The First, and Unforgettable, Bangkok

The backpacker's paradise, Suk 11 (in Thai, Suk seep-et) offers plenty of atmosphere and a great location - just off the popular shopping district of Sukhumvit Road. The main lobby offers tables, games, music, and some souvenirs for purchase. There is plenty of information available about the surrounding areas. From there, you have to walk up a flight of open stairs to get to the accommodation areas, and from there you may be up several floors of narrow staircases.

My room was on the low end of this budget hostel, but was roomy, cool, and comfortable. Shared bathrooms were nearby. Just down the hallway there was a much fancier area, where I assume the rooms were nicer but more expensive. My favorite part of this accommodation, though, was the roof. A walk up to the top of the building took us out onto a gorgeous patio with beach furniture and outdoor showers. It also offers a gorgeous view of that part of the city, especially at night.

Suk 11 is patronized by backpackers from all over the world and is tourist-friendly, if not a true picture of Thai culture. However, this is truly a great value in a great location. There is an all-night market just outside offering traditional Thai treats, plus a 7-11 on the corner. Plus, if Sukhumvit Road isn't enough, the Skytrain is just a short walk, and with Bangkok's horrendous traffic, you'll be glad to have this quick transportation nearby.

This is a clean, well-kept guesthouse outside of central Bangkok. It is on an out-of-the way street, but the Chao Phraya River and the well-known Rama IX Bridge are just a few blocks away. A 7-11 is nearby, as well are bus stops to take you into the city. There are fans in the rooms but no air-conditioning, so they can get stuffy. Shared bathrooms are downstairs and somewhat exposed by Western standards. However, this place has plenty of character. Signs read, "Walking on your toes is good for a long life," along the wooden staircases. Beds are just a mattress on a wooden frame with sheets. In the mornings, you can have breakfast at tables out front and read the morning paper. This is not a ritzy place by any means, but it is a budget-friendly option and puts you in a position to meet the travellers who are there as well.

Thailand is a very beautiful country, the "land of smiles", but it has many problems that sit beneath the surface. Drug trading, child prostitution, economic downturn, and political corruption are very real to the Thai people, but what they try so hard to conceal it from tourists who are sheltered in cozy resorts on its south coastline. What I liked best about this restaurant was not that the proceeds go to a worthy cause, but simply that it raises awareness in a silent society.

The white-linen tablecloth restaurant was gorgeous when we visited. We sat outside on in a tree-lined grove lit by candles and Christmas lights. Waterfalls and flowers added to the illusion of being tucked away from the city. The menu at Cabbages and Condoms offered specialties as well as quintessential Thai dishes of high quality. The fruity drinks and desserts we tried we especially good. Even though much of the menu is available from street vendors for a fraction of the cost, the proceeds from the restaurant go to educate those same Thais about AIDS and other STDs, sexual activity, birth control and other subjects that have been taboo for so long.

After a satisfying meal, we stopped in a the giftshop, which was an adventure enough in itself. The proprieters offer a wide selection of what you might call "specialty" gifts - bouquets of condoms, mugs, t-shirts, and books about condoms, and free handouts of condoms (which come with the meal instead of after dinner mints). If this would be considered a theme restaurant, it was very tactfully done, a unique but quality experience.

Wat Pho is Bangkok's largest temple, certainly one of the most popular, and a good start to any trip to Bangkok. Wat Pho is probably most famous for the mammoth "Reclining Buddha" image, which is 46m long. Like many others before me, I was awed walking into the temple that houses this gigantic piece of art. You have to take your shoes off to go in, and there is a quiet aura of reverence inside. The huge room is almost entirely occupied by the Buddha, which is plated in gold. The feet are inlaid with pearl that illustrates Buddhist lessons. You can't deny that this image is simply awe-inspiring.

The rest of the wat is also worth seeing for the architecture. There are many, many chedis (elongated peaks), as well as traditional Thai turned-up roofs with colorful tiles. Another great feature of Wat Pho is the massage school, one of the original schools of Thai massage, and a very reputable one. I had a half-hour massage where I was taken into a room filled with platform bed-type structures and fans. On a hot day, or any day, this is both refreshing and relaxing. Thai massage is an intense, somewhat invasive type that requires you to allow your masseur to have control. They use their whole bodies to twist, rub, and stretch you until your body is tension-free. There are many places that offer Thai massage at reasonable rates, but Wat Pho, as the original with a specific system of training, is guaranteed to be one of the best.

Wat Arun, or the Temple of the Dawn, was very different in style from the rest of the temples we visited in Bangkok. The wat is very famous, and its image is published on many items throughout Thailand. It is centered around one great prang (a pointed tower) with four smaller ones around it. You are allowed to walk partway up the main prang. The light color of the structure is unique to this wat and incredibly beautiful. There are ceramic pieces everywhere in the building. It’s difficult to describe, but something you should see for yourself.

When we visited in the early morning, the grounds were incredibly peaceful, though that is apparently normal for this temple. While it was beautiful at dawn, it is even more popular to view this site at dusk. While it's fun to see the temple up close and climb around the structure, the best views are actually from outside, on the river, where you can take in the whole complex. The river ferry is incredibly cheap and gives a gorgeous view of this famous structure.