Big City Lights

Bangkok is huge! I think there are like 9 million people. Our first experience in Bangkok was somewhat less than positive. We took a cab from the train station to Siam Square--where Isaac knew of some cheap hotels. After changing some money, we ran into a gentlemen who advised us to go to the Tourism Authority of Thailand before booking any hotels. He claimed that this would enable us to get the "Thai" price rather than the tourist price. Before we could blink an eye, he had us in a Tuk Tuk (like a motorized rickshaw) and off to the TAT.

Unfortunately, even the government is up for a scam. The hotel they sent us to (in Chinatown)had a special room for us--looked remarkable like a jail cell--dirty and windowless. After discussing our next move, we left the hotel to return to TAT to get our money back. The TAT claimed that we had spent 30 minutes in the room--therefore we could not get our money back. We were pretty pissed, but the best we could do was get 1/2 of our 600 baht back. Furious, we headed back to Siam Square where we found a much more agreeable room at a better rate--at least there was a happy ending.

Siam square is neon overload. Every possible expensive trendy store can be found in one of the 5+ malls in the area.


Even in Bangkok the fresh fruits and flowers abound!

Modern sites of Siam Square

Siam Square's more mellow side.

After wandering wide-eyed through Siam Square, we got the skytrain to an area that had a "Lonely Planet" recommended restaurant and bar. The restaurant was overpriced and mediocre Indian food, but the bar was pretty interesting. It was called "The Londoner" and was full of westerners and western prices.