Bangkok, Thailand

For the next few weeks my blog will be from Thailand, a big change from South Africa!

So my first 2 days in Bangkok have surely been adventurous even though I was fighting off a bit of Jetlag yesterday! I woke up quite early yesterday morning since I had slept some on the plane, throwing off my sleep schedule. I took my first outdoor shower, which was actually quite nice (all showers here are on the cold side). The breakfast at Suk 11 (my hostel) was fantastic. Lots of fresh cut fruit - most of it I could not tell you what it was! I think there was some sort of apple-dealy but I did not enjoy it, then watermelon, papaya or mango - I cannot tell - and pineapple. They also served toast with jam and coconut/strong tea spread. There was also a small dish with little ball of something at the bottom - one was sweet potato and the other was something strange that I did not eat - but ontop you were to pour a coconut milk and sugar mixture and it was delish! I sadly passed on the black squid option, not quite to that adventure level yet :(

After breakfast I was off to tackle Lonely Planet's suggested walking tour of the important sights to see in Bangkok. I took my first shot at the SkyTrain without any mixups - its very similar to the El in Chicago. Once I made my transfer and stopped at Saphon Taksin I then boarded the Chao Phraya River Tour Boat - which I was goaded into doing by a lady standing there and overpaid, but I learned from my mistake (and it was only 150Baht which is close to $5 for a day pass on all boat ferries). Lonely Planet suggested starting at Tha Chang, but the ferry I boarded did not stop there so I got off at the stop just before it and took a little stroll along the markets. They sell almost anything you could ever imagine there, its very strange. Normal stuff like t-shirts, sunglasses, bags etc but also phone chargers and anything that may have come from the bottom of someone's purse. Great WEGs I must say! haha. I wish I would have taken pictures or written down what some of the strange things were. They also sold an amazing amount of food. I could tell you there was fruit and fish but the specifics of those or anything else they were selling is beyond my Thai vocab. They also sell soda and once sold they put ice and a straw in a plastic baggie, pour the soda in that, and you drink out of it instead of a bottle, funny eh? I did not get one as I was unsure of the ice safety!

My first official site was Thammasat University and it was very tranquil with pretty foliage. Then I walked and stopped at a small temple, took some pictures outside, but did not go in. It was called Wat Mahathat. From there I went to what is likely the most famous spot in Bangkok, Wat Phra Kaew temple and Golden Palace. I didn't pay the 350 B to go into the Palace but took pictures of the beautiful architecture and landscape where I could.

From there I went to the home of Bangkok's City Spirit, Lak Meuang. It was beautiful although I felt as though I was stepping into a ritual that was likely meant to be more private. Then I paid to enter Wat Pho to see the golden Buddhas lining the square and to see the humongous Reclining Buddha, I had to take 9 length-wise photos to capture it all!

I decided at this point it was time for lunch so I re-boarded the boat to head back. In the midst of the journey the guide mentioned that the Rachawongse stop would be the place to unboard for Chinatown. So I figured I might as well try to find one of the Lonely Planet suggested lunch spots. Well, that ended up being a poor choice! I walked for what seemed like forever through crowds of people on the smallest sidewalks lined with vendors. It was incredibly hot and it had been about 5 hours since Id eaten so I was getting nervous that my body needed some fuel. Well I ended up getting quite lost and just popped into the first restaurant I saw with English written food options. I ordered a chicken mushroom and bamboo noodle dish and it came to the table and I knew immediately I was not going to enjoy it one bit. It had brown sauce all over it and the texture was just too slimy for me to handle, so I ate 3 bites and paid and left! I found my way back to the boat after a nice woman in the restaurant tried to help me with her limited English. I got back onto the boat and returned to the SkyTrain.

Since I had a bit of a frustrating morning, I decided to take a stop at the popular (and very European) Siam Square. I had a croissant and soup to ensure I had some food in me, I figure I'll get more adventurous as the days go on. I made it back to Suk 11 and decided to take a nap which turned into sleeping through the night, I guess my jetlag was worse than I thought!

DAY 2

Today I woke up at 5 in the morn since I went to sleep so early! So I got showered and got ready and headed out early for my next adventure. I decided I would try something a little different and try to make my way to the island in the river/canal of Bangkok, Ko Kret. I took the same ferry (only the cheaper option) all the way to the last stop (about an hour boat ride). When I boarded the ferry a very sweet woman asked me if I spoke English and asked if she could sit with me to practice hers! She is an secondary school English teacher and has a nephew living in New York right now who is visiting next month, so practice was a good thing! She gave me some tips on the area and at the end of our conversation she gave me her phone number and email so I may have a new penpal :) Her Thai nickname was Pui and her English name is Tina.

I made my way to the last stop Tha Nonthaburi. Once I got off I was unsure of what to do to get to Ko Kret as I knew it was another boat away and I had read that there were tours you could arrange. I guess since there were not many people even unboarding when I did, this was not a common tourist spot. A man offered to take me to Ko Kret by long boat for 700B. I think I probably could have bartered with him since this was a pretty high price but oh well! I took him up on his offer and had a fabulous boat trip to the island. He said he would wait for me where he dropped me off and that I had 2 hours to explore the island. I walked off unsure of where to go and just started exploring! I stumbled upon a shop renting bicycles, so of course I rented one for 40B and got a map of the island. The trail was a large circle, kinda like Mackinaw Island. It seemed to me like I was seeing the real Thailand on this excursion and the people were incredibly friendly. I was one of maybe 6 other tourists on the island, which was wonderful. I even had 2 15 year old boys following me for a while, only one spoke any English so I managed that their names were something like Boi and Mey?! They were sweet.

My boat driver was exactly where I left him on my return and after a quick trip to my first stand and squat, no toilet paper, bathroom, we were on our way back to the Tha Nonthaburi stop and reboarded the hour long ferry. All in all the trip was an hour and a half each way, but well worth the scenery and the atmosphere! On my way back I stopped for some Thai ice cream and explored some of the vendors close to my hostel. Now I am sitting at an outside restaurant enjoying my first drink in Thailand and the weather is beautiful! The past two days its been so humid that just by moving I sweat, its not even all that hot exactly, its just the humidity.

Tomorrow I am off to get a traditional Thai massage and eat at a recommended stop through Lonely Planet, Cabbages and Condoms - profits go towards sex education and aids prevention programs in Thailand. After that I will be taking the overnight bus to Nakhom Phanom to see Caitlyn :) Can't wait!