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Published: January 24th 2009
Suk 11 Hostel
The hostel I am staying at. It reminds me of a jungle house.So, I figure that I bit into the expensive JAL flight cost somewhat by drinking as many beers and watching as many movies as I could, but unfortunately the flight was still quite painful. I landed in Tokyo after not sleeping at all and was looking forward to see what the culture of the Narita flight terminal was all about. I managed to use some of my Japanese and was even told by a waitress in a bar that my Japanese was very good (eventhough I'm sure she was just being polite and may have had a secondary motive, hehe). Although, I'd have to say the small amount of Japan that I experienced was definitely positive and I have to go back. It felt like a video game with space age calming music over the loud speakers and eccentric cartoon advertising all over the place.
But the Narita airport was only a stepping stone and I boarded my flight on to Bangkok. When I landed I was quite nervous, but felt prepared as my guidebook suggested that when boarding cabs to ensure the meter was on. Boy did that backfire. I got into the cab and the driver refused to
Monks
Some monks on one of the river boats I took. turn on the meter, even after I threatened to jump out. But we mutually agreed on an acceptable price which was probably cheaper than what it would have been if the meter was on. I arrived at my hostel at 1:30am Bangkok time and looked forward to getting to bed.
My dorm is shared with 6 other guys, which are all quiet and not very talkative. There is this one very strange American who sleeps near me and has been staying at the hostel for months and is working in Bangkok. He does yoga right beside my bed every morning, which is very strange. But nevertheless, its a good hostel, with a decent breakfast.
My first day I managed to meet a girl from Saskatoon, Lindsay, who is friendly and we agreed to check out a lot of the sights together. It makes it easier because we can split taxi or tuk tuk costs and we kind of watch out for eachother. I've seen most of the sights Bangkok has to offer... The major temples (Wats), Kao Sahn Road, The National Museum, Siam square, a Muay Thai kickboxing event and of course the Red Light district, which was
National Museum
Self explanatory pretty intense. Don't worry... I only window shopped. I do have one frustration with Bangkok, but I suppose it is expected in a poor country. You can't trust many people. It seems as though many people are only out to help you for a scam or a huge amount of money. We had one tuk tuk driver take us to an entirely different location than we wanted. I should have been prepared for that because the guide book does suggest this. Despite this problem Bangkok has been an interesting experience.
So, my flight takes off to Chiang Mai tomorrow where I hope to check out a Muay Thai camp, do a jungle trek, get some massages, and hope to experience more Thai culture than Bangkok has to offer.
Sorry for being longwinded, but I hope this first entry was enjoyable. I miss everyone already and will keep you all updated when I can. Thanks for all the kind messages!
-J
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Brittany
non-member comment
love it
jay, I love reading your blog! Can't wait for the next entry. Sounds like you are having fun, and a bit of a culture shock too! Keep those posts and pics coming:) B town