The bus journey from Nang Rong to Bangkok (216 Baht) seemed like one super-wide main road for hours. We finally pull in to an enormous north-east bus station. Finding your way from the national bus terminal to the local bus terminal involves negotiating a corrugated maze separating various stages of building works. We ask about and learn that we need the number 3 bus to the Khao San road. At this point a thunderstorm was raging so we had a 7eleven iced coffee and sat for 45 minutes. The bus was busy, and the conducting lady didn't seem fussed to take money from anyone.
I'd heard of it but I didn't know where the Khao San Road was until I got here. In my head it was a long, hot, dusty Asian road near a polluted sandy beach with ladyboys, animals and drunken westerners loafing about. I was certainly correct about the drunkards and ladyboys but it was nowhere near as in-your-face as I expected. It's simply a concrete road with bars and restaurants, like any other concrete road with bars and restaurants in the world, but with slightly seedier back alleys and a billion advertising boards. The tuk-tuk drivers also double-up as show bookers and make realistic ping-pong noises as you walk past, trying to get you in the mood for one of the famous shows. Part of me wanted to go, but just couldn't bring myself to do it (even after a few beers). We had a good curry and said beers, dodged a Dutch stag party and watched the frivolities from the sidelines. We stayed at the Greenhouse (290 Baht) on the road adjacent to KSR. The room was nice, and even contained a poor little 3-legged gherkin... gecko! I put it on the porcelain parrot and wished it all the best.
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| "Do not put feet here" |
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| Jam |
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| Stumpy |
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| First glimpse of the Khao San road |
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| [enter amusing caption here] |
It's hard to know where to go in Bangkok for a first-timer. The KSR is an obvious choice as everyone else goes there because it's cheap and cheerful (sort of). I wanted to see different parts of Bangkok, and was convinced there must be more to it. The internet suggested there were some budget places in Sukhumvit, a big business district east of the KSR, and well connected with the skytrain. We moved down there and asked about in a few hotels; 1500 Baht, 2000 Baht, 3000 Baht. This isn't going well. We take a break in an Irish bar and have some chips with actual salt, vinegar and tomato sauce - a rare treat! Afterwards we try the other side of the main road and a place called 8-Inn. They agreed to a discounted price of 850 Baht; certainly more that anything I've paid so far but sometimes you need to reset the system, and this was Anna's last day before flying back to the UK so we threw caution to the wind! He gave us a key and we showed ourselves to the room. I opened the door to a tiny room, with no windows and an unmade bed. Back downstairs I asked reception if we could move, to a clean room, with a window. He very graciously upgraded us, no extra charge, to a huge suite, with big windows and a TV that was 0.8km from the bed - result.
Replacing the KSR drunken youths are older businessmen, or well-to-do ex-pats with young Asian girls (or boys) on their arms. We sat in one bar on the street and almost every other person was a westerner with bride/girlfriend/trinket. I knew it happened but I had no idea on what scale. This place felt seedier than the KSR to me with daytime street stalls selling all manner of sex toys, viagra and tazers. In the evening the sexy stalls made way for tiny little street bars selling spirits, and surrounded by ladies of the night offering to please any pleasures you might entertain!
Tattoos had been talked about several times through Thailand leading us to shake on it. If you don't go home from Thailand with a tattoo then you've not really been! We randomly found a world leading tattoo artist (Jimmy Wong) had a shop near our hotel so went to have a look. We didn't expect to see the man himself but there he was! Slightly star-struck we spoke to him and told him our ideas. He told us to come back at midnight tomorrow. I've wanted a tattoo since late teens; I wanted something that I'd designed myself but I never drew anything that I was 100% happy with. I wanted something geometric and mechanical, I knew that much. Back in Laos I met a guy wearing a t-shirt with a design that instantly filled this void. A simple design of three bicycle chain links forced into a triangle; it would forever display my of cycling and also tick the geometric / mechanical check boxes. Midnight the next day we nervously entered the shop and Jimmy showed us what he'd done. Mine was pretty straight-forward as I'd already drawn it for him but Anna had quite a few variations on an elephant side-profile she wanted: trunk curled, foot out, ears back, walking, tail up. Details decided, Anna went first. Dizzy with first-time nerves Jimmy was very reassuring and it went quickly. Me next and it didn't hurt as I expected; just a dull buzz. Jimmy described is as a "happy pain". 2am and we're all done. Both happy and on a high we grab some group photos, thank Jimmy and leave with our new life-long companions. The tattoo was Anna's final souvenir of Asia before an early morning flight back to Blighty.
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| Jimmy Wong |
With the Khao San road cheap but annoying and Sukhumvit expensive I desperately needed somewhere else, but where? I scoured the internet checking the skytrain, metro and train connections and found Hua Lamphong, near Chinatown, in the south-west. Two stops on the metro to the skytrain, major bus stops to everywhere and a main rail connection sounded perfect; and accommodation prices were reasonable. For the first night I had to stay at the slightly boutique Hua Lamphong (350 Baht / dorm) as the place I wanted to stay at was full. The next 5 nights I moved to Baan Hua Lamphong, into a 250 Baht single room, and for the last night I shared a room (400 Baht) with Talitha.
My first priority was to get my Myanmar visa. The embassy is a quick walk from the Surasak skytrain. I initially went at 9am and the queue was huge. I grabbed a coffee for an hour then went back and the queue was nothing; I would say there's no point getting there at opening time! The handing in of passport photocopies, signed mug shots and entrance form was simple enough. I paid 1300 Baht for the slow turnaround as I was in no rush. It took 5 days (including a weekend) to get the visa. It was valid for 3 months from that moment. I would soon go to my long-wanted destination of Myanmar!!
During the 5 days waiting for the visa I walked most of Bangkok and did the tourist things like the Grand Palace, the Emerald Buddha (which is actually Jade) and had a day out to Kwai. I took a laundry day (involving everything in my wardrobe apart from some tatty shorts I'd bought in India 2006 and a T-shirt) and slobbed in the guest house watching films and writing this diary. I went to the cinema to see Prometheus in "4DX". The cinema sits on the top floor of the beyond-ridiculous Siam centre; never have I seem a Lamborghini showroom on the 3rd floor (or any floor) of a shopping mall. The cinema was the same price as two night accommodation (500 Baht) in my guest house but the curious lure of "4DX" had me buying a ticket before I realised. You get the 3D glasses as usual with the addition of a big comfy chair on hydraulics; It would tilt and yaw and shake and vibrate leaving you feeling a little queezy on the spaceship flying scenes. Also, for extra effect, there were small air jets in the seat headrest that would hisssss loudly in your ear when, for example, the alien hisses in the film; it made me jump and laugh in equal measures. Also (yes there's more!) there was a giant strobe on the ceiling which was particularly annoying during a thunderstorm scene, and dry ice which would rise up at those smokey moments in the film. It was good, if a little distracting, but I don't think I would do it again. The AIS 3D system is better than IMAX in my opinion, it's much clearer and has better depth. The film itself: technically brilliant but the story and characters left me feeling dead inside! Leaving the cinema I noticed a group of gleaming Asian girls with sashes (?) being photographed for what looked like a local beauty contest; around them false faced celebrity types with fashionable hair and big teethy smiles were being interviewed.
I must take a moment to mention this picture of a "Missing Monsta" drawing posted on a coffee-shop wall. It's good to see that the word is still on the street! One day you will come home buddy!!
My final days in Bangkok were spent with Talitha who was there to get her Mongolian visa before jetting off to India. The visa office was a pain to find. Trooping all over Bangkok via some wrong directions on Google maps we eventually decided to get a taxi. In a very nice looking neighbourhood a smiling receptionist opened the door to a quiet, plush office with beautiful images of Mongolia on the walls. The visa required should take 24 hours but as we hadn't found the place until midday they said a next day turnaround would be impossible. Talitha explained her flight to India was at 10am the next day prompting he actual consulate to come out from her office for a stern word. I've never met a cross consulate before but to her merit she said that she would push it through and it was to be collected on the way to the airport the next morning.
You can see all of my Bangkok photos here
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