A short few days in Bangkok

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I can't upload photos at the moment because I am at quite a slow internet cafe in Cambodia... but really wanted to give you and update on the things I have been doing since arriving in southeast Asia!

I arrived in Bangkok on the 19th of February after a very long overnight flight from Sydney that stopped in Brisbane on the way. I took a taxi to my hotel, only to find out that I was not allowed to check in until 2pm (and it was only 7:30 am at the time!). I started reading my new book, hoping it would pass the time, but it was not an easy book to get into when I was feeling so much anxiety about being alone in such a strange place, so I had to get out there and start walking around. Turns out, I am not all that brave and I wound up going back to my hotel after about an hour and then found another hotel that had very cheap internet access. I spent a good part of the day getting emails sorted out, chatting with friends back home and updating my blogs from New Zealand. I then took another wander around, found Khao San Road (where I would spend the better part of the next day), and then went back and did more emails at the Diamond House. After I was tired of internet, I went back to my hotel, had some very spicy lemongrass and seafood soup and then watched a movie in my very large room with a double bed. It was quite a luxurious place in comparison to many of the accomodations I had been staying in in New Zealand!

The next morning I ventured off to Diamond House to again use the internet and get some flights sorted out (that are still NOT sorted, but it's all part of the adventure). After that I decided to "venture out"and went as far as Khao San Road where I browsed around the shops, still not confident enough to get out my wallet and start bargaining. After about an hour, I was so overwhelmed I had to go back my hotel and eat a package of overpriced mini-bar oreo cookies and watch the news on CNN, just to calm down after the madness that is Bangkok! Once I had restored my energy and confidence, I got back out there and actually made some pretty sweet purchases. It was really neat seeing all the imitation clothing and random things that travellers LOVE to buy! Of course, it was all a matter of taking in the sights, smells and sounds, though I must say, some of the smells were not too nice!

The next morning I finally checked into my twin room to start my Intrepid Indochina Unplugged tour and met my new "roommate" who I am travelling with until Saigon. Her name is Julia, she is 19 and from Sydney. We have a really interesting mix of people on this trip which make the days and evenings quite entertaining. Savath, aka Pete, is our tour guide and he is just so much fun. He really tries hard to make sure we're all comfortable and understanding of what is going on, but also really knows how to let loose and have fun with all of us. I am the only north American on the tour, so as you can imagine, a lot of people mistake me for being American, or know that I am not but pretend I am anyway! They've already figured out how easy it is to make fun of me (I have deja-vu from my childhood) but it's all in good fun!

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