Eighteen Hours in Bangkok

A change to my flights gave me an eighteen hour stop over in Bangkok on route to India. Long enough to get into the city and cause some trouble!

I was like a kid in a sweet shop sitting on the train into the centre of Bangkok. Since I was last in Thailand I've learnt to read and write a bit of Thai. I was trying to translate signs in the train carriage, listen into conversations and read the book over the shoulder of the girl sitting next to me. I think she was a bit freaked out!

When I got into the city I headed to Sukhumvit to catch up with some friends who happened to be in Bangkok at the same time. I had a bit of time to kill before we were due to meet, so walked up and down the road snacking from the streets stalls. BBQ'd sausages made with pork and sticky rice. Some freshly cut pineapple. Oh yes!

After a massage I took my friends for a drink at the rooftop bar of the Banyan Tree hotel. We only lasted about 30 seconds before I discovered one of them got vertigo and we had to quickly descend for a drink where we could be firmly grounded.

After a stiff drink we headed to the nearby Suan Lum night market. This was the first place I ever visited on my maiden trip to Thailand back in 2005, and I'm saddened to report the market is dying. There has been talk of it being closed for re-development for well over ten years, but it finally seems to be happening. More than fifty percent of the stalls are now closed. Even the food stalls weren't as good as they used to be. Poor food in Thailand, almost unheard of.

After a couple of drinks back near my friend's hotel it was time to return to the airport. It was fantastic to soak up a bit of Thailand, even if there was a twinge of sadness at Suan Lum closing.