Back in Bangkok for our last few days, we have a couple of outstanding things on “the list” to see & do before heading home. Since it was close to our hotel in the Sukhumvit district, we decided to take in Soi Cowboy in the daylight hours & returned the next evening to check out the action! This very short street/laneway or ‘soi’ as they are called here, becomes a red light district after dark, is home to over 40 bars & is one of Bangkok’s most visited tourist attractions, it’s even listed on Trip Advisor! The soi is named after T. G. “Cowboy” Edwards, a retired American airman who opened one of the first bars on the street in 1977. A tall African-American, Edwards got his nickname because he often wore a cowboy hat. Relatively tame during the day, it becomes a neon lit, go-go dancing party-land, catering primarily to the lonely hearted!!!
Victory Monument is a major landmark & the transportation hub for most public buses & vans. The skytrain also has a station here, making it very easy to access the various districts throughout the city or hop one of the vans to beach towns, e.g. Hua Hin, or areas outside the city such as the Maeklong Market. Needless to say we are quite familiar with this area now.
The Maeklong Train Market, known as the world’s most dangerous market, was an experience we didn’t want to pass up. Build in the early 1900s in the town of Maeklong, about 80K from Bangkok, this busy railway line has a one of the busier Thai markets built alongside & on the rail line. The market is very large, taking up several streets & has been a fixture in Maeklong long before the rail line was ever built. Several times each day, 7-days a week, the whistle blows with a flurry of activity following. Vendors remove any awnings, quickly move their stalls, produce & wares to make way for this slow-moving train chugging its way through the market. Within minutes of the train passing, everything is back to normal, stalls are rolled back out with seemingly little casualties. Quite the experience to say the least & truly amazing!
Treating ourselves, we headed to one of the top 20 rooftop bars for sunset drinks & dinner. Bangkok at dusk is just beautiful & becomes magical as darkness descends upon the city. Our 47th floor rooftop view on one of our last nights in Bangkok will be one we’ll remember for years to come.
Our final day in Bangkok was a day of ‘lasts’ such as that last delicious bowl of soup you can find on almost every street corner, enjoying the predictable sunshine & heat, hopping on the skytrain to explore a new district, people watching, discovering unique & interesting artwork, a foot massage after walking miles, etc., etc.
Hard to believe we are heading home & by the time you read this we’ll be well on our way. Our whirlwind tour of Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia & Myanmar was thoroughly enjoyed, our only regret is that we didn’t wandering to these far reaching places years ago. We’ve already started to ponder where well end up next year. Again, thanks for travelling with us, it’s been a blast!
Safe travels Bob & Theresa! I have enjoyed travelling along with you with your detailed descriptions of the different places you have visited & all the beautiful pictures!