13° 45' 0 N & 100° 31' 0 E

Thailand it is.  After close to 24 hours of ear-popping, stuffy-nosed, upright-sleeping...we arrived.  With two over half empty backpacks and the small guitar, we practically strolled out of the airport as the customs official simply waved us past the luggage checkpoint.  First thing we noticed: the smell of humidity and warmth.

Since I lived in Thailand for 11 months from 2007-2008, my Thai and Thailand knowledge are at quite an advantage.  But in Bangkok--its as if my Thai were French and my knowledge of getting around were completely backwards (as a lot of transportation is.)   Point being, we grabbed a taxi out of the airport...and after being shown a room that cost 1000 Baht a night (about $30)....I told him to take us to the only place I could remember in all of BKK:

Welcome to Kao San Road.

The irony of this place strikes us both as quite hilarious.  As this is the area that comes completely alive at night, is full of foreigners and cut-throat Thais infront of their bars and restaurants and clothes shops that try every technique of pulling you in.  

So we arrived at this place, wanting really no part of the party street of chaos....and walked down the middle of it half awake-half dreaming as discotech beats throbbed in unison with our headaches and we carried our luggage past all sorts of break dancing circles, dancing foreigners, smells of Thai food....woah..talk about a shock on the system!

Luckily this place is a backpackers paradise....although not quite our paradise...it does offer cheap rooms.  So instead of 1000 baht a night, we found a quiet room for 250 baht a night  (about $7).  Our tentative itinerary is to leave BKK and seek refuge in a more Thai-people sort of place.  I've got a lot of close friends living in BKK who are in the university...so after a visit with them, we're outta here!

Time for cheap dinner (we feasted at lunch for a grand total of $2 earlier).  

Thanks for bearing with me through my jet-lagged speech
M

Comments

Tina said…
Sounds like quite the culture shock! :-) Reading your post I was somewhat reminded of that first moment in the New Delhi night whenever we'd come back from our visit to Germany - hot, humid air that was saturated with smells. Definitely quite an impression!

I hope you have found your way out of the chaotic city! Keep us posted whenever you get a chance.

Greets & hugs from Canada,

Tina
Afan said…
Love, love, love the updates! Keep them coming.
Mom