We were a little worried we wouldn't make it to the airport on time, as we had left later than we intended (there's a shock!) and the rain on the way down the motorway was torrential. We couldn't see enough even to change lanes and the traffic all slowed right down for a long time. We also got lost trying to get on to the M40, but that is another story!
The check-in girl was sooo nice, and she put us into an aisle and window seat so that we would have three seats for the two of us. It makes such a big difference, especially with Will's long legs and on an overnight flight. We actually managed to get some sleep, and we were hoping that a stopover in Bangkok would make all the difference to the jet lag when we got back to Japan.
We arrived in Bangkok and were surprised but pleased that it was not as hot as we had expected. We got a taxi to the hotel, and had a bit of a rest before we met up with some friends and let them take over the schedule. They know Bangkok quite well and had been there a few days by the time we arrived, so they had some cool ideas for where to go to eat. We decided on a restaurant called Spring/Summer, which is actually two old converted houses. One is a restaurant which serves modern Thai food, and the other is a dessert and drinks cafe style place. We called ahead to book at 7.30, but they said they didn't take bookings and we should hurry because they get very busy after 8pm. We went straight outside to try to get a taxi.
Taxis can be difficult and quite annoying in Thailand. You can tell them where you want to go, and try to negotiate a price (which is usually cheap), but they will always start to try to convince you that the place you want is no good and they know somewhere better! It doesn't matter if it is a tourist attraction, shop or hotel, but the main problem areas are restaurants and tailors. I have never asked to be taken to a tailor, but the taxi drivers are notorious for trying to take you there. We just had to stick to our mantras of where we were trying to go!
The first taxi driver we spoke to told us it was a 1-2 hour drive and (here's one we didn't see coming!)he knew somewhere better. We told him we would get the train instead. We went to where we thought we should be and started walking, but Mark had misinterpreted the address (they make about as much sense as Japanese addresses so it wasn't hard to do) and we were miles away. We stopped to ask directions from a tuk-tuk driver who told us (surprise surprise!) that it was a rubbish restaurant and he could take us somewhere better! We were quite coordinated when all four of us chorused "Nooooo!" and then we started to make fun of him by saying "tailor?" too. He laughed. One of the better things about Bangkok is that everyone is very friendly. Eventually we agreed that it was too far to walk and set a price for the tuk-tuk.
A tuk-tuk is a sort of motorbike with a cart, not like a trailer but part of the bike, covered over and with a small seat inside. They are tiny. Somehow we managed to squeeze all four of us inside, although it meant Mark sitting on a sort of metal ledge at the side next to all of our feet. We hung on to the bars in the roof and set off.
The poor guy driving us was not the one who had agreed the price, and clearly (after about half an hours driving) had no idea where he was going. He weaved around streets and in and out of lanes of traffic, and eventually conceded defeat and called back his boss on Mark's mobile. He followed those directions for a while, then stopped to ask outside a different restaurant. It seemed we needed to turn around, but that is difficult for a tuk-tuk, so instead we drove through the courtyard of the restaurant. There was a big aerial antenna with a streamer attached to the back of the tuk-tuk, and it was bent right over and bouncing off all of the struts in the roof.
As it was my first time in a tuk-tuk, I was quite enjoying the ride, looking at all the sights and smelling all the smells! Mark was less comfortable by this time though. I am not so sure he would have offered to sit on the ledge if he had realised it was going to be for an hour! When we eventually arrived it was 9pm. There was no space in the restaurant, but they found us a table in the other area and said we could order from the full restaurant menu. They food was great, and of course we had to have dessert since we were in a specialist chocolate place! We all had different things so we could try lots (including mine, the biggest brownie I ever saw). They were all spectacular too. The taxi ride home was much shorter than getting there!
The next day we met up again and went shopping. Bangkok is knock-off heaven, but they still seem to have the same size issues as Japan - ie they don't fit us. Will managed to get a few t-shirts and we got some DVDs, but that was about it.
For lunch, Mark had set his heart on going to an art deco hotel which had been used in lots of films and is supposed to be really interesting. We found it far more easily than Spring/Summer! It is called the Atlanta, and it was as nice as described. Inside we found a sign which said something along the lines of "this restaurant is for room guests only. We may on occasion serve non-residents, but if we don't like the look of you we will refuse to serve you and no explanation will be given". There was also a long list of the types of people they didn't like. After some confusion (one woman would serve us, but the other didn't seem too happy) we were allowed inside, and you could tell we were all on our best behaviour, extra polite and quieter than usual! In the menu there was another full page explanation of their policy. It seems that they are determined to protect their guests from all of the things they consider to be the negative side of tourism in Bangkok, and anyone who doesn't like it can get lost. It was a very funny place. They even told us we couldn't take photos, but the food was nice and it was very interesting to see it. If you didn't know about it, you would never find it. Definitely worth the trip. Even in our hotel, people were constantly trying to get you to take a taxi if you walked through the lobby, so I can see the appeal of the Atlanta!
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