Biking in Bangkok

Today may have been my favorite.

When Michael and I went to Germany and Greece after college, we took a bike tour through Munich. It was the most fabulous way to see the city and I loved it! Every time we go someplace new, I look to see if there's a bike tour. We were in luck, and did a half-day tour of Bangkok. We wanted to do a full day countryside tour, but they weren't running it while we were there. Maybe next time.

We saw all parts of Bangkok via bike...we rode through narrow streets along the canal, past Wats and schools, through the poor riverside neighborhoods, and around the back-packers area. We saw lizards sunning, turtles taking naps, chickens, roosters, kittens, and dogs all on our bike path. Here are some pics of our tour:

We came across a school right beside a Wat. Our tour guide commented, "every school yard in the world sounds exactly the same". How true of a statement! No matter what language is spoken, the school yard is full of laughing, screaming, and kids running around. You could close your eyes and would never imagine this playground was in Thailand. Laughing sounds the same in all languages...

We rode around and discovered some more Wats...these 2 are exactly the same. One has been restored and the other hasn't. The one that was restored was beautiful.

We saw some really poor areas of Bangkok too. We rode through the canal streets, dodging anything that would come in our path: street vendors, children playing, a cat and its kittens, potholes and rocks. We saw a man selling fruit from his boat to passing tour boats.

We saw a temple where the Buddhist Monks lived.

And then stopped to play in their garden.

We rode by a small factory that makes beautiful silver bowls. It was 90 degrees outside, and had to be over 110 inside. I don't know how the workers did it. This is the last generation of factory workers, so it will be shut down within the next decade.

We saw City Hall and found out this is the full name of "Bangkok" in Thai. Here is the translation: "Great City of Angels, the Repository of Divine Gems, the Great Land Unconquerable, the Grand and Prominent Realm, the Royal and Delightful Capital City full of Nine Noble Gems, the Highest Royal Dwelling and Grand Palace, the Divine Shelter and Living Place of Reincarnated Spirits". Did you get all that?!?

We ended our tour riding through the backpackers area. I was on the bike the whole time so didn't get any pictures, but it was really interesting to see....lots of dreadlocks, reggae music, outdoor restaurants, and stands selling loads of inexpensive shoes, shirts, and dresses. We retreated to the pool for the rest of the afternoon and went to a fabulous Thai restaurant for dinner, Patara.

We ended our night with a night-cap atop the Banyan Tree Hotel. The views were incredible. Check out this restaurant: http://www.banyantree.com/bangkok/facilities/dining/vertigo.php

The next day we spent at the pool and spa, and then made our way back to Hong Kong that evening. We had a great trip, but it was good to get back. Dudley arrived the next morning :)

I hope you got a small glimpse of Bangkok through all the pictures. We can't wait to go back to Thailand!

xx,

Lauren