Josi's Journey: Busy Bangkok

Fresh from The Hub:
May 21st 2013
by Jacqueline

Josi is wearing the Spring 13 Bloom Top in Atomic Orange (OSP13-1002-2)

All Photos by: www.noelfox.com

A few days in busy Bangkok...

Noel and I landed in Thailand with absolutely no itinerary, all we knew was that we had a hotel reservation for 3 nights in Bangkok. It turned out that the hotel we had quickly booked online prior to flying was way more out of town than the description suggested. Luckily, just like Vancouver, Bangkok as a terrific sky train system that brings you pretty much everywhere you want to go. If the sky train doesn't make it exactly to your destination, there is always a tuk-tuk around the corner that will give you a ride for dirt cheap. For those who are not familiar with what a tuk-tuk is, it's a three wheel motorcycle type covered taxi, usually very colourful and pretty fast as it zips around cars avoiding traffic.

 Excited to be in a new country, we hurried out of our hotel room to check out the weekend market on the other end of town. Jam-packed with stuff is how I would describe this market. They claim it to be the biggest street market in the world and it's big and busy. Rows and rows of little kiosks crammed one to another as far as the eye can see. You can pretty much find everything here from household items, decorations, art, clothes, shoes, jewellery, food and even massages. I was surprised to see that even though many of the merchants were selling the same stuff, there was still quite a bit of variety to keep one entertain for several hours. Be ready though, it's crowded, hot and sticky in there. We tried some of the street food which was surprisingly tasty and as a treat to ourself we got a nice foot and neck massage as well. After a while in this new environment with very little sleep from the night before, I started having a killer migraine which degenerated and next thing I knew I was laying down in the first aid room at one of the sky train stations. The next few days where spent exploring around Bangkok as opposed to flying to the Southern beaches of Thailand as we figured that we would spend more time exploring Vietnam rather than Thailand on this trip. In a way, it was nice as it made us discover Bangkok, a city where as a tourist, you would most likely skip as it is so busy and crowded.

Josi is wearing Spring 13 Boulevard Top in Heather Blue Azure (OSP13-1003-1)

We ended up visiting Wat Phra Kaew, Temple of the Emerald Buddha which was absolutely stunning. Customs are that you must wear sleeves that cover your shoulders as well as long pants or skirt to cover your legs. Luckily they are used to tourists showing up in inappropriate clothing so they gladly lend you pants, sarongs and blouses for free. It was hilarious to see Noel in baggy cotton pants and a lilac button shirt. Once you pass the gate, you enter this kingdom of amazing ornate buildings and temples that are each more beautiful than the one before. It's incredible to see the craftsmanship that went into building this beautiful place. The entire place is surrounded by huge walls and all along the inside of theses walls there is an amazingly detailed Thai mural that depicts the epic story of Ramayana. The entire mural is about 2 kilometres long!

Although very touristy, it is also nice to check out the view from the Baiyoke Tower II. From the rotating passerelle of the 82nd floor, you can enjoy the view of one of the most crowded cities I've ever seen. Apparently at night time, the view is even better as the city lights up. If you like shopping, you can walk from the Baiyoke Tower to Siam centre through a street full of merchants, similar to the weekend market. Siam Centre is the best mall I have ever been to. It offers super cool interactive art exhibits, trendy shops and a delicious food court. You won't hear me rave about food courts very often, but this one is great! You need to get a cash card first from the cashier and with your card loaded, you can then buy from the different food stations allowing you to tailor your meal to your tastes. I fell in love with their pad thai wrapped in a paper thin omelette as well as their young papaya salad, each meal costing about CDN$2.50. 

Overall, we had a good time in Bangkok and the highlight of my stay was definitely the tuk-tuk rides through the city. The friendliness of the drivers makes up for the amount of carbon monoxide you breathe to get to your destination.  Fast and slightly dangerous, it also gave us the opportunity to discover the hidden streets of dirty Bangkok and snap a few "stolen moment" photos on the way.