India, you really are Incredible. A vast land of contrasts, beauty and extremes that captivates all senses, grabs by the heart and doesn’t want to let go. You pushed so many of our buttons…yet three days after departure we’re already missing you.
We jumped a flight to Bangkok from Chennai on the 5th. It was smooth sailing for the most part, except we initially forgot to claim our laptop from the security check point and realized it only when an announcement was made as we were boarding. All of our pictures gone in a blink? That could’ve been the biggest personal drama of this journey and I would’ve been the one to blame. Security guys, as they were handling it back to Sebastian, told him never to trust a woman - hence the biggest lesson of all.
Cleanliness and spaciousness of the airport in Bangkok caught us off guard. It felt as if we landed on a strange planet, with virtual lack of people, well marked signage, and efficiently organized public transportation to the city with prices printed on tickets and staff giving us correct change. Once the super comfortable air-con bus dropped us off on Khao San Road, our actual destination aka backpackers‘ ghetto, we were truly dumbfounded and had no idea what to do with our newly perfected survival skills - they were useless. In a city of close to 8 million we could hear our thoughts because nobody was shouting or using their horn. Nobody. Nobody was following us or grabbing our hands and tuk tuks were not driving over our toes in an attempt to give us a ride. Moreover, several drivers were giving us free directions that actually led to places we were looking for and friendly strangers were offering to help us make sense of our map. Nobody stared at us and occasional quick looks did not make us feel as if we were monkeys in a zoo. What was wrong with our appearance? Didn’t we look exotic enough? Thailand already felt like an easy place to travel. Maybe even too easy after what we grew accustomed to but we were in no condition to complain about sudden comforts. Within an hour of walking the back streets of Khao San we found a place to crash and, exhausted, fell into hibernation for the next ten hours.
Bangkok does not let you sleep for too long though. Permeating the air, smells of lemon grass, basil, soy sauce and vinegar sizzle together on a hot plate to make pad thai or, combined with herbs and mushrooms, make wonderful bowl of tom yum. Every couple of steps street vendors prepare amazing concoctions of rice flour variety, be it noodles, pancakes, soups, deep fried snacks, or delicate dim sum - all perfectly balancing sweet, sour, salty, and spicy flavors. Displayed gloriously on banana leaves, rows of meat and fish on a stick come in all variety while deep fried crickets and maggots offer a dash of culinary adventure for everyone willing to try. Thailand seems to be plain happy when eating, everywhere, at all hours of the day and night, and not necessarily because it’s hungry. We were more than happy to join the perpetually feasting locals, rounding up our bellies for the island beaches in stock next week.
In between eating and snacking we also had to sightsee “a little”. By now Sebastian was really hoping for a serious break in temple marathon, but the couple of days we intended to stay in Bangkok were quickly turning into four and then five, so we had to pick up pace if we wanted to spend a week sunbathing before his 15-day Thai visa ran out. Apparently entering the country on a Polish passport equals getting possibly the shortest visa-on-arrival out of all nationalities. And so temple hopping we went.
We jumped a flight to Bangkok from Chennai on the 5th. It was smooth sailing for the most part, except we initially forgot to claim our laptop from the security check point and realized it only when an announcement was made as we were boarding. All of our pictures gone in a blink? That could’ve been the biggest personal drama of this journey and I would’ve been the one to blame. Security guys, as they were handling it back to Sebastian, told him never to trust a woman - hence the biggest lesson of all.
Cleanliness and spaciousness of the airport in Bangkok caught us off guard. It felt as if we landed on a strange planet, with virtual lack of people, well marked signage, and efficiently organized public transportation to the city with prices printed on tickets and staff giving us correct change. Once the super comfortable air-con bus dropped us off on Khao San Road, our actual destination aka backpackers‘ ghetto, we were truly dumbfounded and had no idea what to do with our newly perfected survival skills - they were useless. In a city of close to 8 million we could hear our thoughts because nobody was shouting or using their horn. Nobody. Nobody was following us or grabbing our hands and tuk tuks were not driving over our toes in an attempt to give us a ride. Moreover, several drivers were giving us free directions that actually led to places we were looking for and friendly strangers were offering to help us make sense of our map. Nobody stared at us and occasional quick looks did not make us feel as if we were monkeys in a zoo. What was wrong with our appearance? Didn’t we look exotic enough? Thailand already felt like an easy place to travel. Maybe even too easy after what we grew accustomed to but we were in no condition to complain about sudden comforts. Within an hour of walking the back streets of Khao San we found a place to crash and, exhausted, fell into hibernation for the next ten hours.
we just wanted to hug everyone passed on the street
7eleven graces every corner, conveniently changing money with printed receipts
Bangkok does not let you sleep for too long though. Permeating the air, smells of lemon grass, basil, soy sauce and vinegar sizzle together on a hot plate to make pad thai or, combined with herbs and mushrooms, make wonderful bowl of tom yum. Every couple of steps street vendors prepare amazing concoctions of rice flour variety, be it noodles, pancakes, soups, deep fried snacks, or delicate dim sum - all perfectly balancing sweet, sour, salty, and spicy flavors. Displayed gloriously on banana leaves, rows of meat and fish on a stick come in all variety while deep fried crickets and maggots offer a dash of culinary adventure for everyone willing to try. Thailand seems to be plain happy when eating, everywhere, at all hours of the day and night, and not necessarily because it’s hungry. We were more than happy to join the perpetually feasting locals, rounding up our bellies for the island beaches in stock next week.
soup for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack...anytime, anywhere
Beatle in his mouth, ready for a good night kiss.
Hands down the best mushroom and fresh herb soup. The aromas were hunting us for days but this was the first and only time we had a chance to try it - our Soup Lady went missing day two. We witnessed couple of these street vendors on Khao San having their kitchen on wheels taken by the local police because they lacked proper license and we suspect the same misfortune could’ve happened to her.
Nothing else came close to that soup but we had to eat cheaply several times a day and found a close runner up in pad thai category. We definitely abused this man’s assortment of condiments, but he was all smiles, piling those noodles high and, by day four, knew what we wanted before we even ordered.
In between eating and snacking we also had to sightsee “a little”. By now Sebastian was really hoping for a serious break in temple marathon, but the couple of days we intended to stay in Bangkok were quickly turning into four and then five, so we had to pick up pace if we wanted to spend a week sunbathing before his 15-day Thai visa ran out. Apparently entering the country on a Polish passport equals getting possibly the shortest visa-on-arrival out of all nationalities. And so temple hopping we went.
Grand Palace dipped in gold.
Golden Buddha of Wat Traimit.
Monks defy gravity as they glide seamlessly over sidewalks and even the most heart stopping intersections, their quiet and peaceful demeanor rendering them invincible. They’re profoundly respected by the people and a whole gamma of appropriate behavior governs social interaction when in their presence. Women should not come close to, touch, or sit next to them, which sometimes results in otherworldly gymnastics, particularly on a boat taxi or ferry. Even more rewarding becomes a glimpse of a smile they utter in your direction when you navigate a mad river of traffic together.
Talat Mai, Chinese market. Vegetables, candied fruit, deep fried pork skin of all shapes and sizes, strange animal parts soaked in vinegar, bags of tea and spices, fresh seafood and fish hanging by the tail at passerby’s eye level, everything bathed in early morning sunlight peeking through overhead awnings. And the smells… some pungent, some addictively delicious, all part of dizzying mixture soaked into cobblestones and embedded in the surroundings. By nature, market areas are always wonderfully chaotic and crowded, but what was so different about this one was it’s composed face - people were squeezing through every nook any cranny but nobody was pushing, showing, honking or even shouting. The whole spectacle was reminiscent of a bee hive, only muted.
deep fried...intestines?
dried shrip by the kilo
mmm...seaweed salad
mmm....not so much
roasted duck, eyes, beak and all
another section of the market... plastic fantastic
After Chinese market I tortured Sebastian some more - we headed out to find Lightmos showroom by ArchitectKidd. It took us two hours just to get to the modern district of Bangkok by boat, metro, and then Skytrain, only to walk around for an hour and finally give it a rest. This city is HUGE, a fact that we overestimated on more than one occasion. However, rewards of our "failed" treasure hunt were anything but disappointing.
not Lightmos but definitely in tune with the surroundings.. stitched by electric wires
much needed beauty treatment - collagen and chlorophyll in a bottle
Skytrain line overhead, taxis, motorbikes, and buses in a criss cross game
covered in artificial grass
Artificial egg? Yes, please. Visual aids for restaurants.
futuristic Skytrain
it's all about the porcelain skin
Stress seemed to have been accumulating for weeks now because we suddenly broke into arguments over nothing. Maybe change of diet and temple marathon were to blame or perhaps sudden drop of survival adrenaline inflated our tempers - no matter the cause, when constructive arguments went missing, we both felt sudden urge to punch one another. Instead, we ate our way through it and took a long nap in a park. Leaving Bangkok on an overnight bus to Krabi we started to believe in the healing power of food.
Wat Arun over Chao Praya River
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