Well.. we survived our first day in Thailand! But not without some pitfalls, of course... haha. We arrived after midnight yesterday morning into Bangkok, and were pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to hail a taxi to our hotel... thank goodness for Lonely Planet! The language barrier has been a bit frustrating, but the Thai people have been extremely patient with us... for the most part. We made it to our quaint guestroom and were happy to find clean beds and our own bathroom and air conditioning... this humidity is quite smothering, but a welcome change from the cold, dry air in Utah. We collapsed onto our beds after about 30 hours of traveling, and were happy to finally close our eyes for a few hours of sleep.
Trying to stay on top of the jet lag, we woke up at 8 yesterday and made our way out into the city. It was still pretty early, so many of the locals were just opening their shops for the day. We found Thanon Khao San (Khao San Road) where many backpackers flock for cheap souveniers, and explored the myriad of local products -- from crazy linen pants (of which I am now a proud owner... reminds me of Jasmine's pants from Aladdin) to trinkets to knock-off electronics... it was quite the eccletic mix of products. But fun to look through. Julie and I were a bit too excited to be in Thailand I think.. we went a little overboard on our first day. And finally had to restrain ourselves -- we have 5 more weeks of this!! But it was all in good fun. And I'm happy with the purchases I made... not sure about carrying them around though.
After leaving Khao San Rd, we walked towards the Grand Palace and Wat Pho, and found ourselves in the middle of a sea of red -- there was some sort of protest/celebration... we couldn't quite figure out what it was.. but everyone was wearing a shirt that said "Truth Today" and would randomly start cheering every so often. They didn't seem to pay attention to the two tall white girls walking through their midst (and yes, we are the tallest girls around) so we just pushed our way through the thousands of Thais that had gathered. Unfortunately... because we are two tall white girls, obviously tourists, we are quite the target for scams... and yes, we fell victim to one yesterday. We were walking down the street toward Wat Pho (a famous buddhist temple) and were bombarded with locals pushing bags of corn into our hands to feed the birds. We tried to keep walking, but they were persistent... eventually we gave in and accepted some of the bags. BAD IDEA. They kept forcing more and more into our hands, and took some pictures of us (which, ironically, were pretty funny to look at after) and then expected money! A lot of it too! We walked away about $13 poorer.. but smarter, and now know when to spot a tourist scam.
We found our way into the Wat and explored the peaceful grounds... it was quite serene and I really enjoyed walking around and appreciating the beauty of the buildings. We were able to see the golden "Reclining Buddha" -- it's about 200 feet long, laying stretched out in a building. It was an incredible site. When I find time to post pictures, I will.
After leaving the Wat, Julie and I made our way to Chinatown, but were overcome by exhaustion.. heat, lack of water, walking too much... so we decided to head back in the direction of our hotel. We ended up back on Khao San Rd and had delicious Indian food, and then made our way back to our rooms and collapsed onto our beds. We tried not to nap, in order to keep up with our sleep schedule, but it was no use. We slept until our meeting last night with our group leader and our fellow travellers -- there are 6 of us total, 2 from Australia and 2 from London. I think it will be a fun group. We head out this morning for Kanchanaburi, so I know that I will have more to report on later. After our meeting, we had some amazing Thai massages -- for only $7... mom, I know you're jealous!! haha. One full hour, and I came out feeling so relaxed. I know I'll be taking full advantage of that this trip! But as luck would have it, I really did not feel well, so I passed out... a little too early... and woke up at 3 am. DANG. Oh well, we have a bus to catch, so hopefully I'll get some sleep. But I have to go.. the internet is almost up!
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Great post!! Sounds like a very different scene than what you are used to on the Wasatch front. I wonder what they would think of a football game at RES stadium??? lol. The pirate guy walking around in his full uniform...Maybe not such a great idea to shop at the beginning of your 5 week trip. I'd be getting a massage everyday if I was there. SO envious. Can't wait to see a photo or two. Be sure you get enough SLEEP!!! Have fun!
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