HI Hostel YHA Thewet offered affordable and comfortable accommodation during my stay in Bangkok. It can be easily reached by numerous city bus lines. Taxi is of course faster, but you’ll need to negotiate a fare before getting into the taxi. That’s because most taxi drivers refuse to turn on the taxi meter which would usually be cheaper. Hostel’s great advantage is its 24-hour reception. I was kindly welcomed and didn’t expect such comfort. I was impressed by an attractively furnished room with all the colourful lights, bed linens, paintings hanging on the walls, and the furniture, reminiscent of the old colonial times. This isn’t your typical hostel, since all rooms have a private bathroom, a TV and air conditioning. Of course, there is also free internet. There are no dorms in the hostel. The largest room can accommodate up to four guests and is therefore suitable for families. They like to book the hostel because it’s hard to find such a room in the Khaosan area. Especially at such an affordable price. Surashing Waewtiangtam, the hostel manager, presented the efforts made by employees to attract new guests, mainly by raising the quality of service. A lot has been done in recent years, but there are still some unrealised plans left.
The hostel also doesn’t have a restaurant. And I didn’t miss it at all, since there’s a charming and inviting café a few metres away, and numerous restaurants come to life in the street in the afternoon that are typical for many parts of the city. There are also a few shops nearby as well as one of the largest food markets in this part of the city. A place where I treated myself to fresh fruit every day and particularly enjoyed mangosteen.
In the hostel’s surrounding area, you can learn about the life of ordinary Thai people, visit a few temples, the parliament, and one of the royal palaces. There’s also the National Library, a large modern building with elements of traditional architecture. There’s no admission fee and it’s interesting for foreigners because it’s one of the rare places that offers computers with internet access completely free of charge. All you need is an identity card.
One of the canals and the port at Chao Phraya river are located in the proximity. The metropolis was once interlaced with numerous canals with quite lively traffic. Unfortunately, the waterways are being filled and subsequently the moniker Venice of the Far East is fading. Floating markets used to be the main Thai attractions. Today, you can hardly find one in Bangkok. Discovering life by the canals is still interesting, though. The easiest way to do this is by renting a long-tailed motor boat. I had an authentic water experience thanks to Canal Tour Bangkok agency managed by Mr Chob who is really impressed by the beauty and traditions of Thailand. We went to explore the more peaceful life in Bangkok for hours. The image of stilt houses, temples, tropical orchid gardens, big fish, and lizards really made my stay in the city more interesting. It was then spiced up with a night cruise on the Chao Phraya river that included feasting on traditional Thai food. There are different agencies offering the cruise and it’s worth choosing a smaller boat for more genuine and intimate experience. Supanniga Cruise is one of the best choices, offering champagne with some of the cruises.
You can find the floating market in its full beauty a few hundred kilometres south from there. Damnone Saduak, as the place is called, comes to life in the early morning. There are female sellers sailing in from the side canals, dressed in black and wearing large hats that are protecting them from the intense sun. They sell mangos, pineapples, papayas, and other kinds of fruit and vegetables that would seem unusual and exotic to us. The swaying boats are loaded with fans, straw hats, clay pots, and similar items that the local housewives are so fond of. Floating kitchens with all those extremely hot Thai delicacies are also working their way through the bustling traffic. No one is complaining about the boats brushing up against each other in the crowd. The idyllic atmosphere dissipates only late in the morning when hordes of tourists flock to the market. Like irritating flies, they poke their noses everywhere and shoving their expensive photo equipment into the quiet sellers. Some disturb the peace and quiet with their loud motor boats, frantically clicking their camera shutters while hurrying forward on their strict course.
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