So this is a late entry. I haven't had to time to get down to writing about our trip to Thailand for 'Songkran', the Thai New Year, or Water Festival. I thought I'd better get it done before Sidekick goes for her holiday back home in Bandung.
So anyway, Songkran is celebrated every year in Thailand from 13th-15th April. It is their Thai New Year, and they celebrate with the usual family reunions and also some water play! Around Bangkok, especially along Khaosarn Road (backpackers' hangout) and Silom Road (I think. This is why I should write before I forget everything!), people will throw water at each other and also smear each other with a powder and water concoction.
This was mainly what we went to Bangkok for and it was indeed the most fun part! But we did take in plenty of other sights, and had plenty of time for shopping as well. Bargaining at night markets and occasionally getting ripped off is all part of the experience of Bangkok!
It is very easy to get around Bangkok with affordable taxis (though do make sure your driver turns on the meter, otherwise be prepared to get fleeced!) and a very efficient subway system which Hubby and I found simple to use. It was very fortunate indeed that we were there during a major holiday which meant that many people had left Bangkok for their hometowns. So we managed to avoid the other infamous feature of Bangkok, which is it's massive standstill traffic jams!
Well, here are the photos then...
Straight out of Suvarnbhumi Airport, we were brought to Sompong Seafoods, Paknam Branch for a lovely dinner and the best glutinous rice with mango dessert!
That night, while the others called it a day, Hubby and I ventured out to Patpong Night Bazaar. We later learned that it was a tourist trap and we should have bargained more!! But like I said, you have to be prepared for the occasional rip off! :)
It was your typical night market, except that it was also the red light district! There were girls, boys, and 'in-betweens' beckoning at doors! An array of 'shows' were available for those interested!
There was an abundance of tempting street food, but Hubby's memory of his last food poisoning in Bangkok was still fresh on his mind, so he wasn't taking any chances...
We visited a temple the next day. The Thai are very spiritual and Buddhism is their main religion. Besides the many temples, you can see shrines everywhere around the city, along roads and in shopping malls and hotels... There will be drinks, food, flowers and joss sticks offered up and a container of water for devotees to pour over Buddha figures.
After a lovely steamboat lunch at a Coca restaurant, we went for a regrettable boat ride down the Chao Phraya river! The main river was pleasant enough, but as we went through ever-narrowing canals, (like water back-alleys) the smell told us we were pretty much going down a drain!! :) To make matters worse, we were a bit overloaded and the putrid water was constantly splashing on our faces!! It was an experience... to say the least...
And then.... we got ripped off again at "Yin Yang The Original Massage & Spa"! An hour-long foot massage there cost us around RM120 per person, as opposed to the usual RM20!!!
Like I said, part of the experience... all's good...
Well, the next day was more about shopping. We went to Platinum, which had plenty of clothes and accessories which were very affordable, and they give further discounts when you buy three or more pieces of the same item. It is a wholesale shopping complex, so many people come here to buy their stock and lug home huge bags of clothes!
Annie would have loved the hair accessories and costume jewellery section, especially the handmade ones!
Then we went to the ginormous Paragon shopping complex which was just way too huge to finish exploring in a day. The best part was the food court which had hawker-like stalls and we had a great time checking out all the different types of food on offer. Here, we were less worried about salmonella or rotavirus! :)
The gourmet supermarket was equally superb. Hubby especially loves the colourful fresh fruits section.
That night, our friends Sally and Allan brought us out for dinner at the Baiyoke Tower. We had an international buffet, then went up to the revolving viewing deck. It was on the 83rd floor I think.
This was followed by some drinks at Sukhumvit, soi 4, which is a happening night spot area. I found out that Bacardi Breezers are dangerous, they taste deceivingly like Ribena, but...
The next morning, we got ready to get wet! Hand phones and money were stored in plastic sling packs which we had bought beforehand and our camera was placed in its waterproof casing. We were ready for war!
We took a cab to Khaosarn road, where all the action was. First, we had to choose our artillery!
You could choose a big gun....
a cute gun...
or forget the gun... (FYI: that's freezing ice water!)
Or a commercial, pressurized water pump perhaps?!
It was fun to be able to play like kids for a day! :)
After hours of non-stop war, we took the tuk tuk (three wheeled taxi) back to the hotel. Even on the tuk tuk, we managed to shoot at other commuters!
Then, the driver purposely stopped along a road and we got ambushed by a bunch of kids who dumped pails of water on us!
After a tiring day, Allan and Sally brought us out for a lovely seafood dinner with plenty of yummy crab! :)
Then we went to a place called Spring and Summer which was a really cool place. They had huge bean bags laid out on a gorgeous lawn. You could just have drinks and lounge about there, right under the stars!
We ended the night with a visit to Sally's uncle's night club. It was humongous, with three clubs for different music preferences, all under one roof! Thanks so much Sally and Allan for bringing us around town!
So that was it! Bangkok; a huge city with plenty to offer! There's still a lot we have yet to see, and I bet we'll be back one day :)
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