Bangkok

Our route South-East Asia 2016

Well here we are, about to take off for 6 weeks travel around Southeast Asia. The countries we will visit are Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia in that order.

Our mode of travel on this trip will be aeroplane, bus, train and boat, with lots of tuk tuks in between.

Departing Wellington on 11 March 2016, we had an uneventful 4 hr flight to Sydney, followed by 10 hr (approx) flight to Bangkok.

Bangkok is the capital of the Kingdom of Thailand which was once known as Siam.

We landed at Suvarnabhumi Airport (pronounced "soo-wanna-poom") amid a huge crowd. However, we didn't require visas, so managed to get through customs fairly quickly, then found the efficient airport train.

Sunset on the Chao Phraya River, Bangkok

After a quick 30-minute train ride, we arrived at Phaya Thai, the last train station on the airport line.

We had been to Bangkok a couple of times previously, so on this trip we opted to stay in an area of Bangkok that we hadn't stayed in before. This was not hard as the place is absolutely huge, and teeming with around 11 million people.

Fortunately for us they weren’t all on the train; but at least half of them were on the road, as we found out when we grabbed a tuk tuk from the station to our hotel.

Phra Sumen Fort

We were staying at the Navalai River Resort on the Chao Phraya River, and eventually arrived there at around 5.30 pm, just in time to catch a lovely sunset.

We were still in flight mode with some energy to burn, so we headed out to explore in the fading light.

We walked along the river bank to catch the breezes. On the way, we came across the beautifully lit and ancient, Phra Sumen Fort. It’s an unusual octagon shape, and dates back to the reign of King Rama I.

Taking a break at the Lucky Buddha Pagoda

After wandering a bit more, we gave in to tiredness and walked back to the hotel for dinner and a good sleep.

The next morning, we enjoyed a wonderful breakfast sitting in the open-air restaurant beside the River.

Then we grabbed a colourful express riverboat, and headed across the river to Rattanakosi, Bangkok’s Old City.

The floating houses on Bangkok canal

Walking around there, we saw many wats (temples) and monuments, including the interesting Lucky Buddha Pagoda.

Eventually, we ended up at Khao San Road. There were some tailor shops nearby, so we decided to get a couple of shirts made…as you do in Bangkok!

After making decisions on material, colour and style, we were measured up then given instructions to pick them up the next day. It was a very interesting experience. 

Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew

Really tired by now, we decided to go on a relaxing boat cruise along the Bangkok canals.

The breeze was lovely and it was so interesting to see the homes on stilts, floating restaurants, and a floating market.

The next day, we headed out again.

We visited the impressive Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew. Built in 1782, it was the home of Thai Kings and the Royal Court for around 150 years.

Grand Palace

In Wat Pra Kaew we saw the Emerald Buddha. This sacred image of Buddha was amazingly, carved from a single block of emerald.

We spent a few hours here as there was so much to see and it was all so beautiful with its ornate roof tops, carvings and gold stupas.

Carrying on, we also visited Wat Arun (the Temple of Dawn), a beautiful temple with very ornate carvings.

Reclining Buddha (and his large feet) at Wat Pho

Then we visited Wat Pho. This is the Temple of the Reclining Buddha which is an amazing 45 metres long and 15 metres high.

By now it was nearing closing time so we headed off to pick up our shirts.

Oh dear, either we had gotten much fatter in 24 hours, or they had measured us incorrectly.

Not to be out-bargained, we negotiated an agreement whereby they would sort out the sizing, and the shirts would be delivered to our hotel before we left Bangkok the next day.

And…. guess what…. they were, and they look really good. Folding our beautiful new shirts into our backpack, we hurriedly grabbed a taxi to the Mo Chit bus station to get to our next destination, which is the Khao Yai National Park, around 175 km northeast of Bangkok.