Tag: bangkok

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A very festive farewell to Bangkok

The next morning, we get to wake up late since the bus doesn’t depart from Pattaya until 10 a.m., but after a long week of early mornings, there is no amount of enough sleep and even waking up at 9 a.m. feels too early. After a big breakfast, we board the bus and head back to Bangkok, where everyone is excited for a big night out on Khao San Road again before our free and final day in the city.

After we arrive in Bangkok that afternoon, our group of eight gets together and we split up in cabs and head to Khao San Road. Since it’s early when we get there, only around 8 p.m. or so, the bars aren’t in full swing yet so we spend our time cruising the food stands, buying cheap tourist souvenirs, eating bugs  of every variety as well as scorpion on a stick.

Our tour group friends. (Courtesy of Natalie Hecker)

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From the gold of the Grand Palace to the grime of Chinatown

I’m feeling pretty tired still today – now equipped with a hangover too thanks to our stint on Khao San Road last night – but Mike and I have booked the Landmarks of Bangkok and boat ride tour along the River of the King and I’m feeling a bit more at home in this city of complete pandemonium.

We head to the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew first, which is full of head-to-toe gold buildings and temples, adorned with diamonds, intricate murals and Buddhas. Most entering Thai visitors – our guide, P.A., included – are wearing black even in the sweltering heat as they are mourning the king, who died a few months ago.

The Grand Palace. (Photo by Jenna Intersimone)

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Tuk-tuks, temples and tours in Thailand

Following an hour drive to the airport, a 13-hour flight to Beijing, a four-hour layover plus a two-hour delay, a four-hour flight plus an additional two to three hours going through customs, finding our Affordable Asia pickup and driving to our Bangkok hotel, we had a two-hour sleep before waking up and hopping on the tour bus for a full morning and afternoon of touring.

Despite my delirium as we toured the Temple of Golden Buddha and the Temple of the Reclining Buddha, otherwise known as Wat Pho which is home to the world’s largest Buddha which measures 10-feet high, weighs over five tons and is worth an estimated $14 million, I realized as we walked around how accessible this trip really was.

Temple of the Golden Buddha. (Photo by Jenna Intersimone)

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Bangkok, a city of contradictions

Most cities, like people, have a distinct, characterizing personality that can be summed up in short, among from their several other outlying characteristics. Florence is an ancient, romantic city flooding with culture, the arts, history and luxury. New Orleans is a carefree, jolly city of free-flowing drinks, food and hospitality. San Juan is a colorful, sunny city made for those both looking for a big meal and big spending.

When my boyfriend Mike and I booked a 11-day trip to Thailand via Affordable Asia that included trips to Bangkok, Ayutthaya and Pattaya, I immediately got to work doing research on our various destinations, pouring over blogs, guidebooks and the few firsthand accounts I could find. However, I very quickly found myself running in circles. Information was few and far between and through all of the pieces that I read, I couldn’t define a clear picture of what it would look like in my head.

The streets of Bangkok. (Photo by Jenna Intersimone)

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