"Down the Suk and other adventures...." a Bangkok Travel Page by Hewer

I have been to Bangkok quite a few times but I never built a page for it. I had a look on VT and saw it was one of the most covered cities on the whole site. What could I possibly contribute? Anyway, why not I say, I'll give it a bash.

It took me a couple of visits to warm up to Bangkok. The first couple of times I was just passing through - literally - I stopped at the airport for a couple of hours and then moved on. Nothing really struck me at that point. Needless to say, the transit lounge at Don Muang, then and now, wasn't inspiring any desire to explore the city at large.

In 2000, I stayed for half a day and this time I actually left the airport. I was stunned - not necessarily in a positive way but stunned. The smells, the noise, the shopping, the pushy touts, the great food. I decided I loved this city then changed my mind half a dozen times in a few hours. I wasn't quite sure by the time I left. The following year, I left Australia to go and work in Japan. Since that time, I've been shuttling back and forth between the two countries. This often involves a stop in Bangkok. I also did work-related studies in Phuket and passed through; my wife and I went on our honeymoon in neighbouring Bang Saen. So I've seen my share of Bangkok.

In Bangkok, a stroll in the city is anything but ordinary. You nod a greeting to the coconut seller, duck under a parasol, sidestep a hole in the pavement and politely decline an offer to measured up for a suit. All of this takes place in about 25 metres. It's not as clean as Singapore, the streets aren't as wide as Phnom Penh and the traffic isn't as bad as in Manila but somehow Bangkok rises above them all.

Last year, I had lunch with Care at a restaurant called Bann Khun Mae. Nice place! The food was great, we sampled a few different things and had a good chat. I had been taking Thai classes at that point and Care decided to teach me a few phrases that I didn't dare use in class the next day. Care's friend Orn also joined us for a short while later on.