Bangkok High Life

Two weeks of luxury living in Bangkok, movie nights, popcorn, swimming pool and a gym. All for less than £15 a night with some fantastic views and across the road from Tesco's  We literally lived the dream. 
After the nightmare that was Cambodia going back to Bangkok was just what the Dr ordered, there was three of us still me, Lauren (no matter where I go I just can't seem to shake her) haha and our top mate Ken who we had the pleasure of meeting in Japan and then met again in Vietnam and agreed to see Cambodia together and then live the dream in Bangkok.

For the first time, I used AirBnB for accommodation and boy was it the right choice I found a two bed luxury apartment right next to the airport and only 30 minutes from the centre of Bangkok with a swimming pool and gym fully furnished all for less than £15 a night. The link for the apartment owner is here Mr Jeerasak he now has a second 2 Bed apartment in the same block too. He was a great man when we arrived the fridge was full of water, and he had provided snacks for us. The beds are comfy, and the apartment is surprisingly large, the only issue we had was at the time there was only the building WiFi which didn't reach the room, but I believe he has added his own WiFi now but to his credit he purchased us a 30 day Wifi code which meant we had WiFi pretty much everywhere we went in Bangkok.

When we arrived, we were not expecting much especially for the price, but we were wrong. The whole block is brand new most of the apartments are empty, and the apartment itself had never been used we were the first guests. We originally only booked one week but loved it so much we stayed for 2, now we did venture out a few times as Ken had not been to Bangkok before so headed over for some boat noodles again and to Khao San Road. We were also surrounded by malls so seen as though we had a plasma screen TV and I am a complete Apple geek I purchased the new Apple TV.

We spent most of our evenings watching movies selected by Ken and by god were some of them strange haha, we also had every episode of Three Sheets (if you don't know what this is then get involved it's brilliant) and Always Sunny In Philadelphia.

With Tesco's, KFC, Pizza Hut, McDonald's all across the road we stocked the fridge and cupboards up with supplies and settled in. I, as usual, was the designated cook not that I mind as I am a dab hand in the kitchen, that's right ladies I'm bearded, I cook, I clean, and I give the best hugs I am pretty much the perfect man, just not single.

We ventured out to Wat Pho or more famously know as the Temple of Reclining Buddha; it is pretty cheap to enter to 100 Baht which is about £2. The Buddha itself, in my opinion, was nothing special yeah it is big but for me, the buildings, gardens and smaller golden Buddhas are more impressive. Some of the smaller temples also have a less touristy feel to them. We attempted to go to the Grand Palace but for some reason, the price was £20 which was almost double what the website said, and I didn't fancy walking around covered from head to toe in rental clothes when it was 38 degrees. Yes, you have to be fully covered no visible tattoos or skin so we passed and went to a few of the other surrounding temples that are pretty impressive and also free entry. We stumbled across a great park where some local teens were practising a Christmas dance routine of all things I guess we got to see a pre-show which was a bonus.

Sadly while we were back in Thailand, there was a terror attack a little further south than us so to be on the safe side we stayed away from the tourist areas for a few days. After being on the road for six months it was nice to have our own space to just chill and relax in, the apartment was far too beautiful not to make the most of.

Myself and Ken did venture out back to Octave one night for buy one get one free cocktail as he had not been before, and the second time round was just as excellent as the first time I visited trust me don't bother with any other rooftop bars in Bangkok this one is by far the best.

I enjoyed Bangkok more the second time round, got the feeling of what it would be like to live there as we engaged a lot more with the locals regards to shopping and the gym and pool. We got a taste of normality what we used to do daily back home as we used the time to work on our blogs and Lauren used the time to draw and finish her journal.

It was like stepping back into reality because when you're travelling the reality which is an everyday working life disappears very quickly, you lose track of what day it is, what time it is and even what month you are in.

All in all, out of the South East Asian countries we visited Thailand for me was not all that special, I much preferred Laos and by far loved Vietnam more than anywhere. Don't get me wrong I am glad I have been as I would not have met the people I did and experience the things I experienced but for me, Thailand is far too touristy, and it has lost its charm and beauty. Vietnam for me has kept hold of his beauty and charm although some areas are being dragged into the black hole that is the tourist industry, for now, the vast majority of the country is managing to escape it.

I love South East Asia; I love the food, the people, the atmosphere I love how warm and friendly people are. It is a part of the world I will return to and spend more time there for sure as there are a few things on the old bucket list I didn't get the chance to do. South East Asia is a place where not a lot of people have an awful lot, but what they do have they are overjoyed with. They take such pride and happiness from the smallest of gestures; they live a life we as westerners have lost track of; they enjoy the simple things in life, family, friends, an evening meal together, the vast majority are not distracted by satellite TV, iPads, iPhones and Xbox's. It is refreshing to see children running about in the street being children.

There is an innocence about South East Asia a piece of innocence I love and a way of life I hope I take on my journey with me, seeing how happy people are with the basics in life and how much a sense of community means to them has opened my eyes more than ever.

Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, even you Cambodia, thank you for having me, thank you for helping me on this journey a journey that I have no idea when it will end or where I will end up.

Take Care

Richard :)