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