Bangkok, Thailand

 Notes from the journal:

7/22

  • Waited in bus office at Thai border and then took another van to Bangkok (the journey took a lot less time than expected, which is rare in Asia lol)
  • Took the metro up to one of the main railway stations to buy our tickets for Chiang Mai, but there was only an overnight 3rd class, no AC option left, so after some deliberation and looking at flights, we just grabbed it and decided to hate ourselves later
  • Took the metro to our hotel (it was so nice to be back in a big city on a big, efficient, clean metro)
  • Went to dinner near our hotel

7/23

  • Sophia had food poisoning so decided to take a rest day at the hotel. I started my day at a nice cafe and then walked to Lumphini Park and sat and read there for awhile, while listening to a local music group record songs
  • Went to an amazing local place for lunch (but I think it gave me food poisoning bc the food was lukewarm)
  • Spent about 2 hours trying to find a bakery that ended up being inside a mall, but I eventually got what I was looking for
  • Went to Benchakitti Park, where a lake overlooks a big medical center. Enjoyed the local evening vibes and sat in the park for a bit
  • Went to Cielo Sky Bar overlooking the city and got some mango juice while watching the sun set. After watching the city skyline after dark for a bit, I headed back to the hotel and stopped at the same dinner place

7/24

  • Got a very late start but headed over to Khlong Bang Luang Floating Market and walked around the shops there (very touristy). Randomly ran into Marjorie and Eoin earlier than expected and made plans to meet up again later.
  • Sat at a table upstairs in the Artist’s house for a bit to watch the boats on the canal and got a Thai tea latte at a cafe in the market
  • Took the metro to Wat Pho but decided not to go in due to the entry fee 
  • The Grand Palace and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha were closed unfortunately so we went to Ram Buttri Alley and got lunch before walking around the market area for a bit (very touristy).
  • Met up with Marjorie and Eoin and caught up on their travels since I saw them in Vietnam
  • Stopped at McDonald’s for ice cream and then my food poisoning began rip

7/25

  • Packed up and bought pastries at the metro station. Headed to Chatuchak Weekend Market, which wasn’t super open, but there were a lot of plants and I bought Thai tea there.
  • Went to a mall ish food court for lunch and sat a table for awhile, but I didn’t feel great
  • Walked to the railway station, boarded our train, had quite the experience sitting on a hard bench for 14 hours overnight with no AC, frequent stops, etc. Sophia was able to sleep a fair amount and I passed the time by snacking, listening to music, watching Netflix, looking out the window while it was light, and hanging out the open train door playing limb roulette while it was dark (the game involves hanging out of a moving train and seeing if any of your limbs get chopped off by passing trees in the dark)
  • I finally was able to curl up on an open bench and get about an hour of sleep before we arrived in Chiang Mai


Read if I referred you to this post:

Would recommend booking train tickets to Chiang Mai early online for a daytime trip! I would recommend the parks I visited on 7/23 plus the Cielo Sky Bar at sunset (a much more local side of Bangkok) and honestly I don’t feel I missed out on much on the touristy (west) side. I can’t in good conscience recommend the local lunch place bc I’m pretty sure it gave me food poisoning haha. 















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