THE ASIA DIARIES 11#: BANGKOK
001. We left Laos with heavy hearts and a slight anxious feeling as we boarded our flight to the biggest and busiest of all the Asian cities we had visited so far- Bangkok. Apprehensive as we had heard lots of stories of Bangkok not being very enjoyable at all. We had a week to kill in the city though before we moved on down to the islands. By this point it was around New Years Eve, so prices in the south were through the roof- we opted to explore Bangkok for awhile to save some vital funds. Luckily, as a little present Mum had paid for a hotel for us- a luxurious modern looking room, with a kitchen for less than $40 a night! At over two months into the trip this was super fancy for us, though secretly we did love the thatched bungalow life maybe even more.
002. By this point we had been all tourist-ed out. Meaning the endless palaces and temples of Bangkok didn’t interest us. I’m sure they are beautiful but we had seen 374923791 already and weren’t keen on battling the crowds just for another peek. The vegan scene in Bangkok is really taking off. We visited Veganarie, an entirely vegan bakery/dessert cafe/heaven. I can honestly say that I was in a sugar coma for the next 24 hours. No regrets, it was incredible. We also visited a little American style diner called Bonita Cafe and Social Club. I had bolognese and Ben had a full cooked breakfast (vegan sausages, bacon, scrambled eggs and all!). Number one tip is you are a vego too and travelling abroad is to download the app called ‘Happy Cow.’ You simply write in your location and up pops every vegan and veg friendly eatery in the area. Honestly though despite being in Bangkok we weren’t adventurous with food. Our little hotel room had a kitchen and a supermarket 5 minutes away. We were totally content with finally being able to cook for ourselves again and enjoyed our oats for breakfast and homemade Mexican feast on the balcony watching the fireworks as 2016 rolled in.
003. No Bangkok trip would be complete without shopping. We checked out loads of the mega mall complexes which were ENORMOUS and a little overwhelming. But my favourite place we went without a doubt was the Chatuchak Weekend Markets. I loved them so much I dragged Ben back with me to go a second time on Sunday. These markets are only held on weekends and are huge. I’m talking over 8,000 market stalls selling every item you could possibly ever imagine. If you needed a kitchen sink I can guarantee you would be able to find one here. It is split into about 27 sections with my favourite being the vintage section. Everything was piled high and dirt cheap. I scored perfectly fitting vintage Levi jeans for less than $10! AMAZING. I would go back there in a heartbeat just for those markets man. A true vintage and op shoppers heaven.
004. Sorry for the lack of Bangkok photos it was just so busy wherever we went and I just didn’t grab the camera out. Despite saying that though we really did enjoy Bangkok, busy but still enjoyable. It was jam packed with people but not chaotic. The train system there is amazing and so easy to use for travellers too. Bangkok is transport hub of Thailand, which made it super easy and affordable to get to our next destination down south in the sunshine.
Lena x