Bangkok, Thailand is a major world city and it is incredibly intense. I did not really enjoy my first visit to Bangkok, other than the temples I got to visit, and I was not looking forward to this visit much either. I’m a country girl at heart and enjoy the peace and quiet. I love being surrounded by nature, not street noise and exhaust. It is a very loud, busy, and dirty place. There is no easing into Bangkok and there is no time to stand around and observe to get your bearings. I like the way Bradley describes it. It’s like being in a fast current in the ocean and the people and vehicles are schools of fish. You’re either on the road or the sidewalk and you just jump in and find the flow and go with it. It’s the type of city that takes a bit of time to get into the rhythm. The more time you spend there, the easier it is to become like the fish that swim around it. All you have to do is be brave, and dive in. There are some beautiful sides to Bangkok though, and since I was here a bit longer than last time, I feel like I was able to really see Bangkok for what it is and appreciate it on another level.
The journey to Bangkok started with a really exhausting 15 hour bus ride. We could have flown, but we opted for the bus since it was $11.00 USD versus $60.00 USD a ticket. Every dollar counts and I had never really been on a bus and was excited to get the “real backpacker experience.” It was an overnight bus so I was planning on sleeping most of the way anyways. NOT! The bus swayed for every small movement and it was incredibly uncomfortable after the first 4 hours. Every person was on their phone watching videos and video chatting, volume blasting all night. It was as if no one believed in headphones or consideration for others who wanted to rest on this long ride. I swear I heard the Facebook call ring a thousand times all night long, a minute apart from each other. It made me so angry. I seriously thought about writing a letter to Facebook to change their ringtone. Ha! Bradley is nearly 6’4” and the poor man was squished like a bug the whole time. The only thing that got me through and kept me sane was my airplane pillow and my playlists. And the special feeling I get when I listen to Amy Winehouse. Just when I was beginning to lose my mind and think the night would never end, we watched the sun burst across the Bangkok skyline. I was so happy to get off that bus. I don’t know how many times I cursed under my breath but I was thankful that most of the folks on the bus couldn’t understand me. As soon as you walk off the bus you get 5 different men yelling at you “TAK SEE?! TAK SEE?!!” before you can even get your bags from the luggage compartment. Really obnoxious after 15 hours. Never take their offerings because there’s a system in place and everyone (the professionals) waits their turn in line.
We stayed at a wonderful hostel with the most gracious host at Victory Park Hostel. It was next door to a beautiful park, The Peace Park, and the location was perfect. Delicious street food and all types of vendors as well as the Sky Train station were just minutes away by foot. Anytime we go to Bangkok, we are going to stay at the Victory Park Hostel with Mr. Jump. He was the kindest soul who let us check in at 07:00 so that we could rest and gave us a room upgrade, all free of charge. It was such a blessing after the long hours of traveling. The greatest part about our visit this time was Loy Krathong. We arrived just in time to be able to participate. A beautiful and incredible experience so special it needed its own post. You can read about that in more detail here: Loy Kratong in Bangkok
Since we were in Bangkok, we wanted to take advantage of any Western food we could find as it was more likely to be closer to the real thing than anywhere else in Thailand. We ate Mexican food at La Monita restaurant, which was better than some of the Mexican restaurants back at home. I had to stop and visit Taco Bell, which was new to Bangkok and one of my favorite trashy fast food places. The quality of the meat was better than home and it tasted like Taco Bell. It pleased me greatly and satisfied that need I was trying to fulfill. I was also surprised to see the place filled with Thai people, even waiting in line! Thai people don’t wait in line for food unless it’s worth it to them. You can get food from anywhere and not have to wait. Especially in Bangkok. We also had to try this fried chicken chain called Texas Chicken, simply because we are from Texas. It was up there with Raising Canes y’all. Better than KFC, Church’s Chicken, Chicken Express, and Golden Chick ever thought about being. We were also surprised to find out that Thai people LOVE Texas Chicken. They are everywhere here! Again, it was nice to eat Western food and feel that comfort of home in the middle of the busiest city I’ve ever been to.
There is a wonderful butterfly garden right next to the famous Chatuchak weekend market and we decided it was a must to stop by there before exploring the market. When we arrived, our driver dropped us off at the other side of this scenic park and we had to walk a good way through the park to get to the garden. It was a happy accident! The park was outstanding and shed a different light on Bangkok for me. It was so large that all you could hear was the nature around you instead of the hustle and bustle. Beautiful ponds full of lotus flowers and bamboo bridges you could walk on. Exotic bird songs all around and trees that made me feel like a fairy in a forest. The Bangkok skyline glistened in the sun in the distance. Really serene. The butterfly garden was a dream. I had never seen butterflies so huge in my life! Their colors were impressive and they danced all around you as if they were showing off. I felt like a child again. It was an experience that did not disappoint. I will say, I was surprised at how many people were picking up butterflies by their wings with their fingers. I’ll take this moment to spread some knowledge here. Butterfly wings can become greatly damaged by our fingers and in some cases can shorten the lifespan of the butterfly, especially in the wild. Let them choose you. Fortunately I was chosen by a sweet little one while we were there and they did not want to leave me! I coaxed them onto a flower after a while and thanked them for their love.
The market was exciting and busy, but it was not the same Chatuchak market it was pre-pandemic. There was far less shoulder to shoulder crowding and every person donned a mask. It was still exciting to see things returning closer to normal. We bought some good food and I bought a pair of tie dye pants (I can never resist!) and once again we were showered with gratitude. Even in Bangkok, we were still some of the only foreigners around. All in all, I enjoyed Bangkok more than I expected. It was filled with some precious moments that I will never forget.
Loved your views of Bangkok!
Thanks mom!! 🙂