Thailand: Bangkok and Chiang Mai

Hello family and friends, welcome to my penultimate blog!
Since leaving Vietnam on the 14th, we have explored Bangkok, ventured to the distant reaches of the north in Chiang Mai, said sad farewells to close friends and now travelled to the exotic south. (To be put simply we have had a very busy 10 days!)

Pad Thai.

Arriving in Bangkok airport late in the evening of the 14th, Dave, Freya, Jen and myself waved down a taxi and immediately asked to be taken to Khaosan Road, which Freya (who is a seasoned Thai traveller) advised us was a backpackers hotspot; she wasn’t wrong. After being dropped off we walked from hostel to hostel in a baggage train up the narrow streets struggling to avoid locals selling their wares and other travellers revelling in the Khaosan experience, only to be told that all the lodgings were full. Feeling somewhat like Mary and Joseph from the nativity, we eventually came across a rather cheap hostel (which lay just off KS road) that had some beds available and despite it being rather dirty it was only £3 a night. We dropped our bags in the dorms and decided to head out for Khaosan, where we were greeted by swarms of people: tourist and Thai. The two hundred meter stretch of street is made of hundred of small stalls, selling anything from edible scorpions to fake ‘Jimmy Choo’ hang bags! To give you a taste: there are countless stalls of tailors, kebab vendors, clothiers, souvenir, 7 Elevens, fake CD’s and DVD’s. (To put simply I think you could probably find anything you desire on the road if you look hard enough!) Yet there is one good that is sold every ten meters or so by vendors on Khaosan that is probably the cheapest and scrummiest food I have ever encountered: PAD THAI! For a mere eighty pence, a weary traveller can buy a sizable plate of delicious noodles, vegetables, egg, chicken and shrimp. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw backpackers in McDonalds and Burger King on Khaosan paying similar price to at home for a far less satisfying meal! Needless to say my diet whilst staying in Bangkok would consist of at least two Pad Thai meals daily!

One of the many gold statues at the GP.

In our first days in Thailand’s capital, we browsed travel offices for the best deals for a trip up to Chiang Mai, in the north, followed by a trip south to The Islands after Freya and Dave had left us. We visited the TAT Office, which is a Thai government owned organisation and asked for the best prices the could give us, however they were somewhat too dear: 5000 Baht (£102) for four days in Chiang Mai and 24000 Baht (£488)  for three weeks in the south. Of course we tried to barter and barter the prices down  but this only infuriated our heavily pregnant TAT adviser who became rather rude, so we decided to look elsewhere. It was later in the day (after Pad Thai!) that we found a travel company which offered the same length of trips for half the price TAT offered. We booked up Chiang Mai, but we wearily decided to book up the more expensive and lengthy trip south when we returned from the north and if it had proved a success with zero hiccups.

El Dorado?

Before taking the night bus north the following day, we visited the Grand Palace, home to Thailand’s royal family and also some of the most extravagant and bonkers architecture I have ever seen! However, before we were allowed within the grounds, we were surveyed by Thai guards whose job is to spot the unaware tourist wearing inappropriate clothing. The reason being is that the temples within the palace walls also serve as the chief Buddhist places of worship within Bangkok and so the correct clothes must be worn. (Legs and shoulders must be covered by ‘modest’ clothing.) Whilst Freya and Jen heeded the advice of Lonely Planet, Dave and myself suffered from ignorance and were ordered by Thai Guards with megaphones to wait in a forty minute queue so that we could exchange our rugby shorts for some bizarrely baggy trousers deemed fit for the religious sites. When we finally breached the palace’s threshold to start site seeing, I suppose if I were to sum up my thoughts in one word it would be: GOLD! The sheer amount of gold paint, glass, glitter and actual gold that lies within the palace walls is mind bogglingly beautiful. On top of the gold, there are thousands upon thousands of different coloured glass shards that cover every inch of most buildings in mosaics. The temples and palaces are overwhelmingly stunning to behold and if an ‘El Dorado’ of sorts exists anywhere in the world it surely is the Grand Palace.

The Reclining Buddha at Wat Pho.

We explored the grounds for a few hours, but after a while we felt we have seen enough golden pillars, phallic towers and statues to last a life time, yet before heading back to KS road we visited the giant reclining Buddha at Wat Pho. We soon discovered that the fifty meter long statue is covered from head to toe in gold and resides in a golden temple which lies amongst more golden phallic towers and statues. Before we all overdosed on an over exposure of gold, the heavens opened on us in spectacular fashion so we made a hasty retreat to the bus station, where after a long sodden wait we were picked up and headed to Chaing Mai. Now I have described what night bus journeys are like in my Vietnam blog and ones here in Thailand are not too different, apart from the fact that little Thai men make a career out of hiding in coach luggage holds, breaking into tourists bags and stealing valuables. As a result, all four of us stuffed our hand luggage with our most precious goods and for good reason; we suffered the shock to discover that our bags had been searched and our neatly packed clothes had been scrumaged and tangled in an odd fashion. (Thankfully none of us have lost anything… yet, touch Wood).

Young Monks in Chiang Mai

We arrived at our hostel early the following morning, and after a quick nap we wolfed down some food and set out to explore the ‘Capital of the North.’ Entering the walls of the historic part of the city, we stopped at every temple we passed taking photos at the décor and statues (all being similar to that of the Grand Palace: GOLD!) however we soon discovered that the quantity of temples in the old city far outnumbered our expectations numbering over one hundred. It soon dawned on us that we could spend the rest of our allotted travel time photographing the same architecture over and over again so we went to relax in a bar. That same day, to our fortune was a famous Buddhist holiday and many Thai families had flocked to the city to see their sons become fully fledged monks; a lifetime commitment. The specific name of the holiday has escaped me, but I have found the best way to describe is monk graduation day! This meant that there were hundreds and hundreds of young adolescent boys in bright yellow robes around the temples waiting to discover whether or not they had been accepted into their temple.

Our noble steed.

The following day we went on an elephant trek in the jungle north of the city! We were picked up by shuttle bus early that morning and all four of us were rather ready and raring to go as the concept of riding an elephant was bloody exciting. When we reached the sanctuary after an hours drive, without as much as a word, our guide led us up a ramp where our massive elephant and tiny Thai wrangler were waiting for us! Feeling a tad hurried and pondering whether our travel insurance actually covered us for ‘death by elephant’ Jen and myself were prodded onto one, Dave and Freya another. We were then taken through a murky brown river, out up a jungle path, over a hill and to a local village. (Over the course of the journey we were able to feed our elephant banana treats which they seemed to relish.) Upon reaching the village we sadly bid farewell to our great, grey, hairy mode of transport and were picked up by oxen and cart which took us back to the sanctuary. As we approached our destination our oxen driver put the reins and bamboo stick in my hands and I soon learnt that he wanted me to drive the beasts for the final home straight! After many shakes of the reins, cracks of the stick and inhumane noises that I have not and will not make again, thankfully the oxen began to move albeit at a leisurely pace.

An elephant painting an elephant?!

Back at the sanctuary we were herded back to a ring where we watched an elephant show where the animals performed such tricks as scoring penalty kicks and slam dunks! The absolute highlight came when three elephants painted a tree, a bird and an elephant with such quality that Dave remarked that the standard of art was far better than he could ever personally produce and Jen was so utterly blown away by the spectacle she splashed out and bought the painting of an elephant, by an elephant, for her godson! After the show we were taken to the river shore where we were given a life jacket and coaxed onto a bamboo raft. This took us down stream through the jungle, where occasionally locals would pop to the surface and attempt to sell us ‘refreshments’. After forty odd minutes we landed back on shore and made our way back to Chiang Mai by mini bus.

That evening we met up with Leonie, a friend met in Vietnam, and decided to have a few beers. It was then where we got our first taste of the ladyboys that Thailand is famous for. Visiting a few bars we had a job spotting them before they spotted us. In a certain establishment around eighty percent of the ‘female’ occupants were ladyboys. They would stare at the men in the bar and if one unfortunately caught their gaze that would be it. They would waddle over, demand your name and get far too close and personal. Choosing to leave swiftly we headed to ‘Spicy’ a club recommended by other backpackers, however I can not quite put my finger on why. Apart from our party of eight, the other revellers that occupied the seedy corners of this club where dirty old men reminiscent of Ray Winstone with petite young Thai girls (or boys). Deciding not to linger in the dive for too long we headed for home.
The following day was not too eventful, whilst waiting for the night bus, we utilised the hostels swimming pool, stocked up on supplies for the coming journey but before we knew it we were back in Bangkok the next morning. Booking into the same cheap, trusted hostel we spent our last day with Dave and Freya; browsing the many stalls on Khoasan Road for what felt like the thousandth time and later that evening we dove into the underbelly of Bangkok to see a Ping Pong Show (this doesn't need but be dwelt on too much, but for those who don't know it does not involve the game... for those who do know, enough said!) before they departed at 5am the following morning. After saying sad farewells before the sun rose, Jen and I headed back to bed. We have ended up booking up our trip south through the same tried and tested company we travelled to Chiang Mai with. Our time with Dave and Freya has been amazing, we have seen and done so many brilliant things with them that the past three and half weeks have flown by! It was very sad to see them leave, however we leave Bangkok knowing that the 12th September is lingering ever closer and we have to really make the most of the coming weeks before we return back home to the shire!
Roll on Ao Nang, Phuket, Koh Phangan, Koh Samui and Koh Tao!

I hope you are all well back at home!
Much Love Andy x

22/08/2012