Thailand: Bangkok Part 1- Assault on the senses
Nana Plazza, Bangkok
Ok now where do I start, as promised I said I’d do a blog on Bangkok, and I have to admit I struggled to put pen to paper for this blog. I mean you really can’t do it justice in 500 words, so I gave up and elected to do several blogs. Unveiling our shenanigans in the raw and letting the readers judge for themselves if Bangkok is to be put on their bucket list.
Flying into Bangkok, population 10.9 million, you get this feeling that it’s going to be a bit of a shock to the system. Especially if it’s literally the first place you have travelled after the enforced hiatus of travel inflicted upon us meanderthal because of COVID. More so if you have just come out of the wilds of NT at Willowra, population 180.
As the wheels touched down with a jolt, a nine-hour flight over and all sorts of thoughts racing through my tired brain, my aisle seat buddy must have sensed my trepidation. He leans over, points out the window and offers a pearl of wisdom that actually panned out pretty accurate. “You’re either gunna love Bangers (ex-pat nickname) or you’re going to hate the place”. “This is my sixth trip to the land of smiles, and I personally can’t wait to escape it”. Noted I thought but open mind engaged.
Evening storms make transport chaos from localised flooding
Ok a little background upon arrival.
Customs upon entering Thailand was amazingly simple and efficient. I was all prepped for a grilling from immigration, passport ready, return flights on hand, COVID certificate at the ready. My immigration official just smiled and said, “How many days you want to stay?”. Originally, I’d planned for 30 days but just before I departed, they changed the tourist visa to 45 days in order to help kick start the economy post COVID and this global financial crisis we are currently facing. So I thought bugger it, not knowing my future I asked for 45 days. She just stamped my passport took my photo and fingerprints and I was away. Clearing customs (what customs), I just walked through and found myself in the public domain of Thailand. Joining the line for a taxi I patiently stewed in my own juices for about 20 minutes on account of the humidity, it was truly oppressive. The ride into the accommodation cost me 300 Baht (about 12AUD) and was about 40 minutes on account of all the traffic. OMG the traffic, I swear all 10.9 million people came out to greet me and welcome me to Thailand, the congestion was so bad and after about 10 minutes of it this old fart was craving a cool drink.
Red at home
My Air BnB accommodation was located near the infamous Nana Plaza which is one of the four red light districts, it’s cheap and is centrally located. The accommodation was great. It had blasting cold aircon which is mandatory, and the cockroaches were welcoming, but being as cheap as chips ($30 AUD per night) I couldn’t really complain.
A quick shower later and I was thrust into the heaving masses of Bangkok streets. An assault on the senses is the only way to describe it. As I walked down the main street of the district, I was blown away by all the requests for massages, Tuk Tuk hire, tours, taxi’s and even Viagra, yes Viagra- I just laughed at that one. It all became a little overbearing and, in the end I sought refuge in the nearest bar in a bid to escape humanity. After entering I quickly realised my error of judgement; I’d escaped the street but now I faced the predatory eyes of the bar girls. I was out of the frying pan and into the fire. I had totally forgotten about this aspect of nightlife in SE Asia. It’s the way of life for many and they do it for work in order to support families. It’s sad but a bit of a tough reality. I don’t really condone it, but I can’t change it either. I just accept it. Watching the world go by, listening to live music, then it’s not a bad way to pass a few hours and wash away the jet lag. And that is exactly what I did whilst I waited until Red turned up on the late flight into “Bangers”. Speaking of Red, he eventually got there all bleary eyed and dead on his feet, the man had done some serious flying to get to Bangers and now that he was here, he was in search of some hard liquor. It was a great reunion after about ten years of not seeing the guy, we had some serious catching up to do. But it was short lived as fatigue overtook us and the sensible part of our brain opted for a late-night feed at the Swan Club - it’s a bar with a restaurant, the bar is a flop. However, the restaurant serves amazingly good food that is ridiculously cheap ($3 for a chicken, vegetable and rice meal). It soaked up some of my alcohol and became our go to place for a late-night feed. The night passed in a blur and served as a basic introduction to the heaving mass of Bangkok. Did I enjoy it? I can’t say it enthralled me but, in all fairness, we were not in the best part of town so apart from catching up with Red and the cheap alcohol the jury was still out on Bangers
Red at home
About sums up the trend here now … pop up weed stores are everywhere no its been made legal in Thailand
