Friday, June 10, 2005
Day 4!!
Hey all!
So it'd our fourth day and we're going to leave Bangkok tonight, getting a sleeper train up to Chiang Mai at 9.30. The marvel of Bangkok has worn off now, too many bad experiences with dodgy tuk-tuks and taxis. One guy even faked having no petrol because we wouldn't go where he wanted to bring us! (Though a wheely in a tuk-tuk is very cool!!)
Didn't make it for the Muay Thai or Lions match on Wednesday night, in fact Wednesday turned out to be a kinda waste of a day! A tuk tuk guy brought us to a tailor where we ended up spending nearly two hours between picking colours and negoiating prices then it was off to the Pantip Plaza, a massive electronics shopping centre where another few hours were spent looking at cameras (btw, they're not really all that cheap out!) Walked down to Saim Square then, which isn't a square at all and is really hard to find but at this stage we'd managed to get split into two groups and couldn't find each other so we just went back to the hotel and managed to meet there. Day felt bad because didn't really get much done!
Yesterday was better. Had to go to the Tailors again for a fitting at 11 so meant we had to be up early. Suits were very good and we've gotten a pretty good price on them for all that we get. Decided to walk to the the tailors, because of the aforementioned i've-got-no-petrol stunt the taxi guy pulled. The streets in Bangkok, the whole city in fact, are dirty and smelly, and are even worse when your stuck behind a tuktuk with a broken exhaust! T'was a nice walk all the same, not nearly as touristy as the Khao San is. After the fitting we decided to make something of the day and go see the Grand Palace. So we walked along a canal up to an Express Boat stop and got the Express Boat down to the Palace. It's a particularly nice way to travel, very quick, though the river is absolutely disgusting, even worse than the Liffey;)!! There's no point in me trying to descibe the palace, I'll do it no justice. I'll try put up some pictures whenever I can, not really in the mood for it now but the only way to take it all in is to see it! Spent bout 2 hours there then went back to the Khao San where we got food and went for a swim then headed up to see some Muay Thai!! Vicious stuff, mad atmosphere as the rounds go on and even saw a guy get KO'ed!! Unfortunately, it's a victim of the two-tier pricing where foreigners get charged more than Thai people! After, just came back to the Khao San, had a few drinks and a bit of a singsong with some guys on the roof of the hotel, even saw the sun rise!!!
Now, just bumming round until our train to Chiang Mai, Shane and Ross just had a massage and needless to say, Paul's off plaguing some girl!! I'll write again in a day or two from Chiang Mai.
Hope I've remembered everything.
Slainte!!
So it'd our fourth day and we're going to leave Bangkok tonight, getting a sleeper train up to Chiang Mai at 9.30. The marvel of Bangkok has worn off now, too many bad experiences with dodgy tuk-tuks and taxis. One guy even faked having no petrol because we wouldn't go where he wanted to bring us! (Though a wheely in a tuk-tuk is very cool!!)
Didn't make it for the Muay Thai or Lions match on Wednesday night, in fact Wednesday turned out to be a kinda waste of a day! A tuk tuk guy brought us to a tailor where we ended up spending nearly two hours between picking colours and negoiating prices then it was off to the Pantip Plaza, a massive electronics shopping centre where another few hours were spent looking at cameras (btw, they're not really all that cheap out!) Walked down to Saim Square then, which isn't a square at all and is really hard to find but at this stage we'd managed to get split into two groups and couldn't find each other so we just went back to the hotel and managed to meet there. Day felt bad because didn't really get much done!
Yesterday was better. Had to go to the Tailors again for a fitting at 11 so meant we had to be up early. Suits were very good and we've gotten a pretty good price on them for all that we get. Decided to walk to the the tailors, because of the aforementioned i've-got-no-petrol stunt the taxi guy pulled. The streets in Bangkok, the whole city in fact, are dirty and smelly, and are even worse when your stuck behind a tuktuk with a broken exhaust! T'was a nice walk all the same, not nearly as touristy as the Khao San is. After the fitting we decided to make something of the day and go see the Grand Palace. So we walked along a canal up to an Express Boat stop and got the Express Boat down to the Palace. It's a particularly nice way to travel, very quick, though the river is absolutely disgusting, even worse than the Liffey;)!! There's no point in me trying to descibe the palace, I'll do it no justice. I'll try put up some pictures whenever I can, not really in the mood for it now but the only way to take it all in is to see it! Spent bout 2 hours there then went back to the Khao San where we got food and went for a swim then headed up to see some Muay Thai!! Vicious stuff, mad atmosphere as the rounds go on and even saw a guy get KO'ed!! Unfortunately, it's a victim of the two-tier pricing where foreigners get charged more than Thai people! After, just came back to the Khao San, had a few drinks and a bit of a singsong with some guys on the roof of the hotel, even saw the sun rise!!!
Now, just bumming round until our train to Chiang Mai, Shane and Ross just had a massage and needless to say, Paul's off plaguing some girl!! I'll write again in a day or two from Chiang Mai.
Hope I've remembered everything.
Slainte!!
# posted by Team Thailand : 9:14 a.m.
