Finally, it was time to leave Austria and head to Thailand. After a full day at work we took the train to Zürich Airport and flew with Oman Air to Bangkok. The flight and entertainment system – yes, it is important for Christiane – were great and times flew. We had a few hours stop in Oman and the sunrise over the sandy landscape and the beautiful mountain made us curious how this country must be like.
But not this time. We took the next flight (another 6 hours) and finally arrived in Bangkok at around 6PM. Immigration took us nearly 1 ½ hours but then we could take the cab to the city center. We booked a meter taxi at the arrival hall and paid around 450 TB to Sukhumvit Station.
First Evening in Bangkok
We had a warm welcome at our hotel “The Continent”. Our room and the view were simply amazing! All the lights and the traffic looked pretty stunning from the 26th floor. But we did not rest for a long time because we wanted to grab something to eat. Although it already was 9 o’clock it was still very warm and humid. Surprisingly, it was not easy to find a food stall, because the district seemed like a business area. However, in the end we found some different food stalls with tasty and spicy food. Because of the jetlag we were not that tired yet and therefore, Christiane decided to get a foot massage and pedicure. The massage place was really nice and relaxing. Afterwards, we took a swim at the rooftop pool at the 37th floor of the Continent hotel.
Nice views at Golden Mount
After a nice sun rise and a great breakfast we took the Sky Train (BTS) to Victory Monument. From there, we took a bus to Golden Mount. When we had a look at our map, a woman at the bus stop asked us where we wanted to go. She was so nice to point out the right bus for us – it even was a bus free of charge. Another woman overheard our conversation and was so nice to explain to the bus driver’s assistant where we had to get off. Otherwise we would had been pretty lost. That was a really nice experience how helpful and kind people we met. However, at the same day we also experienced the opposite. When we stepped off the bus and had a look at a beautiful building, a man came over and asked where we wanted to go. When we said that we wanted to go to Golden Mount he said that Golden Mount was closed at this time and that he knew a way more interesting temple. He said that he knew someone who could drive us there and because it was a special day the government allowed us to go anywhere in the city for 10 TB. That was when we got suspicious because we read about situations like that in our travel guide. So, we said no thanks and the man got really angry.
We continued to Golden Mount and it was open. We climbed all the stairs to the top and the view was really beautiful! But it was incredibly hot. We had to buy so much to drink. After Golden Mount, we went by Tuk Tuk to Thewet Peer, because we wanted to do a canal tour. But it was very expensive. Therefore, we decided to take the normal ferry to Peer No. 6 to have a look at China Town.
China Town and Thai Cuisine
China Town was crazy! So many people and so many different stores where you could buy anything you want. The streets were really narrow and people were trading and shouting.
We enjoyed a really nice curry and then headed back to the hotel by taxi. We were invited by the hotel to have cocktails and dinner in their fabulous restaurant and we did not want to be late.
The view from the open window of the restaurant over the city was incredible and the food a mixture of modern and traditional Thai cuisine – So delicious! We had a really nice evening and were looking forward to the following weeks in Thailand.
From Bangkok, we did some great day trips to Ayutthaya and the floating markets of Taling Chan. The next stop on our trip was Koh Chang where we spend some time at the beach.
