22.11.2022 - From Bangkok to Ayutthaya and back

“Some love it, others hate it,” that's what I was told about Bangkok from various sources. After a total of three days, I can say that I love it, even though I'm sure I haven't seen everything there is to see. I didn't notice much of the dirt, crowded streets, and loud traffic that the Thai capital is known for. But that may also be because I'm used to the other Southeast Asian metropolises. Compared to places like Hanoi, Bangkok is a veritable paradise.

Unlike my previous stops, this time I didn't have any plans for the next few days. That was partly because I had only planned to stay in Bangkok for one night, and partly because I will be visiting from Germany in January and will be in Bangkok for a few more days then. On the first morning, I had only one goal: I had to find a tailor. A seam on my portable home had come undone and needed to be sewn up quickly. So I set off with my backpack to find a tailor. Shouldn't be a problem, after all, nearly nine million people live here. Well, I was wrong. It took me over an hour until a local gave me the crucial tip. For a whopping 1.34 €, a street tailor repaired my backpack in just five minutes. That's what I call service.

After that, I wandered around the city aimlessly, soaking in the hustle and bustle of Thai city life. This often has the advantage of being off the beaten tourist path and getting a better sense of the locals' real life. On the second day, I stumbled across the Chinese President almost by chance. Well, we didn't meet personally, but he drove past me. I was walking on some side streets when a policeman suddenly instructed me to stop and not to proceed. Within seconds, the entire area came to a standstill, cars and buses stopped, and people stood still in their tracks, waiting. Since I had no idea what was going on, I asked a local who was sharing the sidewalk with me. I had barely uttered the question when I could answer it myself. In that moment, a large police motorcade and several cars with Chinese flags drove by. During those days, a meeting of several Asian countries was taking place in Bangkok, and China, in the person of President Xi Jinping, was participating. As soon as the convoy passed, the city came alive again. It was as if something bizarre had just happened.

A football match - how could it be otherwise - led to me extending my stay. Just like in Vietnam, I wanted to see at least one game in Thailand, and as luck would have it, a game of Bangkok United was scheduled for Saturday evening. So I extended my stay at the hostel by two nights and prepared myself for going to the football match on Saturday. But when I wanted to find out on Saturday morning how to get to the stadium, I was surprised to find out that the stadium is about 50 kilometers outside of Bangkok. No matter how I turned it, the visit was hardly possible. So I needed an (athletic) alternative program. And that's where the Muay Thai Boxing Fightnight came in perfectly. The main difference between boxing and Muay Thai boxing is that in addition to fists, legs are flying. The approximately 500 spectators, of whom about 400 seemed to be Europeans, were treated to seven fights. It was quite a spectacle, with the boxers fighting each other without regard for losses. After this evening, I can say that I prefer to stick with ball sports, even though it was a cool experience.

After a total of four days in Bangkok, I continued north. But this time, not on the road, but by rail. I bought a ticket to Ayutthaya for an unbelievable 54 cents. At this price, you might think it's a station within Bangkok, but no, Ayutthaya is actually about 80 kilometers away from Bangkok. Now, it must be said that the ticket was for third class, which means I had to make do with wooden benches and a fan instead of air conditioning, but we're still talking about 54 CENTS FOR 80 KILOMETERS. And sweating on a wooden bench is definitely worth it at 30 degrees.

I arrived in Ayutthaya early afternoon. I had only chosen the place as a stopover for the onward journey to the north. Although Ayutthaya was the largest city in the world in the early 17th century, today there is not much left of it except for many old temples. And since I've had enough of "old stones" since Angkor, I wanted to spend only one night here and move on as quickly as possible. However, that changed as soon as I entered the hostel. From the first second, I felt incredibly comfortable. I was greeted incredibly friendly and immediately got into conversations with the other backpackers. And by the time we had a communal dinner - the hostel owners cooked for everyone every evening - it was clear to me that I couldn't just stay for one night. One night turned into three nights. We rented bicycles, explored the surroundings, and visited some "old stones". But it wasn't the sights that made the place so beautiful. It was the people. Other stops on my journey may have had more to offer, but here, the vibe was just right. And I realize that this sense of community is becoming more and more important to me. Unfortunately, most of the people from our small group moved on after the third day, so I decided to move on as well.

I took the train back to Bangkok, where the night bus to Chiang Mai was waiting for me in the evening. But before that, I made a little detour to Germany. I had to kill time until the departure at 8 p.m., so I wanted to sit down in a café. I stumbled across the "Glück," a café run by Germans in the heart of Bangkok. And what can I say, when I stepped inside, I was back in Germany. SWR3 was playing on the radio, it was decorated for Christmas, and their menu included things like Weisswurst, Bavarian snacks, and Grandma's apple cake. In that moment, I could hardly imagine a better place. Heaven on earth. Freshly fortified with pretzels, Obazda, sweet mustard, and a piece of apple cake, I boarded the bus to Chiang Mai in the evening.