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Published: January 6th 2013
The journey started with a delay on the Manchester flight, putting my connection in jeapordy. However, we made up time and arrived at Heathrow on schedule. As soon as I got on the plane I found that the trepidation that had been building up over the last few weeks disappeared - there was no going back! The 11 hour overnight flight was long, particularly as I only managed half an hour's sleep. Thankfully it was made more pleasant by the people I sat next to. On my left was Manfred, a Computer Science professor from Dusseldorf who is taking a break to do "research" on the Andaman coast islands before heading down to New Zealand for a couple of months. On my right was Angela, a business owner, slightly older than me (I think!), from Bucharest. She is escaping the Romanian winter to spend four months with friends on Koh Samui and Koh Phagnan. My planned itinerary overlaps with both Manfred and Angela's and we exchanged details and suggested meeting up later.
My first impressions of Bangkok are that it is big, busy and hot (and this is the coolest time of year). I checked in at my hotel, just
off the main backpacker area, Khao San Road, then headed out to take in the atmosphere and get my bearings. I was immediately approached by a group of young Thais who wanted to ask me a few questions about my experience as a tourist. I didn't think I could contribute much, having only landed 2 hours ago, and was concerned this might have been one of those pickpocketing scams I'd heard about where someone distracts you so someone else can take the goods, so I walked on. I went up Rambuttri road, from which the hotel takes its name, then headed to Khao San Road. Most people around here are tourists and the area is packed with market stalls selling clothes and accessories. Every so often there are rows of loungers where you can get a foot massage and there are many mobile food vendors. I was approached regularly by men trying to sell me suits, taxi/tuk-tuk rides or entertainment of an adult nature. At first it was amusing but has since become annoying, especially because of their persistance and the fact that they act as if you're being rude by ignoring them - "Sir, where are you going, I
want to talk with you!" I guess this is one of the downsides of walking alone.
After exploring for a while I stopped off at a bar near the hotel, ordered a beer and contemplated my new vocation as a traveller. I ate pad thai then headed back down Khao San road to get an iced pineapple shake from a stall I spotted earlier. I got chatting to an American guy who had been travelling for 2 years, then, feeling the toils of the journey catching up with me, I retired to the hotel around midnight.
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Swanald
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We were there!
Clarky! We spent 2012 New Years on that very street! Amazing night out. Nice photo you took too.