Day 1 Bangkok

Well I’m finally here. It was definitely a journey; 3 flights and about 20 hours of total travel time. Luckily there were no baggage issues this time around. I would not want to be stuck here in Bangkok with nothing but the clothes and bag on my back! I arrived VERY early and got through customs around 3 AM. Since I’m being frugal I waited to catch the train to my hostel instead of a taxi. The taxi is 10x as much as the train! Either way it’s cheap to US rates but I got to make my money last as long as possible.

It fully sunk in that this is my life now on the train ride into the city. I was staring out the window taking in all the building, giant billboards, foliage, and whatever else caught my eye. It was weird to fully admit to myself that this is it. It’s just me and it’s time to explore.

The humidity hit HARD! I could feel it as soon as I got off the plane but that’s nothing to how it is now and its only 8AM, I’m worried about how it’s going to be around noonish. Everything is wet and even papers (my map) get soggy. The walk to the hostel from the train station was short but hot. My water bottle kept sweating onto my leg and confusing me since there’s no clouds in the sky. I walked past my hostel twice when trying to find it but once I did there was a chill Frenchie at the desk who took my bags and gave me some directions towards food.

I hate to admit it but I went to Starbucks right away. I walked around and saw some food stands but I have no idea what anything is and decided to stick with something I know for the first meal off the plane. So here I am now. Sitting here typing, drinking my iced coffee (no way I’m drinking anything hot). I have some time still until the check in at the hostel and I may just go get lost. Or maybe I should wait another day for that.

Two Sweaty Hours Later...

I got lost. Multiple times. This city is crazy and confusing. And HOT! I was walking around in 90+ degree heat for over two hours and it ended up being for no reason, though I did get to explore. I went to the Vietnamese Embassy in order to get my Visa and they're closed for another 3 days! Guess I'll be extending my stay in Bangkok like a day or so now. We'll see. 

My shirt was drenched when I came back to the hostel. I had to give up searching and caught a tuk-tuk (3 wheeled taxi carts). That was pretty interesting and the roads here are insane. 

Once back I talked with some people. There's one american and everyone else seems to be French or Asian. I was told I should get pretty used to that. I got some food with them from a street vendor and that was pretty good. Only $1 US too! After getting food in my belly I could not stay awake any longer. I took a nap and woke up at 10 PM. That wasn't planned at all and unfortunately I was not able to join in any of the New Year festivities.