Day 95 & 96 - Bangkok

Bangkok is a modern, bustling and expensive (European prices before the cost of living crisis) city. We found it very friendly, very well organised and peaceful despite the bustle, if a little lacking in character. Sit back and relax while I tell the tale...

Day 95

Our bodies pinged awake hours before the alarm, but it was nonetheless nice to luxuriate the in the slow start. Breakfast was great - a proper buffet and likely the last of the trip!

Seeing as how it worked so well last time, Decathlon was once again our target to get and pack the bikes boxes so we hopped on Grab scooters and raced each other there. My guy won and I found myself wandering around a fancy shopping centre pushing my bike through the food hall and then up an escalator trying to find the Decathlon. Surprisingly no-one seemed to bat an eyelid - confidence is key with these things! They were a little reluctant but shortly produced two massive boxes which meant minimal dissembly was required and the phaffy job was done!

The next step of our careful masterplan was climbing while out that end of the city. We first had the idea in Hanoi, thinking it would be interesting to see different gyms across the world and get some core work in, but haven't managed it until now! It was a good session laughing at our cyclist builds and puny arms!

We went back to pick up the boxes and then had a bit of trouble getting back as Grab drivers kept rejecting because of the big boxes. Our ultimate transport was an enormous and very fancy VIP van with the boxes carefully laid across the plush seats in the back!

Food spend Day 95: 54.31 euros

Tea consumption Day 95: 7

DAY 96

Having finished our phaff the day before we could just enjoy the city today and set out after another great breakfast. The first stop was a ceramics shop. Standing in a small residential alley with closed doors we were just about to conclude that it didn't exist when Emma spotted some pieces through a shutter. A lady opened up and ushered us in. We were about to write off the wasted trip given there were only 6 or 7 things which were cool, but not the exciting things we'd seen in the pictures, when the potter himself arrived and showed us upstairs.

It was more self-described artist's cave than shop as we were shown first one, then another room absolutely overflowing with pieces, some of which we asked the price to be told they don't match his standards and others which he'd decided to keep himself - always a good sign! We were dripping with sweat by the time we'd made our usual slow decisions in the boiling front room, but very happy.

While Emma was finishing up I had an interesting conversation with the potter learning about his techniques and 8 (8!?) siblings!

Obviously next it was food - first 6 mangos and a kilo of lychees, some of which we consumed like gremlins outside a shopping centre. As they say, you can take the cycle tourists off of their bikes and into a fancy city, but you can't get rid of the inner gremlins! And then two yoghurt drinks. We realised we hadn't planned perfectly by picking up bags of heavy stuff before our long day out, but Grab had us covered there as you can do deliveries! We watched how slick the process is while waiting for our driver, as moped after moped pulled up, barely stopped while someone hopped on the back, and then whizzed off. The one for us turned up, he took the bags and then 10mins later we had a picture of them at our hotel and nothing to carry around or break! Wild! We tried to get the bus ferry up the river but were at a private only terminal so it was back on the mopeds to whisk to the street of street art in an artsy district of the city. It had a funny vibe, like walking through a museum which had been set up to look like a slightly neglected Bangkok backstreet complete with viral social media places to take selfies, so we didn't spend long there.

It did have a public ferry terminal so after a short wait we were racing up the river. And I mean racing - those things do not hang around, basically power sliding the rear end into each stop and flooring it the moment the last passenger's foot leaves the jetty! It was a cool way to see some of the major sites of the city, albeit it briefly!

Emma has been wanting to go to a cat cafe for a while so we did that next. I questioned why I was there given I don't really like cats that much, and the point very much revolves around cats (clue is in the name really) but I had a cup of tea while watching someone in heaven so can't complain!

For Emma it was a cooking class next which she really enjoyed - making a curry, soup and dessert with a nice group in a very professional set up! For me it was the fourth "Grabbed" moped of the day to Bangkok's China town - one of the largest in the world and with a famous night street market. I had a very filling time (get it?!) wandering down the road alternating snacking on things that took my fancy and people watching - there were a number of influencer threading through the throng chatting away happily to their phones - so weird!

Exhausted after 9 hours of exploring I headed back to the hotel and was just about to get into the shower and then bed for our early flight the next day when I remembered I'd forgotten to get my beard trimmed. Deciding I couldn't put up with Emma's comments anymore, I had a look to see if it was too late. Of course not - obviously there's a barbers open at 9pm on a random evening not 400m away! I even scraped together just enough change required. These cities are crazy! Of course we got an early night before our 4am alarm for the early flight and didn't talk late into the small hours...that would just have been silly!

Food spend Day 96: 45.31 euros Tea consumption Day 96: 8