One of the things I like about leaving South Korea to explore another Asian country is the feeling of familiarity and ease I experience when I come back. The latest time round that wasn’t the case. Partly because I spent the first 24 hours back in Korea vomiting and feeling very crap, and partly because I was aware of the unpredictability and annoyances I am going to face in my next three months. Mainly because of the vomiting though.
I went back to Bangkok for Lunar New Year-or Chinese New Year as it’s more commonly referred to-and this time I had a travel buddy in the form of the lovely Queen V. It was the last perfect “out of Korea” adventure to have before I make my trip to Incheon airport on 28th April 2009 and start my next adventure. And I am grateful I had such a good friend to share it with.
24 January.
Our journey began and ended in an icy, snow covered Hongseong, with a brief and fabulous interlude in hot and sunny Bangkok. Once we arrived at the airport we sorted out Viro’s re-entry visa-and took it nice and easy. Although I think it’s fair to say we were both day-dreaming away to the end of April when we would be back at Incheon with a lot more luggage. Our flight was with Korean Air whose questionable motto is “Excellence in Flight.” I should hope that this is the case for the pilots but as an airline I would give it a “Could Do Better in Flight” motto. For starters the in-flight entertainment did not include mini TVs for each passenger but a big screen per section which was barely visible if you were sat over 5 ft away from it. Normally I don’t find this an issue, but it’s a five and a half hour flight to Bangkok, and apparently I, like most people, don’t have the ability to sleep in an uncomfortable space when the flight attendants are making pointless announcements every 5 minutes. “Ladies and Gentlemen, for your information the sound system works and we will now make this announcement in two more languages. Thank you for flying with Korean Air.”
We arrived in Bangkok at 9pm and I was struck by how familiar everything was. It was as though I had an internal GPS for the city, it was slightly unnerving in a step aside Lonely Liar you have been usurped kind of way. We made our way to Khaosan Road and on to our guest house. Roof View Place was about 10 minutes from the atmosphere of KS Road but clean and friendly with comfy beds and an ensuite bathroom. There was annoyingly loud lovers tiff in the room next door at around 3am-which Viro quietened by banging on the wall, but apart from that it was a great place to rest our weary feet after a couple of long days of shopping!
25 January.
Aware that we only had a little bit of time in Thailand we got an early start and took a tuk-tuk to the weekend market. A ride in a tuk-tuk means that doing your hair in the morning is pointless and ensures that your face is caked in pollution faster than you can say “no stops.” But it’s definitely part of the Bangkok “experience” and since there was only two of us in the tuk-tuk I spent less time with my arse hanging out clinging on for dear life. The weekend market was as sprawling and overwhelming as I remember but I was quickly introduced to Viro’s inner shopper. We were more productive before midday than we have ever been in Korea.
I went back to Bangkok for Lunar New Year-or Chinese New Year as it’s more commonly referred to-and this time I had a travel buddy in the form of the lovely Queen V. It was the last perfect “out of Korea” adventure to have before I make my trip to Incheon airport on 28th April 2009 and start my next adventure. And I am grateful I had such a good friend to share it with.
24 January.
Our journey began and ended in an icy, snow covered Hongseong, with a brief and fabulous interlude in hot and sunny Bangkok. Once we arrived at the airport we sorted out Viro’s re-entry visa-and took it nice and easy. Although I think it’s fair to say we were both day-dreaming away to the end of April when we would be back at Incheon with a lot more luggage. Our flight was with Korean Air whose questionable motto is “Excellence in Flight.” I should hope that this is the case for the pilots but as an airline I would give it a “Could Do Better in Flight” motto. For starters the in-flight entertainment did not include mini TVs for each passenger but a big screen per section which was barely visible if you were sat over 5 ft away from it. Normally I don’t find this an issue, but it’s a five and a half hour flight to Bangkok, and apparently I, like most people, don’t have the ability to sleep in an uncomfortable space when the flight attendants are making pointless announcements every 5 minutes. “Ladies and Gentlemen, for your information the sound system works and we will now make this announcement in two more languages. Thank you for flying with Korean Air.”
We arrived in Bangkok at 9pm and I was struck by how familiar everything was. It was as though I had an internal GPS for the city, it was slightly unnerving in a step aside Lonely Liar you have been usurped kind of way. We made our way to Khaosan Road and on to our guest house. Roof View Place was about 10 minutes from the atmosphere of KS Road but clean and friendly with comfy beds and an ensuite bathroom. There was annoyingly loud lovers tiff in the room next door at around 3am-which Viro quietened by banging on the wall, but apart from that it was a great place to rest our weary feet after a couple of long days of shopping!
25 January.
Aware that we only had a little bit of time in Thailand we got an early start and took a tuk-tuk to the weekend market. A ride in a tuk-tuk means that doing your hair in the morning is pointless and ensures that your face is caked in pollution faster than you can say “no stops.” But it’s definitely part of the Bangkok “experience” and since there was only two of us in the tuk-tuk I spent less time with my arse hanging out clinging on for dear life. The weekend market was as sprawling and overwhelming as I remember but I was quickly introduced to Viro’s inner shopper. We were more productive before midday than we have ever been in Korea.
We ate at Oh My Cod, the British café I frequented on my last visit-after 9 months of Korean food point me in the direction of a Cornish pasty, mushy peas and chips and I am happy. I am cheap date! After our fill of food and the BBC we asked a tuk-tuk driver to take us to a jewellery shop, but we quickly discovered that jewellery is cheaper in South Africa. Instead we did some sightseeing taking the tuk-tuk to the Golden Mount, and then we took a walk back to KS road for some more shopping. By this point we were developing a tag system of haggling-the best tactic being “It was …..Baht at the other stall.” After a cheap manicure we made the mistake of following the Lonely Planet in the quest for food, we ending up in a restaurant with three times more waiters than customers and dim lighting in an attempt to cover up an inability to complete orders. After my trips to Taiwan and Japan it was just nice to have company while I ate.
That evening we had a Thai massage. I think the last time I got one, with Sarah, we were being punished for the racket me made when we got the oil massage the previous night because this one was a lot less painful. It was still funny though, and I think the only way to go for a massage is to have someone you know in the cubicle next door. After explaining that we were teaching in Korea Viro was told”잠깐 만요” which means wait a minute. It was a nice feeling being in a different country and being spoken to in Korean and understanding what was being said. Well it was for me anyway!
26 January.
We had a later start to this day, and following a full English breakfast (I am all for experiencing other cultures foods!) we got ourselves trapped with the most annoying tuk-tuk driver in Bangkok. Imagine the most annoying person you know and then imagine them driving you around in a vehicle made from scraps, and refusing to accept payment because they want free petrol coupons, and then imagine an hour with them. We just wanted to go to the shopping malls of Siam Square, but we ended up on a motorway switching tuk-tuks and being asked “one stop?” We had already been to two, so a sharp “No” saw us taken to a shopping mall, and then being ripped off for a journey that should have only taken 15 minutes. Word to the wise, just take one journey for the experience and then take taxis ok!
MBK was an awesome shopping mall, with tons of shops and handicraft stalls. Oh, and air conditioning which is always nice. We stayed there for about three hours and we definitely got more than our money’s worth. We then explored the shops of Siam Square as we made our way to Erawan Shrine to see some traditional Thai dancing. After the tuk-tuk ride that blighted our morning we took a taxi to the Suan Lum Night Bazaar for some more shopping. One reason why I probably couldn’t teach in Thailand-all my money would go straight after I got paid. I was more than happy to watch Viro work her magic, occasionally nagging her to buy more for herself.
For dinner, we had some more Thai Food near KS Road, and decided that Thai Food isn’t anything to write home about, though maybe there is space for it on the blog. It’s not the best cuisine in the world, but it’s probably not the worst either. The best thing about sitting outdoors, aside from inhaling all kinds of fumes from the traffic, was that it allowed us to people watch and by people I mean lady-boys! Bangkok attracts all kinds of travellers, from the young to the old, and from the backpackers to the retired couples. And all of them wear the same clothes, brought off the streets of Bangkok.
After we ate we made our way to a different massage place on the same street as our guest house and we each had an oil massage. Since I spent my last oil massage giggling like an 8 year old who has just discovered that you can write “80085” on a calculator I was interested to see if this would be any different. It wasn’t and the calculator wasn’t wrong either. Me and Viro were once again in neighbouring cubicles and the curtains were strategically placed so we could chat and make sure the other was still awake. Viro’s masseuse mistook sighs of contentment for sighs of pain and switched to “soft-soft” mode, while mine gave my chest area “special treatment.” It wasn’t until afterwards we realised that Viro didn’t get the same attention, and she wasn’t best pleased.
After we ate we made our way to a different massage place on the same street as our guest house and we each had an oil massage. Since I spent my last oil massage giggling like an 8 year old who has just discovered that you can write “80085” on a calculator I was interested to see if this would be any different. It wasn’t and the calculator wasn’t wrong either. Me and Viro were once again in neighbouring cubicles and the curtains were strategically placed so we could chat and make sure the other was still awake. Viro’s masseuse mistook sighs of contentment for sighs of pain and switched to “soft-soft” mode, while mine gave my chest area “special treatment.” It wasn’t until afterwards we realised that Viro didn’t get the same attention, and she wasn’t best pleased.
27 January.
The previous night we planned our last day in Bangkok. When we woke up we made an executive decision to just take a taxi to the airport. This gave us more time to begin the sightseeing portion of our trip in earnest. We went to the Grand Palace and took loads of pictures, the buildings were as intricate and beautiful as I remembered. This time round I got to see the Emerald Buddha too, all dressed up in his winter outfit and in an incredibly stunning hall, with elaborate paintings on the wall. Then we took a walk to the Temple of the Reclining Buddha, Wat Pho. On the way numerous tuk-tuk drivers tried to dissuade us telling us it was closed. If this happens to you just ignore it, 9 times out of 10 they are lying because they want to take you for a ride both literally and figuratively. I have four words to describe the Reclining Buddha-very big and shiny. Suffice to say he’s very laid back. Groan.
In a bid to incorporate all the famous types of transport in Bangkok we took a river ferry to the Central Pier. The excessive number of people was explained by the fact it was so cheap. Only love could explain why a middle aged woman on crutches was on the ferry. We made our way to the Sri Mariamman Temple, a Hindu temple built by Tamil immigrants in the 1860s. As the Lonely Planet says “Thai Buddhism still honours its mother religion of Hinduism.” We then had the best meal of the holiday in a restaurant down the street, mutton Biryani. Though in reality it just a precursor for when I visit Viro in South Africa. We took a taxi back to KS road for some more, very chilled out shopping and then made out way to the airport with a lot more than we started with and with some great memories too. The less said about the 28th January the better. Cheers for the awesomeness Viro! It was more legendary than I was expecting!
