People always smile at you.
Tuk Tuk drivers charge you 10 times what they charge locals, to go anywhere.
If you ask 1 person for directions, 7 people will come to help you, 2 of which will walk with you until you find your way.
You give a vendor 500 baht for a bottle of water that costs 20 baht, she gives you change for 100 baht.
If you ask someone a question, and they don’t speak English, they will find someone who does.
Drivers try to scam you by saying the temples are closed or try to take you to jewelry shops and force you to buy stuff.
I think you get the idea now…for all the good and the bad there, Bangkok was a big challenge. However, I quickly learned an important phrase from some fellow backpackers “Mae ow kaa” (I don’t want). When vendors hound you to buy something, you’ll be saying “No Thank You” for 15 minutes. Say “Mae ow kaa” once and they leave. It’s magic. =) The first night in Bangkok, I went to watch the Germany, and USA vs Slovenia matches with my Taiwanese friends I had met last night in Hong Kong. Btw, the reason we were watching is because I-Hsin’s husband is German, making her an avid supporter of the team. And I actually like watching Germany play, especially their coach, he looks like an older version of Tom Cruise, his facial expressions are priceless, and oddly enough, him and his assistant coach always wear matching outfits. WeiMing & I-Hsin were traveling around Asia, visiting clients of their family business. Here I learned so much about lumber and how they market it. I-Hsin was training her younger brother to take over the business. I love how the World Cup really unites folks, if I wasn’t so lucky to be travelling this summer, I may not have gotten to know some of the most fascinating people from around the globe all while throwing back a couple of beers and watching futbol. (I’m starting to feel like this blog is becoming World Cup Around the World..not just my travels)
Initially, I was rather apprehensive about going to Bangkok, I would email my travel agent every couple of days asking him to change my ticket, and he’d always say “No, don’t worry about it, you’ll be fine.”. By the time I had gotten there, the dust had settled, the protests were over, and the Thai people were back to being hospitable and tourist friendly. I did partake in disaster tourism and visited the Ratschaparong area where many of the protests were held. I got some clear shots of Central World Mall, a portion of which had been burned down during the riots. The next day, myself Daniela (hostel mate) and her friend Jasper decided to find Bangkok’s famous Taling Chan floating market. It took us nearly 3 hours and every mode of transportation in Bangkok to get there.
Walk to the Sky Train Station. Take the Sky Train. Switch to the MTR. Meet Jasper at the Train station. Ask 10 people how to get to the ferry, find a ferry, take the ferry. Get off, wait forever for a bus, look for another bus station…take the bus. Take this shady wagon like vehicle, hang off the side. Finally get off at the market. Was it worth it? Oh yea!!
There are a couple of long barges which are attached and essentially sway to the waves of the water. You take a seat in the middle and order. On either side there are folks in narrow wooden boats making your meal. Pretty awesome. Probably the best stir fried veggies I’ve ever had.
That night, I went to Khao San Rd (famous backpacker and party road) to watch the Holland game with Jasper, my new Dutch friend. The bar was filled with orange, and even two dudes sporting orange lion suits, in Bangkok’s humid 38 deg Celcius weather. Talk about national pride, a couple of Dutch folks even said, they generally aren’t patriotic..only when it comes to futbol. To celebrate Holland’s win, we sampled drinks from several bars, and got shots – for some reason the only shot you could get in any of these bars is a B-52, but hey I didn’t mind. We found ourselves at a club at the end of the night and pausing for a moment. “Holy shit, we are in Bangkok, half way across the world from home, smoking sheesha, having drinks, watching the World Cup, how crazy is this?”.
One thing that does bring back memories is how you make plans with folks you meet abroad. Most of the time one or the other person doesn’t have a cell phone. You pick a place and a time..and just hope the other person shows up. I.e. – “I’ll meet you at the Victoria Sky Station on the platform at 8pm.” Where on the platform? Who knows..Hmm is he just late, or is he not coming? You’ll just have to wait and find out. Goes to show, life sans cell phone and technology at your fingertips can be exciting and fun..and not earth shattering. =) I hope when I get home I won’t go back to the hysteria of constantly checking my iPhone. I sure as hell couldn’t do that on this trip.
Bangkok is an ideal mix of old and new. Certain areas are filled with shopping malls, big buildings, hotels, etc, and the outskirts have the famous wats (temples) Wat Arun, The Reclining Buddha, the Grand Palace, and floating markets. All of these attributes of Bangkok come together nicely – something you just have to see for yourself to know what I’m talking about.
The food here is to die for. I envy Daniela and Jasper as they eat anything and everything off of the street. I don’t think my stomach is cut out for this. But hey…I’m only in Bangkok once, so I tried all the street food too. Piping hot pad thai - $2, mango with sticky rice and coconut milk (mouthwateringly good) – $1.50, Banana Roti - $1. Yeh..after all this, I never want to eat Thai food in America..it tastes like SHIT. P.S. Don’t forget to try Thai Massages - @ $6 an hour, you could get a daily massage if you wanted to.
After getting hit with every scam in Bangkok, tired of arguing with taxi and tuk tuk drivers to stop ripping me off, I was ready for a few relaxing days in Koh Samui. But thinking back, getting through these obstacles is what made Bangkok all the more fun and exciting. I’m already contemplating of Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam for my next trip.
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