Back To BKK

We didn't get the best impression of Bangkok when we started our trip here - we found it entirely too hot, too crowded, and too touristy - and we hightailed it out of there after 2.5 days. Therefore, there's a certain pleasant symmetry (and lack thereof) to finishing our trip in the same city and leaving with a totally different impression. So without further ado, here is R&A's guide to enjoying Bangkok:

1. Visit in the cooler parts of the year.
2. Do NOT stay in the Khao San Road Area.

We should mention that this recipe works only if you are willing to put up with some major big-city vibes (i.e. cinema megaplexes, malls, high-rises, etc.), but since we decidedly do, it worked out great for us. After getting in from Koh Chang, we headed over to the mega-mall epicenter of Bangkok - Siam Square. The area is a hive of large shopping malls, ranging from electronics, to bazaar-like, to super high-end, with a heavy stream of people and cars flowing through it every day. The many pedestrian bridges and the skytrain network that criss-cross through the high-rise monoliths give the whole area a futuristically exciting yet mildly dystopian (think Total Recall or Metropolis) kind of look. As expected, most of the lodging options here are quite expensive, but, luckily for the budget travelers, there is one side alley that offers a few cheaper guesthouse options. The rooms may not be much - bare and only nominally air conditioned - but you spend so much time outside surrounded by glitz and luxury (window) shopping options that you soon forget your humble quarters.

The MBK Shopping Mall

Inside MBK

Rach Amidst the Crowd

Crowded Streets of Siam Square

Avi Having Fun With Nokia Reps At the Mall

We spent our first evening back in Bangkok strolling around Siam Square, checking out the large mall buildings, the many shops and bakeries that line the streets around Siam Square, and the street market stalls that set up under the canopy of the skytrain lines. The next morning, we took said skytrain up north to Chatuchak Market - a sprawling indoor/outdoor market that offers a sundry of goods ranging from tourist souvenirs to pet supplies and second-hand clothing. The market was a lot of fun to check out, but we were surprised (and maybe a tad bit disappointed) at just how organized it was. Far from the frenetic energy, the relentless advocacy of shop owners, and the chaotic commercial spirit that symbolize and govern most SE Asia markets; at Chatuchak, stalls and shops are grouped in relatively coherent and properly delineated sections (there's a map for god's sake), most shopkeepers tend to ignore the well-heeled customers until they are ready to buy something, and price-haggling is not easy to come by. Nonetheless, we enjoyed strolling through the market, wrapping up our souvenir shopping, noshing on street food, and catching a very impressive performance by a Thai string band covering American rock classics:

The Skytrain Tracks Running Off In To the BKK Skyline

Shopping At Chatuchak

After taking a break back at our guesthouse, and grabbing dinner at the MBK food court (it's a much better idea than it sounds. This is not your typical grouping of fast-food restaurants. Rather, each stall specializes in one type of dish - noddle soup, rice and curry, etc. - and there is even a dedicated vegetarian food stand), we took the skytrain over to Bayoke Tower II, the tallest building in Bangkok, and a great place to get shots of the skyline. Unfortunately, we made it to the tower after sunset, so all of our shots have completely black skies, but we think that under the circumstances, we did an admirable job taking some pictures. Since the observation points from the tower are all indoors, we had to contend with smudges on the windows, reflection from the glass, and no great place to set up the camera so that it would stay steady during the long exposure. We Jerry-rigged a mini studio for our ILC by placing it on a window ledge for stability, jamming our point-and-shoot camera underneath it so that it would tilt down (a makeshift ballhead if you may), and then blocking out reflections from the inside using Avi's black rain coat. Here is what came out of all of that:

The next day we decided to finally hit up the most famous tourist spots and so we made our way over to Wat Pho temple and the royal palace compound. In all honesty, seeing Wat Pho was not much different than seeing the umpteen temples we had visited prior, except for everything at Wat Pho seemed to be an order of magnitude larger than everywhere else. There were more golden Buddha statues, more colorful chedis and stuppas, and finally, a reclining Buddha that is the largest in Thailand.

Wat Pho Chedis

Buddha Statues Lining the Grounds

The Large Reclining Buddha Statue

Rach At the Statue's Feet

Devotees Praying At One of the Shrines In Wat Pho

The Royal Palace was also a typical highly-trafficked tourist spot, that is to say, expensive to get in, but pretty cool to see. Besides the royal residence, the complex contains many other government buildings and Wat Phra Kaew - the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, named for the jade Buddha statue that it houses.

The Golden Stuppa of Wat Phra Kaew

Royal Palace Building

Another Shot

From the palace, we made a quick trip back to Khao San Road to pick up some "Ray-Bans" and to revisit a favorite noodle stand of ours.

Khao San Road

We spent our last day in Bangkok lounging around Siam Square and catching a matinee of the new Batman movie (because when will we be able to spend only $3 on movie tickets again). We then took the skytrain to the airport and killed some time playing cards until our 3 AM check-in for our flight.

Our Last Street Food Update:

It's short, but we wanted to squeeze just a few more items here: