DAY 42 - BANGKOK DAY 1

The boys on the infamous Khao San Road

Since we didn't get in until 5am in the morning, we had a late wake up at 1 in the afternoon. Dave, Fintan and Paul headed off in the Hummer to brave Bangkok's hectic traffic and see some of the city while Chuck and Rhys, the two bedheads continued their beauty sleep! We realised we had landed on our feet with the cheap hotel, it was very clean and it's location was perfect.

Dave has been to Bangkok many times and one of the defining moments for him since the creation of the trip has been the image of driving up Khao San Road in Bangkok with the Hummer. Khao San Road is a mecca for backpackers travelling South East Asia. It is normally the first point where they arrive and organise their onward adventures to the rest of the South East Asian region. The place is an absolute hell hole full of fake goods, dodgy tour operators, low quality restaurants and dingy accommodation. Many a scam story has come from this street and it's even portrayed in the movie 'The Beach'.

The boys bribed a policeman with 100 Baht (2 Euro) in order to drive down the closed off road, stopping to buy some fake DVDs and take in the atmosphere of the place. When we parked, crowds of travellers were coming up asking questions about the drive and we met some really interesting characters and some promises for donations. We obviously didn't bribe the police officer enough so when we returned from a quick lunch, the car had been clamped! 300 Baht (6 euro) later, the car was unclamped. Who knows where this money went to but this puts rip-off Ireland into perspective!

An Image of the King on a Bangkok Skyscraper

After Khao San, we took a short drive to the Grand Palace which is a complex of intricately designed and detailed temples and monuments that served as the official residence of the King of Thailand from the 18th century to the mid-twentieth century. In Thailand, the current King, Bhumibol is the longest reigning monarch in the world (61 years in power) and is hugely respected for transforming the country to democracy in the 1990s and raising the overall standards of living. Portraits of the King appear all over the country, even in homes and shops where people show respect by displaying his image.

Fintan getting spiritual at a Temple in the Grand Palace

Before entering the Grand Palace we had a good laugh in the car park with a street kid who approached us looking for anything he could get. We gave him all the sweets and crisps in the car and a few Baht. The kid didn't speak a word of English and we spoke about 3 in Thai but we had a good laugh none the less. See our attempt at an English lesson in the video below.

In the evening, the lads regrouped and had dinner at the hotel. Before heading off, Dave had to do his weekly tradition of calling his beloved mother Caroline. He's been doing this without fail for over 4 years. We then headed out for a hectic tuk tuk drive to the hectic Patpong night market. Our tuk tuk driver came into his own and we were encouraging him to wheelie at every traffic light on the way. After Patpong we went back to Khao San in search of some busy bars. The place was dead and we were sad to see a tamed elephant so out of its natural environment for the entertainment of tourists who pay to feed it. See video below.