One Night in Bangkok and the World's Your Oyster...But I Recommend Two!

After soaking up so much peace and stillness in tiny Laem Ngop—where there was nothing to do but relax—we spent a couple of days and nights in Bangkok’s city center before leaving Thailand.

Bangkok is a beautiful, bustling city, and it felt like going from 0 to 100. We loved a local market under the freeway where we ate lunch—it was surprisingly clean and packed with authentic Thai options! I wanted to try everything, but we just didn’t have the time. Later, we went to a night market that was crowded and overwhelming but also full of delicious things to eat.

We also found a great breakfast spot called Breakfast Story, owned by a Canadian man. After three and a half years living outside the U.S., I don’t always realize what I’m missing—until it hits me hard! I’ve been to plenty of diners trying to recreate the food and feel of North America throughout my travels, but nothing compares to this place.

Every detail made me feel cozy and at home, especially the “choose your own cup” coffee station when you order the "Bottomless Cup of Joe!" Unfortunately, I was enjoying myself so much that I forgot to take food pics and only thought of photos after we ate. The cute sign in the bathroom was just one of the little details that transported me back to my former life! I took a picture of the water-recycling bathroom sink/toilet because I thought it was a great idea—we should all have one! When you scroll through the slideshow it may not seem like much, but believe me when I say every detail felt like the best of home, and I walked away feeling very happy.

We got to meet another of my English students in Bangkok! This meeting went very differently than when I met Bjorn in Paris. Ian is a funny, sweet, and energetic 5-year-old boy I meet with a couple of times a week online. He’s the little boy on the left in this picture. Next to Ian is his mom, then his friend Ethan and Ethan’s mom, and Ian’s dad. On the table you see Kiki, Ian’s sister (who Ian and I call his velociraptor). Ian’s family planned their trip from China to Bangkok to see friends based on the dates I would be there. We (including Ian) were all very excited to get the chance to meet in person... until it actually happened. Ian took one look at me and refused to make eye contact after that. I think he didn’t believe I existed outside of his computer! It was a lot like when you’re a little kid and you see your classroom teacher in the store—they just don’t belong there! We all hung out for a couple of hours and chatted while Ethan and Ian played. A few days later, when we met online again, it was like nothing had even happened!

I’m not usually one to care much for mall culture, but Bangkok was on a different level. We hopped on the train and got off after a stop or two. From there, we stayed above the busy city streets on a wide walkway that went on and on, constantly branching off to malls and shops. Everything was so clean and abundant. We were feeling a little tired and had to kill some time before our flight, so Chelsea and I took in a movie. We polished off a bigger bucket of popcorn than we’d ever attempted before—and we have zero regrets!

This was just a brief sampling of what we did. Twenty-six days in Laem Ngop left us well-rested, while just two days in Bangkok had us overstimulated and joyfully exhausted by the time we got on the plane headed for our next country.