Before we left, we were given a stern warning by PacSai to not to go to Bangkok as there was going to be a major protest gathering on Sunday evening (something which is ongoing currently, read the news). But after a little reassurance that we avoid any trouble, she trusted that we would stay safe and gave us and Will and Rob a lift to Tha Ruea so we could catch a minibus bus to Bangkok.
A four hour minibus journey!... The traffic getting out of the Kanchanaburi provence was good and I started catching up on writing my blogs (still a little behind but I'm catching up slowly, I have a several hour train journey tomorrow without any WiFi so I'm planning on bashing them out). The traffic when we hit Bangkok, however, was stand still. It took us the same journey time to get to Bangkok to get through to Bangkok to the minibus station. Once we eventually got there we also had a terrible time getting a taxi to our hostel. It's like no one understood where we needed to go or they just didn't want to take us there (we were kicking ourselves after this though... If we had caught the skylink we would have made it to our hostel in under 20 minutes), but as we didn't know this... when we eventually got a taxi (after a quick 50TB Mocha and a dose of WiFi to Google map the hostel address) it took us another hour to get through another load of traffic to the famous Sukhumvit Road (which is similar to the a46 towards Lincoln but with restaurants, hostels and shopping outlets on both sides). We were in Bangkok.
To be honest, I was expecting to see massive skyscrapers and an amazing skyline and I was a little disappointed. It wasn't quite like what you see in the movies.
Hi-Sukhumvit was my first real experience of a hostel and I'm glad to say it was damn good. We had a mixed dorm room for the eight of us and shared toilets and showers (to be honest, all I need is a place to wash my hair and a decent loo facility and I'm a happy girl). The common area and rooftop (I'll come back to that) was cosy and clean and I would definitely recommend this place to people looking for a place to stay in Bangkok.
Friday night was... Eventful? Yup that's the word I'm going to use. We all scrubbed up and went to grab some street food before we headed to Nana, an area famous for it's nightlife. And it didn't disappoint, after a cheeky few drinks at Mark and Ed's four star hotel, we walked towards a street full of VW camper vans selling drinks and a few loud bars. We didn't get into the club called Levels, because of the flipflops and shorts but were safely taxied to a place called Insanity and ended the night there!
Exploring Bangkok was hot on our agenda (after a long late lie in) so we headed to Siam Discovery Centre where it literally felt like we had walked into the Highcross and Bullring combined. Apart from the aquazone on the basement level we explored the stores and headed towards, what I like to call, the Selfridges bit of Bullring and food court of the Trafford centre combined to grab some food. Fazed and distracted by the sizzling smell of an Indian sizzler, KFC, McDonalds, multiple sushi and Thai street food outlets, we hesitantly made a decision to eat Thai (when in Thailand... eat Thai!).
Rooftop songs and a taxi singalong:
With a guitar in his hand and after casually spilling three drinks over himself, Wilson provided us with rooftop entertainment as we enjoyed the night time Bangkok skyline. The bright lights from the buildings contrasted against the black and grey polluted sky and the surrealness of being in Bangkok was amazing. Truly the best part of being in Bangkok... till now.
A cab full of girls and a taxi driver 'lost' in Bangkok would be a night never to forget (and a great film storyline). Singing along to the Lion King soundtrack, One Direction and All Saints (sometimes in perfect harmony too), we were driven around Bangkok for an hour to find the club, Levels (yes, we were rejected the previous evening but there was no harm in trying again)! Best 100TB we spent!!
After that, the rest of the night was met with disappointment after being denied entry into Levels (again!- who knew the age to go clubbing was 20?!), and rain. But a good chicken shawarma for 80TB totally filled a gap and ended the night with my appetite satisfied (yes, food being mentioned again).
Sunday, market day! A few of the LoveTEFL group headed home while me, Wilson, Rob and Olivia went to scope out Bangkok market. The skylink journey there was packed and as we passed the market on the train, it looked like it went on for a mile... That's how big it was! We literally spent a good three hours looking for goodies and stuff to buy to take back home. I ended up with fairy lights, an elephant bag and a new side bag (as the one I took from home was withering away). You need a whole day there to get through the entire market. We met an Australian traveller who told us this was his second day here and that he still hadn't made the whole way round. We were definitely coming back to this at the end of our trip!
The journey home was a solemn one as it meant an end to a breathtaking, hectic and memorable weekend in Bangkok. But I knew I would definitely be coming back... Maybe to celebrate New Years?
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| Bangkok at night. The skyline as captured from the hostel roof. |
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