Thailand

On our way home to Sue and Scott's wedding we thought it would be a good idea to have a 4-day stopover in Siam, now known as Thailand, to have a mini holiday away for the two of us. Because Caroline is English and I am Dutch we already knew we had to visit 2 countries (the United Kingdom and the Netherlands) and we would be rushed off our feet. We knew from the start that we would not be able to see everyone we would have liked to visit together, unfortunately.
We arrived in Thailand at around 23.00 local time (-3hrs Sydney) and it was hot and sticky.
Driving in the back of a taxi from the airport to the city it reminded me a bit of Queensland for some reason.
On our first day we decided to stay close to our home for the next few days, the Indra Regent and to get our bearings and a feel of the place. We stayed near the Pratunam Market which seemed an obvious first place to visit. Lots and lots of clothes, most selling your big name brands , highly discounted and lots of souvenirs.

From there on we went to look for a shrine. Which looked like it should be easy to find and not too far away. After two hours of walking around we still hadn't found it, and when we were nearly there a Tuk-tuk offered to take us there for only 10 Baht. When we stepped in he said he would take us to some sort of shop on the way. As we had read the Lonely Planet Guide to Bangkok we picked up on the fact that it was some kind of scam. ''Whatever you do, do NOT let them take you anywhere else, but where you tell them to go.'' We got out and after another 45 minutes of wandering around we finally found what we were looking for. The Lingam Shrine.
It is not as easy to find as you might expect and it is a bit out of the way. It is not a big shrine, but its not the size that matters...... (no pun intended, okay maybe a little bit).

This shrine is for young women who seek to improve their fertility. We'll keep you posted if anything happens. ;-)

After that we walked to another mall, Siam Paragon and because neither of us are big shoppers we quickly walked out. We had walked for miles and miles and we welcomed the sight of the Hard Rock Cafe Bangkok. It was not only a nice cool haven away from the stickiness, they also had ice cold Singha and the bartender treated us to some neat 'magic' tricks.

After seeing all the shops the day before we wanted to see something more cultural and so we visited the Grand Palace and the temples of Wat Phra Kaew and Wat Pho. Because we are full of good ideas we thought it would be a good idea to take a taxi down to a place downstream of it, and take a ferry upstream and enjoy the sights of the River of Kings while going there.

In the end our friend the taxi driver dropped us off, somewhere where you can hire a private longboat, as we discovered shortly after being dropped off when the man that welcomed us led us to a pier with only longboats. We explained we were only after a ferry to take us up river and they let us go easily and even pointed us roughly in the right direction of the proper ferry.

left: When asked if it was heavy, he replied it was peanuts; right: a pushcart filled with lychees.

As we arrived at the palace we decided to walk around it first and soon we were asked over and over to take a Tuk-tuk. We don't mind walking unless it is at the end of the day, after a day of walking. The Palace and the temples are truly sights not to be missed.

From there we decided to take a Tuk-tuk (you have to do it at least once) to Khao San Road (known by backpackers the world over). Here we saw many newly arrived backpackers making us smile, being thankful we have traded our backpacks in for wheeled suitcases, and dorms for a comfortable a/c double- if not queen- or king size bedroom with private bathroom. Although the idea still appeals to us, we both realise we have become creatures of comfort.

Food stalls one selling dried squid the other Durian (Yum,..gag)

As the night was still young we decided to go to the infamous night markets. Here you can get anything from genuine Lorexes to Poma's. The nightlife is also heaving here and if you are asked to attend a ping-pong show it doesn't mean you will watch a game of table tennis (apparently).
To our surprise we also saw a small elephant walking in the streets that you could feed sugar cane to for a small fee, less then 1 AU$.

On our third day we went to the Snake Farm at the Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute. The first taxi we took did not take us further then around the corner of the hotel before we got out as he said there was no such thing in Bangkok and he would take us somewhere else. The second one wanted to take us to some shop along the way. The third time we took a tuk tuk (third time lucky?, kinda thing).... was no better and the fourth time we tried a taxi who charged us double the 'normal' price (a total of only AU $5, not bad for 3 taxis and one Tuk-tuk) and he took us to the wrong building of the hospital, the one that was across a busy street from the snake farm. Anyway we did manage to get there and see the process of how they milk a snake - no longer on a dish where they squeeze the snake's venom glands that can cause inflammation - but by letting it bite a cup.

For our last day we had booked a tour to the Floating Market from our hotel. Not the cheapest way to book a tour but at least we knew we would be 'home' at 13.30 as our late checkout was at 14.00 and we both wanted to take a shower before our 02:00 o'clock flight to London.

Some final notes: Expect to be hassled by vendors, expect to be approached by people who are more then happy to show you the sights on your map and hail a Tuk-tuk for you, expect to get into Tuk-tuks or taxis that will either charge too much or want to take you to a shop nearby so they receive a fuel coupon. Be polite, smile and walk away and they'll leave you alone even if they have already taken you half a block. And always ask for a taxi to turn on the meter.

Finally, as long as you take the above notes seriously and act on them accordingly, like us, you will have a great time in Bangkok. We are looking forward to going back to Thailand and to see more of the country itself.