Last days in Bangkok

I'm missing my travel buddies already. Is it possible to miss people who were complete strangers to you a month ago? I decided to spend a couple of extra days in Bangkok to unwind before flying to Malaysia and Singapore tomorrow to see the relatives. I'm spending 7 days in total there...I think....

After the tranquility and serenity of Laos, Bangkok is a blast of unexpected adrenaline to the senses. I was planning on visiting the Grand Palace yesterday but after being defeated by the heat and losing the motivation to find the entrance to the palace, I spent an hour in the beautiful public park opposite the palace. The hustle and bustle of Bangkok disappeared and all I could hear was the rustle of the leaves. I strolled to the back of the park and discovered an open air free-weights gym where scary looking men were pumping iron. How random is that? I also saw a man jogging round the park, completely covered up from head to toe, wearing a balaclava, hat, gloves and boots too. Military-style training maybe? Who knows? I then wandered to Chinatown where they sold tat and stuff that I have not seen the likes of since my pre-teens. And just round the corner from there was Little India. Amazing how these two nations have succeeded in establishing a presence in practically every country in the world. It's all down to their entrepreneurial nature I suppose.

I was supposed to go to kickboxing today. Instead I had lunch. I'm going to try to go tomorrow morning. So I spent my day practising my bargaining skills and trying to buy as many gifts as possible for my cousins with the little money I have left. I have a very strong feeling that I am going to be terminally broke for the rest of the year. I then went and had a traditional Thai massage to get rid of the kinks I still had from my kickboxing session 2 days ago. The Thai massage was INTENSE. There were definite cracking sounds during my session. I feel fine. Now. As for tomorrow? I'll let you know.

Day 1

The smells intoxicating. The colours vibrant. The streets chaotic. Welcome to Bangkok! Where the roads are jammed packed and the noise never ceases.
And what a coincidence! My Uncle and Auntie were on holiday in Bangkok for the next three days so we met up today.

Our first stop, the precious gemstone centre where you can watch expert jewellers shine, shape and set sapphires, rubies, emeralds etc into rings, earrings. Whatever really. A place I wouldn't have considered going but it was fun.

Next, the malls of Bangkok. By the 2nd one, we all agreed we were bored of window-shopping. So to liven things up and see Bangkok local-style, we jumped into a pink tuk-tuk. It was awesome! The tuk-tuk pulled out into incoming traffic that was actually on the WRONG side of the road. But the driver was a pro and quickly sped away down bustling streets and alleys decorated with electric cables snaking across the Bangkok sky. 30 min later, we jumped onto a boat and rode down the river (dont' know what it's called) and saw a different quieter side of Bangkok. Kids training to be monks lounging along the shore. Fishermen trying to catch dinner. People hanging their laundry. Normal life in Bangkok.

Bangkok is nothing like what I expected. And hopefully so will the next 6 wks. Gotta go and me the rest of the crew now. A bientot!