Feeling right at home in Bangkok!!
Trip Start
Jan 09, 2013
1
26
76
Trip End
Ongoing
Bangkok, Thailand
Monday, February 18, 2013
I missed the city.
When I left NYC 5 weeks ago, I was so done with the hustle and bustle of the city life. But now that I am back in the concrete jungle, I am feeling right at home. Oh how I missed the pollution, traffic congestion, massive tourists and most importantly high-speed Internet ;-)
I had read that Bangkok can be overwhelming for travelers - but living in NYC for 12 years prepared me well! I didn't feel overwhelmed one bit. As a matter of fact, compared to the highly disgusting, unreliable, and user-UNfriendly subway system of NYC, the rail and ferry system in Bangkok was a piece of cake! It is clean, organized and easy to navigate.
Bangkok is a city mixed with the old and the new. Surrounded by modern hotels and skyline of buildings lies Wat (temples) that were built in many centuries ago. These Wat are preserved throughout the city, so I'd be walking down a busy street of restaurants and shops, then suddenly pass by a historic monument that is over 500 years old! Fascinating.
Despite my better judgment I took a stroll down to Khoasan Road, which is a highly touristy street in Bangkok filled with street vendors and street food. Even though I try to avoid "main attractions" in travel books, I felt that I had to check this out. Its like going to NYC and missing the Statue of Liberty.
Well, I was not impressed.
All the vendors pretty much sell the same clothes and the only street food I saw was Pad Thai.
It was a total tourist trap.
I moved on to Siam Square - now this was interesting!! Everything here resembled Tokyo, from teens dressed in their school uniforms to multi-level shopping malls with restaurants occupying the top floor. I even saw LOFT, which is a Japanese department store. I loved feeling like I was back in Tokyo in Bangkok!
On the way back to the hostel, I saw a cheap eatery under a bridge and decided to have dinner - chicken with veg and rice - all for a whopping 39 baht (a dollar and change)!! NICE. Loving Thailand already :-)
Comments
Feeling jealous... Enjoy!