Bangkok - 27.04.19

So the day has come when I had to say goodbye to the beautiful island of Koh Samui. I had a wonderful time here, relaxing and enjoying every moment. I will fondly remember my time on Koh Samui and add it back to my list of dream travel destinations ;-). For the journey to the airport, I booked a shuttle through the hotel, which brought me to the airport at 08:30 am. The driver was the same friendly Thai man who welcomed me last week. So, the airport on Koh Samui needs to change one thing. It's nice to have a beautifully designed arrival area that gives you a true holiday feeling, but they should not do the same in the departure area, where it's already difficult to leave and go home. It's simply beautiful, like a paradise. I highly recommend a trip to Koh Samui just to see the airport. The check-in and the flight went smoothly. So, 'Bye bye Koh Samui' and 'Welcome to Bangkok'. Bangkok is the last stop on my journey before I return to Germany in four days. I'm curious to see what awaits me in this city, besides the scorching heat. Since I flew domestically, I didn't have to go through immigration formalities upon landing in Bangkok, as I had already done that before my flight to Koh Samui. So, today I could relax and retrieve my luggage from the baggage claim, then head towards the EXIT where hopefully my pre-arranged taxi transfer would be waiting for me. I have to admit that when I saw the prevailing hot temperatures, I deviated from my plan to take the train with all my luggage to the city without knowing exactly where to go. Taking an air-conditioned taxi was more pleasant and stress-free. For my accommodation in Bangkok, I chose a hostel called CHERN Hostel. Now don't think that I'm staying in a dormitory or a shared room with a communal shower. No! I have a single room with my own bathroom, fridge, safe, and TV. It's basically like a hotel room, but cheaper ;-). The hostel is located in a side street in a backyard (hopefully my mother will overlook this sentence), only 15 minutes away from the Grand Palace and the major temple complexes. Other attractions are also within walking distance. Even though Thais seem to believe that walking is a waste of time. Every time I start walking, someone asks me 'Tuk-Tuk?' Yes, it's hot, but I don't want to spend all my time in a noisy, smelly, motorized tricycle. So, the questions 'Tuk-Tuk?' and 'Massage?' are definitely part of a Bangkok stay and become annoying by the second day.

After my arrival, I still had half a day for sightseeing. I could walk from my hostel to the 'Golden Mount', which was about a 10-minute walk. Along the way, I could have taken a Tuk-Tuk at least 3 times. On the 'Golden Mount', there is a small temple complex, adorned with lots of gold and accessible by climbing 344 steps. From the top, you have a 360-degree view of the city. Afterwards, I walked to Khao San Road. This is probably the most famous street in Bangkok, especially for backpackers or the young at heart. In this melting pot, countless restaurants and shops are closely packed together, and music can be heard from everywhere. Today, on Saturday, the offering on Khao San Road was expanded by a street market, making it even busier. Some special highlights that I saw were a skewered crocodile above a grill, advertised with a large sign saying 'Crocodile BBQ'. No, I didn't try it! I was startled when a passing Thai woman held oversized spiders on skewers under my nose. I also saw scorpions. Taking photos of them was unfortunately forbidden, which indicates that it is probably illegal to sell these products there. For dinner, I chose a busy and inviting restaurant where I could have Thai food. In total, I paid €6 for my watermelon shake, spring rolls as an appetizer, and a very delicious Thai curry. Before my departure, I had purchased a ticket in Germany for the observation deck of the Bajkoye Hotel for this evening. Before going up to the observation deck, I enjoyed a cocktail, in my case a Tequila Sunrise, which was included in the admission price, and observed the city during the sunset. When it got completely dark, everything looked different again, and the view from the observation deck was very impressive. After I had seen enough, I wanted to return to the hostel, and that was done by taxi. Since there are countless taxis in Bangkok, flagging one down wasn't difficult. First, it was clarified whether the taxi driver was willing to use the meter, and then we discussed the destination address. The taxi driver was very kind and activated the meter without any complaints. I arrived back at the hostel safely. I paid 80 Baht, which is equivalent to €2.25, for a distance of about 10 kilometers. Since it's incredibly hot here in Bangkok, after returning to the hostel, I just took a shower and went to bed.