Staying Put in Bangkok

Our next house/cat sitting assignment is a 6 week stint in Bangkok.

Staying in one place really gives us the chance to experience what it is like living in a community environment in SE Asia.  It also gives us a chance to unpack the backpacks and live ‘normal’ for a while.

We are located in an area called Huai Khwang District which is outside of the hustle and bustle of the inner Bangkok CBD yet we can still access the MRT (train system) which in turn links us to all the other transport options available around the city.

We are in a secured compound and just outside the gates are busy streets full of locals going about their daily lives.  We have street food stalls, markets as well as restaurants right around the compound which is just how we like it.

We seldom see any other westerners so it has been imperative that I learn a few basic words in Thai so that we can get by.  I can now direct our tuk tuk driver without speaking a work of English.

Our dinners are ordered by both broken Thai and lots of sign language and somehow we get just what we are trying to order. 

The locals are just so friendly and there are usually lots of laughs as we try to master the art of the Thai language.  It is all about the tone, not so much the pronunciation.  I was trying to tell the tuk tuk driver to turn right and wondered why he was just looking at me strangely.  Turned out I was saying ‘bullock’ instead of ‘right’!!  We got there eventually so goodness knows what else I’m saying half the time.

Sometimes it’s Great to be a Tourist

What better excuse to play the tourist than a visit from a friend from home.  It was the perfect opportunity to explore some the city sights.  Kath had already done the major city sights so we decided on a few of the things that we had already done about 8 years ago as well as some new ones.

Chef Leez Cooking Class

Both Kath and I are avid cooking fans, especially Asian cuisine so it was an obvious choice to attend a cooking class in Bangkok.  There are so many to choose from so after some research we settled on Chef Leez and we were certainly not disappointed. 

Although the facilities are clean and modern, her technics and story telling about the dishes are ‘old school’ with a lot of her talent and knowledge being handed down from her grandmother.

All the classes are a maximum of 8 people so there is plenty of room to look and learn.

We cooked 12 traditional dishes and learnt about their history and background of the ingredients.  We got to taste them all so we had certainly had our full by the time we had finished.

The Maeklong Railway Markets

No matter how many times we see this unfolding before our eyes, it is still an amazing spectacle as you see the train approaching the market stalls.

The railway runs for a total of 67 kilometres and was completed in 1901.  The railway became famous for its route through to Maeklong Railway Market, nicknamed ‘The Umbrella Pulldown Market’. 

It is one of the largest fresh seafood markets in Thailand (and smells like it too!), and is centred on the Maeklong Railway track.  Whenever a train approaches, the awnings and shop fronts are moved back from the rails, to be replaced once the train has passed.

The fresh baskets of food and produce are stacked just to the right height so that the overhang of the train will skim straight over the top.  I’m not sure that I would be too keen on purchasing any of the fresh food closest to the train as we did see water (or some sort of liquid) dripping from the undercarriages as it moved over the baskets.

Standing space was in demand as we had to jostle for a safe place to stand.  The stallholders can be quite abrupt while we were trying to find a safe space.  It appeared that they did not want us standing anywhere near their stall.  In the end they didn’t have much choice as the train was coasting closer and closer.

A warning bell goes off over the loud speaker just a few minutes before the train comes.  Within minutes, stallholders pull back their specially designed awnings before the train comes, sometimes only moments before.

The train’s whistle blows announcing its arrival just before it rounds the bend.  That is certainly not a sound you can ignore!!

Once the train has passed, the stallholders immediately put the awnings back into their original places and everyone goes back to normal as if nothing has every happened and it’s hard to believe that tons of metal just rumbled within centimetres of where we were standing. 

Damnoen Saduak Floating Markets

There are a number of choices if you are wanting to see floating markets but the Damnoen Saduak Floating Markets has the best reviews.  This will be why it was quite popular with the tourists but we are not in the peak season so it wasn’t too crowded.

The floating market consists of a maze of narrow canals, and is navigated by a narrow boat.  Female traders, wearing wide brimmed straw hats us small wooden boats to sell their wares.  These boats were full of vegetables and fruits that comes directly from the local farms.

Canoe cooks can be found preparing and selling ‘boat noodles’ and other delicacies.

The market is considered a tourist trap and so tends to be overpriced.  We did stop to buy some Mango and Sticky rice and some rice flour and coconut gem cakes – just to say we did it (and to help support the locals).

As the boats are so narrow, we had to make sure we sat centred so that we were balanced.  We were lucky enough to have hired our own boat so there were only 3 of us aboard.  Hands, elbows and fingers need to be kept inside the boat at all times as we were often rubbing alongside boats and oncoming boats would bang and crash into us.

How We Did It

Chef Leez was booked directly from their website (click on link).  They had good communication and very clear instructions on how to find them and what to look out for.  There is also a YouTube video on their website which helped when trying to keep a look out for their location.  We used GrabCar (same as GrabTaxi) and the location came up on the App so the driver knew where to go.

The class cost us 1,500THB ($60nz) each which was definitely worth it.  Class started at 10am and finished at 2pm.

For transport to the Maeklong Railway Market and the Damnoen Saduak Floating Markets we booked through a company called Bangkok Beyond  (click on link).

We booked directly on their website and they had great communication prior to trip and during the planning stages.  You do have the option of booking a guide or ‘driver for rent’.  We opted for a driver only as the markets are quite a long way from Bangkok and we were going straight to the destinations.

The driver was punctual, polite and ensured that we had adequate toilet stops.  His instructions were clear on where we needed to meet up with him after our stops.  English was limited but we weren’t paying for a full commentary but he did manage to point out a few interesting sights along the way which suited us fine.

We paid 3000THB ($120nz) for the three of us which included transport and boat hire at the markets.  We were picked up at our house at 6.15am (to see the 8.30am train go through the markets) and arrived back at around 2pm.

Shopping, Shopping and more Shopping

We knew our friend Kath liked to shop so we kept one day free for her to go wild.  I lived vicariously through her for a day as we visited some of the shopping malls dotted around the city.  Terminal 21 and Siam Central for some amazing shops, not to mention IT heaven at Rama 9.

There absolutely no doubt that when you do the conversion back to NZ dollars, Bangkok is hands down cheaper on most things and worth the splurge when visiting on holiday or stopover.

Scotty was a trooper and a ‘Master Bag Carrier’ although may need therapy of his own after 12 kilometres of just shopping malls.

Slice of Kiwiana

We were so excited to host our kiwi friend Kath for a few days.  When she asked us what we needed to be brought over we requested sun screen (expensive in Thailand), some Bushman’s Mozzy Repellent (80% Deet – much stronger than local stuff) and of course a bottle of Central Otago Pinot Noir (my most favourite wine ever).

She delivered on all of the above and much, much more.  Imagine our surprise when she started to unpack her suitcase!

We got packets of Pineapple Lumps, Jaffa Lumps (just new on the market), chocolate fish, hokey pokey clusters, picnic bars, weetbix, kiwi dip ingredients, peanut slabs, ginger nuts and more.  What an absolute star (although we may come down with diabetes!).

There will be more blogs and videos to follow as we uncover some of the less travelled areas of Bangkok before we have to pack up and ship out in August.

In the meantime, click on the video below to see what we have been getting up to since our arrival.