<<Previous Photo Essay: Bac Ha Market, Vietnam).

1. Bangkok Pictures: A hectic Tuk Tuk ride through the streets of Bangkok.

2. Bangkok Pictures: The infamous backpacker hideout of Bangkok... The Khao San Road.

3. Bangkok Pictures: The Thai flag flies in the streets around the Khao San Road.

4. Bangkok Pictures: Happy faces from the fresh air of the Chao Phraya River.

5. Bangkok Pictures: Bangkok street food is some of the best I've ever tasted!

6. Bangkok Pictures: Wat Phra Kaew and the Grand Palace.

7. Bangkok Pictures: A shady spot with a beautiful Red and Gold door in the Grand Palace complex.

8. Bangkok Pictures: A golden spire reaching into a blue sky at the Grand Palace complex.

9. Bangkok Pictures: Golden statues glisten in the sunshine...

10. Bangkok Pictures: Golden faces line the walls outside the Temple of the Jade Buddha.

(Next Photo Essay: Sechseläuten festival, Zurich>>

If you’ve been to Bangkok and have a picture you want to share or think is better than mine then please add the link in the comments section… Mucho Mucho Love…

Backpacking around Thailand on a budget is a little harder than in the rest of South East Asia, things have moved up in the world and budgets have gone with it.  But, there are still places to save money and often you’ll get a better deal or experience for it… Bangkok is one of those places, a traveller in the know can get a room and a Thai meal for less than 300b – bang on budget!

Below is a hand picked selection of tips, advice, pictures and our posts about budget travel in Thailand – Hopefully to help you stay on budget and inspire you to travel better.

Pictures From Thailand:

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Thailand Posts:                                          Travel Tips:

Slip Sliding down the Khao San Road…………………………………… Make money while you Travel
Bamboo Island Camping…………………………………………………. Off The beaten Track: Thailand
Getting down to Diving on Koh Tao…………………………………..Desktop Wallpaper Download
The Buckets of Haad Rin
The Best Sunset in the World

Thailand Travel Video:

It’s been almost a week now since our teary goodbyes in Sihanokville, the morning after we scraped ourselves together and got the stupidly early bus to Bangkok bus as is always the case when taking a long distance bus that crosses a border… Things don’t always go to plan. Yet again one VIP ticket + Border crossing = cramped minivan the other side. Not that it bothers us much because we are used to it but it kind of set the tone for the long journey back to Kuala Lumpur.

We arrived in Bangkok not quite an hour after we were supposed to and quickly found a room down the Khao San road, from the very second we arrived Georgie’s agenda was taking over and that agenda was shopping. Faced with an imminent return to the UK she was dead set on spending what money we had left and some we didn’t on pretty things and who am I to deny a pretty lady of her trinkets.

We had a little stroll up the KSR before the journey caught up with me and I retired to the room leaving Georgie to shop until she dropped… Which wasn’t long.

The same happened the following two days except that Toby met up with us before he flew back home for one last Bangkok blow out… Only thing was there was no blow out, I think we have all been bang on it a little too long and short of a few social beers we did nothing but relax and enjoy the last moments of our time in Asia together. Bangkok took it out of us, Georgie has the stamina of an army where shopping is concerned and it was as much as Toby and I could do to keep up with her and by the time he left us it was clear we all needed a rest.

We didn’t have the luxury of leaving from Bangkok airport our tickets out are for Kuala Lumpur which meant whatever way we looked at it, the cheapest option was a bus and a bus meant 24 hours, not all in one go but still a bit much even for us hardened travelers. The problem is that when you travel long distances on a bus it’s similar to a plane, you do everything in your power to pass the time as quickly as possible and it turns into a battle between you and the journey. Comfort becomes the primary concern and as the scenery passes it’s nothing more than a distraction from your book, every bump is an annoyance and every delay is infuriating… Don’t know if you can tell but what I’m getting at is that if we had our own transport (for instance a Honda 250 Baja) the journey becomes part of the trip, something to enjoy and experience instead of hassle and agro.

We hadn’t left ourselves enough time for a break so when we finally got on the bus we had to get some sleep… That’s where the trip to the Cambodian pharmacy comes in and we are out like lights… Well until that is a man a few seats away starts snoring with such ferocity that it sounds as if someone is actually sawing wood with a chainsaw on the bus, even a good dose of Valium couldn’t block that out so drastic action was required. When we got aboard the VIP bus we were given a small pack lunch containing a few cakes, drinks and a couple of boiled sweets and seeing as we had eaten the cakes already the sweets became the tools of silence… We tried subtle measures to snap the man out of his chainsaw like slumber but that didn’t work so the sweets were hurled and several direct hits later the snoring was over, but as I’m sure anyone who has to deal with snoring knows – it will come again and soon… Ear plugs in and the Valium did the rest.

We woke up this morning in Hat Yai once again and with a few hours to kill until our connection to KL we set off in search of strong coffee and breakfast, we found a lovely little family run Chinese cafe decorated with picture frames filled with old money from around the world, in one was an old note with Saddam Houssein on it!

Our bus to KL was as good as we could have wanted, luxurious and comfortable… And no snorers but it was long and there is nothing like one long bus journey to highlight how long the next on is.

Finally we arrived in Kuala Lumpur, 27 hours after leaving Bangkok and to top it off Georgie had come over feeling rough… Really rough.

We had one final bus to catch from the center of KL out to the airport where we had planned to sleep, but on the way to the airport bus Georgie started throwing up all over the shop. We had no time to hang about, although our flight wasn’t due to leave until the next morning it was an early one and we knew we would miss it if we stayed in the center, so I took the two backpacks (now stuffed with goodies and weighing in close to 25kg each) and Georgie took the small ones. We made it to the airport and attempted to get a room at the only affordable hotel nearby – Tune, only to be turned away… A few other backpackers were also turned away, apparently they had no rooms but it really seemed like they just didn’t want a bunch of smelly hippies dirtying the place up. I humped the bags on once again and we hiked back to the airport (got to be close to a kilometer both ways) luckily Georgie had started to feel a bit better despite the blow that we couldn’t have a bed so as I type she is asleep on the softest seats we could find and I am WIRED on a few too many coffee’s… We have five more hours until the next monster journey twelve hour flight back to the UK and to be honest I cant wait…

Don’t get me wrong I’m not moaning or ranting, I am merely relaying the events of the last few days and despite it all, the buses, the back ache, the sick, no sleep, no beds… It’s what it’s all about and I’d do it again in a heartbeat!

The last few days have certainly been fun filled and action packed, if you remember our last night in Bangkok was all set to be another large one with mega fun planned at one of Bangkok’s super exclusive clubs – Bed Supperclub. After a full day in the spas Georgie and Sarah were looking well groomed and generally super lovely as we rushed across town to get there in time for our reservation, no need really because once inside and a hefty cover charge later we realised that we were barking right up the wrong tree… It was half full with yuppies! We had our complimentary cocktails and stayed for a while hoping that any minute the super fun people would all burst in and then we could get down to a heavy night of drinking and dancing… It never happened and although the club itself was modern and fun the clientèle inside were neither of those things so we cut our losses and got the MRT back to the Khao San Road.

After that false start and a pretty long ride back to the brash and lively KSR we felt a little deflated, having taken a rain check on Bangkok’s cultural side we decided an early night was in order so we would be in good standing for it the following day. Had some grub before bed and turned in.

We were all up in good time because 1. We wanted to have a pretty full day of cultural wandering and 2. We had plans to leave Bangkok that night on the very much despised “night bus” for Koh Tao and so had to pack up and check out by 11:30 am.

Packed up and breakfast scoffed, we stowed our bags at our guest house reception and set off down the KSR towards the Chao Phraya river boat pier, the river express boat being the cheapest way to get about that part of Bangkok it’s also nice to be able to catch the breeze. We were bound for the Grand Palace, Georgie and I have been there before but it’s always good to go back and appreciate just how big and sparkly everything is… And how hot it is there!

We got ourselves some hired hippy clothes at the front gate to cover our “ un-modest” areas and then set off around the grounds.

It’s hard to really sum up Bangkok’s grand palace in account of how intense it is on the eyes and the sweat glands, we found our selves gorping in equal measure of the dripping golden spires and reflected sunshine coming at us from every angle. Although we have never had a guide around it we know the story and enough to appreciate the amazingly intricate paintings that circle the outer wall depicting the birth of Buddhism and the holiness of the Emerald Buddha to the Thai people. It is a truly awesome religious place and it’s title certainly fits.

While shuffling down some marble steps towards a bit of shade Georgie slipped and managed the rest on her arse which lightened the sweaty mood and shortly after that we finished our tour of the Grand Palace, set off down the road through the many roadside stalls towards Wat Pho and its famed Giant reclining Buddha, somewhere Georgie and I have never managed to get to before we got beat by the heat.

Wat Pho looks similar to the Grand Palace from outside except obviously smaller but despite the grand façade it still took us completely by surprise just how big the “giant” Buddha actually is… By the time we were at the entrance to the Wat we were all wilting a little bit from the heat but once inside it all seemed to get forgotten as we stared up at the huge golden Buddha. The entrance opens onto the large room directly under the Buddha’s massive head and from there you can see all the way to the end of the building following the golden giants curves all the way to his feet, it was hard to take it all in as we walked to the end, getting a peek of him in giant sections between the buildings pillars. The soles of his feet are intricately inlaid with mother of peal depicting Buddhist scenes and at about three metres tall it begs the question what kind of shoes would a giant golden Buddha wear with three metre feet… Big and jazzy I bet!

On the other side the wall is lined with small pots which as you pass you pop a coin in each one and make a wish.

By the time we had finished in Wat Pho and got back to the river boat stop we were properly done in and even a stiff breeze off the river couldn’t perk us up so we jumped in a tuk tuk and got back to the Khao San Road sharpish, bought our tickets out of Bangkok, did a spot of last minute shopping and had some grub off a street stall.

It was getting late by the time our bus was ready to leave and sat on our bags amongst all the fresh travellers new off the plane waiting to get aboard brought back fond memories… Little did they know just how much of a comfort fiend Georgie was and how she would literally walk all over them for the best seats… She did just that and they didn’t even see it coming! The bus was the usual kind but with one big difference, on the bottom floor where there is usually just bag storage there was a large room complete with sofas, TV and tables… Georgie was straight in there and with our backs burning from the jealous stares of the other passengers we climbed aboard into our luxury “cabin” and settled in for an easy nights travel…

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Yesterday, with much excitement and twice as much coffee, we hauled ourselves out of the pit at 6 am to go and meet our beautiful friend and general “faffer” supreme Sarah at the airport. We got a little caught in Bangkok traffic along the way so by the time we arrived we were only waiting a few minutes and then HAZAAR!

A quick smoke, catch up and cuddle then back in a taxi to the Khao San Road with Stretters in toe.

Sarah got a room just across the hall from us and then off we went to walk the many stands and stalls of the Khao San Road, her eyes were all a flutter bless her and Georgie was spurred on by having another girl there. I tagged along behind, relieved that I didn’t have to be enthusiastic about every single item on every stall… Unfortunately for me this just got the shopping juices flowing and before I knew it we were in a Tuk Tuk… River taxi… The MBK centre!!! I wasn’t too fussed though despite having been there just a couple of days ago I knew Sarah was a little jet lagged and would go for too long… Wrong again, we saw just about all of the MBK and then even made time for a little of Central world before they relented.

We had and interesting taxi ride back to KSR, the driver had a very random collection of English music which he insisted on playing for us. That was all very nice of him except that he danced and changed CD’s while driving at pretty high speeds, he even started swerving in time with the music at one point.

Dinner at our local food stall and a good old scrub up we set off down the KSR to celebrate Sarah being with us in the best way we could think of… With Bangkok buckets full of Sangsom whiskey and dodgy Thai Redbull. We sunk several buckets while fending off the street hawkers and then Georgie had the brilliant idea of making our way to Patpong’s infamous red light district in search of a ladyboy cabaret… In theory this sounded like a lot of fun but I must admit I had my doubts from the outset and another manic tuk tuk ride later those doubts were confirmed, we saw no cabaret – only bar after bar advertising super pussy ping pong show and the touts trying to get us into their bars were out in force… Maybe it was the drink talking but we thought if we’ve come this far we should at least pop into one of these fine looking establishments for a drink, also Sarah and I needed to piss badly!

Once inside the pounding den of ladies in very tiny bikinis the whole situation was amplified, it was quite small inside with seemingly useless poles everywhere and a raised centre stage, every flat surface had a “lady” either dancing on it or sprawling across it. There were close to 50 girls all swinging and gyrating themselves about inside and at a glance… 3 men – needless to say I got what I could only call an “unnecessary” amount of attention from the outset, but we endured and drank our beers watching the numbered “girls” strut their stuff and to be honest it was quite fun… Luckily a pair of men clearly after a nice slice of ass came in after about ten minutes so most of the girls left me to my beer and started dripping off them… All that is except for one “lady” in particular who after getting in a fight over the flush looking new fellas came crawling back over to our table and started dry humping my leg… Of course Georgie and Sarah were loving it, but they did at least have room to see the funny side. I suddenly remembered I was desperate for a wee so I ducked out and left the girls getting seduced by a pair of dancers on the stage.

We didn’t stay for a second beer down at Patpong it was a little “claustrophobic” shall we say, so instead we got a taxi back to KSR for one last bed time bucket and some greasy fast food…

Today was supposed to be a look at Bangkok with our cultural glasses on but Stretters was super hung over and Georgie was still drunk so the best they managed was having a massage and getting their nails done in preparation for another night on the town… This time at the very exclusive Bed Supperclub, apparently the best club in all of Bangkok!

Some things never change and the Khao San road is one of them, just as chaotic and vibrant as ever. It was still early when we arrived in Bangkok but we both felt tip top, maybe it was because we managed some sleep on the night bus or maybe it was because we were so excited to be back here either way we new one thing for sure… We both urgently needed coffee and a shower – in that order, so we slipped off down a side alley just off the Khao San road and got ourselves the best little room we’ve ever had in Bangkok. Apart from the usual amenities our guest house also has two of the fluffiest little dogs I’ve ever seen, Georgie almost shits herself every time they’re out!

It doesn’t matter how many times we come to Bangkok and how many times we stroll down the Khao San road there is always so much going on it always takes a while to get our bearings… And the best way to get our bearings… Over a frosty pint at a kirb-side bar!

We took a walk up and down so Georgie could check out the stalls and see what’s hot and what’s not with this seasons hippy bums, earmark any good stalls for when Sarah arrives so they can hit them up and get a few essentials. I desperately needed a new pair of flip-flops because mine have worn down to a fine point at the front and are a good inch shorter than they used to be so my toes drag across the floor, also the second there is a dribble of water on the road I aquaplane all over the place which causes me to swing my arms about like a crazy monkey… Not a good look!

We found a really good food stall round the back of the KSR where the locals eat and pulled up a chair, I went for spicy chicken and Georgie had medium spicy fish… I shit you not it was like eating the sun! It was super tasty and delicious but it was the most intensely spicy thing that we have ever eaten, I sat sucking on ice cubes to try to cool off but in the end I had to dash into a shop and get a bottle of milk to douse the flames.

Feeling properly reacquainted with Bangers we started yesterday with purpose, Georgie needed a haircut and I needed some shorts so we made tracks to the MBK centre… Five shiny floors of shopping madness where almost everything is fake and cheap!!!

Georgie got an appointment straight away for her hair left me wandering about looking for some shorts. After half an hour or so I started to feel the strain of my new flip flops, I hadn’t yet worn them in properly and they had progressed from “rubbing” to “blister” and were in the final stages of “rubbed the blister and off going for bone.” Luckily I’d found somewhere that could sort me out some shorts and offer respite from my uber blister, I wanted cut off jean shorts and although they didn’t have any they did have a resident tailor who took the jeans I liked, the measurements I wanted and altered them for no extra cost, in less than an hour! We didn’t stay long after Georgie’s haircut because Sarah is coming tomorrow and I know full well that when I’m outnumbered I won’t stand a chance of avoiding hours and hours of shopping “fun.”

Again somehow I managed to balls up the flight info Sarah had given us and instead of her arriving today as I thought she arrives tomorrow, so with no need to get up early we decided to go out for a few drinks down the KSR… Georgie hadn’t even finished her first long island ice tea before she was pissed and by the time I’d helped her finish her second she was hammered and rowdy. We had a great night, just us two sitting in the rooftop bar, looking down on all the action and a live band playing behind us. By the time we left it was pissing with rain and the walk up to the falafel stand was nothing short of death defying, due to my new flip flops trying to kill me from the feet up I had opted for my old ones and it was like trying to walk on ice… Pissed! I must have looked like I was doing the funky chicken all the way up the road. We got back to our room with the same slip-sliding funky chicken walk and I got Georgie right where she needed to be… Bed!

Bleary eyed and probably still pissed we arrived in Bangkok on our 10 hour night bus which followed a 3 hour ferry ride, got a room down the Khao San road to at least try and get our sleep patterns back on track. We had a few things to do before we caught our flight that evening and of course those things mainly included Georgie and shopping. After sleeping on a bus and a boat I was almost a cripple so we also had to squeeze in an hour massage and packing, by a lovely coincidence our friend Jo was also in Bangkok so while we waited for the time to leave our beloved Bangkok we chatted away and said our goodbyes again.

We had checked in on-line… luckily because although we had left more than enough time to get to the airport and faff about there Bangkok’s traffic was jammed solid and what should have taken 40 minutes took 2 hours. Knowing full well if we missed the flight Jo and Mandy would have held me personally responsible and probably removed parts of my body in the most painful way possible I was shitting myself, the taxi driver could sense the tension in the back of his cab and put his foot down but it really did seem too late. We arrived at departures with 10 minutes to spare and if I hadn’t checked in on-line earlier we would have been an hour late! We rushed through the gates and made it onto the plane with literally seconds to spare.

A lovely flight, if a little long after the last few days on buses and boats but soon enough we were on the ground in Dubai only an hour away from seeing Jo and Mandy with only Dubai’s infamous customs and immigration to deal with… Of course I was singled out and taken into a little room, relieved of my jeans and searched a good’un, nothing intrusive but still very thorough! I put it down to being to cool and attracting jobs-worth’s to flex their muscles… Once I got my trousers back we boarded the shuttle bus to Terminal 3 to meet Jo and Mandy and only waited for maybe 10 minutes before Georgie let off a whopping scream and ran off in their direction.

It was so good to see them again and with hugs and squeezes out of the way it was like they never left the last time we saw them. A short taxi ride later and we were at Richards house, our crash pad for the next few days and our good friends home. He naturally welcomed us with open arms and open bottles and we all sat out in his gorgeous garden catching up and getting squiffy, everyone was getting tired from traveling and for Richard it was getting late so before things got too serious we all headed off to bed happy, excited and very tired.

The next morning was a glorious sunny one as ever in Dubai, Richard was up and so were his boys Fergal and Keiron. We hadn’t seen them for as just long as Richard and it was really good to see them too, there were no plans what so ever for the day so all we did was sit around the pool in Richard’s garden enjoying the sun and playing with the boys in the pool. Georgie was teaching them how to play poi, Mandy was handing out cuddles as if they were going out of fashion, |was in charge of the play station and Jo went off with Richard to a party for someone.

Come the evening the boys were tucked up in bead and Richard took us out for dinner at a steak restaurant called the Steakhouse in the Madenet hotel, having a few drinks at the bar beforehand I was asked for my I.D which made my day! The meal was nothing short of awesome, it has been an age since I had a steak and the steak I had was in fact the finest steak I have ever had, I will dream of that steak forever! We ate, we chatted and we drank, as is the pattern when around those lot. By the time we were in the car park staring at all the Ferrari’s and Bentley’s Georgie was ready to fall asleep on her feet so by the time we were back at Richards it was time to turn in.

It was a real culture shock not just returning to a western world but to Dubai, the flashiest and most glitzy city we’ve ever seen. It was really nice to be back in a house with friends and family but it really did take some getting used to and Dubai isn’t exactly famous for being a halfway house kind of city, its all about more is more and the best Georgie and I could manage was an open mouthed gorp at all the finery of it all…