Bangkok was next on the itinerary and it didn’t take long for both Prachee and I to realize what a great city it is. I mentioned on my FB update that I felt like “Goldilocks” because Bangkok seemed to be “just right.” It straddles many dimensions: old & new, asian & western, provincial & cosmopolitan, laid back & full of energy, clean & dirty! It seems to have whatever you are looking for and as a bonus the best food in the world. Thais tend to eat many small meals throughout the day, so on every corner and every alley you can find people who have set up a mini kitchen serving amazingly fresh food. And despite being on the street, cleanliness is impeccable – even tourists can eat at these impromptu restaurants without any fear of getting ill.
On our first night after arriving we ended up at an Italian restaurant in West Silom where our hotel was located. After 4 days of Thai food for lunch & dinner in Phuket we were ready for some pizza! The next day we started with a river boat “bus” ride up to the old part of Bangkok where the holiest temples or Wats are located. First was the Grand Palace & Emerald Buddha, followed by the Reclining Buddha – for me the highlight of cultural Bangkok. We then made our way to Banglamphu market, Soi Rambutri & Khao San Road which are the “backpackers” areas of the city. The streets are lined with stalls selling everything imaginable and you can graze on the great Thai food carts while you shop. We’d been snacking all day, so we had a light dinner with the backpackers on Khao San and headed back to the hotel.
The next day all plans had to revolve around having lunch at Chote Chitir, a hole in the wall restaurant that had gotten rave reviews in the NYT travel section and was also highly recommended in our Lonely Planet. If you know Prachee, then you understand how a whole day in a city could be planned around meals! Since the restaurant was near Khao San Road we decided to head back there to continue our exploration of the area. This time we did a bit of shopping – I am now the proud owner of “Thai Fishermen” pants… don’t ask! The morning flew by in our exploration of the endless streets and alleys of Banglamphu and soon it was time for lunch. Thanks to Lonely Planet we were able to actually find Chote Chitir and since it was nearly 1:30pm, we found that we had the pick of the 5 tables in the place. Prachee excitedly asked the owner for her recommendations on what to order and soon the dishes started to arrive: first, the Mee Krob – a house specialty of thin fried crispy noodles with a delicious sweet and sour sauce; second, black pepper and garlic prawns; third, raw mango salad with grilled salmon (both Prachee’s and my favorite); & fourth, banana flower salad. The proprietor asked if we wanted steamed rice, we kindly declined – who wanted to waste valuable stomach real estate with rice! Let me just say, there wasn’t much for a “doggie bag” – Chote Chitir lived up to the hype!
After lunch we “rolled” to the hotel, picked up our bags and headed to the airport for our trip to Hanoi, Vietnam.
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