The Southern Lights - Bangkok

Camilla and Julie in the Big Smoke

We thought we'd take a trip to Bangkok. The Big City. The City of Angels. Krungthep. Bangers. Feel some city vibe, taste some fancy food, see some sights, shop a little, wander some soulless, over-cooled hallways of mega shopping centres. Maybe even catch a movie.

We did all that, and more.

The Only Lonely Little Lao Train

We caught the train. That was an interesting experience in itself. Inexpensive (under $50 return), departing after work and arriving early morning, it fitted in neatly with our plans. Plus we'd heard of clean, private cubicles, soft beds, nice food, good service.

Starting from the only train station in Laos, a tiny platform and series of buildings near the Friendship Bridge, we lined up and handed over our passports. There were a few others around, most looked like back packers, some seemed longer residents and there were a couple of locals.

We waited and drank beer and watched a dog sniff and explore while some railway workers sat and smoked in front of a cleared and ploughed landscape. This is the future site for a much bigger station, much longer tracks. That train line is planned to forge through Laos from far north on the Chinese border down to the Friendship Bridge and into Thailand. It will fast track Chinese travellers straight into and out of Laos. Maybe this won't happen for many years. We looked out on countryside that will one day not even recognise itself.

The whistle blew, we boarded a rickety, almost-bare carriage and hoped it would make it across the river. That's all we needed - ten minutes from this side to that. Not much to ask.

We made it. We rattled across the Mekong, waving farewell to Laos and launching into exciting, tumultuous Thailand!

 

The Overnighter

Our sleeper train was waiting for us. We hung around,  I got some Baht and ate a magnum. We finally boarded and settled in for the night.

 

 

The view was gorgeous but night fell quickly.

 

We visited the dining carriage, endured loud tourists, cigarette smoke and some rather average curry. We decided we didn't like the beer with the lion on the label. The beds were turned down when we got back. Comfy little cubicles with shiny curtains that blocked views but didn't quite block out the light.

We slept and rattled and were woken at 5am by the smell of coffee and sewerage. In other words - Bangkok.

Bangkok!

We arrived at the central station in the city. It was early, already a bit muggy and I had no idea how many Baht to the Kip or the Dollar but coffee was on my mind, at any cost. We finally took off through traffic and tall buildings and overpasses and advertising signs. Our taxi took the toll road and raced as fast as it seemed able. It zipped around and through and past other cars and buses and we had no idea where we were going.

City Sight-Seeing

After dumping our bags, we set off to see the sights - or some of them anyway. We looked at buildings and traffic and shopping centres and hot pink taxis and a lot of gorgeous old colonial buildings and some very familiar-looking electrical wiring issues.

 

 

Penises

We discovered a very interesting shrine...

 

Water Sports

We rode the ferries and looked at old and new Bangkok from the water's edge for 50c a trip.

 

At one point we even fed the fish.

Eating and Drinking

Of our three-day holiday, two were dry - no alcohol sold in Thailand all Friday and Saturday. It was the beginning of Buddhist Lent. I wonder if we'd known in advance would we have changed our plans? 

Dinner that night was at a kosher middle eastern restaurant that wouldn't have served us a beer anyway. The next night we ate a delicious meal at Soul Food with a mock mojito... no rum. Who would have known it would be so good?! The food was fabulous. I'd go back there given half a chance.

 

Amanda and Gin

Despite the alcohol ban we managed to find a bar with real alcohol... with a little help from an ex-comrade who lured us up into the Bangkok skyline to find a real G&T.

 

 

Amanda and Camilla with REAL alcohol despite what the Buddha might have thought

Chatuchak Market

Overwhelming in its size, brilliant colours, masses of people, variety and number of shops, cafes and food stalls, ability to tire you out and separate you from your money, Chatuchak market seemed bigger and cheesier and more overwhelming than I ever remembered. Lots more plastic crap, but also lots more lovely jewellery. Some cool Tshirts. Even a massage. That kind of evens it out.

(sorry - lots of pictures from Chatuchak - I couldn't decided which to cull. Feel free to scroll quickly)

 

 

 

Coming home

The train home left later than the train that brought us here so there was less time to sit and look or knit or read or even talk. The dining car was empty. There was no beer for sale. The roaming security guys, transport police and ticket inspectors came in to eat, the women turned up the Thai pop and danced and laughed and we joined in and clapped for a while. Eventually we just climbed into our little cubicles and slept. Mine had a cute little light and a funny little bag attached to the wall that stopped my stuff from rolling around. There were also straps that stopped me from rolling out. Useful, especially as this time we had top bunks and an old lady and a nun underneath us.

 

 

We clattered back across the river into quieter, calmer land... Laos... Vientiane. Home.