Dimsum's Corner: Bangkok, finally

Okay, guess it took me a while to update it. Well, lets just keep it sweet and short.

The inn which we stayed at, Sawasdee Banglumpoo Inn. It was pretty cheap, so I didn't have much expectations about it but it turned out pretty alright. This inn had the least negative comments on the net, and personally I have no complaints about it at all. Clean, cozy and perfect location (just beside Khao San's road where all the night life and entertainment was.)

Khao San road. A really lively place filled with pubs, clubs, massage parlors, hawkers, restaurants, peddlers, convenient stores, you name it. The whole street was filled with foreigners and Thais trying to take advantage of them. Tuk-tuk drivers kept pestering to take us for hookers and happy ending massages. Yea, I guess you can get almost everything there on Khao San road.

First day was spent at the huge market, Chatuchak. Huge is an understatement. If you can't find something there, most probably you won't be able to find it anywhere else in Bangkok. They sold almost everything, from food to clothing to pets to giant Buddha statues. It was like some maze and it was easy to get disorientated over there. The noise, the energy, simply fascinating.

Boat noodles, one of the Thai food which you can find anywhere. Spicy soup which blended perfectly well with the meat and noodles. This was one of the stalls at Chatuchak with cauldrons of boiling soup and mountains of meat. This stall is flocked by the locals themselves, and that is the best indication that the food there rocks.

Mmmmmmm, yea I know. My mouth is watering too...

Some Jamaican shop (ran by Thais) at Chatuchak selling Rasta stuff, from Bob Marley t-shirts to bongs to marijuana designed accessories. Somehow you can find these Rasta themed shops easily in Bangkok. And in Khao San, there are many outlets who braid and dread hairs. A good place to be Rasta-rized.

Huge prawns being baked alive. Can't get any fresher than this.

Went for Calypso, a cabaret show later that night. One of the most talked about cabaret show in town. Got tickets from a tour agency at my inn and it was cheaper than purchasing it directly from the official booth itself. If I recall properly, I paid 600 baht for it when it costs 900 baht at the official booth.

I really enjoyed the show. Would definitely go again if I were to drop by Bangkok again. The beautiful ~~boys~~ girls, the changing backdrop, the lightings, the costumes, the lip syncing, the humour, the music, ~~some nipple flashing~~ was simply spectacular.

No, those aren't real ostriches. Everyone seems to ask if they were real. Notice the fat human legs under the bird.

They portrayed many different cultures from Japan, Korea, Spain, Europe and of course, Thailand.

A spectacular play where they incorporated a war/fight scene into a beautiful dance.

After the show, we thought of heading to Patpong for some night life. But a fucking tuk-tuk driver had to spoil the night. He brought us to some secluded back alley and insisted that that was Patpong. There was only one dodgy bar there with a couple of pole dancers. He later then added that it was some big Buddha day in Bangkok and all the other shops would be closed. Not convincing. Asked him to bring us back to our inn.

Along the way, he offered to take us for some food which we agreed to coz we were hungry. Ended up bringing us to some restaurant with lobsters and expensive looking fishes. A bowl of tomyam there cost 500 baht. Fuck this guy. We walked out and decided to head back to our inn, with or without that fucker. He sent us home and charged us triple the fare insisting that he brought us to a few places. He even had the cheek to give us his card and ask us to call him the next day as he could bring us around. It can be pretty insulting being treated like a moron.

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The actual plan for the next day was to head out to Ayutthiya, on our own. Thankfully and luckily, we came across a travel agency and booked a tour there for the following day. And it only cost 500 baht for a day's tour. Change of plans and we decided to visit the other famous spots like the Grand Palace, temple of Dawn and the river tour.

It was about a 15 minutes walk to the area, and during that 15 minutes we were approached by a few tuk tuk drivers who insisted that it was big Buddha day celebration and the temples were only open to locals. Seriously, fuck them all. Everyday is some fucking big Buddha day to them and there would be a few special temples open to public that they could take us to. We ignored them and carried on with our original plan, which went smoothly.

To all the Buddhists who become vegetarians every now and then, I believe there must be some sort of contradiction in the religion practiced. Well, I dunno. It's your choice.

The majestic view of the Grand Palace.

A fusion between European design and Thai architecture.

We hired a tour guide over there for 300 baht, and it was worth every baht. It wouldn't have been that interesting if we were just trying to appreciate walls and paintings and Buddha statues. Add a little pinch of history to it, and that can really spice things up. Yea, I know my shirt is a little tight. I was conned. I was told that the cutting was bigger and was the same as double XL. Fucking whore.

After that we went for a river tour around Bangkok. Paid 700 baht for it, and it was a pretty lame tour. Took about an hour staring at mud colored waters and houses on stilts. Only consolation was that I could rest my tired feet a little.

The river tour ended at Wat Arun, Temple of Dawn. Whatever man. By this time, I was tired of walking and sick of looking at temples. Yea, splendid architecture, nice stone carvings, nice Buddha statue, but I can only take so much a day.

Another pic of Wat Arun.

Another damn pic of Wat Arun.

Scenery from the top of Wat Arun.

Oh yea, we went to another temple after that, Wat Po. Yea, yea, nice big sleeping Buddha there. NEXT!!!

We were basically in Bangkok for four days and four nights. Ample time for us to have a day trip, a nice evening nap, and night trip. So, we decided to check out another one of Thai trademarks - Muay Thai. We paid the most for this ticket, a whooping 2000 Baht!! Ring side tickets!!

Foreigners would be sat around the ring. There was a section with filled with policemen and another section filled with locals. ALL the locals were screaming, jeering, shouting and betting openly. A pretty scary sight. They somehow managed to place their bets just by giving hand signals and nodding. But it was rowdy as hell. Wouldn't want to be there for a 100 baht.

Most of the fighters were kids or in their early teenage years. Was kinda disappointed with that fact. Yea, they were bulging with muscles and stuff, but they were kids!! My opinion changed the moment the bell rung. Those kids could fight! Slashing kicks and piercing jabs. Any of those kids could kick my ass easily. Or rather rip my ass!

One thing about them, I really admire their sportsmanship. Even after being pounded and having blood spilled, they still respect each other and life goes on as usual after that. I bet if that was a tournament in Malaysia, a gang would be waiting after the match to finish up the winner.

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Third day in Bangkok, Ayutthiya.

Woke up real early that day, grabbed a quick breakfast (more boat noodles) and headed to the pick up point. A couple of Japs and some Europeans were in the same tour. We fitted into a mini bus and the journey was near to two hours. A Japanese sat beside me and slept on me the entire trip. Nice. Never had I imagined that I would sleep with a Japanese. Okay, I guess slept on and slept with gives a whole different meaning.

Anyway...

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That fucking Jap!! 2 hours of Japanese drool!!

Luckily, we decided to go with the tour. Initially, we planned to take a train to the area and explore it on our own. If we had done that, I bet we would have wasted a whole day doing nothing. The ruins were situated far from each other, and there was hardly any vehicles around. Even if we had charted a taxi, it would definitely be more than 500 baht each.

Our tour guide for the day. Looks like Yoda, and speaks like Yoda. "Ayutthiya very old. Very old it is."

One of our first stops. Can't recall much of the details, but this really took my breath away. There was just too many steps to the top.

More ruins.

This place was my favourite of Ayutthiya. It was under Sri Lankan influence and the pagodas were really fascinating. You haven't really been to Ayutthiya unless you've been here.

Would definitely go there again in future. Seeing it in pictures cant even compare.

Some warning sign which prohibits certain actions. We only came across this sign at the last stop, so I guess it's already too late.

We already did this.

And this.

This ruins kinda gave me the Mayan feel. I never expected myself to enjoy historical ruins, thinking that its just some old destroyed wall and rocks. But I guess I can't really explain it in words. The word fascinating has been overused in this entry.

One of the Buddha statues which was still in good conditions. Most of the others were destroyed and severely damanged (most without heads).

And this is the most bizarre thing in the area. According to Yoda, the Buddha statue is buried in the ground and rises out of the earth along with the growth of the tree. It took more than 30 years for it to rise that high. So he says.