24-hours in Bangkok

After nearly three weeks of travel, packed with a wide range of wonderful experiences in Southern Thailand and Northern Central Laos (think beautiful beaches, full moon parties, Mekong River Cruises – riding elephants and meeting minority tribes people en route – and the utterly mesmeric city of Luang Prabang) we had finally reached our exit point; the final stop on a truly remarkable journey through Asia.

Unfortunately we hadn’t planned on wanting to do so much and only left ourselves with 25.3 hours! It was important that we hit the ground running and so having checked in at the jaw-droppingly beautiful Ariyasom Villas, it was a quick shower and out into Bangkok for the night. The three of us had so much planned, all starting with a sunset cocktail at the Breeze Sky-bar (an absolute necessity on any good night out in Bangkok according to our Phil at Selective Asia). We hadn’t however planned on the traffic and after 45 minutes of heavy traffic where we can’t have moved more than half a mile, the sun started to turn red and quickly to grey…the moment had been lost.
Not to be deterred we quickly jumped ahead onto the next planned event of the evening, changing course for Lumphini Park – home to the legendary Muay Thai (Thai Boxing) stadium we had been told about by our Thailand-mad son. On his advice we didn’t go for the tourist seats but instead paid the lower rate and joined the locals – undoubtedly the right choice. The atmosphere was electric, with sounds and smells to match – the latter being the ointments they use to loosen their limbs before each fight. I don’t know enough to comment on the fights themselves other than the boxers were all clearly extremely skilled athletes and there was a great deal of respect between the fighters despite the brutalness/brutality of their actions and moves. The crowd all gambled like crazy and despite several locals attempts to explain to us a little of what was going on we were happy to just sit back and enjoy getting lost in the event itself – a really remarkable few hours.

Next stop was dinner and as it was our last night we wanted something a little special. Our city guide offered a range of options and we duly selected Face, back in the direction of our hotel and the ‘star choice’. Everything about it was stunning, from the cutlery to each intricately presented dish (of which we ate a wide variety!). The restaurant is set in an original Thai house, the type that existed in Bangkok long before the skyscrapers arrived, beautifully restored and filled with antiquities and works of art from the original period.
After several hours of uninterrupted decadence, we left in a dream state – content and absolutely stuffed…perhaps even a little tipsy!
The following morning we were met by our guide Jack who arrived promptly at 8 am as arranged. After a brief introduction of himself and the days plan we struck out into Bangkok proper – enjoying the morning smells as we passed the various food stalls selling the workers their noodle soup breakfasts. The idea behind the tour was to introduce us to parts of Bangkok often overlooked by the tourist map. We started with a journey on the very efficient sky train, literally riding overhead the same congested traffic that had interrupted our sunset plans the previous night, before switching to river ferry where we joined the commuters making the most of the Chao Phraya Rivers free flowing traffic. The river is a great way to get a real perspective on Bangkok, as you give yourself a little distance from the buildings rather than walking directly under or alongside them. The mix of architectures, both ancient and modern, is fascinating - during the half hour journey we passed ornate palaces, 5 * hotels, looming glass office blocks and hidden temples.

We disembarked at Phak Khlong Talad and immediately made our way into the flower market where the entire city’s provision of flowers passes through on a daily basis – much of them for use in the temples and on the shrines you see positioned outside the majority of buildings across Thailand. The colours were mesmerising and the activity within the market a pleasure to witness. Jack took a very hands-on approach, getting us involved and ensuring that we had a chance to playfully barter and interact with the stall holders who were very happy to take the time out to teach us a thing or two about their particular wares…they even made a few sales.
Continuing by foot, our next stop was Little India and then into China Town – both were a riot of colour, with their uniquely styled shops and markets spilling onto the streets from all sides. I particularly liked Little India where we passed by a small street festival, with a huge statue of the god Ganesh in the middle of the road with devotees worshipping him in their droves.
Their was one more stop on our itinerary and we took a tuk-tuk the short distance (an experience in itself!) to Wat Susat . The temple is located along side the city’s ‘Giant Swing’ which was literally used like a child’s swing at festivals in years on gone by, all-be-it one 50 foot high!
The temple itself was exquisite, with rows of huge Buddha’s lining the boundaries. We were amongst just a handful of camera wielding tourists to be seen anywhere in the vicinity however the temple was a hive of activity with locals making worship and finding a quiet corner to contemplate. Having walked us through Jack then suggested we meet him when we were ready, giving us time to take it all in without feeling like we were intruding others’ space. A great touch I thought.

We made our way back to the Ariyasom villas in time for a late lunch and a few hours to spare - I opted for the pool and some last minute sun worshipping whilst my companions set off for the shops of Sukhamvit for a few last minute goodies.
Who says you can’t see a city in 24 hours!

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