Warm (very warm) White Bangkok

Four nights in Bangkok was probably one too many but it was an experience and worth it for the people I met. Once settled in 'The Warm White Hostel' I got some street Pad Thai and headed on to the crazy tourist nightlife centre of Khao San Road with some Canadians, English, French, and a few others that I met playing cards at the hostel. It was an assault on the senses with a barrage of street touts selling tuck-tuck rides, suits, ping-pong shows, suits, fried scorpion, and all manner of other craziness.

The highlight of day two was going to Chinatown with the hostel owner 'Fernando'; a young Chinese/Thai guy. There was a vegetarian food festival ongoing there and we caught a crazy dragon fireworks display that involved very small kids on top of 100m wooden poles; sometimes being fired into the air with fireworks. It was also my first experience of traveling in a tuck-tuck; the driver on our return journey didn't seem to know the meaning of the word fear. Back at the hostel, there were a few fresh faces, mostly Dutch & German, and a French/English girl named Eleanor who was on a similar route and timescale to me.

On day three we had developed a core group and we went out to do some sightseeing, mainly of Wat Pho; the one with the reclining Buddha. The heat everyday so far had been incredibly hot, humid, and generally sweaty, we were constantly wanting a shower, and today was no different. Some were traveling onward that day so we headed back to the hostel to regroup and ended out back in Chinatown again, this time purely for the food. We ended up at a buffet style street restaurant and had some very cheap, very delicious, and very, very spicy vegetarian food. We were now negotiating our own deals with the tuck-tuck drivers as Fernando had told us to do the night before. Most of the night was spent back at the hostel just relaxing and talking with a few drinks in the common area. Late that night I briefly met my friend Aoife from home who was off down south the next day.

Fernando had another impromptu trip for us today. We were off to the weekend floating market just outside the city. With the same core group of us as in previous days, we got two taxies to drive us out there. We were assured that this wasn't the same as the 'tourist floating market' on all week in Bangkok and we weren't disappointed. We were almost the only westerners there and everything was cheaper and tastier as a result. We began with a leisurely canal ride down market and by the locals living on the canal finishing in a small lotus farm before getting back to the market and some food. We loaded up on food and all manner of drinks and treats before getting a lift from another crazed Thai driver; this time in a taxi. Back at the hostel we all chatted to the incoming travelers fresh off their planes, busses, boats, and trains before heading out for one last night in Bangkok. The night was topped off with a trip to the roof of the hostel where we had some drinks into the wee hours.

It was then Sunday and I was off out of Bangkok. Myself and Eleanor decided to travel up to Ayutthaya together and stay in a hostel up there for two nights. The train journey was two hours and we could only get third class tickets but they were fine and cost us about 35 cent each. The journey was very stop start but it was nice to relax by the open window and get to see another side of the city; including some a Thai model having a photoshoot done incredibly close to the busy tracks.Read more