Published: 10.05.2018
Nepal - Thailand - BANGKOK - Ko Samui - Ko Phangang
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We landed in Bangkok full of excitement and we were not disappointed. We quickly realized that it is very easy to get around in a country where thousands of people from all over the world come on vacation. Even if you can't understand and read everything, everything is idiot-proof for tourists.
Our hostel was located directly in the tourist district of Banglampoo with the famous party street Khaosan Road. We were immediately drawn there by the other travelers after our arrival.
😳WELCOME TO THE NIGHTLIFE OF BANGKOK 😎👉 more about that in part 2 of Bangkok!
We spent five days in Bangkok, but both feel like we want to see much more of the city. With an area of 1,569 km2, it doesn't get boring quickly. And we have already discovered quite a bit.
The cheapest, fastest and most relaxing way to get from A to B is the orange express boat (not the blue tourist boat) on the Chao Phraya River. We gladly took it to reach various temples such as Wat Arun or the Grand Palace or another district like Chinatown. But you can also use the bus and the elevated train in some districts. It's really fun to ride this so-called Skytrain, as you fly over the city and along the skyscrapers.
The Buddhist temples in Thailand are very graceful. Lots of gold, many Buddhas, and a lot of love in the details, in the paintings or the outdoor facilities. There are monks in almost every temple who bless you and put on a bracelet. But the monks must not touch you and you must always make yourself smaller than the monks. For Finn, this means walking like a duck. 😋
The Grand Palace is a huge and very interesting complex. We found the entrance fee of over 14€ completely exaggerated. In addition, you have to wear long trousers and cover your shoulders, a scarf is not enough for white people, so I (Emely) had to buy a T-shirt. But the palace is a must on every trip to Bangkok. I think the pictures speak for themselves.
The exciting thing about Bangkok is that each district has its own charm. The "old town" with its many sights, Chinatown with its narrow streets and thousands of markets with fake items and delicacies, the tourist district with its party mile and many restaurants, Sathorn and Silom with its skyscrapers, or Siam and Pratunam with their shopping centers (which have the exact same prices as in Germany). As different as the districts are, the clientele you meet there is just as different. We liked Chinatown the most, as the streets were so narrow and there were so many locals shopping there.
Another special experience was the weekend market in the north of the city, which stretches over an area of 35 hectares with 15,000 stands. There you can find everything from souvenirs to clothing, furnishings, and kitchen appliances, as well as live and stuffed / artificial animals and plants. And depending on your demands and your wallet, you can get the original or the fake. For this Chatuchak Weekend Market, you need a whole day, an extra suitcase, and enough money. We only had one of those 😜
But once again, something shocked us... the animals. The dogs in small cages without exercise, reptiles in small terrariums, nocturnal rodents under maximum lighting, monkeys chained in cages, and so on. This wouldn't exist if so many people didn't stand in front of the windows and enjoy it and find it cute.
As you can see, there is a lot to discover and that's not all! We want to see more of Bangkok and we will, because we will come back at least once.
But for now, we will process the impressions by the sea. 😉