Returning to Bangkok, Thailand
Foreword
I didn’t know if I would continue travel blogging, but I have decided to blog my most recent trip which began almost a year ago in January 2018. A few weeks ago I posted my top albums list for 2018, an eight-thousand-word-plus opus where I reviewed forty albums. I went a little overboard this time, but it was a fun project that I picked away at for months until it became what it was.
I don’t intend to be so long-winded with this travel blog series, but at the same time it will be as long as it has to be. This is the first time I’ve wrote directly on Medium through Google Chrome on my desktop. I normally write my posts in OneNote first, but I’ve had issues with OneNote lately and I like the minimalist layout of Medium. Adding pictures is also easy as I go, and yes, there will be lots of pictures.
If you haven’t read my 2017 travel blog series, I recommend that you do as I will probably reference things from that trip here. So without further ado, my 2018 travel blog series begins!
I struggle to sleep on planes. I’m always looking out the window, watching a movie (Coco almost had me crying in public) or listening to podcasts or music. When I do attempt to sleep with that weird blanket they give you I usually give up. It’s something that I’ve just accepted as part of travelling: I’m not going to sleep very much, but oh the places I’ll go.
I knew I had to go back to Bangkok sooner rather than later. This time I took the Skytrain line from the airport as I originally intended the first time. There were other backpackers on the train, but like me, they were still engaged with their books, e-readers and phones after the long flight.
As I got closer to the city proper and started to see the familiar sights, it still hadn’t really hit me yet that I was back. But as I transferred Skytrain lines and was subjected to the familiar (and mostly unpleasant) smells, the punishing heat and the sticky humidity, all the memories came flooding back. I knew I was back in my home away from home.
This time I booked my first hostel in Bangkok’s Sukhumvit district, an area I visited briefly on my last trip that I wanted to explore more. I regretted my decision immediately, not because I didn’t enjoy Sukhumvit, but compared to Siam and Khao San it wasn’t as backpacker-friendly as I was hoping.
Before I even checked into my hostel, I was starving so I needed food. I found an Isan restaurant (northeastern Thai food, my favourite!) which was on the walk from the Skytrain to my hostel. I had som tam (green papaya salad) with a big Chang beer. It was honestly one of the spiciest things I’ve ever had, which was not ideal considering how hungry I was but I still loved it. I don’t think I’ve ever drank a big Chang so fast!
I also had holy basil chicken, which probably wasn’t that spicy but after eating the som tam even the beer tasted spicy. What I’m trying to say is it was delicious and I was super happy to be back in Bangkok.
After eating I checked into Augusta Hostel which was a really great spot. The staff were super nice and everything was very clean and modern. However, no one was hanging out in the common areas so interaction for a solo backpacker was not possible. So after my first night I moved back to my favourite hostel on Khao San Road.
The other reason I wanted to stay in Sukhumvit was to visit Soi Cowboy, a neon-drenched street of go-go bars where I knew I had to get some great, Blade Runner-esque photos.
I still think Khao San Road is the best spot for a solo backpacker in Bangkok, as long as you don’t mind music blasting from the bars until two in the morning. There are lots of other backpackers to socialize with and the major tourist attractions are still accessible by bus or water taxi. The only downside is that it is quite far from the Skytrain.
The next day, knowing I would be staying in Khao San that night, I slowly started making my way to that part of the city, stopping at a great coffee spot and taking a stroll through the famous Lumphini Park.
After exploring the park I grabbed lunch at a food court on Silom Soi 10. I got a little anxious as none of the signs were in English and it was super busy with locals who go there on their lunch break. Eventually I got some panang curry and tom yum soup. The tom yum had evaporated milk in the broth which made it really rich and delicious.
While exploring the Silom district I walked past this really cool Hindu temple. I really like the colours which are part of the South Indian architecture style.
If you know me in real life, you know I am a BIG fan of craft beer. As you can imagine, the craft beer scene isn’t very big in Thailand, however there are still great places to get some. In Silom I visited CRAFT, a craft beer bar with multiple locations in the city.
Unfortunately, you do have to pay quite a bit due to the import fees. Pints were around 250 to 300 baht each, which works out to 10 to 12 dollars Canadian. Add to that a service charge and government tax and these pints were significantly more expensive than back home! But since it was early in my trip and funds were still plentiful, it was a nice little treat to stray away from the Chang for a bit.
After exploring Silom some more I made my way to Khao San Road. For this trip I tried to keep the backpack load for my initial flight as low as possible. I only packed a minimal amount of clothes from home knowing I would get some good stuff on Khao San. Khao San Road is famous for their cheap, knockoff clothes and knick knacks, and bartering for a good deal here is an essential part of the Bangkok experience!
After some shopping I checked into SomeRest Hostel, my favourite hostel in Bangkok from my visit last year. The staff there were super friendly and they remembered me from last time. The next morning I was treated to the best continental breakfast ever: khao tom, a rice soup traditionally eaten at breakfast, with papaya and orange juice.
My original plan was to check out one of Bangkok’s famous floating markets, but unfortunately the hours on Google Maps were wrong and it was closed when I got there! Fortunately my Grab driver (Grab is one of the cheaper alternatives to Uber in Southeast Asia) was super cool and drove me back for a reduced rate. I ended up checking out Wang Lang Market instead, it was packed and the weather wasn’t great but the food was fantastic. I got some pork, a vegetarian soup and some tiny pancakes for dessert.
After taking a water taxi back to my hostel I met another backpacker named Scott. He had just flown into Bangkok from the UK that day and he reminded me a lot of myself on my first trip last year. Slightly overwhelmed and poring over his Lonely Planet guides, we had a good talk about what I learned the first time around. After that I showed him around the Khao San / Rambuttri area and grabbed (more than) a few beers.
The next day I decided to visit Chinatown before catching my train to Ko Tao that night. Scott joined me as he was still trying to get a lay of the land. We had lunch at a street stall in a dark alleyway. The egg noodle soup with dumplings was delicious and super garlicy, but the mood was spoiled when we saw a rat scurry into a sewer grate!
After exploring Chinatown a bit more, I took a Grab to Bangkok’s train station. It was time to catch the night train again, but instead of heading north to Chiang Mai I was heading south to the Chumphon pier. After arriving at the Chumphon station around four thirty in the morning, a shuttle bus arrived to take us to the pier. I would be taking a ferry to Ko Tao, a small island north of Ko Pha Ngan. I planned on going there last year but bad weather at the time made the journey not worth it. While I didn’t know it yet, Ko Tao would become my favourite island in Thailand. My new adventure was just getting started.
Next: How I Broke My Phone in Ko Tao
Previous: Songkran in Bangkok, Thailand
