Bangkok

We have hit a milestone! We have just reached day 300 of our trip and we are in Thailand. I can honestly hardly believe it. It has been such a crazy adventure up to this point and I am so thrilled to be able to be where we are. Exploring this chaotic metropolis this past few days has been a crazy adventure. 
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So unfortunately, we are visiting during the Coronavirus outbreak and we are definitely feeling it. Everyone has a certain ‘on edge’ kinda look about them and there is definitely a sense of panic everywhere we have been. ​Luckily, we rented an Air BNB so we have been nestled away in privacy and away from any coronavirus outbreak – it’s been lovely. The Air b n b is lovely, it’s a 1 bedroom apartment but with a huge TV, Netflix and a gym so I have been in heaven. It cost us just over $50nzd a night but it is worth it to have some sort of privacy and more importantly A WASHING MACHINE! God, I will never not appreciate a washing machine again in my life.
So, what have we been up to? Well, I won’t go into too much detail of a day to day breakdown, but I will let you know a few of the highlights.

RECLINING BUDDHA – Costing 200Baht pp will allow you entry to the infamous reclining Buddha situated in the temple of Wat Pho which is probably the most famous in Bangkok, if not the whole of Thailand. Standing at 15metres high and 46meters long it is a truly amazing sight. The surrounding temples are also amazing so we recommend spending around 1-2 hours to really get to explore the Buddha as well as the other temples. **Tip** No singlets, short shorts, or ‘sexy’ outfits, so make sure to cover your shoulders and knees girls, otherwise you have to rent some clothes and they are expensive**
There are also many food stalls around the temple so you can easily pick up some delicious street food, fresh fruit and drinks. We loved this temple and felt it was worth the entry fee unlike the Grand Palace which regardless being here 8 times, I have yet to venture into based on the price and amount of scammers that surround the palace making it a very unwelcoming place.

CHAOPHRAYA RIVER – We decided to do a tour with ‘Tuk tuk boat’ for sunset with a few of Leo’s friends and family. This is a fairly new company which has taken the concept of a tuk tuk and decorated his boats to look exactly like a tuk tuk. We found it to be expensive but it was very enjoyable and we got to see all the sights of the city from the water and over sunset is really lovely.We took our own beers and snacks and for 2 hours were able to really enjoy the river and all the famous landmarks along the way.

PUBLIC BOAT – So on the Chaophraya river there is also a public boat used primarily by locals to get up and down the river. As it costs about 20baht- 30baht max each, its WAY cheaper than every other boat and if you feel confident enough to navigate your way on the river and speak to the locals with very minimal English then it is 100% worth it and the view are exactly the same as the tour we did which was about 100 x more expensive. We got the boat a couple of times and it was very cheap in fact you can cross to Wat Arun for 4 baht each!!

KHAO SAN ROAD – The backpacker metropolis, the ‘must do’ in Bangkok, the craziest area in the city filled with bars, restaurants, street food, crazy street performers, Scorpions on sticks, lady boy shows and every piece of tat you can imagine – this is one of Bangkok’s most famous roads. We ventured here once at night so Leo could check it out and it is worth it. Even if its just for 10 minutes to tick it off the list, I would say like riding a tuk tuk, it’s a right of passage in Bangkok…and try the stuffed roti bread… for 30baht, a banana and honey stuffed roti was the highlight of my day!

SELF WALKING TOUR OF THE TEMPLES – We like to walk, in fact over the past 6 days we have actually walked just shy of 50km which is why we are staying fit and thin on this trip. As much as getting a taxi is cooler (in temperature) , we always find walking to be much more enjoyable. You can really get to experience a city by walking and that’s what we did. We walked through China town, Silom, Siam and the CBD to get our Vietnam Visa’s and I will say it was so enjoyable and saved us a heap of money. There are so many temples here that line the streets that we found it a perfect way to explore these all while stopping at each 7 eleven to grab a new and interesting ice-lolly.

EAT ALL THE FOOD – I mean this whole heartedly, eat ALL the food! It’s fantastic. From Pad Thai to filled Roti bread to my absolute favourite, mango and sticky rice; everything we had while here was truly wonderful! A lot of the time the authentic Thai restaurants do not have many things in English but I urge you to be brave! We ate so many amazing dishes and anything with Thai Basil is 100% worth it. Be aware that 90% of dishes here are incredibly spicy but I would recommend papaya salad, a savoury salad made with green mango, tomato, crushed chilli, green beans and peanuts – it’s fresh yet will bring on a pretty heavy sweat. If all else fails and you feel a little nervous then be safe and grab a ready meal from 7 eleven until you feel ready enough to know the flavours and venture into some of the most delicious food we have ever tried!

Tomorrow we will start our 40-day trip from Bangkok to Hanoi with the company Stray travel. It’s also the company I work for so I know it will be truly fantastic and I cannot wait!