So I got off the train from Chiang Mai at 7.10am, grabbed a taxi to the one super nice hotel i’m staying in, in Bangkok. I have to leave the next day at 4am so I’m not sure how much I’ll enjoy it but I am looking forward to the shower. I also have about 7000 Baht to spend today because I have no plans of changing money back 🙂
The Shangriala Bangkok is beautiful – it is obviously built for wealthier people, and the first hotel that I have to go through a security check every time I entered. I can’t checkin yet but can leave my luggage. I love that there our flowers everywhere.
Flowers everywhere 
Breakfast on the river
Then I jump on my motorcycle taxi to the Onsen for my 10am Spa and Onsen appointment. At this point I’m using motorcycles as a passenger a lot because they are cheaper – 100 baht pretty much anywhere and much faster.
The Kashikira onsen and Spa was awesome. This isn’t traditional as it’s not a hot spring and I had a private experience. First of all I went in and was served Tea. They then take you to a room where you change into a “Obi” I believe its called. It’s at this point I should point out you are naked underneath this, I am a big man, this is not a big robe and the belt isn’t long enough to tie traditionally so its sitting more like a dressing gown cord. At this point I am terrified in a modest country of accidentally exposing all my goodies to a world. No-one wants Thai women screaming and running away or them thinking I want a different service and the police getting called.
So I change and get taken to the onsen. So you sit on the stool and wash yourself fully, twice. I don’t know why 2 stools because I don’t think anyone could fit in it with me. Hey, if they are thai though….
So you sit on the wooden bench and acclimatize and enter the water, you sit there for 10 minutes, get out and have a cold shower and get back in. You do this 3 times in the 45 minute session.
After that you get taken to the massage room, you lie face down on the table and then the lady takes off your robe. Or would if you were small, with me it was like a tiny animal trying to strip a whale. I had to do a lot of movement to help (while desperately keeping a towel positioned over the ‘key’ areas). Luckily the fact I could laugh I think relaxed the lady. I was then massaged with oil and bamboo for an hour followed by a 60 minute thai massage. It wasn’t a deep massage but very relaxing.
View of the Spa 
From the seats outside 
I pretty much feel like that hippo, or imagine certain friends looking like that here 
I get a drink and then to choose the oils for my bath and massages 
Totoro gives me a look 
To the dressing room 
I love this light 
In my robe 
The walkway to onsen 
The hot water onsen 
Why 2 seats? It could fit two thai people 
Instructions 
Proof I am in the Onsen 
Please note for certain people the hello kitty tissues 
Tea, Water melon and green tea cake 
I then travelled over to cabbage and condoms which is a restaurant which is owned by a charity in Thailand and does a lot to fund sex education and services in Thailand. It was recommended by several websites. As you can imagine everything is condom related. Instead of mints at the end of the meal, rather than mints, you receive condoms.
Rather than mints you get condoms 
Then I had a drink at their little coffee shop – it was a mixed berry drink. It was delicious
So walking back towards a busy street I passed the Emporium mall. Why would you have a waterfall and jungle plants on your mall on the outside? The mall next door doesn’t so we should!!!
The Shangria la has a nice little guide on Thai fruit that I wished I had seen earlier
After this it was off back to the hotel for a little rest, the hotel had AWESOME water pressure (rare here) and hot water!
Then back out to Siam central for Ice cream, I failed to get the ice-cream as I was going to a specific ice-cream store and it wasn’t there anymore.
I then wandered Soi cowboy which is a famous street which is a mix of red light district/bars. It was listed as one of the things one should see. It was opened up by a black “cowboy” who’d been an American airman on a base here during Vietnam. I did have a beer in my first and last ever go-go bar visit, the go-go show was a bunch of 15 women on a small stage holding poles on a little stage swaying in swimsuits with numbers on the swimsuits.. you know why…so I don’t need to tell you. When I say swaying, it was more like rocking side to side, like a group of small rodents rocking apathetically. The audience was men just staring at them or talking to bar girls while little mamasan’s ran around making sure you were having drinks or if you needed company. Either way you needed to be spending money.
I then also sat outside one of the bars (which were coed tourist) – please don’t think these streets are just men its a tourist attraction. Here’s the photo
So having done the touristy thing I went and got a motorbike taxi back to the hotel.
Dinner was room service, butter chicken masala and naan bread with water. Delicious.
At 3.15am back up and then 3.45am my taxi to the airport
I flew out of BKK on ANA (Japan Air) to Naruto Japan. I will say my patience is growing limited with the young male Indian travelers in Thailand. I know lots of Indian’s who are awesome and awesome at travel and respect, but I’ve run into several young Indian men here who have littered, queue jumped and just acted like…… In immigration 2 young men basically just decided they could bypass the line, walked down next to everyone and just tried to jump in. A older Japanese man (another traveler) stepped in front of them and pointed back to the line and sent them back. I was so proud of that man. As you can see this really bugged me.
Then for my plane change to Washington DC, then Columbus. I did manage to get some Sushi (only food available) in the United Club, so technically I’ve had sushi in Japan.
I don’t feel this is really Akibara 
Girl in Obi
Anyway – back to the USA….