July 11 , 2026

My stay in Koh Chang is over. The same breakfast at the outdoor buffet along with the Germans in their late 40s with their obligatory younger Thai girlfriends in tow, the party years of the former evidently winding down, the Turkish family, a few scattered older Caucasian women, and even some locals. I run through the standard buffet options, then am back in my room, packing in preparation for the long road trip to Bangkok.

One last look at the shallow whitecaps flowing rhythmically toward the shore, a farewell to a rather ambivalent finale of my trip, and off to what I expect to be a regrettable postscript to my impromptu extended East Asia trip. I climb the access road to the main road, deposit by bags on the retaining wall, and wait for the shuttle bus.

There are only a few passengers in the minivan other than myself, an older Belgian-Thai couple and three younger locals. The Belgian man complains that driving in Thailand is dangerous, given that 50 to 60 people are killed on the road every day in the country. Thailand apparently has one of the highest road traffic mortality rates in Asia, ranking in the top 10 deadliest countries globally for road safety. Most of these accidents apply to motorcycles and scooters, which is believable, considering how irresponsible such drivers are here, never mind categorically not wearing helmets.

In contrast, I find that cars drive relatively sedately in the country. But overall it does seem difficult to believe, given how relatively law abiding and respectful drivers seem and how well-built the roads are. Perhaps the high incidence of traffic fatalities is due to the sheer per capita volume of drivers, given the vastly superior road system relative to other southeast Asian countries — and the inferior public transportation.

The environment en route doesn’t feature anything of the vaguest interest either, just endless commercial and agricultural sprawl with scattered residential settlements, with little evidence of any town centres, not that they would be remotely memorable, either.

As my conversation with the Belgian unfolds, it turns out that he is spry and lively in a quiet way, and has certainly lived a very colourful life. In the late 70s into the early 80s he lived in Venezuela, traveled extensively in South America, and saw a world that few contemporary travelers will have been privy to experiencing. Even then Colombia was dangerous he tells me, by far the most dangerous place in the region. Of course now that has changed somewhat, although the pristine nature of the places he experienced is long gone. I relate to some extent as I began traveling in Central America in the mid-80s, and it was an extremely different time. He also lived in Peru, where his prior wife originated.

We touched on other random places across the world he was familiar with; again, it seems incredible that he was able to have deep experiences in such diverse locales in the day. His most recent foray in the world is wildly divergent from the exotic locales he had experienced in the day, and yet in its own unique way extremely beautiful and memorable. He eagerly scrolls through the many photos he took of Norway, a country that is stunning, although the incredible landscape shots are predicated on the weather being good, and he is very lucky that it in fact was. Needless to say, the country is also very expensive … Well, when you have been everywhere and have the money — or know your remaining days are limited …

The trip to Bangkok seems interminable; despite having been aware of the length of time that it was expected to take, the actuality of having to sit for the length of time in the vehicle — even if it is relatively comfortable and spacious — makes the experience very onerous. At one point we veer northward from the east-west highway into a morass of freeway construction, weaving among enormous concrete pylons supporting floating concrete sections of the freeway being built.

The Belgian had indicated that we would arrive in Bangkok at dinner time, which I find hard to visualize, given how relatively little progress we have made into the mid-afternoon. But on the new section of highway that arcs northwest toward Chonburi and continues onward to Bangkok, we skirt Pattaya, offering a major time saving. I nevertheless would not advocate this road trip to anyone — just fly to Bangkok from Trat!

Time goes by as we race along the highway, eventually reaching the area of Chonburi, an overbuilt, utterly characterless, and seemingly interminable sprawl of crumbling residential buildings, sprawling factories, and warehouses. Back into the countryside, at some distance, the gargantuan industrial and commercial complexes reappear, heralding the vicinity of Bangkok, the otherwise empty countryside punctuated by distant residential pods. The airport is still some distance, but the buildup to the city is palpable.

At a toll gate, the heavens explode with a torrential downpour. I hope the rain doesn’t persist when I arrive in Bangkok, as I wanted to take in a final walk of the day in the immediate neighborhood of my hotel. But as outbursts of rain of this intensity go, they just don’t last, and by the time we reach the gargantuan airport, it has dissipated. The Belgian-Thai couple disembark, and we are off again, Bangkok still a long distance to the west, but we are resolutely in an urban environment, the city quickly morphing into a sea of glass and steel towers, even though we are not remotely close to the city yet.

Bangkok is enormous — metropolitan Bangkok has a population of just under 18 million, and easily spans well over 100 km. The concentration and size of the inner city is breathtaking …

As we hurtle westward into the bowels of the city, I wonder which neighborhoods that span to the east of the centre are worth exploring. There is no way of find that out from looking online, certainly not using English-language resources, as questions as to interesting areas of the city invariably yield the same formulaic dross. We continue our inexorable journey westward; I am hoping that the driver doesn’t decide to veer off, but unfortunately, as we come closer to the centre we do turn to the north, which means that we will be presumably be heading to Mo Chit bus station where the young Thais seated behind me may be traveling to.

Given that we are now deep in Central Bangkok, the traffic is utterly onerous and I see a significant portion of the evening slipping away from me, as we can hardly make much progress in such heavy traffic, despite the availability of freeways that thread through the entire city. We proceed onto some feeder road leading southwards, through Dusit, then onto the Democracy monument, and finally into the threadbare back lane where my hotel is located. This is definitely an unusual but an unexpectedly glamourous area in the vicinity of the historic and contemporary royal palaces and temples.

I had looked for a hotel that was near the Khao San road area, which I fundamentally can’t stand, but having lost a sense of granularity of the nature of the general area around the royal palace, it seemed to be the most viable geographical criterion. It seems that the better value character hotels are a short distance to the east, somewhat more expensive than the innumerable places immediately around Khao San road, and classier, certainly looking more impressive in their profile photos, but also with far higher ratings than their cohorts to the west.

The Siam Champs Elysees Unique Hotel may seem somewhat of a gaudy choice, but its pretentions at elegance are genuine, what with the imaginative decorative bric-a-bric in the lobby. The colonnaded facade features columns of square bays that extend from the front of the building at various depths, somehow reminiscent of the Hawa Mahal in Jaipur. Its location in a side alley is impeccable, next to the Royal Pavilion Mahajetsadabadin gardens, a stunning Buddhist temple on one side, and the brilliantly lit and visually arresting Democracy monument on the roundabout around the corner.

My room is on the third floor, the hallway stylish largely thanks to tasteful arrangement and cleanliness rather than the underlying preciousness of any furniture or decor. The same idea persists in the room itself, with a spacious entrance but inexplicably smaller bedroom niche. There is a window overlooking adjacent buildings, an AC unit that rumbles somewhat, good lighting and electrical, although the wifi seems to be a bit dodgy (that may have to do with my laptop). The bathroom is also somewhat spacious, the ceramic basin and colourful wall tiling lending an additional touch of elegance. Another elegant touch is provided by the coffered ceiling, although being lower is a major liability for a tall person such as myself. A large window looks out from the bathroom into the sleeping area. The downside to the room: the hard, king-sized mattress with no top … I am not completely taken by the hotel, as it has inconveniences that will impact the quality of my stay, such as a low ceiling and hard bed, but overall, I couldn’t be in a better location.

Outside the hotel, I am greeted by a serene nocturnal environment, the traffic on Ratchadamnoen Klang road muted, given the city block that separates it from the alley my hotel is set on. The elaborately sculpted golden spires of Wat Ratchanatdaram Worawihan, the Royal Pavilion Mahajetsadabadin, and the hilltop Wat Saket Ratchawora Mahawihan beyond create an impressive spectacle. The perimeter of Maha Chai road must be the locus of the remnants of the old city’s royal architecture, witness the quaint landscaped parks, the stately city wall, the Mahakan Fort park, all closing at this late hour, the dizzying array of alluringly illuminated historical architectural artifacts nonetheless utterly seductive.

The adjoining canal reveals a far more intimate residential world, the cramped housed and tiny side alleys cluttered with all manner of potted plants and overhead lighting exposing details that may not necessarily be evident in the ubiquitous light of day. The neighborhood’s character is underlined by the architectural details of the various bridges that span the canal and their reflections in the underlying placid waters. Tiny, artfully decorated eateries and coffee shops intermingle with the diminutive housefronts that line the narrow pedestrian passage that runs alongside the canal.

I continue on foot to the interior of this largely innocuous residential area, the roadsides crammed with three- to four-level apartment buildings of older and marginally-maintained vintage, the streets festooned with intricately-intertwined ribbons of powerlines, but even here, elaborate temples redolent in luminous cream and gold hold court over the more prosaic environs, and even the odd cultural entrepot, such as the Sala Chalermkrung Royal Theatre.

But where to eat? The main road I walk along has eateries of sorts, but none of them seem very appealing, either due to the limited fare, lack of clarity as to what is actually offered, high prices, dessert focus, and so. Small kiosks spanning the perimeter of the canal prepare the predictable style and range of dishes for modest prices, surprisingly low, considering the area, although the eatery that catches my attention sits at the corner of Ti Thong and the canal, with a small, cluttered storefront, large placards inscribed with images of dishes and their names in Thai and English, the tables lining the establishment almost fully occupied by locals and backpackers.

I sit at a table with two bright-eyed young women, heavily tanned and equally pretty, one from Málaga in Spain the other from Chile, the former on a longer trip through Southeast Asia with her family, having recently spent an extended period volunteering at an orphanage in Nepal, and following a short interlude in Thailand continuing to Malaysian Borneo, which I can of course provide ample recommendations for, then plans on returning to Nepal to continue her volunteer work. The other woman isn’t traveling for that long, although she moved overseas from her home country years ago, and has now used her countries of temporary residence as bases from which to travel far and wide. The two are staying in a hostel close by, presumably in the intimate warren of alleys that is far enough removed from Khao San road.