Temples, Markets, and Phad Thai - Bangkok, Thailand

I began the solo part of my adventure by flying from Phnom Penh to Bangkok. Some wild cleaning robots in the Bangkok airport freaked me out, lol. I got a taxi and headed to the Mad Monkey Hostel, where I stayed in a four-person mixed dorm, there were only guys in my room, but they were all so chill and friendly! I grabbed a famous 7-11 toastie and some crisps (£1.90); the prices there are incredible! I decided to sit in the bar area at the hostel as it was quite lively. I was going to chill and then head to bed, but I started chatting with people and ended up being talked into going on a pub crawl. I was handed a bucket of rum and coke and some crazy shot, and then we all headed out to Khao San Road for the evening. We saw some live music and danced a lot. A guy from the hostel bought me lots of drinks, I watched him eat a scorpion, and eventually, I headed back to the hostel. Khao San Road is a wild time.

On my first full day in Bangkok, I had breakfast at the hostel, read my book, and then headed out for a very sweaty walk. I enjoyed having time alone to do whatever I wanted at my own pace. I just walked around the streets for ages taking it all in. I wandered around a fancy mall called River City and met up with my Temples tour group. My tour guy was the cutest/funniest man ever. We took a riverboat cruise to Chinatown and strolled through a market. We also had to stop and get some new outfits. In most temples, you need your shoulders and knees covered, and they don't care what you use to cover yourself. In Bangkok, however, The Grand Palace has a very strict dress code. You cannot show any part of your legs, and you must have your shoulders covered by something with sleeves; I was going to use a scarf to cover my shoulders, but that is not permitted. Most people in the group had to buy something. I got a wild elephant pattern shirt that did not match my Thai pants. I looked like a nut case! We visited The Grand Palace and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, which was stunning! Next, we went to the Temple Wat Pho, home to the reclining Buddha and a gorgeous complex full of detailed buildings and rows of golden Buddhas. Finally, we visited Wat Arun, recognized as one of Thailand's most iconic and beautiful temples. Situated on the river bank, it is famous for its 79-meter-high central spire known as Thailand's Eiffel Tower. It was a very long, hot tour, but I enjoyed meeting the people in our group, and the temples were amazing! After the tour ended, I grabbed a nice refreshing iced tea with a Russian man named Filip from my tour group. He is living in Bangkok and teaching English. We ended up spending the rest of the afternoon and evening together. We tried to see the iconic Monitor lizards in Lumpini Park, but it was getting dark, and we couldn't find any. I couldn't help thinking how funny it was going lizard hunting in the dark with a random Russian man I just met. After, we went to Go-Ang Pratu Nam Chicken and Rice for dinner. It is the sketchiest-looking place but is Michelin star rated. I had Hainanese chicken and rice with a spicy sauce and chicken broth on the side - it was absolutely delicious and cost 50 baht (£1.17) - I also tried chrysanthemum tea which had an interesting flavour. After dinner, I headed back to the hostel, chatted with the German man in my room, had some chill time, and went to bed early. 

On the second day in Bangkok, I enjoyed a coffee and a delicious fresh fruit and yogurt bowl at the hostel. I was a bit worried about being lonely while solo travelling, but it is extremely easy to meet people in Southeast Asia. It got to the point where I sometimes wanted alone time, but there were always people around that wanted to chat. A British man sat down and ate breakfast with me. After breakfast, I got picked up from my hostel for a Railway/Floating Market tour. The tour was absolutely fantastic! The people were all so friendly - I met two really nice girls from California and a family with the cutest/best-behaved kid from Colorado (the mom was born in Toronto). I also met a mom and daughter from Singapore who were lovely. Everyone on the tour kind of adopted me as a solo traveller. Our guide was very informative and hilarious! We drove quite a while to a spot to catch the train. The whole time we drove, our guide told us tons of stories and information; it was very interesting and engaging. I thought it interesting that Thai people buy eels from the fresh food market and then release them into the river. They believe in karma, so if they set them free, they will be set free if they ever become trapped. We took the train through the Maeklong Railway Market, which was an insane experience. It is a fresh market selling seafood, vegetable, fruits, fresh and dried food, meats and other miscellaneous goods. The market stalls are attached to the Mae Klong-Ban Laem railway. Vendors at the market put out parasols or canvases to protect themselves against the sun. The shelters stick into the railway, where visitors walk and do their shopping. When each signal of the arriving train rings, chaos happens: vendors rush to close their parasols and canvas, along with clearing all goods that will obstruct the coming train at a great speed. Once the train passes, parasols and canvas will be reopened as goods are again put into their usual place next to the railroad. The market, accordingly, is the so-called 'Hoop Rom (umbrella/parasol-closing) Market.' The parasol-closing event happens eight times per day according to the time that trains leave. Riding the train into the market, I felt famous. People squished to the sides to get out of the way, and all the tourists were waving, high-fiving, and taking pictures of us. We got off and walked through the back of the market and along the tracks to the end of the market. We got the tastiest mango smoothies and waited for the train to depart to experience it from a different perspective. It was insane. I truly thought I was going to get run over! We drove a short distance to the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market. It is one of Thailand's largest/most famous floating markets, where boat vendors sell local food, unique items, and clothing. You can find street food and various items for sale along the canals. I ate some delicious Pad Thai (£1.87), strolled around the market stalls. Then we got into a traditional long wooden boat and floated along the canal. It was a cool boat ride; the canals are extremely crowded with boats and umbrellas. It was so cool to see local people doing their shopping. Vendors pull your boat in using long hooks and try to tempt you to buy stuff which is really funny. We got to see some traditional wooden houses on stilts along the way. We drove back to Bangkok, learning some more information along the way. I learned some interesting facts about coconut trees and rice growing along the river. Back in Bangkok, I took a motorbike Grab (like Uber) to Lumpini Park because I was nearby; it was a thrilling way to travel. In the daylight, I walked around the beautiful park and spotted some giant Monitor lizards! They are so cool but a bit freaky! I walked down Khao San Road in the daylight and went to Myth Khaosan Street Food and had a beer and some more Pad Thai - this one was really good but more bougie (£5). I grabbed my bag from the hostel and headed to the train station to catch my overnight train. It was such a busy day, I realized in one day, I took a bus, van, car, motorbike, 2 trains, and a boat! Overall I enjoyed Bangkok a lot more than I expected. I enjoyed Bangkok. I was surprised at how clean the streets were for such a big/busy city. The traffic was absolutely atrocious. People, there were super friendly, both locals and tourists alike.