ride down the winding channels was such an eye opening experience into life in Bangkok. Homes built over the water on stilts, most sinking into the water. No glass or screens in window. Maybe shutters to close at night. Entire wardrobes hung outside to dry and maybe just to store. And by entire wardrobe, nothing like we have here in terms of quality or quantity. Honestly it wouldn't even surprise me if most of the homes didn't have electricity. They are literally on the edge of falling into the green water filled channels. After weaving up and down and around tight corners, our long tail arrived at a floating market. Which was a quaint little area the bordered the water with small local vendors selling goods and food. Here we first noticed shoes lining the walkaway outside of shops. It was not customary to wear your shoes inside so they were left at the door. We wondered around for a bit, but first grabbed some water. Remember it's hot. And then beer. We found the little food court area, which was 6 or so carts selling local cuisine. I couldn't wait to sink my teeth in to some street food. We were quite hungry so decided to order a few things, one being pad Thai egg rolls. Super yum and with the claims of being the only ones in Thailand. We can't really argue it because we never saw them again. We had about an hour there before out driver asked us to be back so we grabbed beers for the ride and made our way back into central Bangkok via long tail. We were dropped off nearby a temple, which we had no interest in seeing. We were also carrying roadies so it probably was best we didn't enter the crowded temple grounds. By the time we got a car to head back to our hotel we were about a 45 min drive from our hotel. We covered a whole lot of ground and water that morning. We arrived back at our hotel sweaty and tired. Again jet lag is a real thing. If I am being honest, I was a bit crabby. Blame it on the heat and a bit on Tong. He just got to be a lot after awhile. I probably could also blame culture shock. Either way, we practically went straight to our rooftop pool and gladly paid the $20USD for all you could drink cocktails for the remainder of the afternoon. This is also when we first discovered that a margarita is not served on ice, rather like a martini. Probably best because I am sure the ice would melt before I was done. That is saying a lot if you've ever seen me drink a margarita. We spent the rest of the day soaking in the pool, which really felt like a large bath tub. But it was just what I needed and I was back on track for a night out in Bangkok.
one night in bangkok
Rooftop bars and restaurants are very popular in Bangkok. Some of the nicest places are high above the busy streets. We had dinner reservations at Above Eleven sometime after dark but after an afternoon with cocktails in the pool, we hit the streets of Bangkok to find pre-dinner drinks. Keep the party rolling I guess. We found a fun little Mexican inspired street lounge. Thoroughly enjoyed the spicy chili pepper margs and chips and salsa. Who would have thought, Bangkok would be where I had one of the best and unique margaritas to date. The vibe was chill and we were half tempted to stay there. We arrived at the address to Above Eleven and found ourselves in a back alley with a door that led to an elevator. I wish I would have taken more phots of this place. It was so fun and trendy, but we still felt right at home. The craft cocktails were amazing, the sushi was delish, but the views were incredible. It was like a completely different city at night. Even at 40ish stories up, the entire place was open air so the buzz and the heat of the city were still very much burning into the night. By the time we left there it was definitely time to get back to bed. What a day it was! I think we took a tuk tuk back to our hotel, not entirely sure, but not without a debate over price from the driver. Me in heels I would have paid whatever to not have to walk back.
The following morning I again woke early and hit the gym before we went to breakfast. We walked to Breakfast Story for an amazing, morning after a night out type of breakfast. Pancakes, breakfast burritos, poutine and of course iced coffee. The place was Canadian, hence the poutine, and we felt right at home with the pure maple syrup and cheese curds. I think we originally planned to go to another market in the city before our 1pm flight, but opted on massages instead.
The massages shops are plenty in Thailand, like Starbucks x10. The only thing more common was weed shops. Between the two of them, there were at least a handful on every single city block. Because it was early morning we just picked one close to our hotel that was open. 300BTH for a one hour massage. That breaks down to just a little over $8USD. The massage was an experience! We did the traditional Thai massage and as were were brought to a small room in the upstairs of the non air conditioned shop, that also doubled as a laundry mat, we knew we were in for a treat. They did turn on fans and a wall unit to cool the room, so it was a relief to not be sweating. When the massages started the women were chatting back and forth and I was convinced that they were plotting what they could get away with. I 100% thought we were being punked. You see, we now know, there is a difference between a traditional Thai massage and what I was expecting based on any other massage I'd ever received. There was a lot of pulling, stretching, pressure points and intimate poses. Were they trying to make me pass out? At one point I turned to tell her the pressure was too much only to realize she was hanging from the ceiling walking on me. I nearly choked I was holding back my laughter. Looking over and seeing Brett in a full figure 8 with legs pulled and twisted, nearly pushed me over the edge. When the massage ended I had tears in my eyes. Trying not to be insulting, they did their job. We just didn't do our research! Lesson learned. However, Brett couldn't stop raving his massage. I will agree it was impressive the positions they were able to get ours, but mostly his body in to.
It was a short stop in Bangkok and there was plenty more to do and see, but we came to Thailand for paradise and we were so anxious to head to Phuket! After another dip in the pool and a brewery stop, we headed to the airport for an easy 1 hour flight to Kata Beach!
