One thing must be said for the public transport in Bangkok and that is that it is excellent. This includes the bus service which is one of the cheapest ways to see the city. Going by bus will also give you an insight into the true Bangkok that perhaps you wouldn’t see if you were using other forms of transport.
Typical bus in Bangkok
Chinatown
UNUSUAL THINGS TO DO IN CHINATOWN BANGKOK
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Unusual Things to Do in Bangkok Chinatown
I have a very dear friend called Richard who I had the good fortune to meet at my favourite hostel in Bangkok. Since meeting we tend to hang out together whenever we coincide in the city. Now I have to tell you a little bit about this wonderful man. He is drop dead gorgeous (oh to be a hundred years younger) never mind, I won’t dwell on that thought, I will get on with this story. Apart from him having looks that make you go weak at the knees, he is also very friendly, extremely kind, outgoing and intelligent. On top of all these dons, Richard is an absolute expert on the buses in Bangkok. It’s is amazing! He knows all about the air-con buses, the fan buses, and the no air-con, no fan, nothing at all buses. This ma knows which number buses go to where and from what point they start and end. Plus, he will even tell you what rates they charge for your chosen journey! which by the way, is minimal.
I was aware of Richards great knowledge on Bangkok’s cheapest form of getting around the city. Naturally when he suggested that we take a wonderful ride from Sukhumvit to Chinatown to visit a fabulous Chinese restaurant, I was all for it. One bright, sunny Sunday about mid-day, found us waiting at the bus stop on the main road in order to catch the 205 bus. As luck would have it the number 45 arrived first. Strangely Richard informed that this would also take us to our destination. Confident in my friend’s knowledge, I happily boarded the bus. We spent a great time chatting and taking in the views of the city, and of course so looking forward to the yummy lunch. Forty-five minutes later (estimated time for arrival to our designated bus stop) there we were going through Chinatown. Richard assured me that he would know the point of decent as soon as he saw It.!
Well it was really odd!!! The stop that we were meant to get off at. Didn’t appear!! Now If Richard wasn’t such a crackerjack on the buses I would have thought he had made a mistake… but please! that was impossible, without question it had to be because the Thai bus driver didn’t know where he was going! Anyway, to continue we went the whole way through Chinatown and still no sign of our stop. I asked myself, “did they move the stop sign to some other part of town??” I mean, you never know what can happen in a city do you!!! As we were leaving that part of the district the bus conductor was giving us black looks and irately saying something in Thai. Which I interpreted that we had overstayed our journey for the fare that we had paid. Suddenly Richard had a brilliant idea! This was that we get off the bus and return to our starting point to wait for the 205 bus.
Believe me; it was at this point that I started to have serious doubts about my friend’s brain logic! I mean honestly, why we would go all the way back to Sukhumvit, when we so relatively near our destination! I might add that my poor little stomach that is so used to being fed regularly was starting to scream “Feed me woman I am famished” with all this in mind, I started to make tentative suggestions about trying to catch the 205 from a nearer point. Which in the end, was exactly what we did. Oh God you will never believe it. The flipping 205 had yet another bus driver who didn’t know where he was going… (please take note that if I wasn’t such a trusting soul, I might have thought that Richard was mistaken, but of course I knew that was impossible! and it was totally and unquestionably the bus drivers fault!”) Once again, we still didn’t pass the dam bus stop!!!
By this time, it is now about 3 o’clock in the afternoon and I am about to stab Richard to death as I am practically on the point of dehydration and starvation. Fortunately for my friend, just in time he saw that the usually happy backpacker granny’s face was transforming from sweet to sour and he realized it was time to simply go and eat just anywhe
Thank God, we finally ate at a little stall near the Grand Palace, it wasn’t the fabulous Chinese restaurant, but it was good and at that moment in time any form of alimentation was welcome. Once revived by food, I started to feel much better when my lovely friend Richard ventured to give me the option of either going back to our hostel by bus (excuse me! did I hear correctly? or catching the river boat and sky train… I will give you three guesses as to which option I took!!!!
Thank you, Richard, despite what I have written, I really had a great day riding around with you on the BKK buses. Take care and I love ye loads.
