Bangkok, Thailand
Saturday, December 4, 2004
Initial impressions of Bangkok were less than favourable as we approached the Khao San Road only to witness a sea of backpacks and English football strips. Fortunately this was not representative of the rest of the city, which we soon discovered to be both intriguing and charming. Our time there was mainly spent catching up with friends, however, we did manage to imbibe some of the local culture on our visit to a Thai boxing match at Lumphini Stadium, where a band of old maestros donning green velvet jackets played a curious array of instruments in time to the pace of the fight. The frenzied betting of the local Thai contingent also contributed to an electrifying atmosphere. An enjoyable few hours were also spent at the famous weekend market, where you could pick up an incredibly diverse range of items, from Thai silks to tracksuits, tableware and full size metal R2D2s....which I still haven't ruled out buying and posting home.
We also took the short train journey to the ancient Siam capital of Ayuthaya to see the impressive relics.
