Bangkok, Round 2

After a not-so-bad night bus, Tommy and I returned to Bangkok, quite early in the mornig. We stayed at Soi 1 Guesthouse (on Soi 1 Sukhumvit) where Tommy and Rob have been regulars, and it’s run by American Expat Dave. Comfortable beds, close to the SKy Train, and quality air-con. We were luckily able to checkin early and had a bit of a nap before checking out the Chatuchak Markets. Only open weekends, these are the biggest markets in Bangkok. For some reason I forgot to take photos, but they’re crazy and massive. You can even buy maps for it.

It was Rob’s 22nd Birthday! (Wow I’m feeling old) and he wanted to go to the SkyBar which looks over Bangkok from a crazy high floor, so we dressed up in jeans, collared shirts, and me wearing a pair of dodgy old canvas shoes we found in the luggage room. We were boiling outside, but first went to a Japanese restaurant inside Central World Plaza (another massive shopping center) and by the time we arrived at the sky bar it was shut! Oops, a little late I guess. At least we were allowed up to a lower lookout point.

I had a bit of a run of bad luck with food today, at the markets I tried to buy something resembling a snow cone, and after asking multiple times if it contained milk, she said no, and I bought one…which I worked out had milk in it…argg! Here you go Tommy. Then I tried to buy some plums at the market, first she sold me a bag smaller than the one with the 20B price on it, then I tried one and they were rock hard, inedible. arrg! That night after hitting Koa San road, I went to get some fallafels as I do, and asked about 5 times for hummus. Eventually she gave me a bottle, which I thought was a bit odd, but getting real falafel and hummus in SEASIA is pot luck and the hummus is often very runny. So I poured it all over the fallafel, took one bight and realised it was garlic sauce, AKA, cream. I argued for ages with her that she told me it was hummus and I wanted a new batch, eventually she just gave me a refund. Argg! Angry, hungry, falafeless and tired, I bargained with the tuk tuk guy and went back to the Soi. I think this was my first real tuk tuk ride actually, because usually its just not worth the hassle. Too bad I wasn’t in a better mood to enjoy it!

Part of the reason for me to stop in Bangkok again was to sort my Visa out for Vietnam. You have to get it in advance, and unfortunately pick your entry and exit dates which sucks when you don’t know exactly when you will enter the country! 1800 Baht and 2 days later I had my visa.

MBK is a big, cool, young shopping center just near the National Stadium Sky Train station, and I went with Rob to go bowling and see Star Trek (Frigging awesome btw!). The bowling alley was looking like a disco with neons everyone. There was a mini night market happening on the skywalk outside it too where I bought a Baby Milo t-shirt!

I moved back to my cheapie guesthouse of Kao San road for a couple days so I could do some things in the area and sort shit out. I went to the post office one arvo, and when I came out it was raining, and I mean F**KING RAINING! Monsoon season is late but slowly approaching, so when it does rain it hits fast and very, very hard. I was staying literally 30m up the road, but even in that short distance I would get completely soaked so I waited it out. When it did ease off, I was walking ankle deep back to the guesthouse. Crazy.

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