Bangkok Hangover

I've had the opportunity to visit 4 of our neighbouring countries in recent years and I must say, Thailand beats Cambodia, Indonesia and Singapore by a distance. So much so, I'm still nursing a Bangkok hangover 4 days after I'm back. Honestly speaking, before going I had reservations about spending that many days in Bangkok. I was proved so very wrong.

The 4 of us, though one can be mistaken for a ladyboy. And it's not me!

Me, I'm a backpacker. Lucky for me, I found guys who don't mind this form of travelling as well: Lemon, Mini and FBI. I set out for Bangkok only with some toiletries, 2 pair of shorts, 2 tshirts, a bunch of boxers and my camera. The idea was to buy everything else over there =P

We stayed at Thanon Khao San, where backpackers from all around the world converge. Highly recommended for you to stay here rather than Sukhumvit (which is pricier). It's a street lined with guesthouses, pubs, restaurants, massage parlours, tattoo parlours and stalls selling clothes, food and CDs. There several convenience stores open 24 hours too. Basically you can just live there for weeks without having to go anywhere else.

Bangkok is fun for so many reasons. Cheap stuff to buy, great cheap food (we survived almost exclusively on a diet of paw phia, phad thai, kao phat and fruits), lovely weather (it was neither too hot nor rainy when we were there), and of course the people.

The people are excellent! They must be the most polite and nicest people I've met collectively. Malaysia still have a long way to go to match them, seriously. Traffic jams in Bangkok are notorious but I seldom heard horns being blared, cars and tuk-tuks and bikes jostled for space on the roads but they are very tolerant of each other - giving space whenever possible. The people spoke softly and politely, like one would expect to speak to one's future in laws. Charming! One guy even slashed the price of his already-cheap Kiwi fruit shake just because I'm a fellow Muslim, how nice is that?

Of course, there are people trying to cheat you out of your money since you are tourists, expected to have wads of cash stashed somewhere. But show me a place with no such touts?

Then the parks, oh they are just so nice. Serene environment just a few metres away from the bustling streetscene of Thanon Phra Athit.

The massages we had was excellent, for only THB220, we had an hour of lovely Thai massage for sore feet and shoulders. We ended up going almost everyday. Manicures, pedicures, we did it all. THB200 for both, can you beat that?

Chatuchak weekend market was a chaotic blend of people and merchandise. Huge market plus a swarming mass of people plus sore feet and wallet equals to another round of massage!

It was all the more lovelier since we met some great Thai folks over there. My gratitude goes to all 'my friend me' over there: Chula, Mod, Nan, Min, Ang etc for making our stay there all the more better. 6 days was definitely not enough. We are already making plans to go again, next time just to chill and shop (since we've done the sightseeing this time around). The Bangkok syndrome is a hard one to cure, it seems.

I think I'm in love.