First Night in Bangkok

The bus trip was pretty uneventful.  Lovely scenery but pretty boring after a while.  Most of us slept until the bus slowed as we neared the Cambodian border.

As I ready to say goodbye to Cambodia, the little that I saw anyway, I think back to some of the quirky experiences.  Some of them I have seen elsewhere but nevertheless they are fun to think back on:

Mr Sarat tucking his cell phone inside his helmet so he could talk whilstbdriving his tuktuk.

Stalls selling petrol in coke or booze bottles.

Beautiful mansions next to rustic shacks, the Merc parked outside one and the ox outside the other.

Cows in the rice paddy's almost submerged in water but still eating.

The flatness of the landscape - not a hill in sight.

Cables being placed underground instead of running along from pole to pole.  Only just underground, by a couple of inches but nevertheless not strung along for all to see.

Great roads for the main but every now and then a short very rough patch for no particular reason.

We arrive at the border and have to get off the bus where we took our hand luggage and walked a short distance to passport control where we are checked out of Cambodia and walk into the zone between the two countries.  Here we collect our suitcases and keep walking till we get to the Thai immigration passport control, get our visas, go through a luggage check and re-board the bus.   A short drive and we stop for a short while and are then provided with a light meal of a pretty tasteless curry and rice.  Kept us going for a bit.

I got chatting to a young girl from Oxford who teaches jewellery making in Siem Reap who with her partner just packed up and left home and came to live in Cambodia.   Pretty soon we ran out of chat and the bus went quiet as everyone fell asleep again.  

Luckily we had a good run and arrived in Bangkok by 3:45pm where a cab was grabbed reasonably quickly.  7 hours to go from Cambodia to Bangkok. 90 minutes to go from MoChit to the hotel which was comparitively close.  A nightmare.  Where was that great traffic flow of HCMC.  Not so many motorbikles here and too many cars but a nightmare just the same.

I am dropped off close to the hotel as a car can't get there, alongside the canal.  A neat area with not a bit of glitz or tourist in sight, and then round the corner almost on the banks of the canal lies the Lamphu Tree House Hotel.  Looks as gorgeous as the photos that made me want to come here.  I have booked a room in building two, not realising that building two is entirely separate from the main hotel so I am not staying in the hotel I wanted to.  Nevermind, I have a great room and can still use the hotel amenities which are a short walk away.

Immediately I get to the hotel I go to put my things in the safe and find its locked so I call housekeeping and they come and unlock it.  Bless they young guy that came becuase he didnt think it odd when I had just arrived, the safe was locked but there were things in there.  Seems like the previous occupants had left them there.  Hopefully they hadn't gone far before realising it.  The lovely receptionist ran over from the main building to collect it all and was very apologetic.  

I settle in, get all my bits wifi'ed and go exploring.  A local neighbourhood with a couple of gorgeous Wats, a few local restaurants, a seven11 and not much more.  I grab a SIM and head for the hotel for dinner.  Penang Moo and rice and mighty good it was too.

Back to the hotel to relax, figure out this SIM thing that aint working properly and get myself organised for tomorrow.

My First Night in Bangkok.