Good Time City
16:37
In the opening scenes of 'Lost in Translation' Bill Murray's Bob lands in Tokyo tired and dazed weaving through the illuminated streets in the back of his taxi. Well, replace Tokyo with Bangkok and throw in two very long flights and there I was. This scene is probably the best way I can illustrate what it feels like to land as newcomer in the city. 6000+ miles away from home and the ultimate in East meets West. Full of high rises, night markets, sky-bars, knock-offs, beautiful Wat temples and green-tree lined streets. A complete city of contradiction.
I'd landed one day after the start of Songkran. Songkran being the 3 day festival that celebrates the start of the Thai New Year, water is sprinkled or more likely thrown (in vast amounts) over anyone. In our excitement we made the rookie mistake of getting a tuk tuk instead of a taxi, every so often our driver would pull over purposely so that locals could throw water over us....cheers drive.
We were originally heading to the Khao San Road but ended up being drawn down a lively side street nearby and making that our base for the night. It's hard to get a lot of photos taken during Songkran, as there is very strong chance that your phone will end up in a puddle so better safe than sorry!
Several beers/shots later and being absolutely doused in water and...flour? we waded our way back to the hostel having had very exciting introduction to Bangkok.
Next day, we visited The Temple of the Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Kaew) and The Grand Palace. It's hard to give an accurate description of the beauty and vastness of the area. One of things that struck me most was the vibrancy of the complex; compared to a lot of places of I've visited back home in Europe everything is so much brighter. The structures are beautiful and bold with shades of vivid colour mixed in seamlessly with gold and perfectly symmetrical detailing. I know it's probably the ultimate tourist location in Bangkok, but I promise you it is well worth the visit.
It costs 500 THB to enter (around £9.80) and has strict dress code, as in accordance with most holy sites make sure your shoulders and legs are covered. I would advise picking your time to go carefully (1.30 on a Friday afternoon and 39°c not being ideal) Morning or late afternoon would be much better suited and remember to bring water!
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We also visited Patpong. If you don't know Patpong it's one of Bangkok's Red-light districts which mainly caters to tourists, we jumped in at the deep end and went to a Ping Pong show. I can't remember the name of the place we went to (and I don't think I want to) We entered the 'establishment' which was set in a circle shape with a stage in the middle and took our seats around the perimeter. What we saw for the next hour...Well, I'll know I'll never get some of those images out of my head..razors and all. After leaving we found a lovely bar to relax and contemplate what we had just witnessed.
Just a couple of pointers if you do ever find yourself visiting Patpong. You'll most likely be approached within 15 seconds by somebody showing you a 'menu' of activities, be wary of costs here - they most likely say it's free or some kind of set price but there are hidden costs. When you do make it into whatever establishment you choose, just be aware that after each act the performer comes round for tips, just say you won't tip if you're choosing not to the performer may try and persuade you which can be slightly uncomfortable but nothing overly scary. Also remember that there is no photo policy inside these shows. A friend of mine was on her phone texting, and she was approached and made to go through her photos to show that she hadn't taken any incriminating photos of the performers. The key is awareness, so stay aware and you'll be fine.
NEXT UP: Phuket
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