Thailand

Seven weeks ago, after touring the dusty canyons of Yemen, I joined Stella in Rwanda and we flew to Bangkok. What a contrast of cultures and environments!

On arrival in Thailand, we were granted 60-day tourist visas. (Stella’s e-visa had been pre-arranged.) Although we hadn’t planned to stay in Thailand for two months, we’ve been delighted by Bangkok and its environs, so we haven’t left yet.

We settled into a comfortable AirBnB in the center of of Bangkok, a 5-minute walk from Sukhumvit Boulevard. Except for two 5-day excursions, we’ve spent most of our time in Bangkok. See the map below.

Bangkok is a mega-city, with a population over 17 million. Did you know that Bangkok is the world’s most touristed city? More international travelers visit Bangkok than Istanbul, London or Hong Kong. Since my first visit here in 1981, I’ve spent 21 months in Thailand, mostly in the north. This has been my first chance to spend more than a week in this amazing city. Here’s the view from top of the Empire Building.

Without leaving Bangkok, we’ve found dozens of cultural sites to visit, fabulous temples to see, and fun things to do. Here’s a sample below. Click on any picture to expand it.

One of the first things to sort out in any city is how to get around. Bangkok’s traffic congestion is daunting, so forget taxis. Get a BTS card and take off on the Sky Train … and BTS isn’t the only fun way to tour Bangkok. Here’s a short video of all the ways we’ve been traveling.

Our AirBnB is near one of the main east-west canals that goes thru Bangkok. During our second week, we learned how to use the canal ferries and the water taxis. Since then, we’ve travelled by canal whenever possible. The ferries are fast, and the cool air along the water is refreshing.

One of the most celebrated features of Thailand is its amazing food. We’ve frequented street vendors and night markets to sample exotic and delicious foods, fresh from the farm or hot off the griddle. NB: In the video below, we didn’t eat any scorpions!

One week, we took a bus south along the east shore of the Gulf of Thailand. Our first stop was Pattaya City. This town grew from a quiet fishing village to an “entertainment center” in the 1960s when it became an R&R destination for American soldiers during the Viet Nam War. Since then, Pattaya has become Thailand’s most popular playground with an estimated 27 million domestic and international visitors in 2024. Besides English and Thai, we heard a lot of Russian, Hindi, Mandarin, Korean, Vietnamese, German and French spoken here.

From our beachfront hotel, Stella saw people parasailing on the bay and wanted to do that right away. For a girl from a small village in Uganda, this was a new and exciting experience for her. As she says, “I’m from Africa. I’m not afraid of anything!”

Pattaya City is also known as Sin City. The center of action is notorious Walking Street, a kilometer-long pedestrian mall packed with nightclubs, go-go bars, massage parlors and sex shows. From 8:00pm until 3:00am, this street is a full-on party scene. Stella knew just how to enjoy this place.

Continuing south by Grab, we spent three nights at a family-run Thai hotel on the island of Ko Samet. This tranquil island has inexpensive beach resorts, quiet nature trails and beautiful beaches. In the evenings, we enjoyed dinner and fire shows on the beach. Here’s a video of a twirling act I hadn’t seen before.

The following week, we flew and ferried to the island of Ko Yao Noi in Phang Nga Bay. This is one of Thailand’s less-visited islands. We stayed on Pasai Beach in a simple bungalow and ate half our meals at an excellent Italian restaurant, all with stunning views of the islands just offshore. These islands are formed from eroded Karst limestone outcrops. One sunny day, we took a long-tail boat to these picturesque islands to swim and snorkel.

Here are a few more photos of the beautiful islands of Phang Nga Bay.

While crowds head to the picturesque islands, the beaches of Ko Yao Noi are almost deserted. Stella and I found a beach all to ourselves. The views of the nearby islands were magnificent.

Back in Bangkok, there was an acclaimed, must-see show that we didn’t want to miss: The Calypso Cabaret in the Asiatique Riverfront. This is a high-energy transgender performance. We were awed by the music, dancing and costuming. I had to keep reminding myself that all these performers were born male.

After the show, we had photo ops with the performers.

In addition to all these unforgettable adventures, Bangkok gave me a chance to rendez-vous with friends I haven’t seen for years or even decades.