Bangkok once again

This was not my first trip to Bangers.

I'd first visited "the Big Mango" in 2010, and spent 5 nights exploring the city, hitting the most popular tourist spots (the Grand Palace, the Golden Mount, Jim Thompson's House, etc.).

I'd passed through the city several times since then, both for business and pleasure, discovering a few more sites or neighbourhoods each time (like the peaceful island of Ko Kret, or exploring more of the Thornburi side of the river, etc.).

Each time I visit Bangkok, I can find something new.

But I also have my Bangkok traditions. I always stay in the same hotel in Chinatown (Pho Place), down a quiet alley but only a few minute's walk from some of the best and most-vibrant street food scenes in Bangers (IMHO).

When I see Chinatown Gate, I know I'm almost at my hotel

A thing of absolute beauty - from Khao Moo Daeng Si Morakot

On this trip, I goggled modern art at MOCA Bangkok (impressive), checked out the temporary exhibit on the Terracotta Warriors at the National Museum (crowded), explored Sri Nakhon Park south of the centre at Phra Pradaeng District (bucolic), and on the way back spent an evening at Asiatique (not for me, but seems to be quite popular as an entertainment and dining site).

I'm sure the next time I visit I'll find even more new stuff.

Hornbill and Piranha by Ronarong Thanomtup

I'm sure there's an artifact somewhere in this room (crowds at the National Museum)

Asiatique riverside

Night-time views of the city, across the river from Asiatique

Murray Head didn't know half of it*

I was nervous before arriving in Bangkok, as I didn't expect to like it. From what I've seen of the city, it's:

• Very crowded and noisy and chaotic
• Has fewer skyscrapers than I'd expect for a population this size
• Has terrible air pollution (we're in black boggies territory)

To add to that:

• The tuk-tuk drivers seem to have a pavlovian reaction to a white face - they see one and immediately scream "tuk-tuk" despite the fact that a) they've just seen you say no to three other drivers, and b) you're only 2 feet away from them, so bellowing the words as loud as possible isn't strictly necessary.

And yet....

Waste not, want not

I'm starting to warm to Bangkok all the same.

Today I finished the day sitting in a small park by the river, drinking an iced cocoa, surrounded by locals chatting with their friends or reading newspapers. After the national anthem was played at 6pm, an open air aerobics class suddenly appeared in the middle of the park: dozens of Thai grandmas exercising to Western pop music.

Lettuce farm palace

How can you not like a town that has 4 foot long monitor lizards wandering around in the city parks?

Where little old ladies stop to toss bread to the turtles in the duck ponds (or turtle ponds, I guess that should be).

Where old broken pottery is used to decorate temples?

Where your rice comes in the shape of a teddy bear?

It's teddylicious

* Yep, that's a One Night in Bangkok reference.

Yaksha schmaksha....

Guardian Yaksha at Wat Phra Kaew