Welcome to Bangkok

So, I finally made it! And thus begins my 2 month (at least) journey through Southeast Asia. I’m not going to lie, I was a lot more scared than I let on before I left.  The 27 hour and 20 minute plane ride that I took (via Anchorage and Taipei) also gave me a great deal of time to think about what could go wrong. What if I lost all my stuff? What if I got robbed? Was sold into the sex trade? Of course my flight out of JFK was delayed although it didnt really matter since I was stopping twice anyway. So I decide to sit down for a drink at the bar that’s right by my gate to relax and have my last watered-down Bud Lite in America. I guess the bartender didn’t get the idea that I just wanted to cool it before my flight and started telling me about a person she knew who went to Turkey alone, went to a bar, and woke up naked in a dumpster. Thanks bartender! You really helped me out there! Doesn’t she realize that people drink so that they DON’T have to worry about things such as this.

When I stepped onto the plane that I was to be on for the next 27 hours, I was shocked/saddened/enraged to find out that there was NO PERSONAL TV and I was sitting next to a man that did not speak English. I’m not in Bangkok yet, I still want my luxuries!  So after many awkward tosses and turns, babies crying, shitty movies, and weird rice dishes, I finally arrived in Bangkok! Stepping off the plane into the sticky heat was just surreal. I couldn’t believe that I was actually in Thailand…by myself. I ended up meeting a girl on the immigration line who moved from New York to Bangkok and has been living here for the past 8 years. We took a cab together since she lived right near my hostel.

I am staying at Lub D Hostel on Decho Rd in the Silom area of Bangkok. The place is really incredible. I think it actually tops most places I stayed at in Europe. It’s all really sleek and modern. Everyone is young, good-looking, and anxious to have a good time in the Thai capital. I ended up meeting my first friend of the trip, Brian, as I was frantically running down to the lobby because I thought I lost my passport (turned out the woman at the desk just forgot to give it back to me when she made a copy). In my mess of trying to open a door and finding my passport, Brian and I struck up a friendship and he decided to come with my to go get a cell phone at some big mall nearby.

Getting around in Bangkok is surprisingly easy by train, although crossing the street is an absolute nightmare.

The mall we went to, MBK, was one of the most ridiculous things I have ever seen.  Row after row of tiny booths clustered together, all selling the most random things. I ended up getting a cell phone for 30 bucks that came with 100 baht on it already. Sweet. From the mall, Brian and I decided to wander the surrounding area to find some lunch and ended up at a place called Chester’s Grill where I got a full meal  with soup and a drink for $3

Bangkok is really an amazing city. It has such a vibrancy. The clash between Buddhist traditions and new age commercialism is at first really weird.  The golden temples fighting for a piece of the skyline with looming skyscrapers. After some time though, it is a really beautiful blend of the cultures. We actually got to walk around a gorgeous Buddhist temple (fo’ free) and watch them go about their day while outside the cars honked and the gigantic flat screen TV’s blasted music and ads (they do that).

Everything in this city is just so unbelievably different. In a really good way. The Thai’s are ridiculously nice, religious but not imposing, and are surprisingly timid when it comes to hassling you to buy from their stands (although that’s based off of the alpha -aggressive Moroccans). They are all skinny and I soon learned why…

They all dance! Passing through Lumphini Park was a neverending sea of dancing, running, and biking Thais. I, of course, got in on the action….

We decided to walk around the Suan Lum Night Bazaar which turned out to be quite awesome.  Everything was incredibly trendy and of course CHEAP. Brian and I decided to get  foot, back, and arm massage for AN HOUR, which may have been the best thing that’s ever happened to me. It wiped the jetlag right out of my body. The back part of the massage was a little rough as the Thai woman dug her elbows into my pressure points. Total cost of the hour long massage: $7. Adam ftw.

Overall the first hours of my trip here have been incredible. I am meeting travelers from all over the world (skewed Australian) and just having a great time. Hopefully I will be able to get rid of the lingering jet lag before the full-moon party in Koh Pha Ngan!

Until next time…