part 3
BANGKOK, THAILAND
Sawatdee Ka~
We boarded the train in Hat Yai. I was waiting on the platform and right at 6:00 pm, music started, the Thai anthem I assume, and everyone stopped what they were doing and stood at attention for the duration. Music stopped and everyone carried on. Nice patriotic moment.
Anyway, the train left a good hour late.
The thai countryside turned to cityscape as we trundled along into Bangkok. I was amazed at how nice and easy the trip was. Who woulda thought 17 hours on a train with 5 kids in thailand would be so pleasant and even enjoyable?
We got into the train station and were swept away with 2 tuk-tuk drivers and off we went to Kao San Road~the infamous backpackers area. Which by the way, is NOTHING like it was 20 years ago. I know, hard to believe.
We started looking for a hotel and we found the jackpot at $12/night. As basic as you get with shared bathrooms again and no A/C and turns out ours was one of the loudest in Bangkok. We upgraded the next night when an A/C became available and moved a few floors up. We know how to live.
Kao San road was amazing, awesome, wild, trippy, crazy and by 11 pm- on the verge of being 100% out of control. We LOVED it. Shopping~trinkets, souvenirs, clothes clothes clothes, super cheap yummy food stalls, and the best people watching EVER. The place was packed 24/7 and when a car or motorbike came through, people barely moved over, as if we weren't on a street. The shopping, oh the shopping! It never ended, can't say enough about it. We didn't buy near enough and I HAVE to go back. One can NEVER have too many thai fishing pants.......
We discovered that as it got later, more and more people came out. And so did the bars and booze and the LOUDEST music. Every place that was a restaurant was now a bar and every bare space in front of a closed shop was now a bar or street vendor selling clothes. The street narrowed by at least 15 feet on either side. Every bar played music as loud or louder than the one next to it, so as you walked down the street, it was a different song every minute or so. I have never heard music that loud coming out of a bar. It was hysterical at first and then nerve racking with the kids looking/listening on. And keeping track of them was making me crazy so we went to our sweet little hotel that was 10 feet behind one of the largest bars.......At 4 am I finally shut our windows and gave up on sleep. Why I loved this place I can't really explain. It's definitely got some energy!
We were up bright an early, thanks to Dalila and Brighton. The other 3 kids were awake as well. I think they slept better than we did, they had their own music via headphones, where as we only had the blaring music ALL night long. Soren said the music stopped around 7 am! They most definitely know how to party in Bangkok~it was apparent that everything they say about Bangkok is true.We went in search for breakfast. The infamous Kao San road had a few staggering people and only fruit vendors, a totally different scene then the night before, or even a couple hours before. Obviously the place needed to get its self together for the next go round, they had time, everyone had just gone to bed........
We hit up 7-11 and McDonalds. I had been searching for a decent cup of coffee. The Nestle intstant at 7-11 was just NOT doing it for me. We headed back to our hotel to change rooms, and Matt disappeared for a bit......shows up with a BIG fat cup of STARBUCKS!!! Like venti style!! He saw it tucked down some alley.....I NEVER even saw it, that tells you how bad I needed it;) I just LOVE this man~always comes through for me!
We eventually got out and headed for the Grand Palace and Temples. We threw on our sarongs and scarves to be dressed appropriately and got in line. We find out its $15 a person to go in. At almost $100 for the family, we said, 'NO, thank you', and then it started pouring. We tried taking cover, but it was no use, we were soaked through. We left the Grand Palace grounds and took to the streets of Bangkok again. Temples and amazing architecture everywhere. Like window shopping style.
I was disappointed that we didn't go to see the Grand Palace and Wats(temples). I went when I was there with Sonya and Steve in 1992. I loved it, but couldn't get ourselves to pay it when we knew the kids could care less, plus the rain would of been more than a major damper. We were freezing by the time we got back to the hotel.
That night we went IKEA, of all places. Couldn't believe I was in Bangkok and going to IKEA. But the kids really wanted to. It was SO far away and was a major challenge getting there(I'll spare you...). But It was okay because we got to see so much of Bangkok at night and its massiveness.
Ikea was a bit of a disappointment, made the kids homesick!
When we got back to Kao San road, the place was a madhouse. Sofia and Soren wanted to go out on thier own for a bit. They were gone for 20 minutes before they came back, completely overwhelmed and grossed out and maybe a bit shocked. I was glad, I was a wreck for those 20 minutes......
As it got later and later, the shops were closing down, but out in front of them, street vendors were just setting up there wares. Like at midnight! And makeshift street bars popping up in every spare bit of space. Somehow, the music got louder, and of course the people were coming out in droves, and NOT entirely sober..... It was a saturday night and One big happy place thats fo sho!!
We were up early at 7 am to get on our tour, the bar next to us STILL playing its music loud and packed!! People stumbling to their hotels. Starbucks didn't open til 9am! In what world does a Starbucks NOT open at 5 am!!! Ahahaha Bangkok of course!
We hopped in our minibus and we were off to the River Kwai memorial cemetery, bridge, train,and museum. History of River Kwai-WWII the Japanese had POW camps and made them build a railroad to Burma to get supplies to/from.
I liked this food stall cuz I felt like I could step right in and fry up some Pad Thai, or what have you...
We floated in bamboo rafts down the river Kwai and the kids swam and played in the water.
Or, maybe NOT like California rivers at all.......
We then rode the elephants. It was totally touristy and SO awesome. It was hilarious and the guides were super fun and sweet to the elephants. I heart the Thai people.
Brighton almost fell off. Good thing Matt had Dalila!!
Then we had a nice Thai lunch. Thai food is the best!
After lunch we went to some waterfalls. Dirty and packed and crazy. That too was awesome. Kids got to cool down again and I got to people watch.Them Russians are crazy fun people!
After the waterfalls we rode the train thru the jungle and along the river and over the 'most dangerous tracks'. Was actually pretty cool, tho hot as heck. We then headed back to Bangkok hot and sweaty and exhausted but happy. For such a touristy thing and being hauled around with the masses of other tourists in minibuses, the tour was quite spectacular.
We did some late night shopping mixed with some street vendor Pad Thai and other deliciousness. This night was a tiny bit more mellow, being a sunday and all, I guess some tourists holiday was winding down, like our own.
We were up at 4:30 in the morn. We joined the partiers and revelgoers and got in our shuttle to the airport.
Dear Thailand,
Khop Kun Ka.
With Love,
The Shepherds
As always-follow this link to view more of US in Bangkok
http://photobucket.com/shepbangkok12
