Thailand: Bangkok

SINGAPORE - BANGKOK

Our whirlwind 24 hours in Bangkok began with our arrival at Don Muang Airport at around 1am. We caught a cab from the airport to about 2kms down the road (because he wouldn't use the meter - something I forgot to confirm before getting in, silly Tristan!), and then another one to our hostel - well at least near our hostel. We stayed at Hostel Thailand (http://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php?HostelNumber=6708) , a relatively new hostel in Patpong. At least, no one knew of its existence, either at the airport, or in our taxi. We wandered around the alleys and main road around Rama IV for about 10minutes until we saw its tiny sign and the steps leading upstairs. This was to be my first experience really backpacking with a group of friends - none of us had stayed here before, there were no *adults* or leaders amongst us, and it was refreshing. Not that I don't enjoy my comfort and planning, I just appreciated "roughing it" for a bit - hahaha!

The hostel itself is very very clean. The rooms are tiny, however, and offer nothing more than a bunk - not even a power outlet as we discovered when Nina tried to charge her phone. By this time though, it was around 2am, and we were all just tired, and decided to wake around 9am so as to make the most of our only day in Bangkok. This was the only time we would use communal bathroom facilities on the trip, however even they were fine, if a little small! (In Thailand the toilet and shower are together in the same room, and there was precious little space between them – thank goodness for toilet seats!)

DAY TWO - BANGKOK
Our day began with a trip to Hua Lamphong Train Station (the central train station in Bangkok) to purchase our train tickets the following day to Aranyaprathet (on the Thai side of the border with Cambodia). To get there, we took the brand-new Thai subway system from Si Lom station (at the junction of Silom Rd (where our Hostel was located) and Rama IV Rd).

This was to be the first of 5 forms of transport we took that day! The others were the Skytrain, Tuk-tuks, Taxis, and a boat down the Chao Praya River. The subway was very non-descript, just like the Singapore MRT really – clean, efficient, sterile. The only difference was that the Bangkok subway (known as … guess … the Bangkok MRT) was absolutely empty. For about 5 minutes we were the only people on the platform, and in such a cavernous underground space, that feels quite strange. I’m sure that this was partly because we were travelling at 9:30 in the morning, which is after the business rush, and before the shops open, however I’ve read that the passenger numbers have dropped dramatically since the collision earlier this year. For the sake of Bangkok’s congested-beyond-belief roads, I hope more people begin to use the MRT, although it would help if it actually went somewhere useful!

Our trip to Hua Lamphong turned out to be completely useless, as we discovered when we tried to purchase tickets and were told that the tickets were all third class for that train, and therefore we could only buy them on the day. Ah well! At least we knew where the train station was. From there, we spent the rest of the day shopping, visiting the MBK centre for 4 hours or so (8 levels of air-conditioned market stalls can do that to you!), before having lunch at the hawker centre there. I finally had real pad-Thai, well at least, Pad Thai in Thailand.

From there, we visited the Government Handicraft Centre, opposite Central World Plaza (the old World Trade Centre), and Bernd and Nina attempted to change their Singapore dollars into US dollars unsuccessfully. Eventually a small store next to the Handicraft Centre did it – no one else seemed interested in taking Sing dollars and giving US, rather than Thai baht – even the banks!

The only tourist sight we got to visit was the Chao Praya River (75baht each, which was a complete rip-off, but hey, its S$3!). It was decided that as Bernd and Andy were going back later in the semester, and I had already been there twice, we would just take a barge tour down the river. At least doing this gave us all a chance to see Bangkok and its many contradictions – from the opulent Royal Palace to the decrepit apartment blocks to the skyscrapers to the pole-houses built along the riverfront, Bangkok is a city with many faces. Each one of these faces is interesting in its own right, and has produced a city unlike no other. Whilst I don’t think I could ever live there (although no doubt, with my current thinking, I probably will!), it remains my favourite city in Southeast Asia.

Dinner was spent with Christof and his girlfriend, Dorothy at a Muslim restaurant behind Pratanum market, and it was really nice. We looked totally out of place sitting in a distinctly local Muslim hangout, but that was fine – the 6 of us are imposing regardless of the situation! Despite never finding Pratanum market (I should have just got a cab – all this public transport nonsense!!), we spent the next few hours at Patpong market (after an interesting tuk-tuk ride with all 6 of us aboard!) which was very conveniently located a short walk from our hostel.

Whilst Patpong is known for its seedy side, we had a fairly tame time. No sex shows involving ping-pong balls for us this time, although we did find the gay clubbing scene in Bangkok. Instead, we walked the length of the market (probably 500-600m along a footpath crammed with people) and down some of the sidestreets.

Arriving back at the hostel, financially poorer but culturally far richer, at 12:30am, we met with Christelle (CA), Kristin (US) and Carol (CA) from NUS, who would be our travelling partners for the next stage of our adventure.