Krung Thep Maha Nakhon, known as Bangkok

10.12 to 16.12.2017

Bangkok, you crazy city. For a week, I stayed right in your heart. Just 300 meters from the Grand Palace. From there, I explored you in all directions, by all means of transport, with a handful of people, a mixture of great joy and sometimes fear of death. But let's start from the beginning...

On Saturday 10.12, I flew from Phuket with the budget airline NOK-Air to Dong Muang. The airport for direct flights to Bangkok. As mentioned before, I felt sick during the flight and had to get into a taxi with a vomit bag. It wasn't used. The taxi meter was turned on for the first time and I experienced how cheap it can be. Instead of 800 Baht like in Samui for 20 minutes, here it was only 220 Baht for an hour.

My hotel was called "Au Bon" and was available for 18 euros per night in a prime location. It had air conditioning and no window. It was quiet and had a private bathroom. What more could I ask for.

Since Faik and I were struggling with nausea on the day of arrival, we didn't start until the evening. We chose "The Dome" and its sky bar. From there, you had the best view of the city, listened to jazz music, and had a cocktail. Of course, it is also great for taking selfies, see photos ;-).

The next day, it was time for "Jim Thompson's House", which was rather boring. Only the death of the former army veteran could have something to do with the CIA and therefore remained in my mind. What these guys do... tz.tz.tz.

I found the following boat trip from left to right and back much more exciting. I got an overview of the different districts, nature, and the fat cormorants chilling in the sun and catching fish. Speaking of fishing, once the auxiliary captain of the ferry put his fishing line in the water and caught a meter-long fish right away. Lars and I would need three months for that ;-).

Afterwards, we walked through the city and to the shopping district. Imagine the KaDeWe three times and then ten of them in one block. It was really crazy. We went to Madame Tussauds where I gave Putin a piece of my mind and gave Beyonce a pat on the backside. Because all my friends get that ;-).

For dinner, I had chicken wings and a last beer with Faik and Mae Mae on their hotel rooftop pool. Then they went home and I went to the hotel.

It was Tuesday and I started the day with sightseeing. I went to the National Museum and let myself be convinced by a Thai who allegedly was a teacher to take a guided tour. I thought I could trust him...

80 Baht for the tuk-tuk was a great price and off we went. The teacher had negotiated the price and sent me on the tour. I arrived at the Big Buddha and then went to a tailor. This one allegedly produced for German shops and showed the website of one on Jungfernstieg. Since I didn't feel like spending 1000 euros on multiple suits, I let myself be driven to the temple Big Mount. On the way there, it became clear to me that my "teacher" would receive a commission and intentionally took me to the tailor. I thought it would be a fair or a sightseeing spot there, but it wasn't.

After this nonsense, karma came into play and I met Rik from Gröningen in Holland.

He understood both my "English" and my German, and we explored Chinatown together, had a great meal in a top bar, and then went to Patong.

Patong is a red-light district with regular stands. It is also home to the famous Ping Pong Shows. Everyone please read for themselves what these are on Wikipedia. Just so much, Rik had a good shot and the sign with "Hello Peter" (she asked me for my first name) wasn't written by hand 😜.

Afterwards, we also met German students from Lüneburg on the famous Khaos San Road and partied until 6 o'clock in the morning. Including laughing gas, stress with the waiters, and a lot of beer.

The next day, I had a hangover, without a tattoo and 🐯 but with a headache. I needed a good hangover breakfast. Rik and I found it at the Coffeerocketbar, where, in addition to European snacks, there was also the phone number of Jens from Hamburg. He lives in Hong Kong and I will visit him and his wife for New Year's Eve.

Afterwards, Rik and I walked through Lumphini Park and then went to Thai Boxing at the Rajadamnern Stadium.

This was pretty cool. We had ringside seats and there were nine fights. Thai Boxing is quite intense and has a lot to do with tradition. During the fight, music plays that reminds me of snake charming. Local Thais bet on the winner in each round. Until the end, I couldn't decipher the gestures and the system.

The main fight in particular was intense, and there was a clear winner. After the main fight, there were two youth fights and we posed with the winner.

Afterwards, we had a beer in a bar before Rik flew to his girlfriend in Samui.

So far, Friday has been the worst day for me. First, I drove with a taxi scooter for 40 minutes to a floating market, which unfortunately was closed, and then back to the shopping centers to go to the cinema. How do you imagine that? First, there is always traffic jam here in Bangkok. As a car, you can only make slow progress until two o'clock at night. Skytrain and public transport are useless because they are too decentralized. So the only solution is a motorcycle/scooter. You get a helmet and the guys take off. They drive between cars, on sidewalks, cross red lights, and do many other dangerous things. You are constantly exposed to exhaust fumes. Especially the buses here are from the 70s and emit dark clouds of soot. After being rushed through Bangkok on a scooter, my head was just spinning from the exhaust fumes. And before Star Wars, I took another scooter that drove so fast that my helmet flew off and I swore and got off after ten minutes. I want to live longer!

After these annoyances, let's get to the cool part. Star Wars! 👍

In a 4D cinema with moving chairs, gusts of wind in the face, and artificial rain, plus extra lighting effects, Star Wars is even more shocking, even though the movie itself is mediocre. Also pretty cool. Before the movie starts, the Thai national anthem is played and everyone stands up 😂.

On the last day in Bangkok, I went to the Grand Palace and was impressed by all the splendor.

Then I waited for my taxi, which took me to the coach that then went to Chumphon, where I took the ferry to Koh Tao. That this trip took 16 hours is another story.

In summary, Bangkok is a city where you experience a lot. The Ping Pong Show, Thai Boxing, traffic jam, Buddha, and street food are certainly the tourist highlights. But quieter corners like Lumphini Park or the boat trip also have their charm. Nevertheless, you definitely need a vacation after Bangkok. So off to Koh Tao!