Bangkok in Three Days

So, if you keep in mind that Bangkok has a metro population about the size of Los Angeles -- it's easier to understand that in 3 days I barely scratched the surface of this massive city -- but in the little that I did, I got to experience everything from the working class neighborhood along the waterfront (where massive wholesale flower and vegetable markets operate 24 hours a day), to the upscale business district with high end shopping centers -- and the crowded and congested streets everywhere.  Like so many places, one's impressions and experiences here may be totally influenced by what you had time to see and where you ended up staying in the city.  Again, think Los Angeles -- might your experience be quite different if you stayed on the beach in Santa Monica or in the desert of Riverside.

One enduring memory will be the sweltering heat here in Bangkok -- hot and muggy that left me dripping through my shirt and clutching a water bottle as I moved about.  And like every trip, some of the best moments aren't the sights or sounds of the city -- but the interesting conversations I have along the way.  The first two nights I stayed at an inexpensive hostel on the waterfront just above the busy flower market which was walking distance to heavily toured temples (Wha Pho, home to "The Reclining Buddha") and the Grand Palace.  I visited all -- and added in a "long-tail" boat ride through some of the many canals of Bangkok.

And during one of my resting stops at the Grand Palace, a couple joined me at my table -- an 60-something white guy from New Jersey with his 45-something Thai girlfriend whom he had just met for the first time the prior day after getting to know her via the internet.  Conversation flowed easily as we all sought to just relax out of the sun with some ice cream and water -- as I learned all about the mechanics and motivations for this long-distance hook-up.  I've had similar conversations during my prior travels to China with American guys establishing these relationships, but this was the first time to also to delve into the female side of the equation -- albeit challenged by language.

Similarly, on my second night in this waterfront hostel, I decided to take a highly rated food tour and ended up having quite a fun evening visiting with fellow travelers -- including 6 from the Seattle area -- and being transported around to various food venues by tuk-tuk. The evening also included visiting a temple area at night:

On the third day I moved to an inexpensive hotel in the heart of an upscale business area -- and enjoyed another long, leisurely walk thoughout this newer, busy area.  But it was easy to tell when my walk was transitioning to the seedier side of Bangkok when every corner brought some guy approaching me with the phrase "hey boss, what you looking for?"  I've learned long ago in my travels to not even engage this banter.

So, today I am moving to a hotel very near the airport -- with 24 hour shuttle service -- because I'll need to be at the airport early for my 6:50am departure -- first to Tokyo (6 hours) and then to Los Angeles (10 hours).