The First Day in Bangkok!

Hey-oh! I am currently sitting in a nice, air-conditioned Internet shop on Khaosan Road, the heart of backpacker-ville in Bangkok, Thailand! I only arrived yesterday after something like 16 hours on airplanes. I finally arrived at the Suvarnabhumi (say that six times fast) airport two nights ago at midnight, and then had to camp out on one of their hard-metal benches until 5:30 the next morning, when I would (supposedly) be able to catch the airport express shuttle, which conveniently stopped right outside my hostel. Needless to say, I didn't get any sleep, and then to top it all off, the bus didn't come until 7:30. By that time, I was starting to feel a little crazy.

When I was finally able to leave the airport, I was blown away by the sights we passed as we drove into the city. The contrast between old and new is stunning. There are little tiny wooden shacks situated within meters of modern, shiny skyscrapers. To be completely honest, the modern buildings don't do all that much for me, but I love seeing the little houses and the older apartments...they have a lot more character. The contrast between old and new, as well as the style of buildings and roadways - and the driving - reminds me a little bit of Quito, Ecuador. One thing I've noticed is that in all of the older apartment buildings is that on almost all of the balconies, there are shirts hanging out to dry. I absolutely love the sight of this...I'm not sure why exactly, but I think it's beautiful.

Upon arrival in Khaosan, I took some time to walk through the road and check out the market. It's a little bit overwhelming to constantly have pesky tuk-tuk drivers coming up to you and saying, "Hey pretty lady! You need ride?" I've found that if you smile, say a simple "No" and keep walking, they'll get the point and leave you alone. All in all, I've felt quite safe so far in Bangkok, despite the constant chaos.

Within hours of arriving, myself and another single traveller were given a deal by a taxi driver: we could pay 1, 500 baht (about $40, or $20 per person) to take a day trip out of Bangkok to Wat Asokaram, for three hours. I decided to go for it, since it was a place I probably wouldn't be able to see otherwise. It definitely offered a contrast from Bangkok. Instead of constant hustle and bustle, it was peaceful, with monks walking around, running water, and the cutest little dogs sleeping all over the place! There were amazing Buddhist temples and statues of Buddha everywhere...the likes of which I had only seen in pictures. I also noticed that all of the pictures in the temple featured people working, families and celebration instead of the constant doom and suffering painted in all of the churches in Europe. There was one gory picture of a man being eaten by an alligator in the temple...ah well.

Afterwards, we headed back to Bangkok. Since I hadn't eaten since that morning, I took a chance and bought a delicious pad Thai off the street for less than a dollar! I've been feeling fine all day. The key to buying from food stalls is to go where other people are going, as this indicates how safe the food is. After eating, a tuk-tuk driver offered me a three-hour tour for only 20 baht. This seemed a little suspicious to me, so I politely declined, and instead, headed to a travel agency just outside of the Khaosan area to book my trip to Krabi (gra-bee). Khaosan road is peppered with travel agencies, but all of the prices they offer are too good to be true...which they are. I ended up paying 1, 500 baht for a night bus from Bangkok to Krabi, leaving tomorrow. From there, I head to the amazing Railay Beach for some rock climbing. A shout out to my brother Sam...if it weren't for him, I wouldn't have even heard of Railay, and now it's one of the places I'm looking forward to the most on my whole trip!

So far, despite being a little stressful and always on the move, Bangkok is a friendly, safe city, with endless things to do and see. The only real complaint I have is the bed at my hostel: it is as hard as a rock...literally. However, delicious food in the restaurant downstairs and friendly staff definitely make up for it. Last night, I went to bed at 7:00pm, intending to lay down for a minute, and found myself waking up 13 hours later. Now I feel a little less jet-lagged and ready to do some more exploring. I leave at 5:00pm tomorrow, and arrive in Railay by noon or 1:00.

I'll start uploading pictures as soon as a) I take a few more and b) I can find a USB plug.

Questions? Comments? Criticisms? I'd love to hear them all!
the-wanderingjew@hotmail.com