Day 8: And so this is a Bangkok xmas

Happy 25th December, however you choose to celebrate it!

We chose to celebrate it with a quiet dinner cruise on the Chao Phraya River, thinking it would be a simple, relaxed option, given that Thailand is a Buddhist country and all that. Of course, you’ve probably worked out by now that Thailand loves a party, and any excuse will do.

So, L and I, and thousands of complete strangers, took a river cruise, along with a DJ, a singer, two traditional Thai dancers, three cabaret performers, and a full complement of kitchen and waitstaff to manage about a ton of buffet. To clarify the exaggeration, I doubt it was actually thousands on the one boat, but given the company were running 3 boats at a time (so boarding/disembarking involved crossing multiple boats) there were quite a lot of folks on the river in close proximity.

So, maybe not so quiet.

The cruise was fun, Bangkok is a beautiful city from the river at night, there’s a gentle cool breeze, and the DJ and singer were enthusiastic if nothing else. The food was pretty good, though a little on the cold side (I’m not sure if they realise you can keep food warm in a bain, not just use it for presentation) but with a variety of Thai, Thai-influenced, and western fare (just avoid the creme caramel, after having a taste I cruelly and deliberately let L try some for herself, just to watch her expression; imagine insipid rubbery custard jelly, with a burnt sugar flavour). Another unintentional highlight was when the boat turned around with the help of a tugboat. L and I watched the tug get closer, wondering if we were going to collide, which we (gently) did. Only then did I realise this was intentional to help us turn around.

Other highlights of the day included a morning visit to the Terminal 21 mall, near our hotel. Each floor has a city theme, e.g. Rome, London, Tokyo, San Francisco, and is decorated accordingly, so London had a red phone box, SF had a model Golden Gate Bridge spanning the central atrium, etc. There was also a guy in a fake uniform by the entry metal detector, saluting shoppers, and a band playing xmas music. A proper, 20+ piece band, with a conductor and stuff, in a mall playing xmas songs. Maybe just a little OTT? Breakfast was a deep fried giant squid, or at least a squid cut so it looks like a giant version. I thought it was served on a stick, which would be cool (if a little messy to eat) but it came in a bowl, so minus a couple of points for that, and was quite tasty. It was a breakfast of last resort, however, as the regular street food vendoes must have decided it was a holiday for them.

L found a place 2 Sois away that had gluten free bread, so she’s happy.

We also had more massages, I had a great foot massage that definitely eased my poor overworked metatarsals. My calves are still quite sore in places and may need more work.

Tomorrow we say goodbye Bangkok and head out to Kanchanaburi, on the River Kwai, where we get to catch a rickety old train and meet elephants.