And so it begins

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After months and months of saving and counting down the days, getting vaccines and medication, packing, un packing and re packing the day as finally arrived to leave Dublin and head to Asia for 6 weeks!!!

Standing in the queue to check in the bags I wondered did I bring enough? Did I bring too much?? The bag hit the scales at 18.9 kg! Phew!!!

Bags checked in, boarding passes in hand, time to let the adventure begin!
I won't bore you too much with the intimate details but we flew Aer Lingus to Amsterdam and China Airways to Bangkok!

Finally some 14 hours later we touched down in what we thought was overcast cloudy cool conditions. Boy were we wrong! As soon as we left the terminal to get a taxi I was nearly knocked over with the humidity! I have never experiencedH anything like it (considering I've only been to Europe,Oz and The States).

After agreeing a price to take us 4weary travelers to our hotel we all jumped in the taxi looking forward to the air con! The taxi cost us 700 baht (about €17-18) we thought bargain! We soon learned Rip Off!!

We'd booked to stay in Baiyoke Sky Hotel for 2 nights! No slumming it for these travelers. As the taxi made its way to the hotel we passed through a market area thronged with people at 7am! I'd to check the time several times to ensure I really was seeing it and not suffering from sleep depervation !! Do these people not sleep???

After a nap and a shower we decided to go out and explore Bangkok and sample some of the culture! Our first stop?? McDonalds!! Yes the golden arches drew us in!! For the only time I might add!!

Apart from trying to get use to the humidity what I was not expecting was the SMELL!! From on street cooking to open sewerage the smells on the streets of Bangkok took some getting used too. Not for those with a weak stomach or a hangover!

After a long day we visited a massage parlour where I had a foot and shoulder massage. This lasted for 1 hour and cost 200 baht (€5). Normally I'm the kinda girl who doesn't allow anyone near my feet and I don't know what possessed me to get a foot rub. When the girl cracked my toes I nearly jumped off the seat!!

We could see storm clouds starting to build so dashed back to the hotel and up to the observatory where we watched the Bangkok skyline disappear under big grey clouds!! Add some thunder and lightening and hey we've had out first thunderstorm in Asia! And not the last by a long shot!!

Later that night we had our first experience in a tuk tuk!! Crazy, breezy and a must do while in Bangkok. Rebecca had been recommended a restaurant called "cabbages&condoms" so off we went. I must say the food was amazing!!! Reasonably priced too!! I'd recommend anyone to visit it!! (and try the massaman curry with sticky rice) There's no after dinner mints but you get a little something else when leaving, no prizes for guessing what it is!

And so off to the (in)famous Koh San Road where I had my first bucket in Thailand. Koh San Road is not the place to go for a quiet drink when in Bangkok. It's noisy and non stop with people offering you anything you can think of!!!

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