Returning To My Spiritual Home

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If you’re wondering whether I’ll ever stop going on about my love for Bangkok, the answer is “No.” I returned to the Thai capital earliest this week, as I mentioned  I would in another recent post.

As I hypothesized, my elation knows no bounds. In fact, I would even go so far as to say I now consider the city my spiritual home, pretentious as that sounds.

In spite a near 14-hour journey from Berlin, I spent most of my first day back in Bangkok exploring the city and shooting photos. It’s my fourth time here, but I think I still managed to get a fresh take on Bangkok.

What do you think?

(Attempting to) walk down Silom Road

The only thing more characteristic of Silom Road than foot traffic is car traffic

I was nasty after the flight, so I headed to my hotel in hopes they would let me check-in early — and they did! After a quick shower and unpacking all my things, I headed out into Silom, the surrounding district, with my camera.

Thai Iced Tea, cliché as it may be, is my favorite Thai beverage

Rather than retracing my footsteps through the city (as I was originally tempted to do), I pretty much just followed my instincts. Not surprisingly, they led me to a Thai iced tea stall. Well, that was probably my sense of smell, but whatever. Nectar of the Buddhas!

You might say Thais are obsessed with beauty

One thing that never fails to surprise me about Thai people is how unabashedly image-obsessed they are, whether it’s fixing straight teeth, whitening skin or getting all-out plastic surgery. The abundance of tacky, colorful advertisements, even those that don’t relate to beauty, are a big part of Bangkok’s charm for me.

In spite of the chronic traffic congestion that plagues Bangkok, the city does its best to infuse elements of beauty

Another thing I love about Bangkok is how it manages to be beautiful and ugly at the same time. Busy Silom Road, for example, is lined with pots of green plants and flowers, like the magenta zinnias, which incidentally match Bangkok’s taxi cabs.

The reclining Buddha at Wat Po is one of the largest in the world

I made a Bangkok travel newbie mistake yesterday: I flagged down an off-duty tuk-tuk driver and asked him to take me somewhere. I’m not sure if he dropped me off over a mile from my intended destination (Thewet Flower Market) on purpose or not, but I wasn’t upset — I was in a prime spot to explore Wat Po, a Bangkok temple I hadn’t yet visited.

I made other friends at Wat Po, too

Wat Po is most famous for its reclining Buddha statue, one of the largest in the world, but is also a great place to relax away the stress of the city. Apparently, I’m not the only one who feels that way.

Patpong Night Market in Silom

I ended the evening at Patpong Night Market in Silom, just a stone’s throw from my hotel. Patpong Market embodies many Thai clichés, with sex and sexuality being the most conspicuous ones.

Tagged as: Bangkok, Thailand

About The Author

Robert Schrader is the author of 514 posts on Leave Your Daily Hell.

Robert founded Leave Your Daily Hell in 2010 so that other travelers would have an entertaining, reliable source of information, advice and inspiration at their fingertips. Want to travel more often? Subscribe to email updates today!