“You should skip Bangkok, it sucks” – an American friend casually spits as I consult with them on how to smartly spend my first ever visit to Asia, starting with Thailand. “It’s dirty, smoggy, busy and boring”. Oh, how wrong they were.
Bangkok blew my mind and not just because my expectations were set so low. The city of temples sent me into a spiritual whirlwind and left me feeling elated. Exactly the feeling I chase whenever I travel to a new country. A feeling you don’t get too often. Trust me.
And while it’s so easy to dismiss Bangkok for its unforgiving traffic, dilapidated buildings, and intimidating size, it’s impossible not to feel emotional when stepping into a temple built in ancient times, planted there to remind us all that we are nothing but peons in comparison to the Godly beings of the sky (which all the temples point upwards to).
Our TikTok obsessed modern day society wouldn’t know how to build an Ikea desk, let alone a gargantuan structure made of literal gold and emerald, fit for an emperor. I have officially deemed us useless by comparison to our ancient cultures. It’s both widely impressive and fucking sad. But yeah, skip Bangkok because “it sucks”.
My British travel buddy and I planned for a full 7 days in Bangkok before heading down to Phuket. In my mind, I was trying to find ways to shorten our time in the big city and hurry up to get to the beach. By the second day in Bangkok, I was looking to extend. The energy, the food culture, the mysticism, the traditions all reminded me of why I nomad: to be thrown. To grow. To get lost.
Our first temple visit was What Pho, the temple of the Reclining Buddha, which houses a 50 meter tall, 151 foot long gold Buddha inside. So tall, you have to recline to see it. Its relaxed gaze faces outward, gold plated, adorned with a traditional Thai crown and larger than life feet made of mother of pearl. Running alongside this impressive structure, are 108 bowls where tourists can place coins for good fortune. I swear the Buddha’s smile grows bigger with every donation.
I was jetlagged AF. My eyes were so puffy, they kept watering and my sunglasses kept fogging up from the never-felt-before-humidity. I cursed having to wear long sleeve overlays as I was sweating like a pig in heat but all of that didn’t stop me from wanting more. More temples, more lemongrass soup, more incense, more gold plated buddhas that made me question my existence.
My demands were met as we toured what became my favorite site in Bangkok: Temple Wat Arun. A jagged maze of triangular edges, jutting up into the heavens, set against the backdrop of the Chao Phraya River bank. Constructed of Chinese porcelain forming intricate mosaics and flawless patterns, it’s no wonder this is Bangkok’s most iconic temple. Perfectly manicured garden scapes frame Wat Arun, making you feel like you are entering a Thai Disneyland of sorts. It was so beautiful, it hurt.
“Let’s go get lunch where we can get a view of the river.” We plan. Shrimp Pad Thai, chicken satay with creamy peanut sauce, fresh coconut soup, cabbage stuffed summer spring rolls, mango sticky rice, thai iced tea, swirling, dancing spicy and sweet flavors filling up my tummy and my soul. What a privilege. What an absolute joyous feeling it was to sit on a rooftop and to gaze at history.
How dare they say “skip Bangkok”. Bangkok is a true traveler’s dream. If all you seek is a lazy beach vacation (there is nothing wrong with that) and only get to travel once a year, then sure… skip it. But if you seek culture, crave foreign flavors and are on a relentless pursuit for clues into the unknown, then much like the mysticism of Cappadocia or Milos, you MUST NOT SKIP BANGKOK! You should probably skip Kuala Lumpur…but I’ll get to that in another entry.
Barefoot in long, flowy white pants and a blue and white kimono, we were now touring one of the most astonishing attractions on day 5 of our trip: The Grand Palace of Bangkok, Wat Phra Kaew. Once the official residence of the King of Siam. Now, these royal grounds put Kensington Palace to shame. The bells… I could hear bells… let’s follow the bells…
Down a corridor around the back was an entrance to a large room inside the Palace, where dozens of monks were collectively chanting in a meditative state while tourists and locals listened. I tiptoed through the seated crowd and found a spot for myself on the floor, crossed my legs and looked around. Wow. What a room. What energy. What intensity. A local Thai woman bowing to (yet another) impressive Buddha statue. An American man chanting along in Thai. A Grandmother holding a sacred white lotus to her forehead, eyes closed, focused on an intent.
My heart. My soul. My insides started to erupt as tears fell down my cheeks involuntarily. Uncontrollably. I could taste the salt as they reached my lips.
Was I sad? Was something wrong? Nope. Simply not. I just felt it. I felt everyone around me. Their wishes, their prayers, their need for change and hope. Their desire to reach something greater than themselves, their connection to a higher power and most of all, their connection to themselves.
The chanting intensified. Louder. Faster. My tears kept flowing, as if the monks were literally pulling the force of water right out of my body. As if to be cleansed of all emotions, all hurt and even all happiness. While my mind could not understand their words, my body sure could. So instead of trying to stop my tears from falling, I let them flow freely down my cheeks and onto the red carpeted floor. Dropping in patterns and staining the carpet. I allowed myself to let go and succumb to the power of unity. If only for a moment, we were all there to unify under the power of something bigger than ourselves.
I bowed to the floor. Got up and tiptoed out of the room and back onto Palace grounds. I plucked a Lotus out of the communal vase, brought it up to my forehead and did something that I haven’t done in years: I prayed.
Oh Bangkok. How could anyone not enjoy this place? Look past the traffic and discover the maze of alleyways that lead you to the best meal of your life and costs you the change in your pocket. Look past the grime of the streets and glare upwards at the golden buddha wearing heavenly clouds as a crown. Ignore the noise of billions and tune into the meditative hums of wise monks who’ve dedicated their lives to an eternal inward search.
If you allow it to happen, Bangkok will delight all your senses and make you feel the most connected you’ve ever felt.
Never let anyone shy you away from a place just because it has a “reputation”. It’s easy to listen to those who have been there and done that and take their opinions seriously. And while you should hear them out and let them speak their minds, at the end of the day, travel is far too personal for it to be a one-size-fits-all experience. I had at least 5 different people tell me to “Skip Bangkok” and I almost did.
I am so glad I trusted my nomad instincts instead. Because now? Bangkok is one of my top 5 favorite cities in the world. It might just be that for you too!
Love always,
Your Digital Nomad
Sally/Saliet Golan
Got questions about travel? Hit me up! [email protected]
