Experiences in Bangkok

We woke up early in the morning and headed down to try the breakfast buffet included in our hotel stay. The breakfast buffet was massive! There was Thai, English, American, and European breakfast options. Later, we took a tuk-tuk down to the harbor, where we planned to take a boat through the old canals to the Royal Grand Palace, the former royal residence. But, as always, you can count on a tuk-tuk driver to drop you off somewhere else if they see an opportunity. We ended up at a very pricey spot by the harbor, where the tickets were 1200 baht for two. The driver probably got a commission for dropping us off there. We managed to find another place that was much more reasonable—600 baht for two people. The last stretch to the palace from the harbor was on foot. As the Thais say: Just a little walk. It took us almost an hour to get there. Sweat was trickling down our backs, and it didn’t help that we had to cover up more to enter the Royal Grand Palace. No shoulders or knees can be visible, at least not for foreigners; apparently, the Thais could bend the rules a bit. Just as we were standing there sweating in the sun, admiring the palace, I suddenly spotted someone from Grenå—how bizarre! After our sightseeing tour, we headed back to the hotel to cool off in the pool. Once we had rested a bit and weren’t sweating as much, we went to New Rotel, the Jysk Rejsebureau office, to write some emails and chat with the guides. We signed up for a diving course in Koh Tao that started the following Monday. The diving school was called Big Fish and had Danish diving instructors—perfect! Then it was time for dinner, and we took a tuk-tuk out to the Patpong area, where we found a really good restaurant. Patpong is actually an area known for its prostitution. There are many ping-pong bars where Thai girls (stripping) perform various tricks. They can blow out candles, play the trumpet, pour clear liquid and get cola back out—all done with their private parts. Patpong also has many bars, of course with prostitutes, a huge night market where you can buy anything, and plenty of large restaurants and hotels. You can walk around here safely, whether you’re a girl or a guy. At one of the bars in Patpong, we met a couple of Americans who live and work in Bangkok. It was nice to meet English-speaking people since, despite their friendliness, the Thais are not very good at English. We followed the American guys to their regular pool bar, where we met some Brits eager to head over to a ping-pong bar. At the pool bar, some Thai girls nicknamed Jan the Ding-Dong Man, which means a sweet, quirky guy. The American guys didn’t join out of respect for the Thai girls they encounter in their daily lives. One of the British guys picked (bought) a Thai girl from the strip bar. He had her for two hours for 1600 baht and later came back with a big smile on his face.