Sawasdee BKK!
February 29, 2008
I got into Bangkok at about 11am but after going through customs,
waiting for my ride and a lengthy drive from the airport, it was
probably 1 or 2pm when I got to my hotel. I was able to get in touch
with New
and we agreed to meetup the next afternoon! After settling into my
hotel, I decided to head out and explore Bangkok. Because the tour was
more focused on Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos, there wasn't too much time
in Bangkok so I arrived a day before my tour began to give me more time
to adjust and explore the city.
By the time I was ready to leave my hotel, most temples were about to close so the staff suggested I head to Khao San Road which was around the corner from my hotel. Around which corner, I wasn't to sure. I saw a couple of people with a map and asked them where it was. We chatted for a while and it turned out they were from Sweden. They were heading to see a big Buddha and they invited me to join them so I did. From there we headed to Khao San Road. Soon after we parted ways because they wanted to go shopping at MBK.
It was still pretty light outside so Khao San hadn't yet reached its full craziness capacity. I wandered down the street and noticed a bookstore selling all kinds of travel books including the one I had (Lonely Planet: Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos & the Greater Mekong) for way cheaper than what I bought it for at home! Behind the bookstore I notice a place called Hippie de Bar. It sounded familiar and then I remembered that New had written about it on Travbuddy. I was pretty hungry at that point so I decided to check it out. I had a really good meal there and it was a very relaxing place to be.
After dinner I wandered around some more, and as the sky got darker the scene got crazier. It was a Friday night so there were a lot of people out. There were tons of backpackers, road side bars promising strong drinks, little outdoor salons where you could get your hair braided or dreadlocked, several vendors and plenty of wayward-looking travelers. I loved it. Gloriously absurd. I was too tired to partake in the craziness though so I mostly just checked out the vendors' stalls and refreshed my bargaining skills. I headed back to the hotel pretty early to get some rest for a day of sightseeing.
By the time I was ready to leave my hotel, most temples were about to close so the staff suggested I head to Khao San Road which was around the corner from my hotel. Around which corner, I wasn't to sure. I saw a couple of people with a map and asked them where it was. We chatted for a while and it turned out they were from Sweden. They were heading to see a big Buddha and they invited me to join them so I did. From there we headed to Khao San Road. Soon after we parted ways because they wanted to go shopping at MBK.
It was still pretty light outside so Khao San hadn't yet reached its full craziness capacity. I wandered down the street and noticed a bookstore selling all kinds of travel books including the one I had (Lonely Planet: Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos & the Greater Mekong) for way cheaper than what I bought it for at home! Behind the bookstore I notice a place called Hippie de Bar. It sounded familiar and then I remembered that New had written about it on Travbuddy. I was pretty hungry at that point so I decided to check it out. I had a really good meal there and it was a very relaxing place to be.
After dinner I wandered around some more, and as the sky got darker the scene got crazier. It was a Friday night so there were a lot of people out. There were tons of backpackers, road side bars promising strong drinks, little outdoor salons where you could get your hair braided or dreadlocked, several vendors and plenty of wayward-looking travelers. I loved it. Gloriously absurd. I was too tired to partake in the craziness though so I mostly just checked out the vendors' stalls and refreshed my bargaining skills. I headed back to the hotel pretty early to get some rest for a day of sightseeing.
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A relaxing refuge on Khao San Road
I ended up here two nights in a row because it was right there when I needed dinner. It's a little off the main road so it has a calm atmosphere compared to the many bar & restaurants that basically spill onto Khao San. It's very cute with lots of plants and colorful mismatched furniture. The staff is plentiful and inefficient, but they were good natured and I thought the food was great.
The first night I started off with one of their many tropical cocktail options followed by a green curry with prawns and teddy bear shaped rice. A delicious first meal. They were playing a great soundtrack of reggae and Jack Johnson other kinds of music many people like to hear when they're "on holiday" in a tropical country.
The second time I went there they had more of an adult contempary soundtrack playing. I ordered some kind of interesting fried rice with chicken and was brought a pork dish with a side of rice. About five waiters came to sort out the matter. The waiter who took my order had misunderstood what I asked for and another one joked that what he brought me had to be chicken fried rice. I was starving and almost reached a point where I was just going to take the pork dish because it did look pretty good. After much talking, they finally corrected my order and I had another good meal there.
The first night I started off with one of their many tropical cocktail options followed by a green curry with prawns and teddy bear shaped rice. A delicious first meal. They were playing a great soundtrack of reggae and Jack Johnson other kinds of music many people like to hear when they're "on holiday" in a tropical country.
The second time I went there they had more of an adult contempary soundtrack playing. I ordered some kind of interesting fried rice with chicken and was brought a pork dish with a side of rice. About five waiters came to sort out the matter. The waiter who took my order had misunderstood what I asked for and another one joked that what he brought me had to be chicken fried rice. I was starving and almost reached a point where I was just going to take the pork dish because it did look pretty good. After much talking, they finally corrected my order and I had another good meal there.
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