And I am no more humble than I was before I went, but I had a wonderful time. It's true what they say - Bangkok is a full-on attack on your senses. The sights, sounds, flavors, and smells of this bustling city on a river are bold and beautiful. The architecture is striking - the city is modern, but also home to so many temples that break up the concrete jungle.
It was HOT during the day, but it was fairly dry, so it cooled off nicely when the sun went down. I do find it odd, however, such a hot place requires long pants in so many of the tourist attractions (I didn't go inside any of those).
My first Tuk Tuk ride. Smokey, smelly, but a relatively fun form of transportation. Of course mostly it's a scam - you need to be very firm in negotiating up front. Pay more (baht are so cheap, more is not that much more) but be firm in negotiating "no stops" up front. The common scam is for a kind stranger to map out a few tourist spots you "must see" then tell you he can negotiate a good rate from the Tuk Tuk which will be like $1.50 US. Of course the kind stranger is a shill for some tailor shop or jeweler (sometimes also a bigger scam) and the store owner will pay the tuk tuk driver a commission for bringing you.
For lunch on my first day, I went to Nahm, recently voted the 3rd best restaurant in Asia. It's in a hotel and I was able to sit on the terrace facing the pool.
Signature cocktail - the "Cool MC" - Hendrick's, cucumber, lemonade, mint
The menu was a prix fixe, starting with an amuse bouche.
Then an oyster satay, some laab, and another minced meat delicacy. This stuff was really spicy. Nahm is famous for serving food with the appropriate flavor profile, regardless of the taste of the diner. Love it. Especially after so much time in Hong Kong, where the Cantonese tastes really don't appreciate spice.
set menu let me pick three dishes - Duck in Red Curry, Pork stirfry with basil, and tom yum goong.
dessert - too much going on to explain, green noodles, corn, water chestnuts, and more. Very tasty.
And then some buddahs - this one is golden buddah
Standing Buddah
The Golden Mount
A view of a wat from across the river
A friendly lizard in the park - on my way to the muay thai fights. I don't know why it's so cool to see animals like this
Saturday afternoon Muay Thai fighting .... interesting mix of locals and tourists - pretty expensive ($60 US) but worth it. You get ringside seats and cheap beer.
Other meals and recommendations in Bangkok:
Thriptara at the Peninsula - a little more "westernized" in terms of spice level, but the food, service, and atmosphere were fantastic.
Great view at the 360 bar atop the Millennium Hilton (where I stayed) - I was having too much fun to go back and grab a camera for pix, but it's breathtaking day or night.
Street food - famous, smells great, most of what I tried tastes great - but you really have to pick and choose to be safe.
Anyway - Bottom Line is that Bangkok is not nearly as seedy as I expected. Sure the vice is there, people are trying to scam you, etc.... but your money goes a LONG way there. Nice hotels, even the most expensive restaurants are somewhat reasonable and there is tons of cheap food, taxis, etc. are all very inexpensive. I look forward to going back.
