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Welcome to Bangkok!



We boarded a plane in Jordan at 2AM and arrived in Bangkok 9 hours later…I think we are officially on the other side of the world!



We rode the brand new Sky Train from the airport to downtown Bangkok and were both silent as we sat wide-eyed taking in our new surroundings. The people, the smells, the language, the buildings, the clothing, the standard of living…everything is so foreign, yet so intriguing. As we hopped in a cab we knew we were entering a whole new world.




The first lesson we learned in Bangkok is to never trust a cab driver. Our first cabbie hid his taxi meter and quoted us a “high price” of 250 baht (about $8) to get to Khaosan Road, Bangkok’s backpacker paradise. We thought we were getting a good deal until we found out the cab should have only been 100 baht (about $3). We later learned to never in a cab unless the driver agrees to put on the meter, which is not as easy to persuade them to do as one may think.



Khaosan Road was like nothing either of us had ever seen before. In the 3 minutes it took us to walk from where the cab let us out to the Rikka Inn, where we were staying, Matt and I were swarmed with offers of tattoos, custom made suits, hair extensions, massages, cheap meals, having our palms read, tuk tuk rides around town…you name it we were offered it…all at a “good price.” This continued for the entire three days we were there!



At some points Lindsey and I would walk down the street and be offered a custom made suit by 8 different people. Then we would turn around and walk back the same way and be offered again by the same exact people. They were relentless. This was taking the art of sales to the utmost extreme, and it got to be quite annoying. Despite how absolutely wild and unique Khaosan Road was, one may think it summed up Bangkok, but it was actually a little outside the city, and Bangkok had a lot more to offer.




We were fortunate to have an inside look at Bangkok. Our friend Alex Ulfelder moved to Bangkok over 2 years ago to teach English. He was only supposed to teach for 6 months, but it didn’t take us long to figure out why he hasn’t come home. Alex was kind enough to show us around, and we met up with him around 10PM on our first night in town. We started things off by heading over to his friend’s apartment. The place was in downtown Bangkok situated in a very modern apartment complex. There was a pool and fitness room and we sat by the pool had a drink and caught up. Like I said it was easy to see how Bangkok can be a trap to foreigners. Money goes a lot further in Thailand. We left the apartment and took a stroll through the Red Light District of Bangkok. I can’t even compare this one to that of Amsterdam. The young Thai girls that work these streets are very young. It is unfortunate and rather disturbing. We also learned that the girls that were taller than average were in fact not girls. I will be the first to admit it wasn’t easy to tell the difference.



Following the brief walk through, we ventured off to a street side bar that was a favorite of Alex and his roommate. Lindsey and I were a bit off on time and didn’t even notice that we arrived at this place at about 3AM. We drank Leo beer with ice cubes in it which I initially did not agree with. However, Alex told us that this was how the Thai do it and it was actually quite good. The thing is it is sooooo hot in Thailand if you didn’t put ice in your beer it would be warm by your second sip! Not having dinner we enjoyed our first street side Thai food which were chicken, pork, and beef skewers. By the time we left it was 5AM…. Probably not the best way to get over jet lag.



The following day we fought the urge to sleep in. We needed to get up and going in order to get adjusted to the time change. One other thing we needed to adjust to was the heat. Similar to the scene in Napolean Dynomite, when Pedro shaves his head because he is so hot, I strolled into a barber shop and ordered up a fresh shave! I have probably been cutting my hair the same way for 12 years and Lindsey and I were both nervous on the outcome. Just check out the pictures from here on in to see the results for yourself!

We spent the day walking around Khaosan Road and the streets surrounding it. We realized that this was the perfect opportunity to do some shopping. Things are very cheap here to start out, but you can always get it for less. We spent the day browsing and negotiating and eventually I had a new bathing suit, pair of shorts, and 3 T-shirts for around 30 dollars, and Lindsey had a new dress and tank top for around 15 bucks.



Later in the day we strolled by a large temple that had an unusual amount of
activity. We decided to check it out. Inside there was a large group of Buddhist monks gathered in front of a large statue of Buddha. It was unusual because the whole ceremony was being videotaped.
We walked around the temple grounds for a bit before returning to our room for a much needed rest.





That night we waited again for Alex to finish work, and he suggested we meet him at a pool bar in downtown Bangkok. By pool bar I mean billiards not a swimming pool.
Although the place was near the infamous red light district it had a great atmosphere. When we met up with Alex he surprised us with a little treat he picked up from a street vendor…. FROG JERKY!! I am not talking frog legs. They were entire frogs that had been dried out and resembled beef jerky. We both tried them. Lindsey hated it and I was able to stomach it, but it really wasn’t that good. Alex on the other hand loves them and he ate the whole bag. Apparently these are his favorite and they are hard to find. He said whenever he sees them he makes sure he gets a full serving. Anyways, we played 5 or 6 games of pool, enjoyed spending some time with Alex and his roommate and called it a night.



We spent one more day wandering around Bangkok before we boarded an overnight bus to Chang Mai. Bangkok is a city that has a lot to offer. In some parts it felt a little grimy and congested, but at the same time we always felt safe and comfortable. In Bangkok everyone is trying to sell you something. You just need to keep a smile on your face and know that whatever price they are offering you can basically cut in half. The food is sooooo cheap and soooo delicious! On the last night we each had chicken pad thai from a street vendor and the total cost was under $2. You can’t beat that!



Our first few days in Thailand are under our belts, and I’d have to say we are both very excited to see what else this country has to offer.

Stay Thirsty My Friends,

Matt and Lindsey