Thai time - Bangkok

19 - 21 November

I reluctantly took a taxi back to Colombo's airport for my flight through to Bangkok in Thailand. Once there I headed for "backpacker central" - Khao San Road, which is covered in budget guesthouses, touts for suits and many other items, rip-off "tour guides", and markets that seem cheap (but are actually well overpriced compared to elsewhere).

I found a cheap guesthouse down a quiet side alley at the very basic end - flushing toilet with a bucket of water - and explored a bit, with a beer from the 7/11 (!), amused by the incredibly overly touristic nature of the area...

The types of bars on Khao San Road - "We do not check ID card"...

I had several days to explore around the city, and headed first for the Grand Palace. Roughly transcribed as Phra Borom Maha Ratcha Wang in Thai, this complex was used by the royal family since the late 18th century, and is full of impressive examples of Thai architecture, with the typical pointed roof eaves.

As with Buddhist sites in Sri Lanka, dress code was strict, and photos weren't allowed to be taken in the hall housing the famous Emerald Buddha, probably the most revered Buddha statue in Thailand - to the extent that only the Thai king is permitted to touch the statue, where he changes the outfit three times a year according to season.

Outside Chakri Maha Prasat throne hall

A daunting warrior statue

Two monks walking in front of Viharn Yod

Detail on the Ubosoth which houses the famed Emerald Buddha

Detailed mural paintings depicting Thai history

I couldn't help but smile at the image formed by this group of monks I saw just outside the palace soon afterwards, stuck in a Bangkok traffic jam:

Only in Thailand?

I wandered around that part of the city and on my way back to my guesthouse in the evening, discovered a rather large blockade on one of the large avenues adjacent to Democracy Monument. Anti-government protesters had been camped here for quite some time.

Anti-government protests - particularly non-violent at this stage - at Democracy Monument

The political situation in Thailand was finely balanced in November, and has since deteriorated further. As I write this, the incumbent prime minister was deposed by the courts just this week. The ruling Pheu Thai party's support from the rural poor, who are likely to continue to win voting due to their larger population, are up against the urban elite who want to install a "people's council" instead of a democratically elected government. However both sides of the conflict refuse to back down until they get their way. It's a real shame for Thailand - politicised bickering by a small minority - and it is having a noticeable negative effect on tourism in a country that has recently boomed in that industry.

I headed into Bangkok's city centre the following day, exploring some of the incredibly large, Westernised shopping malls and watching the swathes of motorbikes.

A 3-storey high Christmas tree in a 7-storey shopping mall in central Bangkok

I must admit while it's encouraging to see Thai people embracing the spirit of the festive season, Christmas is not a Thai holiday at all. Bangkok has become a very international city and I think has lost some of the charm and friendliness of Thailand that I experienced later on.

More motorbikes than you can count - and a lot of taxis too

My electrical engineering friends would be shocked...
Naturally it's in front of a 7/11, which appear on both sides of the road on almost every block in busy parts of town

Knowing I would have a couple more nights in Bangkok before my flight home, I boarded a bus the next morning to head for the beach. Destination: the resort island of Koh Chang.