We arrived back in Bangkok early on New Year’s Day for round two. With just four days left — and a painfully early flight out on the 5th — we decided to pick up the pace and see how much we could cram in before heading back to Tajikistan.
Luck was on our side right away. Our reserved room was ready early, and we were able to check in immediately. We were within easy walking distance of both the Grand Palace and Wat Pho, along with several other temple compounds and old parks tucked into the surrounding neighborhood.
Walking through those nearby parks, we quickly discovered that the famous Asian water monitor population wasn’t confined to Lumphini Park. The kids were thrilled to learn that all it took was a one-block walk to observe these prehistoric-looking reptiles going about their business.
The rest of that first day was spent wandering aimlessly — exactly the way Bangkok rewards best. We ducked in and out of back alleys, stumbled across tiny street markets, and eventually met up with our buddy for dinner at a Chinese restaurant my wife had found online that came highly recommended by the local Chinese community: Hia Lek Chinese Soup Phahurat.
It’s a small spot, but absolutely worth seeking out. Crispy pork, rich soup dishes, and every side we ordered was excellent. And because fate has a sense of humor, there happened to be a Swensen’s inside the nearby mall — so of course, we made another stop.
Temples (and Getting Templed Out)
The next day, it was time to introduce the kids to two places you really do need to see at least once: the Grand Palace and Wat Pho. I’d taken my wife there back in 2009 on her first Thailand trip, so she opted out this time and spent the morning exploring solo.
We hit the Grand Palace first, mostly because there’s very little shade and Bangkok heats up fast. The kids enjoyed looking around, but I could tell they were getting templed out fairly quickly. We strolled over to Wat Pho, where there’s far more shade, and spent time wandering the grounds at a slower pace.
They liked the reclining Buddha, admired the architecture, but what really grabbed them were the endless mural-covered walls. Wild stories told through paint — dramatic battle scenes, plenty of gore and carnage — those held their attention far longer than gilded spires ever could.
Markets, Buffets, and Poor Decisions
On our third day, we moved into another excellent Airbnb — a narrow, cozy three-story house with all the amenities and super soft beds. The kids were ecstatic to discover a TV with Netflix so they could catch up on the finale of Stranger Things.
A fantastic street market sat nearby, overflowing with food, and that evening we headed about ten kilometers away to the Kodtalay Riverfront Seafood Buffet. It’s a great spot on the east bank of the Chao Phraya River, and the food was excellent.
That said, it reminded me exactly why I don’t usually go to buffets.
You get a three-hour window. I made full use of it.
Huge plates of sashimi. A whole steamed sea bass with Thai herbs. Crab curry. Repeat. I’m getting ill just writing this. It was a night-ender.
Chatuchak and One Final Push Too Far
We finished the trip on Sunday roaming the Chatuchak Weekend Market, north of the city. It’s one of those places you could easily get lost in — and we nearly did.
Somehow, despite the previous night’s display of unabashed gluttony, we found our appetites again and ate our way through the market as well. Being the last day, I couldn’t help myself. Whenever I spotted one of my favorite foods, I ordered it.
The kids were fascinated by shops displaying massive pinned insect collections, as well as stores selling live reptiles — hundreds of snakes, lizards, and monitors packed into small spaces. They follow reptile breeders on YouTube and knew exactly what they were looking at.
“Dad, look at these! They’re a very rare type of lizard in the reptile trade and start at around $3,000 USD. There are twenty of them in this cage! Can we move to Thailand??”
Store after store, that was the theme.
That evening, after the kids settled in with another episode of something on Netflix, my wife and I slipped out for one final visit to Chinatown Bangkok. One last chance to eat food that would soon be unavailable to us again.
I ate and drank my way through Chinatown like a man who hadn’t seen food in days.
Big mistake.
The Longest Night
We got back around 11:30 p.m. and started packing. The taxi was due at 4:30 a.m. I crawled into bed and about ten minutes later realized something was very wrong. The room started to spin. I turned green.
I’ve always prided myself on having a cast-iron stomach, but it had been a while since I went that deep into the street food.
What followed was four and a half hours of violent illness, broken only by short, sincere prayers asking for it to end before our 17-hour journey home began.
Miraculously, by 4 a.m., it did.
I pulled myself together, made the ride to the airport, and somehow held it together the entire way home. In hindsight, I’m pretty sure it was over-indulgence rather than food poisoning — a valuable reminder that wisdom sometimes arrives late.
Next time, I’ll approach the final day a little wiser.
Wise Clan in Stanland 
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