Bustling Bangkok

Recently Bangkok has been in many movies, none of which have portrayed it in any positive way. I have several friends who used to live in Bangkok who assured me that it wasn't as bad as it looked. With only 2 full days there, I wanted to get a bit of rest and explore some of the major sights too.

The first night we came in about 5pm, and took a taxi through often standstill traffic to get to our hotel. Our driver didn't know where the hotel was and had to call someone several times to figure it out. We did get there safely and were rewarded by a room on the 30th floor with a great view of Bangkok through the floor-to-ceiling windows. We had originally decided to eat at the hotel restaurants, but after looking at the prices (sky high) and the not so tempting dishes, we went out to find food. Most of the stalls had closed for the night and we didn't feel like wandering far on our first night. In the end, we settled for Pizza Hut as it delivered and we were too tired. The pizza came, and wouldn't you know it, mine was too spicy to eat! Paul graciously swapped his non-spicy pizza and we had an early night.

Our first full day we decided to take it easy to recover from the long travel day the day before. Also, we had piles of laundry we needed washed and had some communication and work to do online in preparation for our return to the UK. So around lunch time we found ourselves on Silom Road first passing a temple, then realizing that this is a street that has a tailor, a gem store, a massage parlour, and a restaurant one after the other just like clockwork.

A temple on Silom Road

 We got a delicious lunch at one of the restaurants there, enjoying the lower humidity compared to Cambodia. Paul ordered a 'mild' steak salad. Note that it is completely covered in chilis. This is mild?

If only he had a glass of milk, the cure-all for spicy things. Beer just doesn't cut it!

Without any need for tailored suits or gem stones, we just soaked in the atmosphere of pestering tuk-tuk drivers, street carts selling everything imaginable, and the loud, never ending traffic on the street.

Eventually we found ourselves on a quieter road, passing school after school teeming with uniform-clad squealing children. It was nice to see so many kids in school after hearing about the miserable schools in Cambodia. After a few risky road crossings we found our way back to the hotel. Paul needed to get online to do a bit of work and I had my heart set on a Thai massage. I gave him all my valuables and set off, the heavens taking that moment as a cue to open up and pour buckets onto my head. Luckily I had an umbrella which I hastily opened. I had chosen to walk down a street that was traffic jammed with cars waiting to pick up their children from school. Each driver held a card showing (I think) the name of the child and some kind of number. I snuck past these smiling children, who were drenched but skipping down the road to buy crepes, skewers of meat, gum, and meeting their parents in cars, motorbikes and walking. With the rain continuing, I dove into the first massage shop I saw. I was taken to a room with thin mats on the floor and told to put on a flowery smelling cotton top and long light trousers that tied around the waist. A tiny Thai woman then came in to use her knees, elbows, and pointy fingers to press and rub every achey muscle I had, she was sure good at finding the painful parts! With more twisting and cracking and pushing, my hour massage was over before I knew it, but I felt amazing. The rain had stopped so I made my way home to find Paul and then get dinner and see a movie.

Bangkok movie theatres are said to be some of the most luxurious in the world, and so we booked the deluxe love seat couch to see the English movie 'Love, Rosie'. It was nice to stretch out and be able to sit sideways or cross legged in our little personal seat, and that being our last movie abroad, was probably the best quality we had seen as well. In a different screen (not showing the movie we wanted) there were even better seats that reclined! But we decided the movie was more important than the seats, and these were pretty comfortable. We took the Skytrain back, which let us off right outside our hotel.

Our next full day was partly taken up by dropping our bags at the main international airport. Because our return from our kayaking trip would be a single flight to Bangkok, then a connecting flight through Beijing, China, then finally landing in Tokyo, we didn't want our bags to get lost on the way. So we stashed them in left luggage, which took longer than we would have liked. By the time we finally made it back into town on the train, we had missed seeing the Grand Palace. I hadn't realized it closed at 3:30, and it took longer than we expected to do the bag drop. Next up on my list to see was Wat Pho and its famously reclining Buddha. We took a boat up the river here as we were informed by a taxi that he couldn't do it (we found out later, this was a lie). 

'Tourist Taxi' boat up the river to Old Town

Protective building for reclining Buddha

We loved the incredible statues all around Wat Pho

Wat Pho has many beautiful things, but the most incredible is the gigantic reclining Buddha. When you walk into the protective building, you can't believe how high and long it is - 46 meters long and 15 meters high! The feet are covered in mother-of-pearl decorative patterns and it is constantly being repatched. This was the busiest part, so we admired it, then squeezed out to find a quieter place. We gazed the detailed decoration on roofs and statues and walked from Buddha to Buddha (Wat Pho boasts more than 1000!), reading parts but mostly just enjoying the peace and quiet. It wasn't too long of a visit as I was hungry!

Mother-of-pearl feet

Close up of feet

More feet patterns- so much detail!

Tons of Buddhas everywhere, all different styles

This guy was my favorite!

The 4 main chedis in honor of the first 3 kings

We tried to use trip advisor to find some food nearby, but to no avail as we wandered up one street and then another.

Finally as it began to rain we flagged down a tuk-tuk and told him to just take us somewhere to eat. We were dropped in front of a brightly lit restaurant full of locals and were not particularly impressed by the menu. But everyone said it was great, so we tried a few dishes. The service was awful abut the food alight, enough to keep us going at least. With the light gone, we decided to try to see one last thing before the day ended. The brightly lit Democracy Monument was at the end of the street and then we made our way to the famous 'backpacker' street, lined with restaurants and hostels and every type of person imaginable.

Democracy monument

Backpackers street

After walking the street we found a pub to sit in and soak up the ambiance before calling it a night. On the way back, I tried some grubs (yum yum) and replaced my lost sunglasses. A quick tuk-tuk ride (from the center of town to the train station! It was possible!), and then a train later and we were home for our last night. A 2:30 am wake up awaited us the next morning and we needed to get some sleep!

What would you try?

Tuk-tuk ride of death!

Bangkok was not quite what I had expected, but I think I needed more time there - maybe 5 days at least. Normally I'm not a city person, but I think this is a city that begs to be explored, with so much going on, and so much a tourist can't see. We did enjoy the food and the parts we got to see, but it wasn't quite enough. I'm just going to have to come back someday to see the rest!

Our view and reflection of bathroom. Not bad!

Railay Bay, Thailand - A Little Piece of Paradise

Thailand is another long-time dream for me. I love (mild) Thai food, beaches, snorkeling, natural beauty, islands, clear water, and Thailand had it all. But Thailand is full of gorgeous places, so why did I choose Railay bay? It's a bit embarrassing, but while I was planning this trip my flatmate and I watched The Bachelor every week. One week on the show they came here, to Krabi and Railay Bay. I instantly fell in love with the soaring cliffs and pale white beaches. And so, Railay would be our beach stop while in Thailand.

Our first impression of this peninsula that is cut off from the mainland by impassable limestone cliffs was just as the sun was setting. We had been transferred by mini-van to golf cart to a longboat with a deafening engine. Paul and I were both exhausted from a long travel day and just wanted to be there. I'm sure the humidity wasn't helping our moods any. As we neared the peninsula, my breath caught in the back of my throat - it was as beautiful as I had imagined! I didn't have words to describe the scene that unfolded in front of me, and as our boat pulled up, a tractor pulling a trailer arrived to allow us to reach the shore without wading through the water with our bags (what a relief). Once arrived, I instantly began scheming. What would I do with our short 3.5 days here? I felt like I could stay a month! I narrowed it down and the next day started booking trips and exploring the island.

Rock Climbing Day: Back when I was younger, I was really into rock climbing. After learning how to climb, and then climbing every day at boarding school, I was a little more than obsessed. I chose a university that had a great outdoor program and a three-story rock wall and cave. I climbed every day, twice a day if I could. Then, I moved to Switzerland. Although I bouldered with the family I was an au pair for there, indoor rock climbing was too expensive and I didn't enjoy climbing out in the cold. I made excuses, then stopped climbing all together. Now it was 5 years later and my hands were soft and callous free and I was itching to get back on the rock. My kind guide at Real Rocks (east Railay) checked my belay technique, then started setting up routes for me and two other participants. Even though I was weak and out of shape, we still had a blast. I climbed 3.5 routes (threatening rain and exhaustion stopped me half way on the last one). My younger self would have found that laughable, but the new, older me was proud. The views from the top and the hanging limestone stalactites made it a pleasure to climb, belay, and cheer the others on. Maybe I can get back into climbing in Scotland? Paul and I relaxed that evening with dinner by the beach with a sunset. 

I'm so hot I'm sweating like a beast!

It looks easy, but it was quite challenging after not climbing in ages!

The view from the top!

Panoramic from the top!

Mmm, dinner! I love Thai soup :)

Boat Tour Day: I booked  tour to Maya Bay (made famous in the film The Beach) and Phi Phi island as well as a few smaller lagoons and bays. When a nearly full boat pulled up, my heart sank. I was squashed into a corner by the loud motors and told we would be driving for 45 minutes like that. I couldn't see much except the sea out the back and decided to try to make the most of it.

View out the back of the motorboat

Our first stop was Bamboo Island, and the beach was stuffed full of boats and tourists. I wandered off on my own to escape the noise and people, and found a beautiful section of the beach that had been ravaged by the tsunami but not repaired. I followed a few hermit crabs and found some beautiful shells before it was back to the boat.

A gorgeous hermit crab on the beach

The water is so clear

Next up was a cave that apparently had a Viking painting (we didn't get close enough to see), then Maya Bay. If Bamboo Island had been bad, this was a nightmare. Maybe 50+ boats lined up to get the chance to see the small bay and beach and it was so crowded we took a 30 minute snorkeling break to wait for a space to clear up for us. Under the water was calm at least, and the coral and fish brightly colored. Finally it was our turn, but the crowds and noise ruined it, so I hiked the short path to the bay on the other side of the island. It had a lovely view and a fun little cave to crawl through.

Stairs up to a viewpoint

A little cave to the outside.

So crowded!

Before I knew it, it was time to get back to the boat. Next was lunch at Phi Phi island, where we were herded like cattle into a bland buffet lunch and given a bit of free time. It was packed full of tourists as well, the busty well past ruined. Our last stop was Monkey Island where we dropped anchor a few hundred meters from shore. I swam in to see the monkeys (one attacked a tourist that got too close!) then swam back to enjoy a bit more snorkeling. Overall, I was unimpressed, but I did like seeing the fish, sea creatures, and coral. I met Paul for another dinner and sunset before calling it a night. 

Underwater snorkeling

Gorgeous sunset!

Hike and Kayak: My last full day and I was up bright an early to make the most of it. I decided to try to climb up to the lookout point, which had read was challenging but doable. As I stared looking at the wall of red mud and ropes that were clearly meant to help, I got a bit nervous. Then a man with two tiny children walked by and said the view was worth it, and both his kids had done it! Well, if they could do it so could I!

 

Using the rope and choosing my steps carefully, and constantly looking up in disbelief, I made it up in about 15 minutes (not long just straight up!) the viewpoint was beautiful and I was the only one there.

 

Since the first bit hadn't been too bad, I figured I could try climbing down to the lagoon. After slipping and sliding through the squishy mud and getting myself covered in the red sticky stuff, I reached my first real obstacle. It was a tiny cliff, straight down about 10 feet. There was a rope with a knot tied in it, obviously to climb up and down. I sat on the edge and looked down. It didn't look too far, but my shoes, hands and rocks around me were slick with mud, and I was alone. What if I couldn't get back up? Examining the top of the rope that I would have to put my entire body weight on, I realized it was thin and frayed in parts. Now I'm not one to back down from a challenge, especially one I've given to myself, but this was more danger than I was in for.

I turned around and carefully picked my way back up the steep trail, getting myself even more covered in mud on the way. I made it back with no incident, and the hikers on their way up raised their eyebrows at me, the mud monster. I assured them it wasn't so bad :)

After a shower and a new set of clothes, I rested for a bit in the heat of the day. Then Paul and I walked to a beautiful little beach that was cut off from the main sunset beach by more cliffs. It was rammed with tourists, but after a leisurely stroll annoying the view, I settled down under a tree to read. It was mostly relaxing, except I was constantly asked if I wanted a massage. I guess it's still Thailand, even if I just wanted some quite time. Around 4:30 I tore myself away from my book and strolled home. 

I planned on taking a kayak out, but didn't want to get burned so I had waited until the late afternoon. By 5pm, I was bobbing in the water in my bright orange canoe, hoping the longboats could avoid me. I paddled over to the last beach I had yet to visit on the peninsular - Ton Sai Beach. Climbers enjoyed the last rays of sunshine, and the beach disappeared under the high tide. I followed the coast along and paddled through the open water, waiting for the sun to set. It was less than spectacular, but still calming and beautiful. If it wasn't for the constant roaring of the longboats, I would even say it was peaceful. I returned my kayak and then waited for the sun to set. I needed darkness for this next little adventure.

On my kayak, hoping not to be run over by the longboats!

Sunset from the kayak!

Once it was nearly dark, I waded out into the water. It was warm and comfortable nearly the same temperature of the air. I swished my hands around in front of me and saw little blue sparks, like tiny stars, erupt form them. Phosphorescent algae was here, reacting to the motion of my hands. I stayed for a while, causing them to sparkle and shine, before lightning flashed in the distance. Time to get out of the water!

The next morning was the day we left. Packing up again, longboat, golf cart, van and now airport. Then onwards, to Bangkok!