Koh Tao to Bangkok | Thailand

After Phangan we hit Koh Tao and stayed in Sairee Beach. We stayed at Amonrada House which was simple and small but at least had A/C for under $30/night. It's a short walk from the beach and close to several restaurants. We hit some rain here so I was weary to bring my camera out and only got a few shots of a nearby patch of palm sprawl. This was our last island hop for Thailand and we made the treacherous  journey back to Bangkok which took around 10 hours. We took a ferry to Chumphon then caught a bus back to Bangkok. We made it back to Bangkok around 9pm. Another full day of transportation!

While we had stayed in the Khao San area of Bangkok last time, we opted to stay in Sukhumvit where we would have easy access to the sky train.

It has a more downtown, city feel, but we were missing the quaintness of the small Khao San streets.

While we love Thai food, I stumbled upon the perfect non Thai place for dinner one night. Ronny's New York Pizza. Two things I was missing at the moment: Pizza and New York. Done. Let's go. We finally find it among the fleshpot of Nana Plaza and go to town. It even feels and looks a bit New York-ish.

Big apple or Bangkok?

 So our Thailand adventure ended with New York spirit! Next up? Cambodia!

Floating Market | Bangkok, Thailand

We couldn't leave Bangkok without visiting the the famous floating market, Damnoen Saduak. It's about two hours outside of Bangkok, and while it's 100% touristy, it's also 100% photogenic if you can get shots without several tourists in the background.

FISH SPA | Bangkok, Thailand

When I think of going to a spa, I usually think of getting a relaxing massage or calming treatment that has me lingering in a state of nirvana. The fish spa is not my gateway to nirvana. Not at all. This coming from a Pisces.

The fish are supposed to eat your dead skin skills as to clean your feet, but I am not into being fish food. Read about the history of the fish spa here.

Rick goes first as he has done this before and I use the 15 minutes to work up the courage to stick my feet into an aquarium of hungry fish.

Now these fish have a foot fetish.

It's my turn and the evidence of discomfort is all over my face. Countless fish gnawing at my dead skin cells does not feel good. Beauty is pain? Has it been 15 minutes yet? Help! This is like tickle torture!

The good news is I survived without peeing myself.

And now, enjoy 1 minute at a fish spa near Khao San Road in Bangkok...

FISH SPA from Nomadic-Habit on Vimeo.

The Grand Palace | Bangkok, Thailand

The last post was an intro to Bangkok through the eyes of the i-phone and now here is The Grand Palace and Wat Pho (temple of the reclining Buddha) through the lens of my digital SLR. Everything is ornate and beautiful.

I'm feeling golden.

Bangkok is hip(stamatic)

When we bought our tickets to Bangkok, we had no idea that the city would be in a state of emergency or that there would be mass protests leading up to the election. Leaving out of Colombo Airport was swift and painless (we were used to Indian airports that are painfully slow and inefficient) and my belly was eager to get to Bangkok.

Upon arriving, we found little disruption or signs of a city in turmoil, though we were staying in backpacker central near Khao San Road. We arrived at New Siam III Guest House to find consistent hot water, air conditioning, wifi that worked, and 1 double bed instead of my pet peeve of 2 twins pushed together. I can't even remember when we had all these amenities in one place. So we started to feel a bit more civilized and hit the streets so we could promptly eat our faces off. Yum Yum Tom Yum.

You also know you've been backing for quite some time when two people who hate malls are not only excited to go to one, but spend all day there. By this time we needed to chuck some clothes that were starting to look like sad, discolored, tattered things and we went to the mall for a little wardrobe update. I sent everything I bought from India home, so clearly my backpack needed some replenishing.

Here is an introduction to Bangkok via our shots from the hipstamatic i-phone app.

What's to come? The Grand Palace, The Floating Market, and a fish foot massage?