Tamara's Adventuresome February Thailand/Cambodia Trip! Several posts on this thread!
Mar 8th, 2006, 08:23 PM
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Tamara's Adventuresome February Thailand/Cambodia Trip! Several posts on this thread!
It has been one week and four days since we returned from our Thailand/Cambodia trip. Some of you may recall a post that I made before I left titled “Tamara’s Upcoming Thailand Trip: Dark Cloud Hanging Over It”. My dear friend Gloria, a breast cancer survivor, had been diagnosed with liver cancer and the prognosis was 3-9 months to live.
One week before we left Gloria went in for a chemo treatment and had to be admitted to the hospital due to very low white blood cell count. 3 days before we left the doctor took her husband and I aside and told us her liver was failing and she had maybe 3 weeks left. We were devastated. Her mom and her husband insisted I leave for my trip. It is with great sadness that I report that she died on Feb. 6th, two days into my trip, 4 days before her 50th birthday. I am thankful to her family that they waited until I returned to have the memorial.
We arrived in Bangkok on Sunday, Feb. 5th at about noon. Needless to say, Gloria’s death changed the mood of my trip significantly. We missed out on many things because I could only sit in our room, grieving over the death of one of my dearest friends in the world. At this point I am considering going back to Thailand in November so I can fully appreciate all it has to offer.
Now, with all that being said, I will post my trip report that many of you have been anticipating. Andy, thanks for the extension on the due date for my post! ;-) Karen, you put me to shame by posting so soon after your return!
I will post the photos soon. I have photographs of most of our accommodations as well. If you need them right away I will post them but they won’t be titled.
Bangkok:
Flight - We flew EVA Evergreen Deluxe from Portland, OR to Bangkok. This was well worth the extra $250 each RT! The seats were roomy with ample recline although the footrest on the seat was definitely not designed with tall farangs in mind! It has been said before and we will confirm that the food borders on inedible. I am glad we brought some trail mix along. The cost for our flight was $1250 or so per person.
Arrival at BKK - Do not purchase your taxi fare in the inside area where there are several transportation stands. These will cost you 700 baht, double what you will pay at the taxi stand outside. Walk outside and line up at the Taxi Stand. You will see it when you walk outside. The fare will be about 350 baht. The toll freeway is worth the extra 50 baht.
Centre Pointe Silom Serviced Apartment – We highly recommend this place!! Our 1 bedroom apartment was about 800 sq ft. We requested a top floor so we were up on the 19th floor with great views of the city. Large living room with stereo and big TV, full galley style kitchen, huge bedroom with sitting area and a big marble bathroom with shower and a separate bath tub. We paid $80 US including breakfast and tax. We both enjoyed the breakfast here as well. There were lots of western options along with some great Thai dishes every morning. It is well located very close to the sky train and the water taxi. http://www.centrepoint.com/Virtual/Silom_OneBR.aspx
Asia Hotel: We decided to stay an extra night in Bangkok so we changed our flight. Unfortunately, the Centre Point Silom was full so we transferred to the Asia Hotel. Not a bad place but not as nice as the Centre Point and the cost was the same per night. I think it would have been cheaper if we had booked in advance over the internet. The location is great since it is literally connected to the sky train!
I am not entirely happy with this place but it was partly my fault. First of all, they charged us for breakfast even though we told them we were going to check out at 5:30 a.m. and breakfast didn’t start until 6:00. I didn’t look closely at the bill until it was too late to do anything about it. $80 per night
They also arranged an airport taxi for our flight and charged us 700 baht. I was tired and hung over from over indulgence the previous night so I didn’t look for other options. It should have only been a 350 baht ride to the airport.
The Davis Hotel: We stayed here at the end of our trip. This is a nice hotel but it definitely caters to the business traveler and the room wasn’t terribly exciting. The location was ok. It is not right on the sky train but they offer a tuk tuk ride to the sky train and it leaves every ˝ hour. You will need to catch a cab back. Breakfast choices included western and Asian dishes but it wasn’t as good as the Centre Point breakfast and service was a bit impersonal. I would not stay there again. $80 per night
Sites and Neighborhoods:
Getting to Wat Pho via River Taxi – We walked to Central Pier to catch the water taxi which is about a 5 minute walk from Centre Point Silom. There are many different types of boats so this can be confusing at first. There is a small billboard that explains the different types of taxi boats. The express boats don’t stop at every stop so make sure you get on the correct boat. Once you board someone will come by and request 5-25 baht depending on what type of boat and what time of the day. It is amazing that these people can keep track of who has paid and who hasn’t! Try to avoid rush hour crush! You will feel like a sardine in a tin can!
Wat Pho – The reclining Buddha is a site to behold. Unfortunately it is very crowded. Near the feet you can pay 100 baht for a handful of coins and drop these into black buckets that are lined up along the back of the reclining Buddha. I did take note that there are a couple of nationalities that consistently show disregard to the dress code when entering a Wat. I won’t mention which nationalities but for those of you that travel frequently I am sure you know the answer. We spent about 1 ˝ hours here.
Wat Arun – Much quieter than Wat Pho although we weren’t there at dawn or dusk as is recommended by the guide books. It might be busier during those times. We spent about ˝ an hour here.
Grand Palace – This is truly grand! If you only have one day in Bangkok I would put this at the top of your list! We took the river taxi and arrived at about 8:25, before the gate opened. There were a few others coming in at this time but we were able to explore without the crowds and heat that midday visitors would experience. We spent about 3 hours here.
Jim Thompson House – This is a beautiful old teak house filled with antiques. I wanted to move in! There is a compulsory ˝ hour tour that runs every 15 minutes. The café is a must for lunch! More about the café under “Libations and Chow”.
China Town – As others have mentioned, China town is a must see even if you have explored China towns in other major cities. It is congested, polluted, crowded, an assault on your senses and absolutely fascinating! We wandered around here for a couple of hours before heading back to our hotel for a shower and a break from the sweltering heat. Did I mention it is HOT?!
Khao San Road: After we left the JT house we didn’t have any plans. We noticed that there was a klong at the end of the road. We took a look at our map and discovered that this klong would let us off near Khao San Road. We took a left out of the JT house and then took a right along the klong to the taxi stop. We boarded the boat for our adventure!
The skipper of the boat raises a tarp up the sides of the boat to protect the passengers from the foul water. When the captain gets close to the next stop the tarp is lowered so people can get on and off. There is also a roof on these boats to protect from the sun. We were amazed when the roof started to come down toward our heads in order for the boat to go under a very low bridge!
Khao San Road is really an unusual experience and a feast for the senses. We wandered around for a bit before stopping for a couple of cold ones at a bar with a big outdoor area right along Khao San Rd. We ended up meeting a group of crazy guys that forced us to drink too many margaritas! We had a grand time watching the world go by as we visited with our new friends. We arrived at this bar around 4:00 in the afternoon and neither of us has any idea what time we took a cab back to the Asia Hotel! We also don’t have any idea what the name of the bar was. Blame it on Jose Cuervo!
More to follow on this same thread...
One week before we left Gloria went in for a chemo treatment and had to be admitted to the hospital due to very low white blood cell count. 3 days before we left the doctor took her husband and I aside and told us her liver was failing and she had maybe 3 weeks left. We were devastated. Her mom and her husband insisted I leave for my trip. It is with great sadness that I report that she died on Feb. 6th, two days into my trip, 4 days before her 50th birthday. I am thankful to her family that they waited until I returned to have the memorial.
We arrived in Bangkok on Sunday, Feb. 5th at about noon. Needless to say, Gloria’s death changed the mood of my trip significantly. We missed out on many things because I could only sit in our room, grieving over the death of one of my dearest friends in the world. At this point I am considering going back to Thailand in November so I can fully appreciate all it has to offer.
Now, with all that being said, I will post my trip report that many of you have been anticipating. Andy, thanks for the extension on the due date for my post! ;-) Karen, you put me to shame by posting so soon after your return!
I will post the photos soon. I have photographs of most of our accommodations as well. If you need them right away I will post them but they won’t be titled.
Bangkok:
Flight - We flew EVA Evergreen Deluxe from Portland, OR to Bangkok. This was well worth the extra $250 each RT! The seats were roomy with ample recline although the footrest on the seat was definitely not designed with tall farangs in mind! It has been said before and we will confirm that the food borders on inedible. I am glad we brought some trail mix along. The cost for our flight was $1250 or so per person.
Arrival at BKK - Do not purchase your taxi fare in the inside area where there are several transportation stands. These will cost you 700 baht, double what you will pay at the taxi stand outside. Walk outside and line up at the Taxi Stand. You will see it when you walk outside. The fare will be about 350 baht. The toll freeway is worth the extra 50 baht.
Centre Pointe Silom Serviced Apartment – We highly recommend this place!! Our 1 bedroom apartment was about 800 sq ft. We requested a top floor so we were up on the 19th floor with great views of the city. Large living room with stereo and big TV, full galley style kitchen, huge bedroom with sitting area and a big marble bathroom with shower and a separate bath tub. We paid $80 US including breakfast and tax. We both enjoyed the breakfast here as well. There were lots of western options along with some great Thai dishes every morning. It is well located very close to the sky train and the water taxi. http://www.centrepoint.com/Virtual/Silom_OneBR.aspx
Asia Hotel: We decided to stay an extra night in Bangkok so we changed our flight. Unfortunately, the Centre Point Silom was full so we transferred to the Asia Hotel. Not a bad place but not as nice as the Centre Point and the cost was the same per night. I think it would have been cheaper if we had booked in advance over the internet. The location is great since it is literally connected to the sky train!
I am not entirely happy with this place but it was partly my fault. First of all, they charged us for breakfast even though we told them we were going to check out at 5:30 a.m. and breakfast didn’t start until 6:00. I didn’t look closely at the bill until it was too late to do anything about it. $80 per night
They also arranged an airport taxi for our flight and charged us 700 baht. I was tired and hung over from over indulgence the previous night so I didn’t look for other options. It should have only been a 350 baht ride to the airport.
The Davis Hotel: We stayed here at the end of our trip. This is a nice hotel but it definitely caters to the business traveler and the room wasn’t terribly exciting. The location was ok. It is not right on the sky train but they offer a tuk tuk ride to the sky train and it leaves every ˝ hour. You will need to catch a cab back. Breakfast choices included western and Asian dishes but it wasn’t as good as the Centre Point breakfast and service was a bit impersonal. I would not stay there again. $80 per night
Sites and Neighborhoods:
Getting to Wat Pho via River Taxi – We walked to Central Pier to catch the water taxi which is about a 5 minute walk from Centre Point Silom. There are many different types of boats so this can be confusing at first. There is a small billboard that explains the different types of taxi boats. The express boats don’t stop at every stop so make sure you get on the correct boat. Once you board someone will come by and request 5-25 baht depending on what type of boat and what time of the day. It is amazing that these people can keep track of who has paid and who hasn’t! Try to avoid rush hour crush! You will feel like a sardine in a tin can!
Wat Pho – The reclining Buddha is a site to behold. Unfortunately it is very crowded. Near the feet you can pay 100 baht for a handful of coins and drop these into black buckets that are lined up along the back of the reclining Buddha. I did take note that there are a couple of nationalities that consistently show disregard to the dress code when entering a Wat. I won’t mention which nationalities but for those of you that travel frequently I am sure you know the answer. We spent about 1 ˝ hours here.
Wat Arun – Much quieter than Wat Pho although we weren’t there at dawn or dusk as is recommended by the guide books. It might be busier during those times. We spent about ˝ an hour here.
Grand Palace – This is truly grand! If you only have one day in Bangkok I would put this at the top of your list! We took the river taxi and arrived at about 8:25, before the gate opened. There were a few others coming in at this time but we were able to explore without the crowds and heat that midday visitors would experience. We spent about 3 hours here.
Jim Thompson House – This is a beautiful old teak house filled with antiques. I wanted to move in! There is a compulsory ˝ hour tour that runs every 15 minutes. The café is a must for lunch! More about the café under “Libations and Chow”.
China Town – As others have mentioned, China town is a must see even if you have explored China towns in other major cities. It is congested, polluted, crowded, an assault on your senses and absolutely fascinating! We wandered around here for a couple of hours before heading back to our hotel for a shower and a break from the sweltering heat. Did I mention it is HOT?!
Khao San Road: After we left the JT house we didn’t have any plans. We noticed that there was a klong at the end of the road. We took a look at our map and discovered that this klong would let us off near Khao San Road. We took a left out of the JT house and then took a right along the klong to the taxi stop. We boarded the boat for our adventure!
The skipper of the boat raises a tarp up the sides of the boat to protect the passengers from the foul water. When the captain gets close to the next stop the tarp is lowered so people can get on and off. There is also a roof on these boats to protect from the sun. We were amazed when the roof started to come down toward our heads in order for the boat to go under a very low bridge!
Khao San Road is really an unusual experience and a feast for the senses. We wandered around for a bit before stopping for a couple of cold ones at a bar with a big outdoor area right along Khao San Rd. We ended up meeting a group of crazy guys that forced us to drink too many margaritas! We had a grand time watching the world go by as we visited with our new friends. We arrived at this bar around 4:00 in the afternoon and neither of us has any idea what time we took a cab back to the Asia Hotel! We also don’t have any idea what the name of the bar was. Blame it on Jose Cuervo!
More to follow on this same thread...
Mar 8th, 2006, 08:27 PM
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Libations and Chow:
Sky Bar for a Drink – The sky bar is located in the State Tower Building at the very top. I beer will run you close to $8 a pop but the view and ambiance are well worth the splurge! The bar sits at the corner of the large outdoor area adjacent to the Sirocco restaurant. The bar is illuminated and the lights change color. There is a dress code but semi casual is no problem. I wore capri pants a blouse and sandals and Peter wore long khakis and a polo shirt.
Sirocco restaurant for dinner – Also located at the top of the State Tower Bldg. We didn’t have reservations but we only waited about 10 minutes for a table. High above the busy streets below, the air is cooler, quieter and it even seems cleaner. This restaurant is the perfect place for a romantic dinner. I had a Caesar salad and Peter had the lobster bisque as a starter. Both of these were delicious! I had snapper, which was mediocre at best, but Peter’s prawn dish was incredible! Dinner for 2 ran us about $150 including two beers for Peter and one beer for me. Very expensive for Bangkok. I don’t think I would dine here again although we didn’t regret it.
Jim Thompson Café – Great food and beautiful elegant décor! I am still dreaming of that pomelo salad! I tried to make it at home but we can only find red pomelo and it just isn’t the same. If anyone has the recipe book for the JT house please forward the pomelo salad recipe my way! I will eat here again on my next visit.
Rosebieng Restaurant – What really stood out about this place were the guests. Most of the tables had much older men paired with, you guessed it, very young beautiful Thai girls. It is a fairly nice restaurant and apparently a good place to impress a “date”.
The food was very good although it was almost too spicy. I had the steamed squid with lime, garlic and peppers. The portions were very large and the food and service were good.
Bed Supper Club – We stopped in here for cocktails after dinner one night. We really enjoyed this place! I am not sure what it is about bars in Bangkok but this one also had lights that would change colors every 15 seconds or so. It is a trendy club filled with beautiful people. A good mix of Thais and tourists.
We watched a very interesting interaction between a beautiful young Thai girl and a western guy. I called it spider and fly. The young lady was flaunting herself very close to this young guy. He kept watching her until finally he spoke to her. Within minutes she had her arms around his waist, pulling him close. He must have found out she wanted money because within ˝ hour he disengaged himself and moved out the spider’s web. Entertainment at its best!
Tawandaeng Brewery – This is another place I will be sure to go back to! A Thai businessman owns it but the brewer is from Dusseldorf. It is a HUGE place and it fills up by about 7:00 pm on the weekend. The food was better than we expected and the beer was decent. Very tall tubes of beer with keg type taps on them are delivered to the tables serving larger parties but you can also order the beer by the ˝ litre or litre. Live entertainment on stage kept things interesting. Mostly Thai hipster crowd. As we left we took note of the parking lot. It was full of brand new Mercedes and BMW’s.
I am sorry to say that we didn’t really experience the full gamut of restaurants while in Bangkok due to the time I spent grieving. I didn’t have much of an appetite.
Shopping:
Chatachuk Weekend Market – Great shopping here with some incredible bargains! There were very few tourists at this market, maybe 10% or so from what we could see. I recommend going early in the morning when the heat is still bearable. We arrived at about 10 and left by 1 or so.
MBK – We walked into this mall and right back out again after less than 5 minutes. Neither of us are big fans of malls. MBK didn’t impress us.
Siam Paragon: This is a huge new luxury mall that still has a lot of vacant space. Very upscale with beautiful things at prices high compared to the outdoor markets but the merchandise is top notch. We just walked in and checked it out for about ˝ an hour. Lots of older men walking around with very stylishly dressed beautiful Thai women. This phenomenon is seen in many places around Bangkok. I guess that there is something to be said about symbiotic relationships!
Transportation:
The sky train is fantastic! It is cool and efficient although it doesn’t extend to all of Bangkok. There are two lines and it will cost between 10-40 baht depending on what zone you are traveling to.
The river taxi is also a great way to get around. It is much cooler on the water than in the streets of Bangkok.
Don’t get taken by the tuk tuk drivers! They often request double what it would cost to take an air-conditioned metered taxi! They may tell you the fare is 200 baht for a short distance. We had this happen a couple of times but we just walked away and took a taxi.
Metered taxis are a great way to get around and very inexpensive. Every one that we rode in had air conditioning and it was a welcome relief.
Activities:
Yes, even an outdoor sport! We did a 4 hour bicycle tour with Amazing Bangkok Cycling. The owner is a Dutch guy named Michel and he was a hoot! You think we are crazy? I have to agree but we both said it was something we would do again. We met at the ABC along with 2 other people that were going on this tour. It was nice that it was a small group.
We began our ride through some back streets in Bangkok, stopped for a visit in a glove factory where we watched how gloves were made. No air conditioning in this work place, just fans and it was HOT! From there we rode through a fresh food market. In one stall there were fresh chickens with numbers on them. They could be ordered live and taken home to cook fresh that night. There were not tourists in this market and they all looked at us as if we were insane!
After riding to the river we carried our bikes on to a long tail boat to cross over the Chao Phraya River. Once we crossed over we were in a different world! We biked along narrow cement sidewalks that were raised above the canals about 6 feet or so. Let me tell you, these were not straight passages! They zigzagged like a high mountain pass and we would slow around every curve to make sure we didn’t hurl ourselves into the canal! We passed by rural homes for a couple of hours, taking in sites that I can’t even put into words. This was really one of our best days in Bangkok!
Along our bike route we stopped at small schools to watch the children play games, we had ice cream from a small bike driven cart and we drank a refreshing beverage at a tiny neighborhood grocery.
We rode through small streets that passed through banana groves and beautiful greenery.
On our way back to the bike place we rode our bikes through rush hour traffic. Talk about an adrenalin rush! We would weave in and out of the cars that were stopped at a traffic light and then as soon as the light turned green we peddled fast and furious in order to avoid asphyxiating on the fumes left behind from the cars. To no avail…
I will sum up our Bangkok trip with a few observations but I am happy to answer any questions.
Favorite things in Bangkok:
Bargain shopping at Chatachuk weekend market
The bike tour with Amazing Bangkok Cycling
Lunch at Jim Thompson Café
Tawandaeng Brewery
Drinks at the Sky Bar
Grand Palace
Drinks at BedSupper Club
People watching on Khao San Rd.
These things are not in order of preference but I added them to give you a sense of what we found most enjoyable. As you can see, I enjoyed MANY things in Bangkok!
Things we didn’t find time to do but hope to next time:
Day trip to floating market
Dinner at Harmonique
Suan Lum Night Bazaar (if it is still open when we visit again)
Visit to the Jim Thompson Outlet Store
Experience at one of the luxury movie theatres
Muay Thai kick boxing
Vimanmek Teak Mansion
Exploring the neighborhoods more
I will post more about our trip on this same thread in a couple of days. Next comes Ko Phi Phi and Krabi…
Sky Bar for a Drink – The sky bar is located in the State Tower Building at the very top. I beer will run you close to $8 a pop but the view and ambiance are well worth the splurge! The bar sits at the corner of the large outdoor area adjacent to the Sirocco restaurant. The bar is illuminated and the lights change color. There is a dress code but semi casual is no problem. I wore capri pants a blouse and sandals and Peter wore long khakis and a polo shirt.
Sirocco restaurant for dinner – Also located at the top of the State Tower Bldg. We didn’t have reservations but we only waited about 10 minutes for a table. High above the busy streets below, the air is cooler, quieter and it even seems cleaner. This restaurant is the perfect place for a romantic dinner. I had a Caesar salad and Peter had the lobster bisque as a starter. Both of these were delicious! I had snapper, which was mediocre at best, but Peter’s prawn dish was incredible! Dinner for 2 ran us about $150 including two beers for Peter and one beer for me. Very expensive for Bangkok. I don’t think I would dine here again although we didn’t regret it.
Jim Thompson Café – Great food and beautiful elegant décor! I am still dreaming of that pomelo salad! I tried to make it at home but we can only find red pomelo and it just isn’t the same. If anyone has the recipe book for the JT house please forward the pomelo salad recipe my way! I will eat here again on my next visit.
Rosebieng Restaurant – What really stood out about this place were the guests. Most of the tables had much older men paired with, you guessed it, very young beautiful Thai girls. It is a fairly nice restaurant and apparently a good place to impress a “date”.
The food was very good although it was almost too spicy. I had the steamed squid with lime, garlic and peppers. The portions were very large and the food and service were good.
Bed Supper Club – We stopped in here for cocktails after dinner one night. We really enjoyed this place! I am not sure what it is about bars in Bangkok but this one also had lights that would change colors every 15 seconds or so. It is a trendy club filled with beautiful people. A good mix of Thais and tourists.
We watched a very interesting interaction between a beautiful young Thai girl and a western guy. I called it spider and fly. The young lady was flaunting herself very close to this young guy. He kept watching her until finally he spoke to her. Within minutes she had her arms around his waist, pulling him close. He must have found out she wanted money because within ˝ hour he disengaged himself and moved out the spider’s web. Entertainment at its best!
Tawandaeng Brewery – This is another place I will be sure to go back to! A Thai businessman owns it but the brewer is from Dusseldorf. It is a HUGE place and it fills up by about 7:00 pm on the weekend. The food was better than we expected and the beer was decent. Very tall tubes of beer with keg type taps on them are delivered to the tables serving larger parties but you can also order the beer by the ˝ litre or litre. Live entertainment on stage kept things interesting. Mostly Thai hipster crowd. As we left we took note of the parking lot. It was full of brand new Mercedes and BMW’s.
I am sorry to say that we didn’t really experience the full gamut of restaurants while in Bangkok due to the time I spent grieving. I didn’t have much of an appetite.
Shopping:
Chatachuk Weekend Market – Great shopping here with some incredible bargains! There were very few tourists at this market, maybe 10% or so from what we could see. I recommend going early in the morning when the heat is still bearable. We arrived at about 10 and left by 1 or so.
MBK – We walked into this mall and right back out again after less than 5 minutes. Neither of us are big fans of malls. MBK didn’t impress us.
Siam Paragon: This is a huge new luxury mall that still has a lot of vacant space. Very upscale with beautiful things at prices high compared to the outdoor markets but the merchandise is top notch. We just walked in and checked it out for about ˝ an hour. Lots of older men walking around with very stylishly dressed beautiful Thai women. This phenomenon is seen in many places around Bangkok. I guess that there is something to be said about symbiotic relationships!
Transportation:
The sky train is fantastic! It is cool and efficient although it doesn’t extend to all of Bangkok. There are two lines and it will cost between 10-40 baht depending on what zone you are traveling to.
The river taxi is also a great way to get around. It is much cooler on the water than in the streets of Bangkok.
Don’t get taken by the tuk tuk drivers! They often request double what it would cost to take an air-conditioned metered taxi! They may tell you the fare is 200 baht for a short distance. We had this happen a couple of times but we just walked away and took a taxi.
Metered taxis are a great way to get around and very inexpensive. Every one that we rode in had air conditioning and it was a welcome relief.
Activities:
Yes, even an outdoor sport! We did a 4 hour bicycle tour with Amazing Bangkok Cycling. The owner is a Dutch guy named Michel and he was a hoot! You think we are crazy? I have to agree but we both said it was something we would do again. We met at the ABC along with 2 other people that were going on this tour. It was nice that it was a small group.
We began our ride through some back streets in Bangkok, stopped for a visit in a glove factory where we watched how gloves were made. No air conditioning in this work place, just fans and it was HOT! From there we rode through a fresh food market. In one stall there were fresh chickens with numbers on them. They could be ordered live and taken home to cook fresh that night. There were not tourists in this market and they all looked at us as if we were insane!
After riding to the river we carried our bikes on to a long tail boat to cross over the Chao Phraya River. Once we crossed over we were in a different world! We biked along narrow cement sidewalks that were raised above the canals about 6 feet or so. Let me tell you, these were not straight passages! They zigzagged like a high mountain pass and we would slow around every curve to make sure we didn’t hurl ourselves into the canal! We passed by rural homes for a couple of hours, taking in sites that I can’t even put into words. This was really one of our best days in Bangkok!
Along our bike route we stopped at small schools to watch the children play games, we had ice cream from a small bike driven cart and we drank a refreshing beverage at a tiny neighborhood grocery.
We rode through small streets that passed through banana groves and beautiful greenery.
On our way back to the bike place we rode our bikes through rush hour traffic. Talk about an adrenalin rush! We would weave in and out of the cars that were stopped at a traffic light and then as soon as the light turned green we peddled fast and furious in order to avoid asphyxiating on the fumes left behind from the cars. To no avail…
I will sum up our Bangkok trip with a few observations but I am happy to answer any questions.
Favorite things in Bangkok:
Bargain shopping at Chatachuk weekend market
The bike tour with Amazing Bangkok Cycling
Lunch at Jim Thompson Café
Tawandaeng Brewery
Drinks at the Sky Bar
Grand Palace
Drinks at BedSupper Club
People watching on Khao San Rd.
These things are not in order of preference but I added them to give you a sense of what we found most enjoyable. As you can see, I enjoyed MANY things in Bangkok!
Things we didn’t find time to do but hope to next time:
Day trip to floating market
Dinner at Harmonique
Suan Lum Night Bazaar (if it is still open when we visit again)
Visit to the Jim Thompson Outlet Store
Experience at one of the luxury movie theatres
Muay Thai kick boxing
Vimanmek Teak Mansion
Exploring the neighborhoods more
I will post more about our trip on this same thread in a couple of days. Next comes Ko Phi Phi and Krabi…
Mar 9th, 2006, 12:43 AM
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Tamara - I am so sorry that your friend passed away. It must be a devastating loss. Making the decision to go to Thailand must have been very difficult, but I think your friend Gloria would have wanted you to go and live life to the full. It sounds as though you did that, even if you perhaps didn't do as much as you had planned in the circumstances.
Lovely detailed trip report btw, looking forward to your next adventure.
Thinking of you
BB
Lovely detailed trip report btw, looking forward to your next adventure.
Thinking of you
BB
Mar 9th, 2006, 02:00 AM
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Tamara-I'm sorry to hear of Gloria's passing. My mother died two weeks before our first trip to Thailand. I took some solace in the Buddhist attitude towards life and death.
Your report is wonderful. It conveys your delight in the magic of BKK. I look forward to the other locations.
Your report is wonderful. It conveys your delight in the magic of BKK. I look forward to the other locations.
Mar 9th, 2006, 02:03 AM
#5
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Tamara,
I am sorry to read of your sad loss of your dear friend.
Thank you for posting so fully in the circumstances and I am enjoying all the detail.
The bike tour sounds fantastic, but I can't imagine pedalling through that traffic. It sounds like you saw a side of Bangkok that is somewhat off the tourist trail. I hope you kept your mouth firmly shut on that klong ride from JT House. Despite the tarps on the sides, I was still splashed with that foul water. Did you notice the hard helmets the boatmen wear? Do you think they have to duck to avoid the low bridges as they speed along?!
Looking forward to the rest of your report.
I am sorry to read of your sad loss of your dear friend.
Thank you for posting so fully in the circumstances and I am enjoying all the detail.
The bike tour sounds fantastic, but I can't imagine pedalling through that traffic. It sounds like you saw a side of Bangkok that is somewhat off the tourist trail. I hope you kept your mouth firmly shut on that klong ride from JT House. Despite the tarps on the sides, I was still splashed with that foul water. Did you notice the hard helmets the boatmen wear? Do you think they have to duck to avoid the low bridges as they speed along?!
Looking forward to the rest of your report.
Mar 9th, 2006, 05:02 AM
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BB, the reason I decided to go through with this trip is because I knew Gloria would have wanted me to go. It was on the top of her list of places to visit so I saw everything through her eyes.
Andy, you are spot on about finding comfort in the Buddhist way. The smiles each day warmed my heart!
Kippy, although riding bikes through Bangkok traffic was a harrowing experience, we both noticed how careful the cars were about NOT hitting us. Prior to this tour we had already been amazed that we had not been witness to any mishaps with all the different types of transportation vying to move forward through traffic.
Yes, we did take note of the helmut the skipper had on! I would guess those low bridges do have something to do with that!
Andy, you are spot on about finding comfort in the Buddhist way. The smiles each day warmed my heart!
Kippy, although riding bikes through Bangkok traffic was a harrowing experience, we both noticed how careful the cars were about NOT hitting us. Prior to this tour we had already been amazed that we had not been witness to any mishaps with all the different types of transportation vying to move forward through traffic.
Yes, we did take note of the helmut the skipper had on! I would guess those low bridges do have something to do with that!
Mar 9th, 2006, 07:41 AM
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Tamara so sorry to hear of your loss. Continuing with your trip was without doubt the right thing. Take care.
Thanks for your report you may be the one that has really convinced me to go for the Center Point to stay with all the great reports yours cap them off and will probably push me in that direction so Thank you. I have just skimmed over the rest of your report because I really should be working but I can see I am going to really enjoy reading it properly.
Thanks again J
Thanks for your report you may be the one that has really convinced me to go for the Center Point to stay with all the great reports yours cap them off and will probably push me in that direction so Thank you. I have just skimmed over the rest of your report because I really should be working but I can see I am going to really enjoy reading it properly.
Thanks again J
Mar 9th, 2006, 07:51 AM
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Jules, I will soon be posting photos of all our accomodations during our 3 week trip. I have some great ones of Centre Point so keep your eyes out.
I separated the accomodation photos from all my other photos so they will be easy to find.
I also separated the Thailand photos from the Cambodia photos.
I will be posting a link to them all as soon as I put captions on all of them!
Now, get back to work! ;-)
I separated the accomodation photos from all my other photos so they will be easy to find.
I also separated the Thailand photos from the Cambodia photos.
I will be posting a link to them all as soon as I put captions on all of them!
Now, get back to work! ;-)
Mar 9th, 2006, 08:05 AM
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Tamara,
I haven't read the report yet, I just want to say how sorry I am for the loss you have experienced. It was a hard decision for you and I hope you don't feel guilt.
Two years ago one of my sisters got very sick. One of her best friends was leaving for Egypt and actually debated not going to see how Elain was doing. But she urged to go on her trip anyway. Elain passed away while the friend was gone.
She called from Egypt to find out how Elain was doing. We didn't tell her because we didn't want her trying to get on the next plane home. We wanted her to finish her vacation and enjoy it.
There was lots of time to grieve when she returned.
I haven't read the report yet, I just want to say how sorry I am for the loss you have experienced. It was a hard decision for you and I hope you don't feel guilt.
Two years ago one of my sisters got very sick. One of her best friends was leaving for Egypt and actually debated not going to see how Elain was doing. But she urged to go on her trip anyway. Elain passed away while the friend was gone.
She called from Egypt to find out how Elain was doing. We didn't tell her because we didn't want her trying to get on the next plane home. We wanted her to finish her vacation and enjoy it.
There was lots of time to grieve when she returned.
Mar 9th, 2006, 08:15 AM
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Thanks Wayne. I am sorry for your loss as well.
I do not feel guilty about going. Gloria's mom and her husband urged me to go. I made them promise to tell me everything, no matter what and they held to their promise.
I couldn't have been in a better country when this took place. I really did find peace visiting the wats.
I will have to return to Thailand soon!
I do not feel guilty about going. Gloria's mom and her husband urged me to go. I made them promise to tell me everything, no matter what and they held to their promise.
I couldn't have been in a better country when this took place. I really did find peace visiting the wats.
I will have to return to Thailand soon!
Mar 9th, 2006, 10:29 AM
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Well, Bob, I had to repay the favor since you posted such a nice report on your last trip.
As I write this next chapter of our trip, it is SNOWING in Portland, OR!!!! We rarely get snow at any time of the year but this is March and it is extremely rare to get snow this late! It is a winter wonderland here with about 3 inches on the ground. I am dreaming of the tropical beaches of Thailand...
Ko Phi Phi:
For many years I have dreamed of staying in a bungalow on the beach in Thailand. Peter tends to like fancy accommodations and I tend to lean towards places with more character. I had to talk him into going a bit more rustic than usual and he was glad that I did on Ko Phi Phi!
We opted for simplicity while on this small island. There was little info to be found on Toh Ko Bungalows but we trusted our luck and booked this place for 2 nights. It seems I have an innate ability to “sense” out amazing accommodations on all of our trips.
This place is located on the eastern side of K0 Phi Phi Don and it is only accessible via long tail boat. The only accommodations on the beach are these bungalows and there are 20 of them. When the bungalows fill up they will put guests in tents on the beach. Our bungalow was literally a stones throw from the ocean!
The owner of Toh Ko Bungalows is a lovely lady named Pon. The most important thing on her agenda is making her guest feel at home and she does a fabulous job as a host! She kept teasing Peter about his buddha belly!
I can’t say enough about this place! It was truly a slice of paradise!
We ended up with the “superior” bungalow. It will sleep 4 people. There is a flush toilet and a cold water shower hose that you can use in the bathroom. It was very refreshing after spending a day in the ocean and sun. I think the cost was 800 Baht a night so about $20 US.
As I was researching this trip I had asked the question, “is air-conditioning a necessity in Thailand” and everyone said it was. I must disagree with this. We had an electric fan in our room and with the windows open it was very comfortable! We were lulled to sleep by the sound of the ocean!
There is a restaurant on the beach and the food is very good! Later in the evening everyone heads up to the beach bar about 100 yards away to top off the night. The people that were staying here were great! It is small enough that you get to know your neighbors quite well!
Pon has a longtail boat captain that will take you to other islands for 300 baht for several hours. We headed over to Ko Phi Phi Leh for some great snorkeling and, of course, a visit to “The Beach”. Personally, I could have skipped “The Beach”. We stopped at some other places that were much nicer.
On the way back the ocean was quite rough. Peter and another guy we met named David sat white knuckled as waves crashed over the boat while I laughed hysterically. I love roller coasters for the thrill and this was definitely a thrill equal to a mild rollercoaster! We were drenched to the bone by the time we arrived back at Toh Ko.
The three of us immediately ordered a round of beer and toasted the fact that we arrived without having to swim from a capsized boat!
We spent some time exploring Tonsai Beach. This is the apple core shaped beach that was devastated by the tsunami in Dec. 2004. It is recovering and there are new resorts being built. We were glad we didn't stay on this part of the island as it is far too touristy for our taste.
We only spent 2 nights at Toh Ko Bungalows but I could have spent a week relaxing in the beach chairs, visiting islands and meeting up with other travelers. It is definitely a different feel from a mega resort and I really liked that aspect of Toh Ko!
As we were getting ready to leave, Pon gave me a big hug. She then reached out to Peter, put her hands on his sweaty belly and gave it a big kiss!! It was a precious moment and I couldn't stop laughing! I will visit again one day.
I took many photos of these bungalows that I will be posting a link to as soon as I get captions on them.
Next chapter will be the Krabi region...
As I write this next chapter of our trip, it is SNOWING in Portland, OR!!!! We rarely get snow at any time of the year but this is March and it is extremely rare to get snow this late! It is a winter wonderland here with about 3 inches on the ground. I am dreaming of the tropical beaches of Thailand...
Ko Phi Phi:
For many years I have dreamed of staying in a bungalow on the beach in Thailand. Peter tends to like fancy accommodations and I tend to lean towards places with more character. I had to talk him into going a bit more rustic than usual and he was glad that I did on Ko Phi Phi!
We opted for simplicity while on this small island. There was little info to be found on Toh Ko Bungalows but we trusted our luck and booked this place for 2 nights. It seems I have an innate ability to “sense” out amazing accommodations on all of our trips.
This place is located on the eastern side of K0 Phi Phi Don and it is only accessible via long tail boat. The only accommodations on the beach are these bungalows and there are 20 of them. When the bungalows fill up they will put guests in tents on the beach. Our bungalow was literally a stones throw from the ocean!
The owner of Toh Ko Bungalows is a lovely lady named Pon. The most important thing on her agenda is making her guest feel at home and she does a fabulous job as a host! She kept teasing Peter about his buddha belly!
I can’t say enough about this place! It was truly a slice of paradise!
We ended up with the “superior” bungalow. It will sleep 4 people. There is a flush toilet and a cold water shower hose that you can use in the bathroom. It was very refreshing after spending a day in the ocean and sun. I think the cost was 800 Baht a night so about $20 US.
As I was researching this trip I had asked the question, “is air-conditioning a necessity in Thailand” and everyone said it was. I must disagree with this. We had an electric fan in our room and with the windows open it was very comfortable! We were lulled to sleep by the sound of the ocean!
There is a restaurant on the beach and the food is very good! Later in the evening everyone heads up to the beach bar about 100 yards away to top off the night. The people that were staying here were great! It is small enough that you get to know your neighbors quite well!
Pon has a longtail boat captain that will take you to other islands for 300 baht for several hours. We headed over to Ko Phi Phi Leh for some great snorkeling and, of course, a visit to “The Beach”. Personally, I could have skipped “The Beach”. We stopped at some other places that were much nicer.
On the way back the ocean was quite rough. Peter and another guy we met named David sat white knuckled as waves crashed over the boat while I laughed hysterically. I love roller coasters for the thrill and this was definitely a thrill equal to a mild rollercoaster! We were drenched to the bone by the time we arrived back at Toh Ko.
The three of us immediately ordered a round of beer and toasted the fact that we arrived without having to swim from a capsized boat!
We spent some time exploring Tonsai Beach. This is the apple core shaped beach that was devastated by the tsunami in Dec. 2004. It is recovering and there are new resorts being built. We were glad we didn't stay on this part of the island as it is far too touristy for our taste.
We only spent 2 nights at Toh Ko Bungalows but I could have spent a week relaxing in the beach chairs, visiting islands and meeting up with other travelers. It is definitely a different feel from a mega resort and I really liked that aspect of Toh Ko!
As we were getting ready to leave, Pon gave me a big hug. She then reached out to Peter, put her hands on his sweaty belly and gave it a big kiss!! It was a precious moment and I couldn't stop laughing! I will visit again one day.
I took many photos of these bungalows that I will be posting a link to as soon as I get captions on them.
Next chapter will be the Krabi region...
Mar 9th, 2006, 11:15 AM
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Tamara, my condolences on the loss of your dear friend.
You are so right about air conditioning not being a necessity if you are right on the beach! Of course, there aren't a lot of accommodations like the great bungalows you described. Most beach places are situated farther back from the water and don't catch the cooler air the way yours did.
It sounds like a great trip - I'm looking forward to more!
(No snow in Seattle today, but it's predicted for tonight - makes me want to be back in Thailand, too!)
You are so right about air conditioning not being a necessity if you are right on the beach! Of course, there aren't a lot of accommodations like the great bungalows you described. Most beach places are situated farther back from the water and don't catch the cooler air the way yours did.
It sounds like a great trip - I'm looking forward to more!
(No snow in Seattle today, but it's predicted for tonight - makes me want to be back in Thailand, too!)
Mar 9th, 2006, 12:15 PM
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Kathie, it is still snowing here and I think my blood thinned while I was in Thailand because I can't seem to get warm. Brrrrr!
BTW, we also stayed in a bungalow in Chiang Dao and it only had a fan. We actually slept with blankets over us.
BTW, we also stayed in a bungalow in Chiang Dao and it only had a fan. We actually slept with blankets over us.
Mar 9th, 2006, 09:03 PM
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Bob, you are too funny! Seriously, when it is 75 degrees and breezy you don't need air conditioning!
It was the perfect tempurature in in both of our fabulous bungalows!
Cheers!
Tamara
It was the perfect tempurature in in both of our fabulous bungalows!
Cheers!
Tamara
Mar 10th, 2006, 01:08 AM
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Tamara,
Thank you so much for posting your report. I really look forward to reading the rest. Condolences for the loss of your friend. That had to be really hard to leave given the circumstances, but I know she would have wanted you to go and enjoy Thailand.
Thank you so much for posting your report. I really look forward to reading the rest. Condolences for the loss of your friend. That had to be really hard to leave given the circumstances, but I know she would have wanted you to go and enjoy Thailand.
Mar 10th, 2006, 06:05 AM
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Tamara,
I too send condolences on your loss. I understand the peace you would feel in Thailand.
Another lover of Tawandaeng Brewery!! I'm glad you enjoyed it. It is such a fun place. I see you also enjoyed the view and ambience at Sky Bar.
Keep the trip report coming. It's a great read. Brings back lots of fond memories.
Carol
I too send condolences on your loss. I understand the peace you would feel in Thailand.
Another lover of Tawandaeng Brewery!! I'm glad you enjoyed it. It is such a fun place. I see you also enjoyed the view and ambience at Sky Bar.
Keep the trip report coming. It's a great read. Brings back lots of fond memories.
Carol
Mar 10th, 2006, 11:56 AM
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LA and Carol, thanks for the words of comfort. I missed a lot on this trip because spent a fair amount of time grieving in my hotel room. Because of that (and also because I loved Thailand!) I am trying to figure out if it will be feasable to go again for 3 weeks in Nov.
