Layover in Bangkok?

April 2014

Bangkok was a 3 day stop on my way home (originally supposed to be a few weeks in Thailand... long story short, I opted to surf a little longer in Indonesia instead). I wasn't honestly that excited about the stop because 1) I was still recovering from the rabies vaccine side effects (see last post), 2) Bangkok had some violence and riots in the prior several months and 3) I'm not a huge city person.

That being said, I was pleasantly surprised by this gigantic city and managed to fit a good "taste" in. 

My highlights of Bangkok: (in no particular order)

1) Chatuchak Sunday market. One of the largest markets in the world. 5,000+ stalls and amazing bargains. I got lost in here (semi-intentionally) for a full day!

2) Thai food on the street. Big steaming plate of pad thai for 30 baht (about a buck!)

3) A quick stroll down Khao San Road at night - probably my least favorite activity, mainly just a bunch of tourists partying, but I did watch a bunch of friends eat scorpions and cockroaches from street vendors.

4) Exploring the "Venice of the East" via river boat taxis. Much more enjoyable than the tuk tuks!

5) Golden mount - Wat Saket. (pictures coming in next blog post..)

6) Reclining Buddha at Wat Pho. (pictures coming in next blog post..)

7) Massage. Hour foot massage for 4 dollars? Yes please!

8) A "track workout" at some random University. I was training for a marathon and there was a plaza that was about 400m around. I got up at the crack of dawn to run there - in order to beat the heat, and the traffic. The local men had the same idea and their wives/girlfriends would sit in the middle and watch us all run laps. And shout "go girl" and "good job" every time I ran by. Ha.

I stayed at Bodega Bangkok, a sweet little spot run by three brothers that turned out to be a great place to make friends to explore the city with!

So if you're planning a trip here, before you run off to Chiang Mai or the islands/beaches, consider spending a few days in Thailands capital.