From the airport, we took a taxi (150 THB) to Banglamphu. This is a tourist area with a huge number of cheap hotels and restaurants. After visiting a few of them, we realized that prices vary greatly, ranging from 100 to 600 THB. The price largely depends on the standard. Rooms without air conditioning are half the price of those equipped with this wonderful device – wonderful, especially in May when temperatures reach 40 degrees with very high humidity. The owners of guesthouses and hotels were not very inclined to negotiate prices. Any possible discounts were rather symbolic.
In the evening, we had a wonderful fish for dinner with a less wonderful beer. Thai cuisine, from the first meal to the last, was amazing. So far I’ve visited several parts of the world and Thai cuisine is the best. Much better than Polish. After the meal, we went for a well-deserved rest. The next day we start sightseeing.
Our plans were big, but the execution was very modest. It turned out that the next day was a holiday in Thailand and we had to change our plans. Instead of the Imperial Palace, we visited Chinatown. This is a very busy part of the city. It is mostly inhabited by Chinese people. Along the street there are lots of small shops and restaurants. In one of them we had a very tasty lunch and then went to bed.
The next day we had to make up for the holiday sightseeing backlog. Early in the morning we set off to conquer the Grand Palace. The impression is overwhelming. I had never seen such opulence before. Most of the buildings are beautifully designed and crafted. They shine with gold and precious stones. Within the complex there is a temple with the Emerald Buddha. The small statue is probably the most important pilgrimage point for Thais.
It’s worth remembering to prepare properly for visiting the Grand Palace. Due to the Buddhist temples, appropriate clothing is required. Clothing covering the knees and shoulders is necessary. This restriction applies to both women and men. After seeing the dazzling palace, we went to the nearby Wat Pho temple. The temple contains a huge statue of a reclining Buddha. The feet are taller than a human and are decorated with 108 drawings.
One evening we spent on the famous erotic street Phat Pong. Apart from go-go clubs, prostitutes and transvestites accosting potential customers on the street, there were market stalls set up. The whole thing looked more like a bazaar than a red light street.
I visit Bangkok roughly every 10 years. I really like returning to my favorite capital. When traveling around the world, I try to avoid so-called megacities. Bangkok is one of the few exceptions. I really like this city and over the last dozen or so years I’ve noticed changes for the better. The road infrastructure is developing, they have a wonderful metro, skyline, highways that run above buildings. On the streets, as usual, there are lots of cars, but the brands are changing. Earlier I remember mainly Japanese cars, Toyota dominated. Now, in addition to this world-famous brand, Chinese cars are commonly seen on the streets of Bangkok, primarily those producing electric vehicles such as BYD or MD. We spent several days in Bangkok focusing mainly on the sights I had seen before. For Monika it was new. She really liked the Grand Palace, Wat Pho. Although Bangkok is a big, noisy city, a few days’ stay wasn’t tiring for us.
Khao San Road, the famous backpacker street, has changed significantly in recent years. 10, 15 years ago the famous street was a mecca for backpackers aged 20-30. Young travelers would get drunk in bars located every few steps until they passed out. In the second decade of the 21st century, while you can meet young people on Khao San Road, the local bars are mainly occupied by my peers, people aged 50+. Drinking beer, they nostalgically recall the times of their youth 20-30 years ago, when they first visited the bars on Khao San Road.
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