Bangkok

I realized that I haven't mentioned a lot about my time spent in Bangkok and I wanted to take this down time in the office to share some of my tourist experiences. Alexis and I have grasped a good understanding of the public transportation system here in Thailand. Salaya is about 45 minutes from the center of Bangkok, but we have discovered alternate routes to the outskirts of Bangkok that get us there in about 20-30 minutes. To get to Bangkok Alexis and I either take the 515 bus (24 baht) to Victory Monument (which usually takes an hour with traffic) but it can get pretty crowded and if you don't have a seat, the ride is rather unpleasant. The second option is a 20 baht van ride to Central Plaza Pinklao which is a mall on the outskirts of the city. This takes about 20-30 minutes depending on traffic and is a quick taxi ride away from the famous backpackers road: Khao San Road. Khao San Road is a popular tourist destination in Bangkok and is lined with outdoor bars and shopping stands with cheap souvenirs and some really cute clothes. No tourist destination would be complete in Thailand if vendors weren't walking the streets selling the most bizarre items possible. Some items I have spotted so far on Khao San Road include: Scorpions on a stick (to eat!!), hand-made bracelets   with vulgar expressions sewn into them (such as F*ck off, and many sexual expressions), and an assortment of animals to pay money to take a picture with. Khao San Road is a fun environment to go out because there are backpackers from all over the world. Everyone has fully embraced the Thai heat, so casual clothes are totally acceptable at the bars. There is also a good variety of western food in the area, which is great for my cheese cravings!

A lot of the weekends we have spent in Bangkok revolve around 3 activities: seeing a movie, going to a mall, and eating western food. We have seen a lot of movies here in Thailand because tickets are really cheap and the theaters are really nice. The movies have thai subtitles and each film starts with a video tribute to the King of Thailand and everyone has to stand to honor His Majesty. It is actually a pretty cultural experience. So far, we have seen Twilight, The Hobbit, Wreck it Ralph, Gangster Squad (two thumbs DOWN), and Life of Pi. Les Mis is coming out this weekend so we are going to Pinklao with some fellow teachers to see it.

Aside from Pinklao, we have stumbled upon a few other Central Plazas located throughout the city. Siam Paragon is a really nice mall in downtown Bangkok with high end stores such as Louis Vuitton and Versace. Its fun to browse, but my Thai salary can't afford anything inside ! MBK is located near Siam Paragon and is an extremely  overwhelming mall with hundreds of small vendors inside selling cheap electronics, accessories, and souvenirs.

A few weeks ago, we stumbled upon the mall of all malls. Central World is located next to Siam Paragon and is a Westerner's dream. It has familiar food stands like Mrs. Fields cookies and has tons of international food restaurants. There is something really familiar about being in a mall, that makes me feel not so far from home. The next few weekends we have here in Thailand, we want to spend our time in more cultural areas, but I thoroughly enjoyed the times we spent at the malls. One even had an indoor water park on the top floor !

This past weekend, Alexis and I went into Bangkok for the day. We visited Lumpini Park, which is supposedly the largest city-park in the world. Bangkok is a very crowded city and most of my time in the city I feel overwhelmed by the crowds of people and the crazy traffic jams. The park was really relaxing and showed a completely different side to the city. People were relaxing in the shade (Thai people hate being tan and go to extreme lengths to avoid the sun), and there were Scout students doing outdoor activities throughout the park. Alexis and I rented swan boats and paddles around a very peaceful lake. We stumbled upon a couple playgrounds and even enjoyed an isolated swing set. It was a beautiful day to be outside, surprisingly not super hot, and I am really glad we got to see a different side to the city.

For dinner, Alexis and I went to "Cabbages and Condoms" a famous restaurant in Bangkok where some of the proceeds go to Aids relief funds. The decorations were hilarious- mannequins wearing outfits of colored condoms and lots of poster promoting safe sex. The food was delicious and it was nice to go to a new restaurant in the city. In the past we had stuck to familiar places such as Outback, Subway, and yes, even McDonalds.

 Lumpini Park

 Paddle Boats!

 Paddle Boat Selfie

 stumbled upon this DRAGON in the park ! 

 Not quite a perfect fit...

 Dessert at Cabbages and Condoms - Mango, Sticky Rice, and Ice Cream- yummm!

Santa and Bride - outfits made out of condoms.Too funny. 

This weekend, we are going to Bangkok to celebrate a friend's birthday. We are going to eat dinner at an Indian Restaurant, and Sunday we are going to Chatuchak market to buy souvenirs. We are hoping to make it into Bangkok at least one more time to visit some of  the historic temples and possibly take a river cruise. We have a a big trip planned for the entire month of March so we need to see as much of Thailand as we can in the month of February. I can't believe how fast the time is going by. I feel so lucky to have seen so many places in this amazing country, and I couldn't be happier with my placement because I have the privilege of going into Bangkok frequently and exploring the fascinating city.