Jan 8-14 2023 |
It was pretty much full-on expressway from Pattaya to Bangkok, double-deck type on the last 60 minutes of the ride. Bangkok traffic was easier to navigate than I expected, everything moving pretty fast, little of the notorious gridlock. It felt pretty cool to ride on Sukhumvit Road (which I started on east of Pattaya; it’s one of the world's longest roads), and then on to Soi 11 and Le Fenix hotel, my long-time stomping grounds. Side note: there was a farang moto rider on those roads that was riding like a complete maniac; I expect you will be reading about this person at some point soon, either for causing a major accident, and/or ending up dead.
I had a number of things to do in Bangkok. On Day 1, I rode to customs to extend my 30-day moto temporary import to match my 45-day tourist visa. Next, to my Thai bank across town at Khao San Road, to see if my 30-year-old account was still active (the bank is no longer there). On my way back to Soi 11, my engine started to overheat and my radiator was leaking (I had gotten a temp fix done on it in Siem Reap, but it didn’t last). So I rode straight to BMW Bangkok Motorrad (more below).
Ended up staying 6 nights at Le Fenix. It struck me how expensive this area is in Bangkok (the whole city, I guess), near Singapore prices for F&B. Le Fenix is still good value, but is looking very worn. One highlight was discovering Benchakitti Park near Soi 11; went jogging there, a 20,000 steps day. Another highlight was that my fave blues bar in Bangkok, (formerly Apotheke, beside Le Fenix) is still rocking amazing talent every night.
Regarding the moto: the BMW shop said it was going to take 7-10 days to get a new radiator. Not what I was hoping for, but needed to be done.
Thus, I had to make a quick decision: stay in Bangkok and wait it out; do a side trip in Thailand; or fly to another country. I spent my birthday Jan 12 stewing over plans, looking at Vietnam, Nepal, Indonesia. And decided on something interesting.
Ride: 145 km | 2.5 hrs
Stay: Le Fenix | $25 | 4/5
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