Bangkok_ Day1_

On my way to Bangkok…

09.02.2016 leaving Germany (stopover in Moscow)

10.02.2016 arriving Bangkok

Leaving Germany was so much fun. My mom came to the airport to say bye and brought one of my aunts along as a surprise. It was so much fun to spend some time with them before leaving. I did not expect my mom to come to the airport because it was so far away from her hometown and I left only for a month. What a lovely mom!

With a stopover in Moscow I arrived in Bangkok early in the morning. I prefer to arrive during the day than coping with a new environment during the night. As some of you already know, I am often unorganized and therefore I was not exactly sure how I would get to my hostel. Before leaving I booked a place last minute and just took screenshots of the map and the address. It would have been smart to read through their page to know the best way to get there.

The first, after I got my bag, I got a city map and asked for public transportation. At the end it would have been way much easier if I had a clue about the public transportation in Bangkok but it would also have meant that I would not have had so many contacts with locals already at that point of time. Sooooo… I just took the train to get inside the city and took a public bus near my hostel.

During that journey, which sounds shorter than it actually was, I already met many people. In the train I met a couple which has been traveling for month and a guy from Canada. The couple just came from India. They gave me a new and interesting insight of the country which I would like to travel too at some point. Once I got off the public train, I just asked people for directions. At some point a young man told me where to go and which bus number to take. Yes people can speak English. Maybe not everyone but it is always somehow possible to communicate. I guess that Thai people cannot speak English is already a stereotype I heard a lot before leaving Germany. You won’t get around with English. NOT TRUE.

On my way to the bus, I came across two other backpackers who were looking a bit lost. Their absolutely confused face made me talk to them. Of course I am not an expert in Bangkok but you never know what is wrong. They did not book anything nor did they have an idea where to go, so I just offered them to join my way to the hostel which is in an area where they would definitely find a place to stay.  The three of us took the public bus to get to the hostel. I was happy to arrive, leave my stuff until I could get my bed and room and wander around the area. Unfortunately, we were booked out, the girls had to keep going and find something else. We exchanged numbers and kept in touch. So this is my recommendation at least for the very first night wherever you go: BOOK something ahead. You really do not want to wander around a city which you do not know, looking for a place after such a long journey. During my stay in Bangkok I heard many people who could not find a place. If you want to travel cheap you might want to make sure to book the first night and go from there to find something cheaper.

During the meantime until I could get into my room and refresh I walked around the area.It was great to see what was going on in Bangkok’s streets. After a short walk I knew that you could get pretty much everything on the street… a masage, food, drinks, clothes. Everything you need. I was super hungry and happy to find a supermarket just next door. Walking through supermarkets is one of the things I love in other countries. They already show you basic differences in their life: food , cosmetics, drinks…

Once I could get into my room I was happy to refresh myself. I met two guys in my dorm, a German (still have to check whether I am allowed to use his real name. For now I call him) Sascha and Nick (same counts for this name) who is Australian. We decided to meet up for a drink on the hostels roof top. It was such a fun and unexpected evening that turned into a night full of fun. I guess I should mention that I left Germany just after some crazy, amazing, hilarious days of Karneval, which also include a lot of alcohol. After these days, I already told myself not to drink in Thailand. My body should have a break. Well. That did not last long. Not even for the first night. Ups. I guess you have to take chances as they come and make the most of your life.

At the roof top, we also met two guys from England (In case you might ever come across this Blog. I am really sorry but I totally forgot your names :D). When the guys wanted to hit the night, I said goodbye and was mentally already in bed. I was super exhausted from the trip as well as from the days of Karneval. “Just one beer” was their response once I told them to leave without me.  Well… It was a fun night and not only with one beer for me.  Some more. We hit the Khoasan road which was very close to our place. We hit some bars. It was fun. We came across all kind of topics of our life’s also about things we were curious about. One of us never saw a lady boy and got quite upset that I already saw one when I was in a pharmacy earlier on. Sometimes you can hardly recognize that they are guys. During that night, he was happy when we saw one in a bar. Though, he could not remember the day afterwards.

That was a fun first day in a new country. I could not wait to explore, meet new people and learn about their cultures.

Facts of the day:

  • Happy to have a room for the first nights…
  • Beer in Thailand can be more expensive than in Germany
  • Khoasan Road is the tourist road
  • Lady boys really exist and it is normal in Thailand
  • Take chances as they come
  • Detours may be the best tours 🙂
  • streetfood did not disappoint me

cheers

eva 🙂

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