Bangkok traffic – the busiest in the world

I’m alone and running across a strange city on a strange new continent. It’s melty degrees and I’m sweating as I dodge between tuk-tuks, hoping that my girlfriend will be alright left on the platform on the other side of the city for an hour and a half. Leaving my phone charging in the Bangkok hostel wasn’t the smartest move I’ve ever made and now we’ve missed the bus…

After nine months in Australia and three weeks in New Zealand, it was time to venture out of the first world for the first time…

We got up for a 4am taxi to the airport in Christchurch, New Zealand. I found $30AUD in my pocket so bought a South East Asian phrasebook at Sydney airport for our adventures ahead. Boarding the Sydney to Bangkok flight, the Aussie airline assistant took one look at my All Blacks shirt and said to me: ‘they already kicked you out of Australia for wearing that?’ I was feeling nervous and naive to enter a non-first world country for the first time in nearly a quarter of a century on this planet. Time for something new…

Our first taste of Thailand

On arrival we followed directions from the Bangkok airport to the hostel via the train, and checked in. It was hot and muggy and clearly a melting pot of all forms of human life – I was excited and slightly overwhelmed by the assault on all of my senses. On first impression, Bangkok felt more alive than any other city I’d been in. We got a free whisky shot at the hostel (which tasted like mouthwash) and bought some chicken noodles before grabbing some overdue sleep.

The next morning we had a croissant and bought an asian plug converter, then got a train to the bus station and bought tickets to go to Koh Samet for the following day. We got a train into town to Hua Lamphong and walked around for quite a while. We found our way to Rachawongse Pier, where we got a boat to Tha Chang Pier up the Chao Phraya River and had an awesome stir fry noodle lunch at the market. We turned right and walked round all four sides of the Grand Palace in sweltering heat but by the time we finally reached the entrance it was 3.30pm and the Palace was closed. If only we had turned left…

There’s something alluring about downtown Bangkok

We walked along Saham Luang Royal Ground to Khao San Road, the ultimate backpacker street. It was very touristy, as you would expect. We also walked along Kraisri Road, which is parallel to Khao San and just more of the same, really. We got the ferry again from from Phra Arthit to Oriental Pier and walked back through Silam Road to Lub D hostel, where we were given free beef and pork kebabs. A bit later I grabbed some seafood rice from down the road – thus far the Bangkok food had been great!

The Bangkok Sky Bar was famously used in the film Hangover Part II and we walked over to it, excited to have a drink atop the skyscraper with surely the best view of all of Bangkok. Frustratingly, we weren’t allowed in due to their dress code so we went back to the hostel to get changed. The sky bar was worth the hassle – apparently the world’s highest rooftop restaurant at a dizzying 64 flights up, this was one incredible experience. The bar was super busy but eventually we got served a cocktail each. As we went to leave we were informed that there was another rooftop bar on floor 52. We had a cocktail each there too and it hosted equally stunning views but was far less crowded. I stupidly had the cocktail all guys ask for pretending to be James Bond, forgetting how disgusting it is in real life: a Vesper Martini. I did finish it, though, and it was a pretty awesome night!

The Sky Bar from Hangover II!

The next day we awoke fairly early and had another croissant breakfast at Lub D. It was only after taking two trains to the bus station that I realised I had left my phone on charge back at the hostel! I had to go back and left Jodes at the station with our bags for about an hour and a half. By now we had missed the bus so had to buy another to Trat – we decided to bypass Koh Samet and go straight to Koh Chang…