Bangkok
I arrived in Bangkok after a horrific bus journey from Angkor Wat. We were in a minibus on the Cambodian side of the border, and first the back window fell out, then the suspension broke, but was fixed with a block of wood!, and then the engine got a hole in it so the oil was just pouring straight through. But after 7hrs it finally got us to the border. The Thai side was such a contrast. A huge VIP bus, and proper sealed roads!
I found a nice little room that looked similar to the execution cells in cambodia! But it was very cheap. I spent the 5 days waiting for Emma to arrive, by exploring the Khao San Rd area, it is really very full of backpackers and tourists. I went to see the Thai boxing one night which was excellent. They play funny music throughout the rounds which can get a bit annoying, but I guess it adds to the atmosphere.
When Emma arrived in Bangkok I met her at the airport. The next day we visited the Grand Palace and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. The grand palace was very impressive but it was really similar to the palace in Phnom Pehn. We had a great day though, despite the tuk tuk drivers trying to rip us off by telling me that the palace was shut until the afternoon for a celebration and that he could take us on a sight seeing tour til then. Which turned out to be complete rubbish! Luckily I had heard about similar scams because Emma really beleived him and was quite interested in the ‘tour’!
I had had enough of Bangkok by then that we left after 2 nights on a night bus to Kho Tao.
Tags: South-East Asia, Thailand, Travel
gareth