*Photos soon to come, and I will likely cover more time in my travels in each blog, but wanted to share the details of my initial introduction to Thailand.* :)
I arrived in Bangkok at 11pm Thailand time on Sunday night, March 13th. (14 hours ahead of Boulder Colorado!) I did myself a great favor by not sleeping the night before I left, and quickly found myself sleeping at Thailand night hours on the plane and upon my arrival into the city. I caught myself up on sleep and all the latest New Releases on the plane, on my 26 hour trip from Boulder Colorado on Korean Air all the way to Bangkok.
I took a taxi from the Bangkok airport to my lodging 'The Shanti Lodge' as recommended by a rock-climbing yoga friend, and shortly after arriving promptly passed out. After waking up early the next morning, and having a breakfast of a chicken-omelet and sauteed spinach, a Los Angeles woman traveler named Julia approached me, asking if I was also traveling alone, and if I wanted to explore the city with her. I accepted, and we promptly left the hotel and hit the streets.
I was ever so pleased to discover that there is meat being grilled on the streets on every street corner, for 5 baht a piece (about 15 cents) and my carnivorous appetite is conveniently and cheaply satisfied at my whim. We stopped at carts like these about 3 or 4 times throughout our day at the least, and thoroughly enjoyed our tasty chicken, beef, and pork skewers.
Julia turned out to be a great travel partner- together we were a satisfying mixture of laid-backness and motivation and hunger to take in the sights. We left the hotel at 8:30am and didn't return until about 5 or 6 in the evening. We walked a few short blocks from our hotel through a fish market, quite live full of hundreds of fish vendors, with buckets and small pools filled with living creatures- eels, catfish, frogs, turtles- and some unidentifiables! This was actually one of my favorite parts of the day, as it involved interacting with the local people and culture of Bangkok, something that goes on with or without tourists. People were very responsive anytime I smiled and nodded, which is also my favorite part of Thailand so far- connecting with the people!
We took the canal boats for 14baht per trip (less than 50 cents) from there, which can be ridden for one stop, or along the entire canal in Bangkok (15 stops) which is a great way to see the city (and also a welcome respite from the sun and heat, with a nice breeze and some shade). It is also a fun way to experience the crowds of locals and tourists alike, all packed in with the sounds of the ticket/fare collector shaking her can full of coins, seeking all unpaid riders.
We visited a large number of Wats (temples) in the city, as well as a visit to the Grand Palace, the old home of the King and Queen of Thailand. All of the buildings are beautiful and incredibly ornate. There are golden Buddha statues inside these temples, varying in size and intricacy. The places we visited were swarming with tourists, but I enjoyed this experience as the tourists are from all over the world, including heavily from other parts of Asia and anywhere you can think of. We also experienced our first Tuk-Tuk ride- Tuk-Tuks are 3 wheeled motorized vehicles that have an open-air seated cart in the back, intended for two passengers, but I saw carts with 5 or 6 passengers crammed in, sitting on each other's laps.
We were taken to many sights via this Tuk-tuk, by the same driver who offered a price of 40baht (just over a dollar) to take us on a multi-destination route. We were impressed and excited by this offer, and it was quite the bargain. That said, we also had our first experience in being a tourist that is 'taken for a ride' in another sense. Apparently, Tuk-tuk drivers have a deal/commission/sponsorship with different businesses and the gas companies. If they take tourists to one particular store, they get a gas coupon. If they take us to 3 particular businesses, they get a BIG coupon. If we actually BUY something from one of these said locations, it is even better. Our guy told us this, but, we didn't quite understand that we would be taken to businesses that we were not interested in, and that were quite aggressive in their attempts to sell us products we did not really want- a tailor, a jewelry factory, and 'TAT', a very overcharged travel agency that will charge at least 3 or 4 times the fair price for different trips in, around, and out of Bangkok.
So, we paid our dues by going to 3 of these places, and quickly made our way out of each. After taking us to multiple appealing destinations including the Bodhi Tree (the tree under which Buddha was enlightened) and some other Wats, then our requisite 3 contracted businesses, he took us to the location of the Standing Buddha, a Golden Buddha so tall that one can barely see the top of it from ones own standing vantage point. Here we made offerings of flower wreaths and were offered birds in a cage to release to the Buddha. Our driver directed us towards a hidden alley full of excellent food vendors, where we got some cheap and delicious stir fry, as well as our first hand-made Thai Iced Tea (delicious!) When we came back to find our driver, he was gone, but, we also realized that we hadn't paid him the 40 baht he had first told us. We realized that he was probably more interested in the free gas coupons which he had now earned, and had found another fare. We were quite near our hotel, and also felt that in addition to some unwanted stops, we had gotten quite the deal, and exciting view of the city, and a lesson in Tuk-tuk rides as well. We quite enjoyed our first day!
That night, I got my first experience of a one-hour Traditional Thai Massage in a shop across the street from our hotel for the american equivalent of about $9, and immediately after went to my room and fell asleep. I slept for a good 9 or 10 hours, and woke up the next morning a little bit out of it, but ready for day two in Thailand. :)
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