It is finally time. After a frankly very trying last six months of all kinds of issues I’m finally getting out of town again. For the first time on one of these bigger adventures it’s a re-run! Not fully the same of course but I’m heading back to Thailand and not crossing any new country off the bucket list for the first time in a while. That said, this isn’t likely to be my most detailed travelogue as a result as in some places I’ve already crossed off all the big ‘must sees’ and I’m more just soaking in the culture and back alleys.

Flight out was thankfully pretty uneventful, I double hopped through Vancouver and Hong Kong but managed to get an aisle seat with an empty spot next to me for the 14 hour hop which was glorious. Even managed to snag a plate of Xiao Long Bao in HKIA (thanks for the pointer Sun) as a recharge. Bangkok arrival was around 12:30 local which got me to my hotel around 2AM which honestly worked pretty well, I’d (as usual) only managed a few brief catnaps on the plane so I crashed hard… woke up for breakfast at 9 and was at least semi time converted the first day.

Bangkok is a neat city but I really wanted to focus on being elsewhere  after doing fully ? of my trip there last time but I still needed a day or two to be safe to adjust to heat etc. Unfortunately it was almost as smoggy as my last visit, am hoping my improved fitness/lost weight etc will make my lungs a bit more forgiving this time. Same temperature hop from a Winnipeg -30s deep freeze to +38, humid and smoggy though. Again stayed in the ‘backpacker’ quarter but on the periphery of the madness, this time at the new outpost of my fave hotel chain from last visit. ~$50 a night including a solid breakfast buffet, a nice pool to cool off after some long walks and a quiet-ish clean room with a balcony… what’s not to love?

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My original plan was to just have a fairly relaxed day to acclimatize but I was feeling a bit more energetic so I went for a walk past the palace complex and over to Chinatown. The maze like markets of Bangkok’s chinatown are an adventure all their own and some portion of it is always bustling (the taxi the previous night had passed the absolutely rollicking produce market at 2am.) I picked up some crystallized pineapple for a snack and wandered the stalls, managing to mostly resist picking up much in the way of souvenirs despite temptation (I’ll be back to Bangkok before I go and no sense hauling anything heavy around for three weeks.)

One of the random streets I chose for my wandering appeared to be the music shop district and I saw some truly excellent guitar designs in the windows (and more than a few musicians grabbing gear for upcoming shows.)

In my pre-trip planning for this time I’d discovered that most train traffic has been moved out of the historic Hua Lamphong station in central Bangkok mostly to a new modern station 30 minutes north. Apparently there is still traffic but it’s minor lines and as I walked past the station it looked a shadow of it’s previous bustling self. I 100% get it, there was zero room for expansion, the station was ancient and crumbling and the waiting area could get so crammed you’d just fight for a patch of old stone to sit on if your train was delayed… but there was a romance about the place. I seem to recall writing a love letter to it in a previous travelogue so will link it if I remember.

Checking my map I realized I had already walked about halfway to one potential sightseeing spot so I wandered eastward a while then headed north towards Jim Thompson house. Along the way I also checked out a few of the modern shopping malls that the Thai folks seem to adore including the much recommended MBK center that has a food court with at least one michelin guide recommended stall. I used it mostly as a brief respite in the AC but grabbed a snack and a lemonade and listened to a girl with a nice voice sing 70s american rock. The mall itself was quite the place. Seven levels, many with specialties, medical clinics etc and the food court was as advertised and absolutely packed with locals and a few tourists/expats. Speaking of ex-pats… I used some innate Canadian radar and somehow stumbled past TWO Tim’s locations

Jim Thompson house was just north of here and is the preserved house of an American ex-pat who introduced Thai silk to the fashion world back in the 50s/60s. He disappeared in the jungle in the late 60s and there are various conspiracy theories about it (apparently the CIA wasn’t a fan of him.) Per the museum before he disappeared he did a lot of good in helping support/encourage the old silk weaving traditions and built this house near one of the communities he bought from. The house itself is a complex of buildings he rescued from various derelict places and had restored/rebuilt into his home. It’s a gorgeous place with a lush garden and some interesting art, definitely a bit of an oasis in the middle of the city.

The rest of the day I wandered a bit farther in that direction before turning back for home base. I definitely misjudged my path a bit however and added an extra couple kilometers thinking one sleepy area would be more interesting than it was. Given the heat and the travel the previous day I should have taken it easier but did eventually stumble back to the hotel, quickly beat a path for a cooling swim then spent the rest of night reading by the pool. I honestly don’t even remember what I had for dinner that night… clearly not much as I was famished the next morning at breakfast and demolished something like 6 mini pancakes, eggs and yoghurt.

Bangkok felt somehow both familiar and not. To be honest I think the not is mostly that I found it less wild this time? The chaotic streets are a riot… but after being to Hanoi seem tamer traffic wise. I couldn’t live here, the smog is simply too much but the people remain friendly and the vibe is lovely.

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My second full day I decided to scratch off something I’d meant to do on my previous visit and see the medieval capital of Ayutthaya. I didn’t want to do one of the package tours though (for sale all over town and probably worth it) I just wanted to wander the ruins with some music playing and feel the spirit of the place. Unfortunately I discovered that the minibus ‘terminal’ is no longer just a haphazard collection around Victory monument but actually out by the northern train/bus stations so it turned out to be less of a deal than it would have been to self-guide. The minibus itself was all of 70 baht which is about $3 for the hour and a half or so ride north.

Ayutthaya is as mentioned the former capital of an earlier Thai based empire, there are partially restored temples and government buildings, temple spires, stupas and the like. It’s a reasonably sprawling series of complexes that the government somewhat annoyingly charges separate entry for instead of just one pass. Rather than farting around in a tuk tuk I decided to get some extra exercise and rented a bike from a guest for a few baht and bounced around between the various sights.

It was worth the trip however the ruins are not as ancient nor as complex/extant as other places I’ve been in Thailand and SE Asia. I found Sukhothai more impressive… though obviously the proximity of Ayutthaya to BKK makes it far more accessible. I enjoyed the walks around and saw my first elephants of the trip (though sadly they were being used to ride.)

Back where I’d rented my bike I ordered a giant pineapple smoothie and a small bowl of curry and spent probably two hours alternately reading my book and looking across the street to one of the most whole of the remaining towers. It was a solidly relaxing afternoon and I managed to not die cycling in Thailand!

I didn’t linger much beyond that as I figured getting back into Bangkok might get worse the later I waited so I hopped back in a mini bus and transferred back, this time taking the subway and the river bus to get back to my neighbourhood to save the feet a little. A quick swim and an episode of QI later I headed out for my last meal in Bangkok this leg, checking out an apparently locally famous Pad Thai joint. 

On the way there I passed what appeared to be late night market setting up that was definitely a bit more on the black market side of things. It was an interesting vibe but I was hungry so I didn’t linger til they set up. When I got to the restaurant I was a bit worried as it had the air of someplace that got famous then coasted on tourism. Thankfully those fears were not realized as though it definitely had that vibe the Pad Thai had a particularly funky shrimp oil and delicious prawns and actually came with the sides it should etc.

Side note: I love pad thai, it’s also one of the dishes of the Bangkok region, but I also try not to have it much over here as it’s something you can get very good versions of in North America. I generally try to focus on dishes that are different here or just not as good back home. Stay tuned for my paean/laments about Khao Soi once in Chiang Mai.

Sadly I had an early train the next morning so with that it was back home, a quick beer in the alley vw van bar with some people watching then off to pack/bed. Bangkok was fun the 2nd (3rd?) time around and it was nice to already feel myself getting used to the heat, another side benefit of my new size. Still I always worry about shifting from the deep freeze of January winter to the smog, high 30s and dankness of Bangkok. Thus far I seem to avoided getting sick as a result like last time so fingers crossed that remains the case.

Next stop: Chiang Mai, already one of my favourite destinations in the world.