day 4 - our last day in Bangkok

Monday, 28 October 2013

Our final day in Bangkok began with test riding the recently assembled bikes. Paul and his Dad did an excellent job as nothing fell off and everything worked as expected. We did a couple of loops of the block, unintentionally, before Paul took over the navigation and got us back to the hotel in time for our last breakfast. We had expected the streets to be quite quiet at 7am but as with any big city, Monday morning traffic is pretty intense. And while it may seem at times like there are no road rules here, drivers do seem to have a good sense of what's happening around them so that we didn't feel like we were having to ride too defensively.

(Our first bike ride in Thailand)

After breakfast, we headed out to the Grand Palace where we spent a couple of hours. It was buzzing with people and the sun was beating down. The architecture at the palace is truly amazing with different sections having been built by different Thai kings over the years. The grounds of the palace also house the Emerald Buddha which is said to be famous throughout Thailand. Taking photos of the Buddha was not allowed but it did look pretty special. It is actually made of jade and is no more than a metre high. It has an outfit for all seasons - summer, winter and rainy season and the King presides over the ceremony at the start of each season when the Buddha's clothes are changed.

(The grounds of the Grand Palace)

(Gold and colour everywhere)

(One of the many buildings at the Palace)

(The building built by King Rama V, who modernised Thailand)

After the Palace, we intended to go to a museum but discovered that many places are closed on Mondays! As was the Marble Temple which was our Plan B. But we did find another museum after lunch where we saw different Thai houses and various artefacts.

 (A view of the gardens and another style of Thai house at the museum)


(Paul and his Mum)

After returning to the hotel, we spent a couple of hours packing and preparing for the trip up to Ayuthaya tomorrow. In the evening we headed up to the Silom District for a drink and a bite to eat at the Lebua Hotel. The drinks and food were delicious but we were grateful to return back to the neighbourhood that has become familiar, which also feels a bit more raw and real than the more westernised Silom area. 

The highlight of the day was talking with one of the taxi drivers and one of the employees at the hotel. Like many of the Thais we've spoken with so far, they are friendly, warm and happy people. Even in bumper to bumper traffic with drivers doing the most outrageous moves, there is never a horn blowing or an angry word muttered. They appear to take it all in their stride and not get worked up. The taxi driver told us he works 12 hours a day, every day and simply said he feels lazy when he starts to get tired. The hotel employee explained that he would like to go to Australia one day to improve his English but he would have to go to a refugee camp in Malaysia for up to two years in order to do so. We have certainly had many reasons to be grateful on this trip, and hearing a bit about their lives made us all the more thankful for what we have.   

Time to sign off now. We leave here at 8.30am tomorrow to catch the train to Ayuthaya where we will spend the day and night, and then set off on the bikes on Wednesday morning. Feeling excited and ready to get out on the road!