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Published: March 2nd 2008
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Japan-wan and saskatcheWAN
we had a quick meet up with rie in tokyo. good times! Bangkok
Stayed at: HI Sukhumvit
So our trip is finally underway! We had an overnight stopover in Tokyo, so Rie met us at the airport for supper and chilled out with us for a bit. It was great to see her, and a little bit odd having our roles reversed. When we arrived in Bangkok we were exhausted and dirty from the ridiculously long flight so things were a little overwhelming at first. We must have had fifty taxi drivers asking if we need a ride and where we were going. Getting through them was a nightmare. Once we finally made it through the hordes of drivers we found the bus we needed to get to our hostel and we were on our way. My first instinct was to hate bangkok. It is polluted, crowded, noisy and rundown. The first day we went exploring we couldn't escape the tuk tuk drivers trying to convince us we needed a ride somewhere and that where we wanted to go was closed. Its definitely a city of contrasts. Most of the population lives in poverty, but there is a huge consumerist trend in the city. Everyone wants your money. And being foreign, they assume I have lots of it. Comparitvely I suppose thats true, but I'm certainly not rich!
However, after the initial frustrations and after I figured out how to get around Bangkok all of a sudden didn't seem so bad. The skytrain and the ferries go pretty much everywhere you want to go, and after you stop looking lost the tuk tuk drivers stop harrassing you. The people are incredibly helpful and patient, and would often just approach us and give us tips or directions. Plus if you were lost or had questions there are helpful security guards everywhere. They have security for everything. The skytrain system not only has security guards, but a police force as well.
We did the typical tourist things in Bangkok, minus the nightlife. I still totally have jetlag. I've been going to sleep around 8 or 9 pm and waking up at 2 am. I can't seem to break the schedule. But I have lots of energy during the daytime! We toured Jim Thompsons house on the first day. You have to take a tour, you can't just wander around. It was mostly old people there, but I thought it was fascinating. I wish I had a house like it. The second day we went to the grand palace and wat po. The Grand Palace was totally over the top. I suppose that's what a palace is supposed to be, but it was pretty crazy. Everything is so ridiculously shiny that when the sun glints off the buildings it practically blinds you. We were there right at opening but it was still crazy busy. Remember to wear long sleeves and pants. They will give you clothes to wear, but covering up is just a matter of respect. It isn't a hard thing to do. Wat Po is just down the road so we wandered there next. The reclining buddha really has to be seen to be believed. I knew before hand that it was massive, but when you actually see it you are still surprised. The only things that took away from it were the columns blocking a clear view of the whole statue and the hordes of people pushing and shoving and trying to take pictures. I guess as a tourist you can't really escape throngs of other tourists. We wandered around the temple grounds for a bit after seeing the buddha and got lost. Lost + heat stroke = not a good time. But I learned that the temple is being used as a school and we were approached by a group of girls who wanted to practice their english. It was pretty fun talking to them and it was actually the highlight of my day.
On the way back to the hostel we got off on the wrong ferry stop, and then the wrong skytrain stop, but just because I was being silly and not really paying attention. Eventually we made it back all right and spent the evening chilling out at the hostel. We met some great people there and got some really good tips from the other travellers staying there. Thats actually what I like best about travelling. Just talking to people and hearing their stories.
Last night we took a night train to Chiang Mai and arrived this morning. We haven't explored too much here yet, but I think it will be a nice place to stay. Its much quieter anyway! I can't upload any pictures at this computer, but I will post some eventually!
Cheers!
Janine
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