This city is dirty, crowded, touristy and a place you don’t want to look behind the curtain. And yet, I didn’t hate it. Before we arrived we had heard only bad things about Bangkok. I think my expectations were so low and scary that I was pleasantly surprised how much I liked it, not saying I’d want to live there, but it was much more bearable than I expected. My brother and I had familiar company for that week of our trip with my college roommate meeting up with us for a few play days in Bangkok then heading down to the southern beaches.
We started with touring Wat Pho, one of the largest and oldest temple complexes in Bangkok and home to the Temple of Reclining Buddha. This Grand Palace is located in the old part of the city, and consists of two large gated complexes and is regularly packed with monks and tourists. Also a fun fact, Wat Pho is the birthplace of the first traditional Thai massage school. We had seen our fair share of temples at this point, but it was important to tour this magnificent landmark.
Before we went up to Northern Thailand we had a day in Bangkok waiting for our night bus. We noticed crowds of political demonstrations such as speeches and festive looking events, and we thought nothing of it. Possibly a national holiday of sorts. Upon our return to Bangkok we found out the demonstrations has significantly escalated causing streets to shut down due to the antigovernment mobs. The protests had not become violent yet, but the crowds made it very difficult to get around the city, even causing us to miss our flight out the next day. (http://world.time.com/2014/01/21/bangkok-shutdown-explained/)
Before we went up to Northern Thailand we had a day in Bangkok waiting for our night bus. We noticed crowds of political demonstrations such as speeches and festive looking events, and we thought nothing of it. Possibly a national holiday of sorts. Upon our return to Bangkok we found out the demonstrations has significantly escalated causing streets to shut down due to the antigovernment mobs. The protests had not become violent yet, but the crowds made it very difficult to get around the city, even causing us to miss our flight out the next day. (http://world.time.com/2014/01/21/bangkok-shutdown-explained/)
That night we hit the town. We decided to start our evening with a sky high cocktail at Sky Bar. With their recent claim to fame being the filming location for The Hangover II, the bar was crowded with high rollers. We looked slightly out of place, but still enjoyed a fancy drink overlooking the city.
I think we went to another part of town, and maybe a club, might have hung out with a monkey and a Russian but there’s no way to know for sure… Bangkok has them now.
I think we went to another part of town, and maybe a club, might have hung out with a monkey and a Russian but there’s no way to know for sure… Bangkok has them now.
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