Day 14 - Bangkok, Thailand

We meet downstairs at 9 this morning. Feeling. Little hung over. First stop is the Chatuchak weekend market which is huge and really reminded us of Camden market. You could literally spend the day here getting lost in this labyrinth of a market.

Breakfast is a series of street food stands that catch our eye. Including pancake sausage which is delicious. 

The highlight had to be the paella at a chic little bar called Viva 8 in the middle of the market. 

After we finish here we try to get a taxi to the river but it turns out to be far more difficult than anyone could ever imagine, despite having a map up show the driver where we wanted to go. The distance was about a mile but the plonker ended up taking us to the southern part of Bangkok when we were way way up north. It ended up a 40 min cab ride! To give an example it was like getting in a taxi in Leicester Square and asking to go to the Thames only for him to take you via the north circular!!

As we were downtown we decided to see if we could have a drink in the very cool bar from the film the Hangover, Sky Bar on the roof of the Lebua State Tower. It's not open in the day but we make plans to come back later on. 

Not a bad setting for a bar!

Next stop is a boat ride (the right one this time) back up the river to the temples we were originally trying to get to. 

Passing the shrine to me, Wat Arun. 

Decided to go to the Wat Pho temple, a beautifully intricately decorated temple with a huge reclining Buddha in it which was pretty cool. 

Me and my new friend.

Bong time. 

Meet giant reclining Budda. 

Probably spends about the same on pedicures as Lynne does. 

Definitely templed out now so head back to the hotel via Hard Rock. Had a crazy Tuk Tuk ride. All five of us in the back of a two seater Tuk Tuk. Pretty cosy and very sweaty and uncomfortable. 

Very disappointing Hard Rock pretty devoid of atmosphere. Looks like a place tourists come to die. And ridiculously expensive. Cost the same as our dinner last night for a round of drinks. Got my glass though. Starting to wish I had decided to collect shot glasses now. 

Another ridiculous taxi ride back (lost again!) and time for a quick dip before heading out. Nice view from the pool. 

Started off at the Sky Bar first. What a bar! Such a cool place with a live band playing in the sky. Loved it. Great view of the city. Makes you realise what a huge and sprawling city Bangkok is. Apparently Sky Bar is the worlds highest outside bar which is probably about right given it is on the 64th floor. 

http://www.lebua.com/sky-bar

The band playing underneath the dome. 

Last night with our buddies :-(

I look black in this picture...

Next up is Vertigo at the Banyan Tree Hotel for dinner. A lovely place on top of the hotel 50 or so floors up but appalling value for money. Most expensive meal we have had by a country mile and only had mains too!

http://www.banyantree.com/en/bangkok/experience_the_resort/dining/vertigo_and_moon_bar

Fantastic view though, better than the Sky Bar as it's further up town. Our table...

Right underneath the band. 

More views. 

Now the next bit deserves a blog post in itself. Time for ping pong!

WARNING EXPLICIT CONTENT! ;-) 

This is where we experience the image that everyone has in their head of Bangkok.  

We head to Cowboy Soi as it is supposed to be the friendliest of the three red light districts in Bangkok. It's a pretty short street jam packed with strip clubs. It's heaving but with more prostitutes and lady boys than customers. 

To the left...

And the right...

They don't call it the red light district for nothing. 

We go to a place called Bacarra first which is basically a brothel parading about 20 girls on stage, none of which look like they want to be there. The glass ceiling with girls dancing above with not much on also a bit weird.

Funny signs. 

Now as this area is the tamest of the three red light districts we can't find any "shows" so jump in a cab to Patpong. We look pretty seedy jumping from one red light district to the other but 'when in Bangkok' and all that.  

We get to Patpong and after a quick inadvertent detour into the gay street we find the main street and get talked into a bar by a tout. What happened next was hilarious. It was exactly what we were looking for. Classic ping pong although even me and Dave were shocked by what we saw and experienced. 

We were handed table tennis bats and ended up having a round of ping pong with the lady on stage. Our faces must have been a treat especially the girls. She fired about 25 at us like a machine gun, of which we only managed to return about two. The rest hitting us. One hit Nat square in the forehead!!! She then subsequently started wretching! Never laughed so much. My shirt definitely needs a dry clean tomorrow! 

It was great fun. Also saw such classics as woman smoking cigarette down to the butt (literally!), razor blade snowflake making (see pic below), opening bottles, taking a full bottle of coke from one bottle and dropping it into another and firing darts to pop balloons we were holding above our heads (which was actually really impressive). She had an aim an Olympic archer would be proud of. 

Slight bill admin at the end when they tried to charge us £150 for one drink each. Always good to practice the bartering skills!  Got it down to £30 in total. 

Very funny night and great, if not unique, way to end the holiday with Dave, Caroline and Lynne. We are going to really miss them when they go tomorrow. 

PS. We are now back at the hotel in bed and randomly have just seen on BBC world news about the riots in Bangkok. First we have heard of it. Rest assured we are safe and sound. Its taking place way up town from where we are. I hope Gun is OK ;-) (see yesterday's blog!) 

Day 13 - Siem Reap, Cambodia to Bangkok, Thailand

Up at a more reasonable time today. 9.30 taxi to the airport. It is so much cooler today following the big storm yesterday. Still really warm but less humid. Our taxi is 45 mins late as they forgot to book it but we get to the airport in good time. Siem Reap is actually a lovely little airport. Once again for this city not as we expect.   

Important news. Nat's international fame is growing. Here she is in Elle magazine stocked in Siem Reip airport doing her best crab impression with someone called Rosie Huntington-Whitely?

Getting a country behind with my history books but got the next one lined up. Not a nice man. Not a nice man. 

Flight to Bangkok was good. Air Asia very good again. Recommend them. We land 30 mins early which is a first. 

Arrived at our hotel, the excellent Oriental Residence. It is absolutely gorgeous.

http://m.oriental-residence.com

Lovely room. Most luxurious we have stayed in so far. The bed is out of this world comfortable.

View from our room. Out towards Cowboy Soi for those who know it :-)

Amazing pool half in, half outside the building. 

We seem to be in embassy district. Right across from the US embassy where there was a very jovial protest when we arrived. The Dutch one is next door. They love a cow. 

We head out towards China Town via the very slick and air conditioned Sky Train, getting off at the Chao Phraya River. From there we get the boat up the river towards China Town but mistakingly get the express boat as end up at stop twelve as opposed to stop five that we needed. Really nice river cruise though. 

Tomorrow's destination, the sky bar (the one from Hangover part 2). 

Wat Arun. Great name for a temple. Disco temple. 

After finally getting off the boat we head into china town. Lots of gorgeous street food stalls here. If only we had a guide!!

Couldn't find much to eat around here in terms of restaurants to head to Khao San Road, basically east meets west street home to the biggest KFC sign I have ever seen (you get the sense of what type of place this is). It has more about it than pub street in Siem Reap though just a bit dirtier and bigger. 

We are greeted first by the protests around the army headquarters. Feels very different to what is being broadcast around the world. Seems like a very peaceful and high spirited protest to us, almost a party atmosphere. Doesn't seem to be a crowd trying to siege an army headquarters and topple the prime minister Shinawatra! The second thing we were greeted with was a giant rat. 

Anyway, onto Khao San Road. They are selling all sorts. People walking around selling fried scorpions on sticks to eat like a lolly pop. This store sold worms, slugs, cockroaches, scorpions, maggots you name it! Even I will draw the line at eating here!

After walking a few blocks away from the carnage we found a fantastic restaurant specialising in Thai food called Hemlock. It almost has a Mediterranean feel to it bit is traditional Thai. 

In here we meet Gun, a Thai chap who looked like a caricature of a Vietnam war veteran who had traveled 3 days to come and protest. He loved football, big Man utd fan and had even heard of Coventry, pointing out to me that they were in league one. Hadn't heard of Northampton though! 

After dinner we head back to a random little bar we stumbled across in a side street called Thanon Ram Buttri when looking for the restaurant. How this street isn't in the guide books is a mystery, set a few streets away from Khao San Road it is equally as packed with bars and restaurants but they are all really nice and cool. Loads of bars just pop up in old camper vans. 

Very interesting toilet in this place though. It is in the room between the main bar and behind the bar. The bar people had to get out from behind the bar via this random toilet. If anyone was on the toilet they had to stay behind the bar. Got to admire the use of space. 

Few games of cards. Nat not so good tonight. 

Few more drinks then back to the hotel to hit the most comfortable bed I have ever slept in. Loving Bangkok.