Nathan’s Blog


My cocktail cost more than my shoes
February 1, 2009, 12:56 pm
Filed under: travelling | Tags: ,

We’ve just been for a drink at The Dome bar on the 64th floor of some posh hotel. Aparently the attached restaurant is the highest open air restaurant in the world.

The entry cost: a pair of shoes! Being a posh hotel, they don’t let flip flop clad travellers like us in. They do however let you in if you buy a pair of the cheapest looking shoes (check them out, they had velcro!) from a very nice lady at the shoe shop around the corner.

So, at the second attempt we were in and all bad memories of trying to get in clubs as a kid ebbed away (Xanadu anyone!!).

The views were well worth the shoes though, although the Mojito wasn’t quite up to standard.

I popped back to see the nice shoe lady on the way out and gifted her my shoes … she didn’t know quite what to do, but I reckon there is a fair few more entries in them yet.



Laura returns
February 1, 2009, 12:56 pm
Filed under: travelling | Tags: ,

Laura wanted to go back to have a drink in a hostel her and Kaz (Payne) stayed at last time she was in Bangkok.

We managed to find where they’d written in the wall … up the ‘Dale!

We figured out that Kaz wrote this 7 years ago almost to the day back in 2002.



Flashpacking
February 1, 2009, 12:54 pm
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I think our first hotel (www.lamphutreehotel.com) pretty much hits the mark as the definition of flashpacking.

Flower Juice on arrival
Pool
Americans saying “oh my goodness”
Free wifi – a number if guests seem to have tiny laptops and iPhones (I thought I would be the only loser!)
Breakfast of fresh fruit, bacon, eggs and coffee served to you at the table on the veranda.
Preppy Americans in Chinos
Large LCD in the bar showing Larry King on CNN and the impeachment of the Illinois Governer (not that I’m watching it or anything as I’m listening to Lau talk about Temples. I am.)

Which all add up to a dizzyingly high 11th place on Trip Advisor … I’ll be voting to keep it there.



Our first scam
February 1, 2009, 11:30 am
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Fresh off the boat and we were shown no mercy!

Contrary to Lau’s meticulous plan, we were being whisked around various Buddas and retail outlets within 5 minutes of leaving our hotel!

I think the order was thus:

Standing Budda – quite impressive.
Tailor – you buy suit, Sir.
Lucky Budda (the irony)
Jeweller – you buy Ruby for Madam, Sir.
Black Budda
Stop – take us to the Sky Train chief, we’ve got a plan to get back to.

And the cost of this deceipt … 50p! Damn you pesky seemingly helpful Thai man helping us with our map.

To be fair Lau called it early to my protests of going with the flow and “he seemed really genuine”. Sucker.

It won’t be our last!

Later in the day we went to the vast markets at Chatuchak and ate Pad Thai at a street stall before heading back to our Hotel, stopping off for a 1h full body Thai massage of course.