motoman287
Member
Well, I joined the living dead about a month ago (got married), and we honeymooned for two weeks in Thailand, of all places. Everyone asked us why we chose Thailand, and honestly, I don't really have an answer. I guess it was her idea, and I just went along with it. We snapped quite a few pictures, of course, so figured I'd share some. I'm sure the wife got sick of me snapping pictures of bikes everywhere we went, but she never said anything, lol. We spent time in three different parts of the country, starting with Bangkok. After a 1 hour flight from Minneapolis to Chicago, it was 15 hours to Hong Kong, and another 3 into Thailand. I'll maybe break the posts up into 3 sections for each stint of the trip, starting with Bangkok.
I'll start with the non-bike pics (save the good stuff for last, of course).
The first night in Bangkok, we had dinner on a boat cruise down the river in the center of the city.
We arranged most days through a travel agent, and one day consisted of visiting the Grand Palace and several temples in the city. It was probably beneficial to do it this way, organized with a guide, as they were able to provide background info we wouldn't have otherwise known or figured out on our own. Some of the temples were hundreds of years old, and the detail was incredible.
In the center of the picture, off in the distance, is the hotel from "The Hangover: Part 2"
Monks in one of the temples we visited.
Our first day we had nothing planned, and so tried to explore the city a bit. Although most Thais can speak enough English to get by, the language barrier still proved tough at times. Transportation options included taxis, motorcycle taxis (which aren't recommended by most people), the sky rail train, city buses, and three wheeled motorcycle-type taxis, called tuk tuks. We live in a town of 1,300 people, and grew up in towns no larger than 5,000 people, so navigating public transport is a new thing for both of us, even at 30 years old. Trying to understand that you have to ride a certain bus number to get one place, but have to go to a different stop, and ride a different bus number to get back, was confusing. The first bus we got on, they stopped within a block and let us off when they realized where we wanted to go, and told us we needed a different bus. We also encountered scammers, people who will ask if you need help, and when you tell them where you are trying to go, will tell you, "No, you don't want to go there. Try here, it's much better." They'll also tell you that a certain attraction is closed, or doesn't open until later. Being gullable, we ended up taking a tuk tuk the first time and ended up being dropped off at a back-alley gem store. We simply walked away, but lesson learned.
I will say that public transportation is quite cheap. You can get anywhere by bus for under a buck, and you negotiate a price with the tuk tuk driver prior to getting in, so no matter how long it takes, your fare doesn't increase. There were two bus options, one being newer, air conditioned ones, and older, open-windowed relics. Traffic in Bangkok is insane no matter where you are, with cars, scooters/cycles, and tuk tuks everywhere. The tuk tuks are actually a good time, and it seems like drivers are free to customize theirs however they want. Alot of guys had exhausts with titanium tips, some had polished wheels, etc. Many I saw also ran on LP.
Here's an example of the norm as far as wiring goes. I'm not an electrician, but it doesn't look exactly to code, haha. You'd see birds nests built right into the mess, too.
One day we headed out of the city about an hour, and on the way, you'd see these shallow ponds. They pump sea water in, and when the water evaporated, the result was sea salt.
7-Elevens are everywhere in Thailand. This was in a small town on the way to a floating market, where you shop by small boat. Some things are relatively cheap. For example, a can of soda was about $.42. A dollar or two would get you a bag full of snacks and beverages.
We took a boat ride through some canals to get to the floating market, which was pretty fun. They have car engines with long shafts mounted to the back. Again, some guys took a lot of pride in their motors, with chrome pulleys and valve covers or whatever, while others were just oily old turds.
Being in Bangkok, I couldn't not go to a red light district. There's a night market in the tamest and oldest of the 3 well known "naughty neighborhoods", so we took the sky train there one night. We didn't go in to any of the establishments, but had a laugh at some of the signs. It's strange, because you have regular people/tourists, many with families, walking around the markets, which just sell souvenir-type things, and there are also street vendors selling food and drinks, and yet you have a go-go bar every few doors down. We were probably asked 15 times if we wanted to see a ping-pong show, too. You can google that for more info if you want, but it's basically women doing "tricks" with ping pong balls...A simple "no thanks" was all that was needed and you're left to continue on your way. There were also several groups of women on street corners, "working it", haha.
Overall, Bangkok was neat to see, because it's so different, but I'm glad we got it out of the way first. There was tons of traffic, tons of people, a lot of smog/haze, and it's just a sensory overload. There is so much crammed into one city block that it makes Americans look like selfish gluttons when you look at the houses we live in, or the footprint of any business in America compared to there. I saw repair shops, maybe two stalls, with vehicles torn apart in the street, parts laying on the sidewalk. With all of the food vendors, every few steps yields another new smell, too.
I'll try to post part 2 later...
I'll start with the non-bike pics (save the good stuff for last, of course).
The first night in Bangkok, we had dinner on a boat cruise down the river in the center of the city.
We arranged most days through a travel agent, and one day consisted of visiting the Grand Palace and several temples in the city. It was probably beneficial to do it this way, organized with a guide, as they were able to provide background info we wouldn't have otherwise known or figured out on our own. Some of the temples were hundreds of years old, and the detail was incredible.
In the center of the picture, off in the distance, is the hotel from "The Hangover: Part 2"
Monks in one of the temples we visited.
Our first day we had nothing planned, and so tried to explore the city a bit. Although most Thais can speak enough English to get by, the language barrier still proved tough at times. Transportation options included taxis, motorcycle taxis (which aren't recommended by most people), the sky rail train, city buses, and three wheeled motorcycle-type taxis, called tuk tuks. We live in a town of 1,300 people, and grew up in towns no larger than 5,000 people, so navigating public transport is a new thing for both of us, even at 30 years old. Trying to understand that you have to ride a certain bus number to get one place, but have to go to a different stop, and ride a different bus number to get back, was confusing. The first bus we got on, they stopped within a block and let us off when they realized where we wanted to go, and told us we needed a different bus. We also encountered scammers, people who will ask if you need help, and when you tell them where you are trying to go, will tell you, "No, you don't want to go there. Try here, it's much better." They'll also tell you that a certain attraction is closed, or doesn't open until later. Being gullable, we ended up taking a tuk tuk the first time and ended up being dropped off at a back-alley gem store. We simply walked away, but lesson learned.
I will say that public transportation is quite cheap. You can get anywhere by bus for under a buck, and you negotiate a price with the tuk tuk driver prior to getting in, so no matter how long it takes, your fare doesn't increase. There were two bus options, one being newer, air conditioned ones, and older, open-windowed relics. Traffic in Bangkok is insane no matter where you are, with cars, scooters/cycles, and tuk tuks everywhere. The tuk tuks are actually a good time, and it seems like drivers are free to customize theirs however they want. Alot of guys had exhausts with titanium tips, some had polished wheels, etc. Many I saw also ran on LP.
Here's an example of the norm as far as wiring goes. I'm not an electrician, but it doesn't look exactly to code, haha. You'd see birds nests built right into the mess, too.
One day we headed out of the city about an hour, and on the way, you'd see these shallow ponds. They pump sea water in, and when the water evaporated, the result was sea salt.
7-Elevens are everywhere in Thailand. This was in a small town on the way to a floating market, where you shop by small boat. Some things are relatively cheap. For example, a can of soda was about $.42. A dollar or two would get you a bag full of snacks and beverages.
We took a boat ride through some canals to get to the floating market, which was pretty fun. They have car engines with long shafts mounted to the back. Again, some guys took a lot of pride in their motors, with chrome pulleys and valve covers or whatever, while others were just oily old turds.
Being in Bangkok, I couldn't not go to a red light district. There's a night market in the tamest and oldest of the 3 well known "naughty neighborhoods", so we took the sky train there one night. We didn't go in to any of the establishments, but had a laugh at some of the signs. It's strange, because you have regular people/tourists, many with families, walking around the markets, which just sell souvenir-type things, and there are also street vendors selling food and drinks, and yet you have a go-go bar every few doors down. We were probably asked 15 times if we wanted to see a ping-pong show, too. You can google that for more info if you want, but it's basically women doing "tricks" with ping pong balls...A simple "no thanks" was all that was needed and you're left to continue on your way. There were also several groups of women on street corners, "working it", haha.
Overall, Bangkok was neat to see, because it's so different, but I'm glad we got it out of the way first. There was tons of traffic, tons of people, a lot of smog/haze, and it's just a sensory overload. There is so much crammed into one city block that it makes Americans look like selfish gluttons when you look at the houses we live in, or the footprint of any business in America compared to there. I saw repair shops, maybe two stalls, with vehicles torn apart in the street, parts laying on the sidewalk. With all of the food vendors, every few steps yields another new smell, too.
I'll try to post part 2 later...
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