One Day, Two Day, Bad Day, Good Day
Well we've been in Bangkok for around 24 hours now, and so far it's been a mixed bag. The travel period itself was long and grueling. Twenty-two hours of total travel time. Then, the guesthouse we were hoping to stay at didn't have any rooms available, and so we ended up wandering around for a couple of hours with our heavy bags in the hot sun trying to find a place.
We must have picked the wrong district, because all the places we looked at we're dirty, seedy, and not anyplace I'd want to sleep in. Bare bulbs in the sockets, ratty blankets, and clerks who all seemed to be checking for cockroaches when they opened doors. Ultimately, we ended up spending the night in an ultra-luxury hotel so that we wouldn't have to look around anymore. Yes, that's right, my budget travel trip is starting out in pampered luxury. I'll enjoy it while it lasts.
As anyone who has ever been here can attest to, the street vendors, cab drivers, and silk hustlers of Bangkok are all incredibly pushy. They do everything short of chase you down to try to get you to buy there goods. One incredibly "helpful" gentleman told us he would take us to a good hotel, only to lead us to a tailoring shop to try to drum up business for his boss. I'm pretty bad about only saying "no" once and then moving on. By the end of the trip I'm sure I'll be an expert.
I got a decent nights sleep and the next day felt prepared to tackle the seething, sweaty, stew which is Bangkok. First order of business was checking out the Grand Palace which was, well... grand. There are an amazing number of ornately detailed buildings and temples packed into the grounds of the Grand Palace. The colors were amazing. I've never seen so much mosaic.
After this we went to Wat Pho to see the world's largest reclining Buddah, and then went back to the hotel for a much needed shower.
I'll have to cut this short because this cafe is closing soon. Tomorrow we take a quick diversion to Cambodia to see Angkor Wat. Check back soon.
We must have picked the wrong district, because all the places we looked at we're dirty, seedy, and not anyplace I'd want to sleep in. Bare bulbs in the sockets, ratty blankets, and clerks who all seemed to be checking for cockroaches when they opened doors. Ultimately, we ended up spending the night in an ultra-luxury hotel so that we wouldn't have to look around anymore. Yes, that's right, my budget travel trip is starting out in pampered luxury. I'll enjoy it while it lasts.
As anyone who has ever been here can attest to, the street vendors, cab drivers, and silk hustlers of Bangkok are all incredibly pushy. They do everything short of chase you down to try to get you to buy there goods. One incredibly "helpful" gentleman told us he would take us to a good hotel, only to lead us to a tailoring shop to try to drum up business for his boss. I'm pretty bad about only saying "no" once and then moving on. By the end of the trip I'm sure I'll be an expert.
I got a decent nights sleep and the next day felt prepared to tackle the seething, sweaty, stew which is Bangkok. First order of business was checking out the Grand Palace which was, well... grand. There are an amazing number of ornately detailed buildings and temples packed into the grounds of the Grand Palace. The colors were amazing. I've never seen so much mosaic.
After this we went to Wat Pho to see the world's largest reclining Buddah, and then went back to the hotel for a much needed shower.
I'll have to cut this short because this cafe is closing soon. Tomorrow we take a quick diversion to Cambodia to see Angkor Wat. Check back soon.
posted by Joseph M. Pavey | 8:31 PM
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