Bangkok, Ayutthaya, and Sukhotai

After a long journey on an overnight train, I arrived in Bangkok at around 6am. I was still with the group of backpackers from the islands as they had one more night before leaving for Bali. I headed for a street called Khao San, which is known for being a backpackers' haven with an endless selection of bars, clubs, cheap restaurants, and street shops. When I got there, I sat down at a restaurant with a girl I met on the train, but drunkards were still finishing their beer towers, belligerently yelling and screaming, trying to start a fight with each other. So I said fuck this, I'm going to get a cheap hostel and sleep until I'm ready for all this madness. So I did.

The first day in Bangkok, I walked around the massive city, just to get a sense of what's where and get settled in. The first day in a new city is always the hardest because a lot of the times, you don't know anybody, you're lost, and you kind of want to go back to the previous town, where you were more comfortable. This sentiment was especially true in such a big city like Bangkok. Anyways, aimlessly wandering, I came across one of the main temples of Bangkok, Wat Pho, its premier attraction being the Reclining Buddha, a 50 meter gold-plated statue of Buddha entering Nirvana.



The first night, I met up with the people from the islands again for a last supper as they had a flight to catch really early in the morning. It was really nice to be able to see familiar faces for a few days so it was actually really sad to say goodbye to them. Brushing my tears away, I met up with a friend from Koh Samui and some other people for a night out in Bangkok. As I found out, street drinking is the norm on Khao San, and it's definitely the cheapest option. So we started feeling pretty good after awhile, and we headed to a bar so that we could dance (although we were probably the only ones dancing in there. Not that it really matters).

The next day, I went to the Grand Palace of Bangkok, which is the holiest temple in Thailand, and wow, was it extravagant. A lot of the times, I was wondering if this garish display of golden temples was necessary or economically viable, but for 350 Baht to get in (10 dollars, but it's also like 10 meals), I guess the tourism pays itself for it. Here's a picture to get a sense of what I'm talking about:



Another night out, I found my friend from Koh Samui again, and we just bar hopped until I wandered into a club by myself and had a grand ol' time. The wandering kind of reminded me of Champaign... which I miss quite a bit.

After my stint in Bangkok, I headed north to the cities of Ayutthaya and Sukhotai, which were the capitals of Thailand 500 years ago and 700 years ago, respectively. I wanted to get away from the madness of Thai beaches and Bangkok, so it was relaxing to go to a place where there aren't many things to do except go sight-seeing and sleep. I also kind of wanted to be by myself for a few days - just to regroup a little bit. The ruins of Ayutthaya and Sukhotai were very impressive, and they're known to be little Angkor Wat, which is the grand Khmer temple ruins of Cambodia. I was by myself for most of the time in Ayutthaya, but in Sukhotai, I met a lovely couple (although they weren't dating, supposedly) from Australia, and we went to the ruins together. It was great to chill out for a few days and see these amazing ruins:





Now, I'm in Chiang Mai, the trekking capital of Thailand, and I'm embarking on a 3 day, 2 night tour tomorrow through the forests, to a waterfall, hilltribe villages, etc etc. We'll see if I'll make it out alive.

- Ryoji