1st real day in Bangkok
Thursday was my first real day in Bangkok. I awoke early (not that I really slept) and figured out my course of action for the day, so I could get the most out of the time I had given to me.
At 7, I headed down to the restaurant in the guesthouse for some breakfast. There was a small selection of local food and everything else catered to the appetites of the american diet. So I had muesli that was made locally, topped with a sort of asian yogurt with these weird chunks of gelatin in it and papayas, bananas and pineapples. Cost 65 baht = $2.17 Cdn
I went back to my room and sorted out everything I would be using for the Kokoda trek and wouldn't need in the next two months and crammed it into the 50L pack I brought for the trek. This included my heavy 2kg LaSportiva hiking boots, my sleeping bag, bigger med's kit, bivy, sleeping pad, and my extra clothing (not that much) I then prepared in my daypack everything I wanted for the day and then strapped it to the outside of my big pack. I loaded the whole thing up on my back and headed out.
As I walked down the residential streets of where my guesthouse was located, I felt all eyes on me. Not many tourists hung around here because it was almost like they had never seen a traveller before. Or maybe they had just never seen one so loaded down with multiple packs. Whatever the reason, I was a specticle. I just smiled and waved. Everyone seemed extremely happy to watch me chug along the narrow sidewalks, waving and smiling. I know why thailand is known as 'the land of smiles'. If you smile at a thai person, they will undoubtably smile back with a genuine caring. Not a curt little half smile you will quite often see in North America, but a fully toothy (or toothless) grin of joy. I love walking down the streets here because everyone smiles, it's so nice to be in that existance. They can look very serious and as soon as they look up at you and you smile, a huge grin will crack the mold they held not a few seconds earlier. It's great.
Thais are very helpful too. I mean, extremely helpful. If you pull out a map and stare at it for a few minutes, a number of people will undoubtably come up to you and say "Where you go?" and then followed by"Where you from?" then a handshake or head nod with the hands clasped together below the nose (like praying gesture). At this point they will try their best to help you out and show you where to go, even if they don't really know themselves. Sometimes they'll grab two or three other random people into the skull session, to work out the best route. It's endearing and can be a little much at times. But they don't ask for anything, they just genuinely want to help.
I wandered for blocks trying to find this supposed subway station, which could exist in any one of a hundread dark back alleyways or openfaced building (as a lot of the buildings are not marked) Everyone I asked in broken Thai "rot fai dtai din?" -Subway? Everyone I asked seemed to point in generally the same direction, so on I went.
I came to a large intersection which wasn't on my hotels hand drawn map, so I feared I might've already passed it. In a blink of an eye a man in a uniform stuck his head outside of the glass enclosure I was standing beside and said "where you go?" I told him, but the look was pure confusion so I opened my thai book and pointed to the word for Subway. He shrugged his shoulders and turned to his buddy, who then pointed past both our shoulders to a large sign with a sort of houndstooth pattern on it. Ahhh the station. Thank you, kaa kohn kaw
With the craziness and dirt above I expected these subways to be similar to those of Madrid with smelly dimly lit catacombs leading to a loud sketchy freighter. But it was quite the opposite. After going by the baggage search guard at the front, you continue down a long, clean well lit, escalator to a long hallway marked with turn of the century thai artwork. After you purchase the fare you receive a black electronic chip that allows you to enter the main terminal by scanning it. The train is quiet and clean and every stop is announced before arrival in Thai and English!! I had no problems what so ever.
After arriving at Hua Lamphong station I went to the main train terminal and paid a fee for two months storage for my big bag. Now I am living off my little bag. The cost for 2 months storage came to around $92.40 Canadian which was the cheapest offer I found so far.
Next was a day of touring which you'll need to read about later, because I need to pack now for Cambodia
At 7, I headed down to the restaurant in the guesthouse for some breakfast. There was a small selection of local food and everything else catered to the appetites of the american diet. So I had muesli that was made locally, topped with a sort of asian yogurt with these weird chunks of gelatin in it and papayas, bananas and pineapples. Cost 65 baht = $2.17 Cdn
I went back to my room and sorted out everything I would be using for the Kokoda trek and wouldn't need in the next two months and crammed it into the 50L pack I brought for the trek. This included my heavy 2kg LaSportiva hiking boots, my sleeping bag, bigger med's kit, bivy, sleeping pad, and my extra clothing (not that much) I then prepared in my daypack everything I wanted for the day and then strapped it to the outside of my big pack. I loaded the whole thing up on my back and headed out.
As I walked down the residential streets of where my guesthouse was located, I felt all eyes on me. Not many tourists hung around here because it was almost like they had never seen a traveller before. Or maybe they had just never seen one so loaded down with multiple packs. Whatever the reason, I was a specticle. I just smiled and waved. Everyone seemed extremely happy to watch me chug along the narrow sidewalks, waving and smiling. I know why thailand is known as 'the land of smiles'. If you smile at a thai person, they will undoubtably smile back with a genuine caring. Not a curt little half smile you will quite often see in North America, but a fully toothy (or toothless) grin of joy. I love walking down the streets here because everyone smiles, it's so nice to be in that existance. They can look very serious and as soon as they look up at you and you smile, a huge grin will crack the mold they held not a few seconds earlier. It's great.
Thais are very helpful too. I mean, extremely helpful. If you pull out a map and stare at it for a few minutes, a number of people will undoubtably come up to you and say "Where you go?" and then followed by"Where you from?" then a handshake or head nod with the hands clasped together below the nose (like praying gesture). At this point they will try their best to help you out and show you where to go, even if they don't really know themselves. Sometimes they'll grab two or three other random people into the skull session, to work out the best route. It's endearing and can be a little much at times. But they don't ask for anything, they just genuinely want to help.
I wandered for blocks trying to find this supposed subway station, which could exist in any one of a hundread dark back alleyways or openfaced building (as a lot of the buildings are not marked) Everyone I asked in broken Thai "rot fai dtai din?" -Subway? Everyone I asked seemed to point in generally the same direction, so on I went.
I came to a large intersection which wasn't on my hotels hand drawn map, so I feared I might've already passed it. In a blink of an eye a man in a uniform stuck his head outside of the glass enclosure I was standing beside and said "where you go?" I told him, but the look was pure confusion so I opened my thai book and pointed to the word for Subway. He shrugged his shoulders and turned to his buddy, who then pointed past both our shoulders to a large sign with a sort of houndstooth pattern on it. Ahhh the station. Thank you, kaa kohn kaw
With the craziness and dirt above I expected these subways to be similar to those of Madrid with smelly dimly lit catacombs leading to a loud sketchy freighter. But it was quite the opposite. After going by the baggage search guard at the front, you continue down a long, clean well lit, escalator to a long hallway marked with turn of the century thai artwork. After you purchase the fare you receive a black electronic chip that allows you to enter the main terminal by scanning it. The train is quiet and clean and every stop is announced before arrival in Thai and English!! I had no problems what so ever.
After arriving at Hua Lamphong station I went to the main train terminal and paid a fee for two months storage for my big bag. Now I am living off my little bag. The cost for 2 months storage came to around $92.40 Canadian which was the cheapest offer I found so far.
Next was a day of touring which you'll need to read about later, because I need to pack now for Cambodia
posted by jannahsworld at 7:08 pm
4 Comments:
Hey great site. I work with your sister Sarah and she is the one who showed me. I'm moving to Brisbane Australia and also created a blog of my own. I know you have been to Townsville which isn't to far away. I look forward to reading about your adventures.
My site is:
http://lost-in-brisbane.blogspot.com/
Great stories...what an adventure.
how fast did you have to run back to the bed to take the picture and make it look like you were lounging ... hey wait a minute ... or did someone else take the picture ...
A lady never tells, heh heh,
-Jannah
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