I arrived in Bangkok after about a three hour flight, which was grand. Immigration was easy as shit, despite the various suggestions that it might not be, especially since I didn't actually have a flight booked out of there. But literally it was a case of walk up, smile politely at the attractive lady, stamp stamp and off I go, grab my bag and head for the taxi rank.
I'd heard a very pleasant story from my mother a few days before about a guy getting robbed with a knife after getting in an unofficial taxi, so I stayed clear of those guys, but to be honest, I think I'm savvy enough not to get in some random blokes car anyway, especially after Hong Kong and all the dodgy dealings going on around there.
Grabbed an official green taxi and gave him my map provided by the hostel, with direction in Thai, and was in the hostel by about 1 in the morning. I couldn't get on the wireless at the time, but my phone works in Thailand so I was able to txt home, just to let the folks know I'd managed, against all odds to survive again!
The room here was a six bed dorm, but it was more like a two bed compartment in a room the size of my last hostel with two more of the same, two showers, a toilet and a row of sinks.
Compared to the last place it was like heaven!
I more or less went to bed then and there, once I'd plugged in my phone and laptop. I read a little, but the book I've moved on to is really, really fucking shite, and it's taking forever to get through it. I think I'll just power through the last hundred pages tonight (in Chiang Mai) and great rid of it.
It's billed as a sort of hardcore, cigarette smoking Harry Potter in a world of magic - and it's more like some tool in a world of idiots doing nothing interesting. Totally not worth reading, trust me.
The first day in Bangkok - October 3rd, I quite literally did nothing. Sat around the pool and listened to music and just got my energy back, blogged about the shitness of Hong Kong, and swam and basically just got my bearings back.
Later that evening, I got talking to one of the other lads from the hostel, a guy named John Osis, from Australia (lots of them around) and we decided to grab a few beers from the 7-11 around the corner and drink in the hostel, which we were apparently allowed to do, since they brought us glasses of ice to keep the beer cold. Unfortunately I've had to grow quite accustomed to drinking beer, because there's nothing else really to drink!
Not much to say about the whole thing, other than it was a bit of a laugh, and a nice night since it'd been awhile since I'd managed to do anything like that. Ate in the hostel too, which basically means I walked about 800 yards out of the hostel in my entire first day . . . whoops . . . kinda like that time we went to Venice!
He went to bed a lot drunker than I did, but let's not hold that against him. I feel bad because he had a flight to catch the next morning.
The next day I did some touristy stuff, but really the only thing of note (Bangkok is a bit of a shithole) was take the water taxi to the Grand Palace. The taxi was amazing in it's strangeness. It was a rickety old thing, packed full of people. It would pull up at the dock and people would jump on and off and then pull off again. Bout half-way down the river we had to change boats and there was easily a hundred people scrambling off one boat and onto the next. The river was filthy black, rubbish and tyres just floating down it. It was totally an experience, and way way more entertaining than any of the other touristy stuff I did! Though I did see a cool fort. And some other stuff. Including propaganda for the miliary regime.
There's plenty of scams that run in Thailand, one of the most popular was tried on me. A man with good English, not always Thai, will approach you and chat, asking where you're going, and then tell you that place is closed for this or that reason for awhile, but that he can arrange to get you there. Then he'll put you on a tuk-tuk and it'll bring you to a shop of some sort first, where you are basically obliged to spend time. Then, maybe, they might bring you to wherever it is you want to go.
My answer, when approached, "I'm not going anywhere." Followed by walking off. They're actually a bit less aggressive than the Hong Kong guys so it was grand. Later on I did actually grab a tuk tuk, which is another experience. The first driver I asked said 150 baht for the drive, about 5k, which is in and around 1.50. I told him no way, I'd walk, he said 100. I went to the next driver, who'd seen the whole thing and he said 50 baht, which is just over a euro so off we went. I know that probably seems a bit mad, or mean, but it shouldn't have costed any more than 50 and even if it's ridiculously cheap at 1.50 I'm not really willing to be "ripped off", even if it's only in Thai terms.
Earlier that morning, two other guys had turned up, but I was still asleep so I didn't really notice. But at some point later on I got talking to them. Two guys from England who'd just finished "uni" as they insist on calling it, while I insist on calling it college!
These two have been a bit of a feature for the last two weeks, since we all ended up in the same hostel in Chiang Mai too!
So, introducing, special guest stars, Dave and Mat (with only one 'T')
These guys are pretty cool, and while they certainly might be responsible for me drinking more than I would have otherwise, it's been enjoyable. I don't really recall the ins and outs of everything that happened, other than there was drinking, and some more drinking. And then the next night there was food and drinking.
And then the next night there was more people, including this guy. Caz, a teacher from England. George from South African, who had a smashed up face from fighting for a free bucket of alcohol in a tourist fight ring in Kho Pi Pi.
We also met Tommy Forbes, who took some pictures of me and George for some photography project he's doing. Random, no?
Funny though. Anyway, Mat and Dave are/were a bit of an unexpected bonus. They're a good laugh, and they've been good company, although at this particular point they've left Chiang Mai (giving me a chance to catch up here) and I'll hopefully see them in Sydney in a few months. One funny story that springs to mind is something I only found out the other day. When Mat was first talking to me, he saw the keys I wear on a chain around my neck and thought I was part of some weird religion. It took him a few days to realise that they're just the keys for all my locks for my bag!
I've little to say about Bangkok really, other than that it's a tad annoying, has good food, Khao San Road is a shithole, full of prostitutes and western men, and that it probably wasn't worth spending five days there, but I still managed to have an epic time!
Leaving was both a relief and a worry, though it was nice to know that the lads would be following in a day (except they actually missed their train, so it was two days), since I had no idea what Chiang Mai would be like (spoiler: way fucking better than Bangkok).
So that's Bangkok - my advice, go, see and then bloody well leave before the fun runs out! Or you just get robbed blind!
Night train to Chaing Mai, takes about 15 hours, but it's grand, saves you a night's accommodation, which is a bonus when you're trying to save some money! Plus you can watch Lilo and Stitch and cry your damn eyes out for an hour and a half and then read your really shitty book til you fall asleep/lie down and not sleep because the train keeps swaying precariously from side to side.
There is one huge benefit though: at the end of it, you get to Chiang Mai, and the Spicy Thai hostel! And this is where the real fun begins!
I'll tell you all about Chiang Mai letter my dear readers, right now I have to go to bed or I may fall asleep at the computer!
Night, Shane!
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