Well that was quick!  Our trip has come to a end, so its off to the airport and find our lounge, which the hotel granted us. It ended up being a private lounge with food and drink, no one else was there so we made the most of the hospitality and tasty treats before catching the plane for the night trip home

Ok… time to get ready for the next adventure….. where will it be??? stay tuned.

We check out some of the huge shopping centers and in particular a supermarket which is was amazing so much better than the dull Coles and Woolies we have here. The store wasn’t much bigger but the range and presentation was stunning. You could even buy your groceries and get one of the chefs to cook them up for you.

Today we visit the notorious Pat Pong Road, the area has toned down a lot from what it was only a few years ago where it was Bangkok’s adult playground with pretty much anything goes. There are still a lot of bars and clubs around but being the middle of the day things are pretty dead. We visit the Pat Pong Road Museum a small museum dedicated to the life and times of the district, it was pretty interesting and there were a few interesting exhibits.

We spend the evening visiting around the Khlong Toei District first exploring around the Muslim markets where there was plenty of jewelry on sale and and heaps of kebab shops. Nana Plaza was the next port of call this huge ‘Adult Entertainment Complex’ had some cool bars and a few floors of genuine and not so genuine female entertainers. We find ourselves a good spot at the central bar where we can see all happenings of the complex while enjoying some ice cold beers.

Today we take a boat ride up the Chao Phraya River this great hop on hop off boat takes you past all the major sights along the river including several shrines and temples and the King’s Palace. We get off around the tourist and backpacker precinct of Khao San Road and walk the streets before kicking back in one of the road side cafe’s for some lunch and a few ice cold beers while watching the tut tut drivers spruke their services and check out some of the unwashed hippies roaming the area.

After a quick refresh and some complementary beers, cocktails, nibbles and a few more beers we hit the streets again and find ourselves at another market. This time the Talad Rot Fai Train Night Market. This cool market mainly outdoor and had a huge precinct of bars and food outlets where you could kick back and enjoy some very cheap beers and food. We found a cool bar and enjoyed a few cold beers and sat back and watched passing the sights.

We visit the monstrous Chatuchak Market, This market covers acres and is home to an estimated 15 thousands stores and is only open weekends attracting some 200,000 visitors each week. They sell everything, clothes, gifts, electronics, antiques, and food. Everything seems so cheap and that’s before the traditional bargaining starts. There are clothes for less than a dollar and food and drink is super cheap. We find a nice food court in one of the linking shopping centres and try out their beers and things on sticks.

The main railway network runs on huge concrete tracks above the city streets so its pretty easy to find and the system is clean, super cheap and a train comes past every 5 – 10 minutes or so. The only downside the amount of stairs take their toll over the hot and humid day. 

The first excursion was explore the streets around the hotel and get our baring. Bangkok doesn’t seem to have much in the way of city planning, it seems you can just build what you want where you want, there are 50 story buildings built next to houses, huge shopping malls in the strangest places and food stands, market stalls and little pop up eateries everywhere.  Its fairly warm and super humid, there is barely a flat bit of pavement with chucks of brick and concrete protruding from everywhere and plenty of shoddy repairs. The cables are another amazing sight power poles are strung with dozens if not hundreds of data cables. The city has its own unique smell from the amazing array of food, its somewhere between fish sauce, Chinese 5 spice Durian fruit and BBQ pork- not unpleasant but not that pleasant either.

The 5 star hotel was set in lush gardens with terraced pools and koi ponds it was absolutely magnificent and connected to a huge luxury shopping plaza and only a minute or two walk to the main rail line. The hotel was pretty quiet we think the virus was keeping many travelers away.

The trip stared with a few beers in the airport lounge before what was about a eight hour flight to Bangkok. Then a quick train ride into the city centre we found our hotel the King Power Pullman and boy was it flash. We tried to check in at the regular check in counter downstairs and were quickly swept upstairs to a special check in on the 20th floor where we were sat down given a refreshment and then taken to our suite. The hotel and the service was amazing, with a special private breakfast served with our own chef and free drinks and nibbles between 5 and 7 each night- which we made the most of.

Welcome to Rocky & Gary’s Roadtrip for 2020. This year we have a few exciting adventures planed with the first one being a real quick getaway to Bangkok, Thailand in February.