Any DIY trip involving LCC connecting flights could be a dicey situation. Delays would wreak havoc on the best-laid plans with only a few hours elbow room between flights. I’d rather spend the night at my layover. That was how I lived out the 80s hit song, One Night in Bangkok, literally. My friend Jo and I were on our way to Myanmar via Cebu Pacific Air to Bangkok and Air Asia to Mandalay the next morning.
Not the “entertainers” in Patpong, certainly. I even skipped that entirely. I turned in early instead for a day of temple-hopping. And was I glad I did!
The Look of Nirvana: The Reclining Buddha in Wat Pho
Some looked like they were flipping the bird. Others were like bells with their pointy handles jutting out. Some were dome-shaped, others cylindrical and needle-like. Some were merely a few meters taller than I, others towering landmarks in the city. All were ornate in colorful designs yet with a common distinct architecture. I had not seen so many of them until I got to Bangkok.
My trip to Bangkok would not have been complete without taking to a river. Bangkok was, after all, the “Venice of the East.” Due to limited time, I reluctantly skipped the Floating Market in Ratchaburi. But I took time for Chao Phraya River, the aorta at the heart of Bangkok.
After about 12 hours on the road (from Siem Reap, Cambodia) and a serious case of backpacking burn-out, we finally arrived at our last stop, Bangkok. Sawasdee! Road-weary, sleep deprived, and with Cambodian dust press-powdered on our faces, we just hoped for some downtime from roughing it out for almost a week in two countries. Thailand did cut us some slack, but our short stay had its ups and downs.