Koh Samet to Bangkok ……the Chao Phraya River & Chinatown

December 24th

Christmas Eve dawns hot and muggy, after breakfast we are on our way to Bangkok some 250 kilometers and a world away. Rather than the wooden ferry we arrived on we have opted for a speed boat and speed boat we got…

We left at 09:00 on the nose and the previous 40 minute journey shrunk to just 10 minutes as 400 horses sped us across the water seemingly on wings ….

Short wait for the minibus and then an uneventful 3 hour drive landing us at the Ekkamai Bus Terminal in Bangkok ….following some discussion the 400 THB taxi ride to the hotel was reduced to 250 THB  (10 CAD) we probably overpaid by 50 THB, but what the heck, about a 40 minute drive …super busy traffic. So safe and sound at the hotel by 14:00 >>> not bad.

The Loy La Long “hotel” is a story in itself, it is located on the grounds of the Patumkongka Temple and the 30 year-old teak house is actually floating on the Chao Phraya River.

We are staying here three nights and will actually be in two rooms as even though we booked some six months ago the place was already almost fully booked > only 7 rooms…

It is a rather funky place and the river is everywhere you look….longtails, tour boats, work boats you name it and of course in the evening the dinner/dance cruise boats ply the waters playing every imaginable type of music mostly at maximum volume !!!

We are in Chinatown and actually not in the most salubrious part as we found out when searching for a late lunch spot….which ended up being closed anyways. But if you want local color we go that in spades !!!

A nice sunset and we opted for Christmas Eve dinner on the deck…..quite pleasant:

We did a few walk arounds …..the Chinatown area is pretty intense with a mix of wholesale and retail shopping for every item imaginable…..

Had to have a dim sum fest…..quite good, but really the restos in Richmond can more than hold their own…

Having exhausted our interest in temples we ventured out to check out  the Jim Thompson House.

An interesting character, he was an American expat and former architect who moved to Thailand and decided to start a textile business – the Jim Thompson Thai Silk Company. He was very successful and his goods are still sold around the world today. He was even awarded the Order of the White Elephant, which is an award given to foreigners who have provided exceptional service to Thailand. While living in Thailand, he became intrigued by Thai architecture and wanted to build a house that was based on the traditional style of Thai houses. The design incorporates six traditional Thai houses that were bought and moved to the estate, where they were renovated to fit into the plan’s layout. Therefore, the rooms of the house were separated – but the hallways were outdoors and for the living room led straight into it through massive doors that opened wide….you have to tour the site with a guide which was fine ….he never got to really enjoy the house as on a trip to Malaysia he went for a hike and disappeared never to be seen again….some pics below of how silk is produced…

Bangkok has some fantastic shopping and since we were in the ‘hood we we checked out the MBK Center:

Grabbed a taxi for the ride back, on arrival the driver asked why do you want to go here??? We explained we were “living” in the monastery …he left a tad perplexed.

On our last day we did a last walkabout …..we followed one street which transitioned from a Chinese to Indian area …..about a 45 minute walk through unending stalls selling everything on a wholesale/retail basis from shoes to earings to whatever, interestingly no one hassles you as it is completely local…..

Last bit of fun was when we ran into a dragon dance >>> the firecrackers were seriously intense and even the locals covered their ears…

Four our last dinner in Bangkok we enjoyed some seafood street food at a well know street stall, Let & Rut where you get to sit on stools and eat cheek by jowl amidst other aficionados, scooters, walkers, trucks >> you get the picture.

Final packing as tomorrow we head for home…….