Our 30 minute drive from Bangkok’s modern Suvarnabhumi Airport unveils a city of modern skyscrapers and towering luxury condominiums intermixed with low-cost housing and ramshackle shacks all under a hazy sky.
A young Thai woman greets us and shows us the condo and amenities of the building, including a 24-hour 7-Eleven. At the rear of the condo complex is a gate allowing entrance to one of Bangkok’s many canals. The condo is small by the standards we grew up with, but large by the standards of many large cities around the world. It has a very small outdoor patio and a nice view of downtown skyscrapers a few miles away.
A young Thai woman greets us and shows us the condo and amenities of the building, including a 24-hour 7-Eleven. At the rear of the condo complex is a gate allowing entrance to one of Bangkok’s many canals. The condo is small by the standards we grew up with, but large by the standards of many large cities around the world. It has a very small outdoor patio and a nice view of downtown skyscrapers a few miles away.
We do some unpacking and settle in for a mid-afternoon nap. We’re dog-tired but know we need to start to acclimate to the time zone, so only a two hour snooze is allowed. When we groggily awaken we are hungry. Google maps helps us find Oskar Bistro, which is less than a mile away in the Sukhumvit area known for it’s many restaurants and bars. I order a delicious seafood risotto and William chooses the Oskar Pad Thai. Both are delicious. We drag ourselves back to the condo and by 8:30 pm we are sound asleep in our king-size bed.
Saturday our exploratory adventure is to Wat Pho, home of the Reclining Buddha. It gives us an opportunity to learn about the MRT subway system. The closest MRT stop is a 15 minute walk from the condo and it delivers us less than a 10 minute walk from Wat Pho for just 42 bhat ($1.36 US) each.
Wat Pho is a large Buddhist temple complex that dates back to at least the 1700’s. We wander through the complex enjoying the various buildings and statues. I read somewhere that it contains the largest collection of Buddha images in Thailand and we saw numerous buildings with statue after statue. Of course, the highlight is the 150 foot long, almost 50 foot high Reclining Buddha. The statue is clad in gold leaf and sits within it’s own temple in the complex. We dutifully remove our shoes before entering this and the other temples.
We walk to the The "Sixth" restaurant for a late lunch. It turns out to be very small, accommodating maximum 25 diners. There is a 20 minute wait but the place is air conditioned and the reviews are very good. We write our name on the list and take a seat outside. We have timed it right, as within our 20 minute wait the list grows by 15 people.
Once we are seated inside we re-scan the menu and quickly order. The food is fresh, fabulous and inexpensive. A definite two-thumbs up! While we are eating the skies open up and Bangkok experiences a downpour. Luckily by the time William finishes his double espresso it has subsided to a light rain. It’s just enough water that I opt to buy a cheap umbrella for 120 bhat (~$4 US) on our walk back to the MRT. I’m sure I overpaid, but wasn’t going to haggle in the rain over 10-20 bhat.
We walk to the The "Sixth" restaurant for a late lunch. It turns out to be very small, accommodating maximum 25 diners. There is a 20 minute wait but the place is air conditioned and the reviews are very good. We write our name on the list and take a seat outside. We have timed it right, as within our 20 minute wait the list grows by 15 people.
Once we are seated inside we re-scan the menu and quickly order. The food is fresh, fabulous and inexpensive. A definite two-thumbs up! While we are eating the skies open up and Bangkok experiences a downpour. Luckily by the time William finishes his double espresso it has subsided to a light rain. It’s just enough water that I opt to buy a cheap umbrella for 120 bhat (~$4 US) on our walk back to the MRT. I’m sure I overpaid, but wasn’t going to haggle in the rain over 10-20 bhat.
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