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Published: June 18th 2008
Bangkok!
We took an overnight train to get here. We were hoping for the second class sleeper car tickets, but they were sold out. We purchased third class tickets instead; we figured it couldn't be worse than the bus. We were wrong.
Imagine a school bus. Now picture one of the benches in the bus, but make it six inches shorter. And have another one directly facing this one. Brad and I crammed into one of those rows for 12 hours! For a while I stared at the Thai man facing me. I watched him as he removed the seal from his water bottle, and threw it out the window. Then he took the wrapper off of his dinner and tossed it out the window as well. Just when I was starting to hate this man for blatantly littering (I was convinced he was horrible individual because of it), he smiled and offered both Brad and I some of his dinner. I decided he wasn't so evil. But he did later throw the rest of trash out the window. It's just what they do here.
Brad prepped me on Bangkok. He wanted me to be well aware that
Brad on Train Ride.
12 hours like that.it's big and dirty. I like it so far though - much more than Kuala Lumpur. We're staying on Koah San, which is notoriously the street of backpackers. Everyone around here is a tourist. It's interesting, though, to see young people from all over the world gathered in one place. The street has turned into a market because of all the tourists. It's lined with food stands, henna artists, and clothing for sale. The food is the best; you can get a plate of made-to-order pad thai or fried rice for US $.60.
Here's one thing I don't like about Bangkok: literally everyone is out to scam you. The moment we step out the door we are bombarded by people saying "Where you go?" or "Where you from?" - wanting us to ride in their taxi, or go to a tailor they know, or buy a vacation package. Yesterday we asked a random man which way we enter into the temple we were trying to visit, and he gave us some sort of cock and bull story about how the temple was closed for an hour (it was not) and we should visit another one down the street. Apparenty
World's Largest Laying Buddha
Buddha on his death bed preparing to enter Nirvana. It's 144 ft. long and 42 ft. high. he gets some sort of cut from directing tourists to this alternative temple. You can't trust anyone here.
Regardless, we're having fun. We've been all over the city, looking for markets in Chinatown or eating fantastic food in Little India. I even smoked apple flavored tobacco out of a sheesha pipe in Little Arabia.
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Dad
non-member comment
WOW!!!
Jess, I am completely floored by your experiences thus far and just how well you convey them. I find it hard to believe that this is the same little girl who cried at camp in Indlewild so many years ago. I never, ever dreamed that you had such a sense of adventure and I applaud all of the experiences, both good and not so good, that your are having. I am soooo proud of you! Out of curiousity, what kind of similarities and differences would you draw between this trip and the people you are experiencing when matched against your South America trip? I look forward to your next entry. It's like reading a travel book. Please give my best to Brad, and I thank him for watching over you. Love, Dad PS. Anything you can do to make your aunt jealous, go for it, both of you deserve it!