Bangkok is not for the faint of heart! The very name Bangkok is almost onomatopoetic, representing the city's loud, dynamic, frenzied side. Once you get past the traffic, dirtiness, humidity and polluted smells (now I understand why the Thais take up to 3 showers a day- one morning a car splashed a dirty puddle all over me), you discover the vitality, history and culture there. One obstacle we struggled with was the transportation. With the traffic, metered taxis are an impractically expensive way to navigate the city. Tuk-tuks (think half motorcycle, half seated cart) are either over-priced or very fairly priced if you agree to stop in several of their commissioned shops along the journey- this can take ages. Also you sit in the fumes of the city- which is immense. Tuk-tuk drivers, we have learned, are picky about where they drive to and often don't speak much English, we've been waved off more than once when they couldn't be bothered to take us. Thais are generally very direct and don't like beating around the bush- you're either pressured to do what they want or flat out refused but you're never confused about their intent.
Some of the best highlights of Bangkok are the Reclining Buddha, Wat Po and the Grand Palace. We had the pleasure of visiting the floating markets outside the city, going on a bamboo raft river tour, seeing the tiger temple (see video-one of the people kicking the ball at first is me) and riding an elephant through the Thai countryside.
