Bangkok

Hi All,

Together with Beth, we took a flight from the sleepy capital of Laos to the bustling capital city of Thailand - Bangkok. In the airport we said our goodbyes to Beth before she headed off to catch her connecting flight home and we travelled onward, via the high speed Sky Train, to our Air Bnb apartment in the suburbs of this huge city. Bizarrely, arriving in Bangkok felt like reverse culture shock. Having not been in a modern city for a number of weeks now, Bangkok’s busy streets, traffic and up market restaurants, shops and cafes were all a welcome (if slightly odd) sensation. We couldn’t help but have a nosy in the familiar branded shops, Tesco express and Boots! One thing that really impressed us were the patient orderly queues for the train; the single file lines much better than the chaotic scramble for the tube!

Having planned our stay to coincide with a weekend so we could visit the renowned Chatuchak weekend market, we were keen to get exploring on our first morning. My god were we surprised at the sheer size and selection of goods on sale - that’s saying something when we have been to hundreds of Asian markets over the last 5 months and Danielle has even been before in 2014. Divided into 24 sections (each the size of a normal large market), this maze of stalls and shops was an absolute labyrinth. Antiques, pottery, clothing, shoes, body soaps, tourist tat, scarfs, plastic flowers, wicker baskets, books, musical instruments - you name it, there was a section for it! There was also a huge street food area with vast quantities of grilled shellfish, noodles and crispy pork.Undoubtedly the most surprising though was the aquarium area which sold thousands of fish in plastic bags. Clearly aquatic pets are big here as there were also baby terrapins, tiny brightly coloured crayfish and even live sting rays for £50 - £100 each. Then we discovered row upon row of live pets: puppies, kittens, rabbits, lizards, meerkats, ducks and hedgehogs!

Next on our list was to explore Chinatown by night. Neon lights eliminated Yaowarat Road which was alive with street food vendors. We decided to get crispy oysters as neither of us have tried them cooked before. Verdict - they were definitely better than the fresh slimy ones from the beach in Kent! We certainly weren’t tempted by the hundreds of restaurants offering shark fin soup. We were shocked that it wasn't just on a few menus but advertised with huge signs and even a billboard. On our way home we stumbled upon a traditional Chinese dance performance in a makeshift theatre up a side street. While we weren’t too sure what the premise of the show was, we thought that the dramatic makeup was incredible and loved the brightly coloured dragon outfits. Finally, we stopped to visit Wat Traimit; an elaborate temple home to the worlds largest gold statue, a 5.5 tonne solid golden Buddha with a mysterious past. This gleaming masterpiece was only recently discovered when it was dropped from a crane during transit in the and its stone pseudo exterior was broken. It is believed this was to prevent the statue being looted in the past.

Up early, by our standards at least, we headed to Wat Phra Kaew and the grand palace complex in the hope to beat the heat and some of crowds. We weren’t impressed that we were denied entry for being inappropriately dressed despite Danielle having purposely chosen a long dress and scarf covering her shoulders and Ross wearing shorts below the knee. We brought a T-shirt (for Danielle) and trousers (for Ross) and were allowed in. It was certainly worth the palaver and as Ross pointed out, not fair for us to be annoyed with their cultural expectations. The huge gleaming temple was adorned in sparkly mosaic tiles. We wandered round the vast complex in awe of the ornate work. At each gate were two 5m high ‘yakshas’ (giant ogres). Other mythical creatures in the complex included a half woman, half bird ‘kinnaree’ and many elephants with both Hindu and Buddhist origins.

Wat Pho, our second stop, was again decorated in mosaic and reminded us of Gaudi's 'Park Guell' in Barcelona. Here we saw the impressive 15m high and 46m long reclining Buddha with mother of pearl inlay work on his feet. Inside the grounds were many beautifully decorated stupas as well as the oldest and largest wat (temple) in Bangkok. As well as all the tourists, hundreds of Thai people filled the complex to pray with the row of monks lining the inner temple walls.

After looking around all morning in the heat, we decided we deserved a coconut ice cream even though we are meant to be eating healthy after a few too many weeks of over indulgence! Recharged, we then headed to one of Bangkok’s huge shopping centres in a hunt to replace the clothing that has worn out/ gone missing in the wash. Ross easily found new T-shirt’s but Danielle was unsuccessful in locating a bra in her size even though we hunted high and low. Instead we decided to call home and request a package to be sent out with Sean, Ross’ old friend who is joining us in a week or so.

Metropolis visited, we are now travelling south to enjoy some of Thailand’s famous islands and beaches. After all, our sun tans are starting to fade so are definitely in need of a top up! Sorry to rub it in. If it is any consolation, we are jealous of all the home made comfort foods we’re missing and have started to write a list for when we get back: chocolate brownie, sticky toffee pudding, chicken pie, chip shop chips and roast potatoes.

Love R and D xxx