Bangkok Continued

On our second full day, we decided to head to an art center to look at art and get breakfast. The taxis here can be ordered through Bolt, the same way you would order an Uber, so it was really simple to get around. We arrived at the art center and got a simple croissant breakfast, and I tried Thai tea, which is more orange-colored than milk tea and tastes lovely. We stayed so long that we ended up ordering a second round of cold drinks, then decided to skip the art (there didn't seem to be much anyway) and headed to the HUGE shopping malls next door. It was more like three malls in one and just went on and on. I was searching for a phone shop to get a SIM card, and James was browsing the tech since it was cheaper here. After browsing the shops and marveling at the consumerism, we went to the food court, which was epic and had so many restaurants and street food stalls that it was hard to choose. The food we settled on was delicious, and we decided to get a local type of iced bun for dessert, one of which was pandan-flavored, which was a new taste.

We then headed back and rested before going out for an evening of drinks. We began at a place around the corner from us and ordered a delicious clear fruit wine drink that was 13% alcohol and came in flavors such as peach, yogurt, and grape. After sharing three bottles, which were small, but we were only given shot glasses to drink from, we definitely felt tipsy. We then wandered down to Khao San Road, the famous party and backpacker road, which immediately hit us with super loud bass music and touts outside every bar and club offering us one free drink, discounts, or laughing gas. Not to mention the street food vendors selling grilled scorpions, centipedes, and spiders to eat. It was pretty overwhelming, but we eventually settled in a quieter bar where we ordered one last drink before wandering back home to bed.

For our third day in Bangkok, we decided to see a huge street market and then visit the museums in the afternoon. We got a taxi to Chatuchak Weekend Market and picked up some breakfast and Thai tea/coffee before wandering around, taking in all the many stalls and their wares. They sold everything, from clothes and paintings to kitchen equipment and even plastic food and flowers. The alleys were all covered, and most had fans blasting air around, but it was still hot. You could spend hours there going around the warren of shops, but we had museums to see, so we picked up a crushed ice orange drink, which was delicious, and headed to the metro to the Siam Museum. The museum is all about what is Thainess and was a very interesting exploration of what makes something Thai and how the old meets the modern. It was really fascinating and also very fun and interactive. I definitely recommend it to anyone visiting. My highlight was the different traditional outfits you could try on at the end and take pictures in. We then went to the attached cafe for lunch, which was a bit fancy but very delicious. We then headed back for a nap and rest before that evening's dinner, which we ate at the pop-up street vendor opposite our rooms. It was cheap, delicious, and such good value.Lue lisää