We Travel Back To Bangkok: The Last Days In Thailand   Recently updated!

The End of Our Journey Through Southeast Asia – The Long Road Back to France

Our minivan journey up to Bangkok took about five hours, with a break at a roadside station where we enjoyed a delicious bun stuffed with black bean. Eventually, we arrived at the insanely busy Mochit New Van Terminal in Bangkok. The heat was intense—we had left the coast behind and were now in the heart of a mega-city. As I stood sweating on the side of the road while AP frantically tapped away on his phone to order a Grab, a kind security guard offered me a seat. Such lovely people.

It wasn’t long before our Grab arrived, whisking us off to our hotel, Alley and Pier, in our favorite part of Bangkok. We’ve been coming to this area for over 15 years, and it always feels a little like coming home. Having stayed at Alley and Pier before, it has become our go-to place in the city.

After checking in, we headed downstairs for a much-needed coffee at Coffee Context, a place that serves superb brews. Following a bit of rest in our room, we ventured out for a pre-dinner drink at the Sheepshank Public House, a fantastic spot right on the Pra Arthit River, just a few steps from our hotel.

Sitting by the river with a cool gin and tonic in hand, we watched the vibrant river traffic—long-tail boats skipping along, ferries shuttling passengers up and down, and enormous barges being towed by tugs. The energy of the river never ceases to amaze me.

After our drinks, we made our way to one of our all-time favorite restaurants and one of the main reasons we return to Bangkok—Hemlock. We’ve been dining at Hemlock for as long as we’ve been coming to Bangkok, and not a single thing has changed. The menu remains long and diverse, and the food is always excellent. My favorite dish is Miang Kum—a delightful combination of lime, ginger, peanuts, dried shrimp, dried coconut, and chili, all chopped finely and wrapped in a Piper leaf. A generous spoonful of sweet herb sauce completes the bite. It’s absolutely delicious! I also adore their banana flower salad and yellow curry.

We indulged in a feast before heading back to our room, where we slept soundly. The next morning, we enjoyed another round of coffee at Coffee Context before heading to another of our favorite restaurants for lunch. We ordered a comforting bowl of wonton noodle soup, crispy fried tofu, and succulent pork ribs, all washed down with cold ginger tea. Yet another delicious meal to remember.

After lunch, it was time to begin our journey to the airport. Since we had an early flight the next morning, we opted to stay at an airport hotel for our final night in Southeast Asia. We arrived at the Sinsuvarn Airport Suite Hotel in the mid-afternoon and checked into our room. This hotel has been part of our travel routine for years. We remember when it was a lonely, basic hotel surrounded by rice paddies, but over time, it has transformed into a modern, more upmarket establishment with a pool and a decent restaurant, now surrounded by apartments and other hotels.

We had a pleasant dinner before heading to bed early—we had an extremely early start ahead of us.

The Journey Home Begins

By 4 AM, we were up and on the hotel shuttle bus to the airport, along with a surprising number of other travelers. A few hours later, we were taking off from Bangkok, bound for Doha, Qatar. We had decided to take advantage of Qatar Airways’ offer of a free stopover, which gave us a brief but much-needed break from our long journey home.

After a comfortable seven-hour flight, we landed at Doha’s Hamad International Airport, made our way through customs, and caught a cab to our hotel, the Crowne Plaza. The hotel itself was nice, but the real luxury was simply being able to get off the plane and spend the night in a proper bed. After a relaxing dinner and a comfortable night’s sleep, we returned to the airport, ready for the next leg of our journey—Athens.

At just four hours, the flight to Athens felt blissfully short compared to our previous one. And just like that, we were back in Europe. Yay, Athens!