Thailand 2005-2006 Home Base and Eldertreks Tour

Royal River Shuttle Boat


Royal River Hotel

Awake at 6A.M. to watch the sunrise from our bed, we had a relaxing breakfast before we caught the Royal River Shuttle boat to River City Center. This ride was luxurious compared to the public water taxi. The remarkable views from the Chao Phraya River include stunning historical wats, palaces and pagodas between the modern hotels and shopping centers. From River City Center Bob steered us to New Road, lined with silver and jewelry shops. We found the Bronze Factory where Bob had picked up some stainless steel cutlery for Paul Templeton last January. Good quality and prices were irresistible this time, too. After Ann found some Nike Sox for her sore feet we walked to the Sky Train Station where we caught a train to the Weekend Market.

Colorful and peopleful, this Market is one of Bob’s favorite destinations in Bangkok. First stop: lunch at a sidewalk kitchen, cheap and palatable, though some extra negotiation was required for Bob to get his Thai iced coffee. Ann drank beer hoping to reduce the effects of the sidewalk sanitation. All of Bob’s favorite Market features were as colorful and amazingly cheap as promised, from hundreds of gorgeous displays of fresh produce to the huge section filled with pet vendors, we squeezed through the crowds of Thai shoppers to gawk endlessly and eventually buy bananas! A bargain taxi ride back to the hotel completed our tour. Ann found the hotel pool and Bob investigated Thai massage possibilities.

Dinner across the river at the Laloang Home Kitchen was a Thai experience of another kind. This casual, open-air seafood restaurant on the River serves mostly locals. We enjoyed a good meal and along with large families seated around us we were entertained by the over-the-top antics of our gay waiter. We could have been in the Castro. As Bob learned on his first Thai trip cross dressing ‘girlie men’ are quite accepted here as well. It felt a bit surreal, but it was fun.