We spent the last week of our Round The World Trip in Bangkok, which we both enjoyed and disliked… When thinking about Bangkok, these aspects will always stay in our memories:

(x) Congestions: we stayed at Woraburi Hotel deep down in Soi 4 where it was very quiet, but the intersection Soi 4 with Sukhumvit Road is a nightmare. It is congested with taxis, Tuk Tuks, street vendors, street kitchens, beggars and pedestrians. The noise from all these activities is superseded by the music from the bars. (x) The heat: during the day, it was even too hot to spend some time at the pool, since there was little shade. We felt engulfed by steaming hot air. Apart from the relentless sun, the heat seemed to be coming from everywhere: the car engines, the thousands of street kitchens and the zillions of air-conditioning units sucking hot air into public space. (x) The huge number of tourists and especially the very much “in your face” sex tourism that you can see especially in the area of Patpong, but also in other districts. (x) The immense number of ultra-modern Shopping Malls and the even greater number of tailors attracting tourists with crazy promotions. (x) Bangkok’s beautiful temples and palaces, some of the most impressive and best restored we have ever seen. (x) And last but not least … Taxi & Tuk Tuk drivers asking for ridiculously high prices from tourists…

The highlights of this stay were:

(x) Visiting the beautifully restored Grand Palace, one of the most glittering monuments we have ever seen. (x) Shopping at the Week End Market, buying tons of souvenirs that we will never be able to display in our apartment… (x) Having clothes tailored at Harry’s Boss Collection, the only tailor we saw who did not advertise absurd promotion but quality at an adequate price. (x) Having a drink on the 65th floor of the State Tower, overlooking the whole city.

Would we do something differently the next time?

(x) Definitely come during a cooler time of the year! (x) If the stay was more than a week, we would rather stay in an apartment.

Conclusion? All it all we enjoyed our stay, but July is definitely not the time to come here!

Bangkok's famous red light district, bars full of western men and Thai ladies, is just off Sukhumvit Road, in the upper area of Soi 4.

Ironically, this naughty industry borders directly on “Little Arabia” in Soi 3. The shops, hotels and restaurants there are almost exclusively frequented by the many tourists from Islamic countries. The majority seems to be from the Gulf States though. For whatever reason, many stay in the hotels and apartments blocks on Soi 4. So every day ladies covered in black from head to toe, usually accompanied by a male, shuffle past go-go bars and the clientele / staff that comes with such businesses.

This strange coexistence seems to function without the slightest friction, since the two parties basically ignore each other. It further seems that the incredible tolerance of the Thai plays a tremendous part in keeping such diverse groups content. A shop assistant or waitress would give the same attention to a lady covered in a Burka, a European family or a Thai girl in the company of a foreigner. They all get the same smile and no sneers or eye-rolling, as we would expect to happen in Europe. There, everybody would have an opinion when confronted with such a mixed crowd.

We found this wild mix particularly interesting because of the many subgroups we found in each “culture”…

The “Nana Entertainment Center”, only 10 minutes away from our hotel, is probably the place that fulfils all the wild images one associates with sex tourism. But a Thai woman in the company of a westerner does not necessarily have to be a prostitute that is once taken to a hotel room. Many Thai women seem to “escort” their “Falang” throughout his entire holiday in Thailand, traveling with him to beach resorts or strolling through shopping centers together. Of course, often the men involved mirror the stereotype we all have of “sex tourists”: unkempt, chubby, elderly men. But many are rather young, in their 20s or 30s, handsome and well-groomed. When you see them strolling hand in hand or dining in expensive restaurants, it could easily be just a “normal” couple.

And there are the fruits of such encounters as described above. We saw quite a few families that visited Thailand, who met there years ago under whatever circumstances. Most have children and often the grandparents from Holland, the UK, or from wherever, accompany them on this holiday.

Tourists staying in Little Arabia and beyond are equally diverse. Women completely covered in black, face veiled and hands covered in gloves are one extreme, a rare one. The majority is dressed in black overcoats and black head scarves. Others sport a more vibrant outfit: beautifully adorned coats, multi-colored head-scarves that might even reveal a few strains of hair. The most “liberal” appearance would be jeans, a long sleeved shirt and a colored head scarf sitting way back on hair piled up high.

We figured these differences had a lot to do with the values of the individual family, but also the country they came from. The husbands, brothers or sons are uniformly dressed in western clothes: shorts, T-shirts, flip-flops, baseball cap. Traditional dress codes seem to be exclusively for women under the pretext of so called religious beliefs.

Various people come to Bangkok for a mixture of reasons. For most, it is the start or end of a holiday on one of Thailand exotic islands with its unrivalled beaches. During this short period in town most people do a bit of sightseeing and some serious shopping in the numerous shopping centers or markets.

Bangkok is also famous for it high standards in medical care. There is a dental clinic that is world famous and people travel here to get caps etc… for 50 % of what it would be in Europe. The other kind of “repair work” that the city’s clinics are famous for is plastic surgery, often combined with a short stay in a wellness hotel.

Of course, there are many who come to seek “company” in one of the many bars. More about that under “East meets West”…

For others it is work, we guess there is no other city in Southeast Asia with more expatriates than here. One of them even published a book for newly arriving ones, which is quite funny to read. The jobs cover a wide spectrum, but a lot involve teaching. We met a few people in our hotel who do business with Thai companies and they told us that it was very easy, reliable and professional.

By no means do we claim that this list is complete. We simply mentioned what we personally witnessed or what people told us.

After four days of strolling through shopping centers, markets, appointments with tailors, we thought it was time for some sightseeing. Not that we were not interested in seeing various Wats or more outdoor markets, but it was simply too hot!

The only place we mastered was the Grand Palace and temple of with the famous Emerald Buddha. Unfortunately, the place only opens at 08:30 am and even then, it was already hot, hot, hot. Gilles had to borrow pants because his were only 3/4 lengths. Luckily, Heidi had brought a T-shirt, since sleeveless shirts also keep you outside. But “decent” clothes can be borrowed for free and nobody was sent away.

Heidi, who had visited the Grand Palace 22 years ago, was surprised how new and shiny it looked, a lot flashier than what she remembered. Considering it was built in 1782, the golden Stupa sparkled in the sun and the glass mosaic glittered. Incredible! Well, a tour guide finally confided that the whole place had undergone intensive renovation which only finished last summer. The reason for the makeup was the king’s 80th birthday and another event we do not remember. So aren’t we lucky? No ugly scaffoldings hampered our view of these glistening buildings. On top of that, a perfectly blue sky helped us to produce photos that are almost unreal.

Who scheduled the opening hours should be tarred and feathered, 08:30am to 03:30 pm. Your only chance to get a bit of an unobstructed view is to arrive before 08:30 am and properly dressed so you do not waste time filling out forms and changing.

We never made it to Wat Arun, which is a shame! The temple itself is very spectacular but the view from the top is unbeatable. All other views from high up are usually expensive hotel bars, which have a strict dress code.

If you are into shopping, and no matter what you are looking for, Bangkok is THE place on this planet where you should be! Here, you simply can find just anything, from the cheapest souvenirs to Haute Couture, from old telephone spare parts to Ferrari cars, from illegal copies of the last movies to the latest laptop computer.

The venues are beyond limits: you can walk your feet sore in the innumerous ultra-modern, beautiful, air-conditioned Shopping Centers. On Sukhumvit, near Siam Square, there are so many of them you can walk a mile almost without leaving an air conditioned complex. If shopping centers happen to be across the street from each other, they are connected by an overpass. The high temple of consumerism is Paragon, with prices that were just way over our limit. The famous MBK we found rather full of cheap stuff and so big that it was overwhelming. We loved Robinson, just the right size, quality and prices.

If that was not enough, this is also the city of tailors. Of course, they all aggressively advertise the craziest offers, like two suits plus two shirts plus two ties for 179 USD! We resisted a few days, but then gave in. Heidi found a shop with superb silk fashion, whereas Gilles, by chance, stumbled upon a Bangkok institution, Harry’s Boss Collection. This tailor shop is run by two brothers, Sikhs, who have an excellent sense of humor and very likable. So who could resist them?

Actually we wanted to have a drink in the Shangri La Hotel, but they had no roof top bar. So we wandered around and found this shop. What drew our attention was a hand written poster outside that said quality has its price, a good suit cannot be tailored in 12 hours and it does need at least one fitting. Thus the owners will not try to attract customers by such crazy offers. Besides we knew in countries like Thailand, the most expensive part is the material. So Gilles left with a suit and four shirts, all with a monogram in the cuff, “GB”.

Last but not least, for those who can stand the heat and the crowds, the Chatuchak Weekend Market is a must. You will be one of 200.000 visitors daily, a great place to buy souvenirs for friends, family and yourself.

Yes and there the huge Phanthip Plaza, four or five stories of only IT stuff. This was our very first destination in Bangkok, because our laptop had attracted a very nasty virus that Gilles could not get rid off. Two young sales assistant did so within three hours for 10 Euros.

We gave almost all our clothes to beggars in the last few days, because they were just used off after one year of traveling and needed space for the newly acquired merchandise!

My first trip through Thailand in 1986 started off in the famous Khao San Road. From there I traveled to other parts of the country, nine weeks altogether with one week in Burma.

So I was very excited to return after 22 years, since I figured this place must have changed more than any other tourist haunt. Even then, in the mid-late 1980s, Khao San was already a pretty ludicrous backpacker ghetto. Nevertheless I enjoyed the cheap food, cheap beds and above all the company and advice from other travelers. This was the essence of Khao San: guesthouses, restaurants and places to book onward tickets. Future trips to Asia took me to Bangkok, but I always stayed in different areas of town. So big suspense, what will it look like now, in 2008?

I still find it difficult to describe: I approached from the side closer to the Democratic Monument in the evening and at first did not believe it was Khao San Road. But I was too embarrassed to ask, in case I was indeed standing on the world’s most famous “backpacker street” inquiring about the very place. All I saw was neon-lights and people, lots of people, moving between and along an alley of stalls selling anything from food, T-shirts, flip-flops, jewelry, hair extensions, toys, anything, you name it! Each was blasting its own music, which created a weird fusion with the music coming from the many bars and restaurants.

I was speechless, because there was not one single place or spot that I could recognize. Although I expected a major change, I was not ready for this! To me, it all seemed more a carnival or fair and after my first crossing I hardly remembered seeing too many guesthouses. I was not sure if they had disappeared behind the neon-signs or altogether. Who could possible sleep in this party zone? The Lonely Planet used the word “gentrification” to describe the change. Excuse me? The road also seemed much longer, but I was so numb that my senses were misleading me. Later I realized how far is has sprawled out: it seemed a maze of alleys, parallel and side streets.

I few days later I ran into two young ladies from Switzerland who I met in China two months ago. They told me how much they liked Khao San and then it dawned on me: for most people, it is the only Khao San Road they know.

Unlike many other travelers, who constantly rant about how this or that place has changed - more modern, more touristy, less authentic - I see this as something that comes along with mass tourism and there is nothing to fret about. We, who travel there, are part of the system and to believe that backpackers are less invasive to a culture or the environment than a tour group is naïve. Probably the effect is even stronger, because groups stay in their hotel, use their own transport and hardly have any contact with the population beyond their hotel. Thus I do not regard this transformation of Khao San as something negative altogether. I just did not think it would be possible to such a degree…

No matter where you stay in Bangkok, you end up in a lot of different kinds of transports!

The cheapest way to get around is the bus. With the help of a bus map that can be bought everywhere, it is relatively easy and can be quick if there is a bus lane. But yes! Traffic can be murderous in this city, especially around the evening when we thought it was finally cool enough to go out again.

This is why we like the new Sky Train and the metro. They zip you around the city in air conditioned carts in no time. The fare depends on how far you go, between 0.4 and 0.8 Euros. Considering the size of Bangkok, they only cover a small area and do not enter the old part of town with its tourist attractions. But since the Sky Train connects with the boats running up and down the Chao Praya River, all the sights, Wat Arun, the Royal Palace / Emerald Buddha, National Museum, Wat Pho and Chinatown can be visited without being caught in traffic.

The boat trip is good fun, breezy and no haggling over the price. From the boat stops, it is only a short walk to any of the places of interests. Naturally, you will be approached by touts offering river tours, who may also tell you that the Royal Palace is closed and you should go with them to see the Reclining Buddha instead.

Of course, there are Bangkok’ famous Tuk Tuks, an institution! However, we got so tired of being quoted ridiculous prices that we hardly ever used them. Sometimes they ask 4 times the price it should be! We knew the price in a metered taxi from Khao San to our hotel in Sukhumvit was about 90 Baht, but we had Tuk Tuk drivers ask for 250 Baht for half the distance. As soon as you get on, they ask you if they could stop here and there… Who has not heard about the “gem scam”? They even offer a reduction of the fare if you agree to stop at one of these “notorious shops”.

Same goes for the motordup: they try any fantasy price. Although it is fast and SHOULD be cheap, we only did it once. We just did not have the nerve! When the road is clear, they drive like Kamikazes, but in Bangkok this is rarely the case. In the much more likely traffic jam, they meander through cars stuck or drive between the lanes crowded with cars.

The most convenient and comfortable way of transportation are metered taxis. Plus, they should not be much more expansive than a Tuk Tuk. They start off with 35 Baht on the meter, which takes you quite a distance, before it starts adding. Often drivers need to be reminded to turn it on. Of course, there are many who try to quote you a price. We always walked away from those. A lady we met at our hotel was quoted 2.000 Baht for the ride from the airport to the city center, which should cost around 250 Baht! Similarly, the taxi drivers who hang out at our hotel lobby ask for 600 Baht. When we told we take a taxi for 250 Baht, they played the old trick: “Oh, you taking a public taxi, ours is safe and convenient”. Maybe it is worth mentioning that Bangkok’s taxis are brand new and spacious.

Heidi took a bus from Battambang to the border, walked across to the Thai side, caught a Tuk Tuk to the next town six kilometers away and jumped on a bus to Bangkok, a trip that took all in all 9 hours. Of course, it was not as smooth as it sounds. So here are some details…

The worst part of the trip was the hour from Sisophon to the border. The expression bumpy road is a complete understatement. The bus driver kept making jokes about it. To me, it seemed as if he tried to apologize for these appalling road conditions. When we arrived at Poi Pet, the border town, it was almost nightmarish. Deep mud everywhere, cars stuck in it, but amazingly nice houses behind the piles of mud.

First time travelers to Cambodia arriving from Bangkok must be in shock when they are thrown into this chaos. The dominant image at the border is the fleet of big, wooden carts that are pulled and pushed by skinny Khmers. After asking, Heidi was told that they carry fruits, bottled drinks, basically all kinds of food stuff from Thailand into Cambodia. For each load they take across, they have to pay 20 USD to the custom officials.

At the Cambodian side, Heidi had bought a seat on a minivan for 400 Baht (12 USD) from the border to Bangkok. After a long wait, lots of phone calls, the money was eventually given back to her, when the van did not materialize. So a Tuk Tuk was organized to take her to Aranya Prathet, the nearest town, 6 kilometers away. Soon the Tuk Tuk was stopped by the police, only after a lot of bowing and squeezing the officer’s hand, we were allowed to go on. From Aranya Prathet, buses regularly leave for Bangkok, which costs only 190 Baht. So Heidi was lucky twice: she got the money for the minivan back and she traveled the distance for half the price.

Gilles chose the easy way … Flying from Siem Reap to Bangkok. This was an easy and relaxing trip. In the afternoon, we reunited at the Hotel Woraburi Sukhumwit. We truly enjoy the hotel, which we booked through latestays.com. Booking through this website, you can get up to 40% discount: for 34 Euros, we stay in a huge, superbly furnished room, relax at the roof top swimming pool and feast each morning on an enormous breakfast buffet. It is located at the quiet end of Soi 4, off Sukhumvit Road.

A 10 minute walk brings you into the epicenter of famous Patpong, Bangkok’s notorious “entertainment” district. More about that under “East meets West”…

We will stay in Bangkok approx. one week in order to get the various necessary visas for the rest of the trip: Cambodia, Laos, and especially China, which will take the longest to obtain.

We also will take the time to better prepare this part of the trip, since we have so far invested very little time, for it is so far away …