Back in Bangkok (after 4 previous visits while visiting the rest of Thailand 7-8 years ago), I had just enough time to swing through my favourite snacking neighbourhoods and have a nice Thai massage.
On my first day, I felt like a zombie because I’d barely slept on the red-eye from Colombo. Fortunately, my hotel let me check in early so I could take a nap in the afternoon. On my second, rested day, I hopped the skytrain to the riverboat and cruised northwest of the main temple area so I could stroll along the roads, lined with countless food stalls selling everything from fresh-squeezed fruit juice and coconut-flavoured popcorn to homemade candy and every kind of Thai dish imaginable. My aim was to walk back through Chinatown to the main train station, where I could catch the subway.
Unfortunately, Bangkok is one of those cities with a road network that twists around and doubles back like a plate of spaghetti. I got very lost and walked much farther than I needed to because I was disoriented.
Bangkok Snacking Tour
Map of the route “Bangkok Snacking Tour”: 26,768 m, 163 m of climbing and 175 m of descent, elevation between 5 m and 51 m, time 04:56:51. It starts at 13.71577, 100.53081 and ends at 13.73808, 100.51675 (latitude, longitude).
I decided to recover by having a 2-hour Thai massage at my favourite place, “Let’s Relax”. A proper Thai massage can be quite painful, with lots of deep-tissue work and elbowing, but you definitely feel revitalised afterwards. At times it feels like they are trying to pry the meat off your bones, but it is definitely worth it. A 2-hour massage costs around $25. Cheap!
Otherwise, I spent most of my time running errands around town, getting ready to return to the developing world for the next few weeks. Bangkok has a population of about 14 million and is much more modern than most Asian nations. It has excellent public transportation, including skytrains, subways, river boats, canal boats, buses, taxis, and tuk-tuks. It also has many large, modern shopping malls where people seem to enjoy hanging out, probably to escape the tropical heat.
