Bangkok – KEVIN CRAIG

We woke up the next morning in Bangkok. But we would not be staying there much longer. We all got up extra early in order to stop at the famous Train Market. We were warned ahead of time by Rio that the people in the stalls don’t really like tourists. He explained that we come to take our videos and photos, stepping over everything, causing havoc, and blindly walking in front of the train, etc. Picture clueless stampedes of migrating wildebeest charging through a market while a train barrels through it. But they’re all holding phones and talking to their Instagram followers in live Reels. He also suggested that all the vendors know we are not there to buy anything, and that mostly we do not.

We were warned to be on our best behaviour, and not to be stupid.

With practiced disdain for the ‘other tourists’, we blended ourselves into the market and waited for the train to arrive. We were not like the other tourists. We were orderly and polite and aware.

And if you believe that hocus pocus, I have a tree farm in Albuquerque to sell you.

I immediately saw the reason the vendors have grown weary of tourists. We’re like a plague of locusts spreading over something, making it untenable, and then disappearing forever…not caring about the chaos left in our wake.

Turns out there were tourists ON the train as well. Tourists taking photos and videos of tourists taking photos and videos. Makes you think…

It was quite a thing to see, however. I’m glad we did the sideshow side trip.

Just imagine how chaotic this is several times a day for the vendors. People stepping all over their stuff trying to watch a train go by. Thousands and thousands of pounds of metal capable of ripping them all asunder. It’s no wonder they’re tired of seeing tourists.

After the Train Market we stopped at a coconut farm. It is absolutely astounding how many things one can make with coconuts! As it is with all tourist locations, there was a souvenir shop…resplendent with coconut merchandise.

It was a gorgeous place, too. So much to take in.

After the coconut farm was the big event of the day…the floating market.

boarding a boat for a ride to the floating market.

This event was a little misleading. We did not really participate in the floating market. Rather, we were taken to where it is and then dropped off on land. It was definitely a gorgeous boat ride, though.

We made our way through various canals until we came upon the actual floating market…

The floating market…

Once we were dropped off on land, inside a market, we could look down into the floating market from a little foot bridge. But we did not participate. We had a walking market. Talk about false advertisement. Oh well.

After the floating market, where we had an amazing lunch, we went for a river cruise. As you can see from the photos below, it was a little wet. It wasn’t the greatest weather during our trip. It was warm, but the sun didn’t come out so much and there were occasional rain showers. Anything is better than snow and cold, though.

Later that evening, a few of the tour group took the dinner cruise option. Our group of four among those who chose this option. It began at the iconic Iconsiam shopping centre. This place was the literal lap of luxury. They had every high-end store you could think of…including boutique car dealerships right inside the mall.

We had some time to snoop around the insanely upscale mall prior to boarding our dinner cruise. They had a gorgeous rooftop lounge. Of course we imbibed.

We had GORGEOUS views of Bangkok from the top of the Iconsiam…

The dinner cruise was buffet, which was a little chaotic. Not a lot of space for the buffet and everybody wanting to get to it at the same time. Rio guided us into a little nook and we were able to attack it before it got too overcrowded.

There was lots of entertainment on the dinner cruise and lots of fireworks on the shore. It was nonstop wonderment.

The views were stunning…the world was all lit up.

The shore looked like a magical wonderland. Not a thing was not lit up to the nines.

I want Rio’s camera. Takes such great shots.

It was a brilliant night and such a great way to end our time in Bangkok! The next morning we would leave Rio (and Bangkok) behind. It was time to move on! We all wished Rio could follow us for the rest of the tour. What a great guide!

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We ALL know the song ONE NIGHT IN BANGKOK by Murray Head, right? At least those of us who grew up clubbing in the ’80s. Let me tell you, I was humming this song quite a lot this past fall. I was so eagerly anticipating our November trip to Thailand (nee Siam), that I couldn’t quite get the song’s jingle-y chorus out of my head.

I did the same just before we went to Kathmandu in 2018. I had Bob Seger’s Kathmandu in my head the entire summer before that trip! I never in my life imagined I would one day find myself in that beautiful far-off city. Seger’s chorus burned into my head for weeks before that trip.

The view from our hotel window in Bangkok.

When we finally arrived in Bangkok on November 14th, 2024, after about 24 hours of travel, one of the first things we saw in the streets outside our hotel was a signpost from home.

Tim Hortons, a Canadian icon…in the heart of Bangkok.

That’s right. Just a half a block from our resting place at Mandarin Hotel Bangkok in the heart of Bangkok, Tim Horton’s was waiting for us. Canada to the core, Tims is an institution you can’t get away from at home. Or, it would seem, when you’re away.

A quick note about the Mandarin. At first glance, it seemed pretty opulent. The entryway and lobby scream money. Once you get to the rooms, however, it’s a different story. They’re quite basic. I’m not complaining here…they were absolutely fine. Better than fine when I think of some of the places we have stayed in. But the lobby does not match the rooms.

We were pretty discombobulated that first day. We had a 16-hr flight to Taipei, Taiwan, followed by a layover, followed by a second flight to Bangkok. Our only venturing that day was by foot in the neighbourhood surrounding our hotel. No worries, though…we found a super huge mall and ate our first meal on Thailand soil.

And our first Thai beer…

This was a fully planned out tour we took, so I won’t break it down the way I break down the trips we plan on our own. We were with guides most of the time in Thailand, with a few exceptions, until we got to Phuket at the end of the trip. Our guide in Bangkok was exceptional. His name was Rio and he might just be the tape measure with which I will rate all future guides to come. The trip we took was offered by Tripoppo here in Toronto and it was called ALLURE OF THAILAND with Phuket 16 Days.

Our full first day with Rio and the rest of the tour group was amazing. We were taken to Golden Mount Temple.

Ring dem bells…found along the way up to the top of Golden Mount Temple…

The Golden Stupa at the top was gorgeous, not to mention all of the wondrous treasures we saw along the way to it!

Vultures standing prey…

Reclining Buddha…

So many beautiful things to see throughout the temple…

Our next location was the nearby Wat Po, which is Bangkok’s largest and oldest temple.

We made a stop along the way at Temple of Dawn (Wat Arun Ratchawararam Ratchawaramahawihan), which is a beautiful stupa reaching up to the sky and fully inlaid with pottery imported from China. It’s breathtaking!

Intricate and whimsical…the broken pottery pieces that make up the facade of the Temple of Dawn stupa…

A short boat ride across the river, and we were ready for the biggest reclining Buddha I have ever seen.

Wat Pho. The Buddha is almost 150 feet long and 40 feet high.

It was impossible to get a photo of the entire Buddha. Here’s some glimpses as we made our way alongside it…

I didn’t know whether to sing One Night in Bangkok or The Neverending Story…

Don’t look at my socks. I SAID don’t look at my socks!

Looks like my crazy eyes strike again with this one…

There was so much to see at this temple. It was filled with treasures.

We had more than one night in Bangkok. And did we ever pack a lot into it.

We did the pool back at the hotel after our full afternoon out and about. Temple hopping is definitely a thing in Thailand, something we were about to get extremely used to…as the country is FULL of temples. We took our down time when we could.

Yes…I went to Tims. Don’t judge. I had to see it with my own eyes. It was quite different than the Tims at home. The coffee was made as you ordered, like a latte. And it was not very good. It looked the same, but definitely did not taste the same.

After our first full day of touring, we decided as a group to give the famous and infamous Khao San Road a go. 10 of us (the full group was 11, but one of the party bowed out of the first day activities) fetched a van through the GRAB APP (Get the app if you go, it’s the Thai Uber and it works grand). I somehow led the way on this one…though I never actually know what I’m doing. My party of four, along with our six new friends in the tour group, put their trust in me to get them to Khao San road and back. In one piece, if possible.

As soon as we stepped inside this Grab van, I was ready to play CASH CAB. To the chagrin of all, we weren’t being filmed for the popular in-cab game show. It was just a light show, after all.

Proof that Michael and I made it to one of the most notorious streets in the world!

We had a lovely meal in Khao San road. I think it was a great idea to go out with the group that first full day. It went a long way in forming the bond we would share for the rest of the tour. Friendships were made. Bread was broken. Tales were shared.

Breaking bread with our fellow travelers…at BUDDY BEER on Khao San Road. Table for ten, please. I expected push-back, but they said, “Right this way!”

It is definitely one of the most wild streets I’ve ever been on. Something to see at every turn!

Hordes of people from all over the world coming to catch a glimpse of the Manic Mile…

It was a wild night…so much fun was had! It felt like we had packed the universe into that day. So much for jet lag. We were fully immersed.

The next day, Rio promised us–if we were really good–that he would take us to see a train that was not scheduled as part of the itinerary. We had to be up and ready early. It wasn’t just any train…but one that has become Instagram famous. I couldn’t wait to see it!

See the NEXT THAILAND POST HERE.

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Category: Bangkok

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