Thailand Diary: Bugs & Buckets In Bangkok

I've been a bit quiet on the blogging front these past few weeks, mainly because I've been spending my time exploring Thailand with my best friend. It was an amazing trip and I wish I could've stayed out there for longer. I plan on blogging about the places we visited starting with our first and final destination, Bangkok.

We left for the airport very early on a Saturday morning ready for a very long flight. We eventually landed in Bangkok at 8am on the Sunday, having had a stopover in Dubai for a few hours. We were very tired and looking forward to checking into our first hotel. The first place we stayed was FuramaXclusive Sathorn, a lovely hotel in Silom which was just £15 each for the night. The air conditioning was amazing, the rooms were large and beds were comfy. As we'd arrived before check in time we were allowed to leave our bags with reception once we'd had a quick freshen up in the pool changing area. Whilst we waited for the room to be prepared we decided to take a quick walk to gather our bearings. Just around the corner from the hotel we came across a restaurant called 'The Foodie' where we decided to have our first Thai cuisine for lunch. The food was incredibly cheap and very tasty, I opted for a Chicken, Basil and Chilli stir fry whilst Loriley headed straight for the Green Curry.

First on our to-do list was booking an overnight train to Chiang Mai for the following night. We made it to Hua Lamphong Train Station having taken the Sky Train and Metro to get there. I was really impressed with their transport system, it was only £1 to get to our destination. Much cheaper than the price of tuk-tuks and taxis with full air con and plenty of space to stand or sit. London Tubes take note! Once we'd arrived at the station we were shocked to discover that the train had already been fully booked. With our trip in Chiang Mai already booked and paid for we began to panic slightly as we needed to be there by Tuesday evening. Having noticed us flapping a bit, a member of staff from the train station very helpfully took us to a part in the station where you could book night buses and luckily we nabbed a spot. It turned out that although more expensive the night bus would be a quicker and comfier option than the train (comfier being based on previous overnight trains I've travelled on before).

Outside the station was the usual gaggle of tuk-tuk drivers, all calling out in hope you'll decide to jump in theirs. Although we liked the metro system we figured it was time to take our first tuk-tuk ride to our next destination, Chatuchak Market. It was a bumpy ride to say the least, but pretty exhilarating speeding along with the wind in your hair. This was our first visit to Chatuchak Market and we discovered the second time that it was actually a lot bigger than we first realised. Bustling stalls were laden with clothes, jewellery and souvenirs to name a few. Our first visit saw us buying a few pairs of comfy trousers for our trip and some sunglasses, but on returning we found out it was also good for buying presents for back home too.

We were getting pretty tired by this point and having had a quick nap at the hotel we decided that we would visit Khao San Road that night for a quick drink. The evening didn't start particularly well as I fell asleep in the taxi on the way there. My bleary eyes were greeted by a noisy street filled with music, people and stalls. There were stalls offering fried bugs, people waiting outside bars to try and lure you in with their extensive cocktail list and a few shops offering cheap massages. We wandered up and down before settling on a bar and ordering a bucket each.

The mix of alcohol filled us with some sort of bravado and we somehow ended up back at the fried bug stall. Loriley plucked up the courage first and chowed down on a grasshopper. Having seen her eat it I figured it couldn't be so bad, but I don't think it quite hit me till a few chews in when I realised I'd eaten a bug and I couldn't swallow its creepy little legs. We should definitely have bought water beforehand! The worst part was later on when I was having a massage. I ran my tongue between my lips and gums and found a stray leg, ew! Having shared some shisha with some fellow travellers and drunk a few more beers we had a drunken tuk-tuk ride back the to hotel. Despite having been shattered before going out we managed to stay out till 5am! Needless to say we crashed pretty much as soon as our heads hit the pillow.

 

The following day, despite being horrifically hungover, we made it to Wat Arun (also known as Temple of the Dawn). The ferry ride was interesting with a spinning head I can tell you! As soon as we reached the temple it hit me for the first time that we were actually in Thailand. It tends to take a while for me to realise I'm actually in another country! With the temple looming ahead I was blown away by it's size and the intricacy of the design, adorned by flowers and patterns that were only truly visible when you got closer to it. We climbed the steep stairs to the tippy top (quite difficult in a maxi dress) and were greeted by a great view of Bangkok and the river. I managed to lose Loriley at this point, how I don't know. We both spent quite a while walking in circles round the small top of the Temple trying to find each other!

Thinking ahead we chose to have an early dinner and headed for Dam Noen Klang Nuea Alley which we had discovered the night before. Running parallel to Khao San Road it had a bounty of restaurants to choose from. The one we eventually settled upon had a charming Koi Carp pond and waterfall in the back, the food was delicious but sadly the service was very, very slow. Time was getting on and we were beginning to worry we would miss our night bus. We made it to the station by the skin of our teeth and settled in for what would be a fairly bumpy ride. Surprisingly I actually got a couple of hours sleep and was comfier in a reclining seat that I had imagined.

We didn't stay in Bangkok for particularly long, partly due to our trip in Chiang Mai and also as there were still protests going on. I'd love to go back and visit the city someday and explore it further and there's just so much to do and see there.