START: Begin at the Beginning

---

So unfolds yet another new adventure in my world...blogging. A new territory, new frontier. This undertaking reminds me a bit of my postcard endeavor...the whole concept of others reading the details of my thoughts and daily happens. I hope it proves to be interesting....

The question, as always, is where to begin......

My flights were lengthy, 13 hours to Tokyo, a three hour lay-over in Tokyo, and 6 + additional hours to Bangkok. Fortunately I had interesting seat mates on my first flight. Maria is at teacher, from just outside of Toronto, Canada and she was in transit to Seoul, Korea to teach children English for approximately four weeks. And Jay who is from Boston en route to 'suburbian' Tokyo to teach business English. We had good conversations which helped to make the time pass more quickly.

During the lay-over Maria and I talked more about the similarities and differences between the Canadian education system and the American system. Very insightful.

After the 23 hour trek I arrived in Bangkok. I was escorted to my hotel with two Aussies, one from Melbourne and the other from Sydney. Cindy is a doctor and Haydee is a lawyer...it was lovely chatting with them about how they were going to spend their holiday. Cindy will be traveling for 3 months throughout SE Asia and Haydee is visiting southern Thailand (where the infamous beaches are located) for two weeks prior to beginning a new job. I had hoped to see both of them in the morning, but it seemed more important to catch up on much needed sleep so I could conquor Bangkok upon arriving.

Circa 11 am I headed out to explore Bangkok...as always my list far exceed my time restrictions. I do feel quite proud of the fact that I took the bus to the Chatuchak Weekend Market (thanks for the recommendation Cara, Kristi & Heather!) rather than traveling via taxi as was suggested. The woman at the 7 Eleven, who sold me my much needed daily ingestation of caffeine, gave me stellar instructions 😊 The weekend market was fun and ENDLESS!! They sell everything from furniture to plants to pets to well, everything. I wandered aimlessly for most of the day, breaking briefly for lunch (pad thai and a thai iced coffee--yum!). The weather is hot and unbelieveably humid--similar to China I guess...I frequently felt like I was melting, but alas I am still here.

I met up with the group with which I will be traveling with for the next nine days this evening. Everyone seems great! There are three of us from the U.S.--one woman from San Fran (but originally from Michigan (just outside of Detroit--your stomping grounds Sarah L.) and another from Memphis, TN. The woman from Memphis, Elizabeth, is traveling around the world and is at the 50 day mark (out of 90 days). She has incredible stories thus far and I think we'll along quite well. (Catie, the woman living in San Fran, is also a teacher. It sounds like Catie's school experiences have been similar to my experiences at the school where I work presently. Beyond those two, there are two lads from England, a couple from Auckland, New Zealand, and the other seven are from Australia.

Tomorrow morning we embark on our bus adventure to Cambodia...we were forwarned that the trip could be extremely rocky. In fact three people are opting to fly...I hope I do not regret the decision not to fly given the situation with my back. Stay tuned for the next installment....

---

Comments

[Troy]

I'm there dude
Wen, Reading your travel blog makes me feel like I'm on vacation too but it's not costing me anything, what fun! Keep safe!

[Deb]

Congrats
I'm so glad to see you made it! Tell me, what does it smell like, taste like, sound like. Doubt I'll ever get there myself so fill me in! Have a wonderful trip. Look forward to reading your blog and imagining for myself.

[Bangkokian]

Hi, I am a Thai who drove my 4x4 into Cambodia through Poipet and spent 4 days in Siem Reap a few years ago. The driving alone was an unforgetable experience. My heart sank, my hands shook, and I almost turned back before finishing the first 40 kilometres into Cambodia. However, I was also shocked to see all the Toyota taxis driven by Cambodians sped past me comfortably. I kept asking myself if they could make it from Poipet to Siem Reap with their sedans with incredible ease, why couldn't I with my 4x4?. You won't regret choosing to travel there by bus. I pity those who go the easy way, hop on the plane and miss all the great fun.

[Kari]

7Eleven
Hope they have some fun candy and canned coffee drinks. cool. I cannot imagine a trip such as this. good luck with the bus!

[Nicki]

Woohoo!
Wendy, it's great to read about your adventures. THanks so much for the pics of your NJ trip. Enjoy the heat! i'll be checking with your adventures!