To warm up from the winter cold we fly to Southeast Asia this time.
Long-haul flight is always tiring. Ideal to have a stop-over for few days in either Bangkok or Singapore. Suvarnabhumi and Changi are one of the best rated airports in the world.
Chao Phraya River
Several planes land at the same time with us causing long waiting queue at the passport check of the entry gate. It takes more than an hour. Fortunately our small but convenient hotel in Bangkok town centre offers to pick us up from the airport.
View from boat
After a short break in the entirely air conditoned hotel we are ready to explore the surrounding. Hot, humid, sunny and dry weather. There is a local market and a metro station nearby. The first impressions are overwhelming!
Thai´s refreshments
Two metro stations further away there is the Chao Phraya river which flows through the capital Bangkok and mouths into the gulf of Thailand.
One of the numerous temples
Lots of monuments and palaces like the Grand Palast on the riversides. Just take the locals ferries for few Eurocents.
Novice celebration
In the evening: Bangkok city. Posh, expensive, many Gucci, Armani, La Coste and the likes. Here, I listen for the first time ever to a song of Adele in a Virgin Megastore!
Buddha everywhere
Next morning we join a boat tour of a single handed company which is run by a young Thai who grew up in the US and now return to Bangkok to set up a tourism business. The other couple of the whole tour group comes from Australia. We drive through the Khlongs, side canals of Chao Phraya for half a day.
Wat Arun / Temple of Dawn
China town in Bangkok is rather disappointing. A main street with many shops and restaurants, vibrantly full of life with crowd of visitors and street vendors like any other market in Asia. A chinese restaurant highly recommended on the web as “must see” serves average chinese food in a large room overcrowded by western tourists, noisy and chaotic.
Side river of Chao Phraya
Tuk-Tuk Madam? Tuk-Tuk Sir? This salutation indicates: You are approaching an interesting tourist site! It lasts in your ears like a tinnitus until you go to bed and your mind is reset for new experiences next day.
Life on the river
After few days in Bangkok it is time to leave for Saigon.