On the spur of the moment we decided to drop everything and go see our daughter Alice in Bangkok. The boat was well looked after in Bundaberg, flights from Brisbane to Bangkok reasonable and Alice’s work schedule had her in Bangkok the following week. So without giving her much warning (ie “what are you doing Friday?” – asked on the Wednesday) we booked more time in the marina, packed a bag and hit the road to Brisbane.
We had a fantastic impromptu 10 days just hanging out with Alice and exploring a bit of Bangkok. Once she got over our shock arrival, I think she appreciated Mum’s cooking and a bit of parental TLC.
It was certainly a culture shock for us. “We’re not in Bundaberg anymore!” Bangkok metropolitan area has a population of 17million, which is almost 2/3 the population of Australia. It is a modern, thriving and energetic Asian city – and a long way from the places we have been in the last wee while. Everything can be done at the touch of a phone and the uber like cabs/home delivery/pay wave payment system in even the smallest street stall was very efficient and much advanced on anything we have in Australia.
Alice lives in an older part of town where the streets are quite leafy, quieter and a pleasure to explore on foot. There are cafes and restaurants everywhere, street food stalls, fresh food markets and then major shopping malls all within a short walk. We spent many a happy hour just wandering around and enjoying the scene.
The quality and variety of the food is outstanding. Turns out eating is a central part of Thai social life and the standards are very high. Fun fact – if you went to a different restaurant for breakfast, lunch and dinner it would take you 60 years to go to them all. We enjoyed every meal, but it was also very nice to say in a cook Alice some “home food” like pasta and lots of fresh salads.
We had a day out visiting some of the key temples and various golden buddhas which was lovely. This included a trip on the river through the old klongs learning something of the history of the city. When visiting Wat Arun, one of the larger temples on the river, we loved the local custom of dressing up in traditional Thai clothing. There were numerous stores where you could be dressed and the women made up in beautiful silk dresses and elaborate hair decorations. It made for a lovely feel as we walked around the temple grounds.
We also had to have a tour of the Australian Embassy of course, meet Alice’s colleagues and see where she worked. It is a relatively new building which is quite austere from the outside and the security is very tight. Inside however, it is a really nice working area with lots of light, outside spaces and a very good vibe amongst those who worked in her area. It was also very special to hear from her bosses just how much they thought of her and how much her team enjoyed working for her. Very proud parents!
Another highlight for us was the Thai cooking class we attended. Run by a wonderful young woman with lots of energy, humour and knowledge we had a very special morning. After visiting the markets to get the ingredients we had a lot of fun learning how to make some of our favourite dishes like pad thai, tom yum soup, green curry and sticky rice pudding.
Turned out it was also a vegetarian food festival in Chinatown where the main streets are filled with street stalls selling the most unimaginable variety of spectacular vegetarian foods. We had a great evening wandering around sampling the goodies. Alice then took us to a “secret” bar overlooking all the hubbub. A very modest set of stairs on the street front led up to a restaurant and bar on the 2nd and 3rd floors. However, if you opened the bookcase (!) it revealed another much more intimate cocktail bar with a balcony overlooking the action in the street. Such fun.
After all this action (and some long working days for Alice) we all needed a rest. We had booked a staycation spot in a very special part of Bangkok. The area of Bang Krachao is called the lungs of Bangkok. Situated in a loop of the river, right in the heart of the city, it is an area of waterways, incredibly lush vegetation and quite streets and lanes. It has been protected from development with limitations of building size and height and remains an isolated island of peace and natural beauty.
We had booked a couple of nights in a small retreat, beautifully set up amongst the water gardens. The hosts were delightful, the food great and the peace and quiet very welcome. There were bikes we could borrow to explore the area, visit the botanical gardens and get to the riverside restaurant. All this within sight of the downtown city across the river. A very special place which we all enjoyed immensely. I am sure Alice will revisit when she needs a bit of down time from her very hectic work schedule.
And then, all of a sudden, it was time to leave. It had been so good to catch up with Alice and get some insight into her world, both work and life in busy Bangkok. Next time we will give her a bit more warning and we can plan some trips a bit further afield and she can take us on a tour of some of her favourite places in Thailand and neighbouring countries. This time round was all about just catching up, doing very little but enjoying the company and sharing a bit of her world.