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Published: November 12th 2007
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My first day in Bangkok began with a trip to the British embassy and the Thai Immigration office...via negociations and confusions with Tuktuk and Taxi drivers.
Thailand should have been easy. Arrive at border with British passport and get instant free of charge 30 days visa. Beautiful...no costs, no embassies, no hassle. Unfortunately, when Steve and I decided to leave Vientiane a day early I didn't redo the maths. As the border control stamped my passport with 22 November as a leaving date, 'bugger', pretty much sums it up...my flight out is on the 23rd!
So the next morning, having arrived in Bangkok at 6am, I set off to see what could be done. I could change my flight but it would cost 30 pounds, maybe more due to last minute costs.
Basically...it's not too much of a problem, I just pay a 500 baht fine at the airport when I leave.
Three hassled hours later of discovering just how huge and polluted Bangkok is, I arrived back at Khao San Road only to discover that the road I thought our guesthouse was on was not the correct one and after almost an hour's wandering I was
Our last meal together
Steve was embarrassed that I was taking photos in a posh restaurant...but I just didn't care! still hot, tired and stranded on the chaotic hawker and seller lined Khao San road. Luckily I was able to buy a Thai sim card and contact Steve who came to rescue me!
...And then the next morning I did it all again! This time I had to get to the Indian Embassy, which I eventually found only to discover that the day before the visa service had moved to a new organisation in a different location! Another taxi ride later I was subjected to foreigners' rights of getting a different numbered ticket than the Thai people and having to wait for over 20 people, mostly who came in after me, to be served first! Wasting so much time tackling administrative (and nationality biased) phaff when it was Steve's last day with me left me very frustrated and upset...I just wanted to be with him, not sat waiting for visas! Thankfully it paid off though and two more visits to the visa service later, I now have a visa for India...and after 9 days in Bangkok I can finally leave the city!!
...So...
Steve and I had a good couple of afternoons enjoying the rest of
Halloween on Khao San
Michelle and Anne (a Dutch male name apparently!) our time together and splashing out somewhat. We went to a deluxe screen cinema...big reclining arm chairs in pairs, with foot rests, coffee tables, blankets! And a very nice meal in a classy restaurant on our last night.
He left Bangkok to fly back to England on Saturday morning (27th Oct), pulling away in a taxi and leaving me in floods of tears! I took myself off to the weekend market to keep myself busy (and find the things Steve wanted me to buy for him since he missed it!) The shopping helped somewhat. The market is a huge and confusing maze of stalls selling everything from clothing, crafts and food to puppies and pet squirrels! Exhausting but worth the effort! Nevertheless the day generally consisted of one half of me telling myself to pull myself together and enjoy the opportunity I had in the next four months travels...whilst the other half of me was breaking. I spent most of the day either close to tears or in tears. Bangkok is such a big place and although there are so many travellers in the Khao San road ther are almost too many. I wished that I was somewhere else,
with less places to socialise and less people so that it was easier to meet others! However, until I got my India visa I was stuck in Bangkok. The windowless hot box of a single room I moved to didn't help much either.
Sunday morning I got up and moved hotel. I found a nice single room with a window and inspiring view over a temple. That helped. I then spent the day trying to feel better and that night forced myself to head out on Khao San road to meet people. I was feeling intensely lonely...the idea of another four months travel seemed very daunting...I had to meet people to feel better.
So I did. The first guy I met was really friendly but just leaving for the airport! The next person was a girl called Annabelle, who had only arrived from England a few days ago at the beginning of her RTW trip! (I saw her sat by herself in a bar/restaurant and tactically chose the table next to her to start a conversation!) After she left I headed to one of the semi-legal streetside bars where people sat on stalls rather than at tables...hence making
it easier to merge into a group! I met a fun mixed age, mixed nationality tour group out having fun with their Thai guide and went along with them to a Thai bar, where I had a great night. My confidence was back. With each conversation with someone I felt more myself again and I refocused from 'with Steve mode' to 'travelling alone mode'. I was back!
So...the rest of my time...
-Discovered the bus network saving myself lots of money.
-Met a girl, Michelle at the bus stop
-Met lots of people through Michelle
-Went out each night and socialised
-Experienced Halloween on Khao San Road (the only time I saw more Thai people than travellers on Khao San...Halloween is surprisingly popular in Thailand.
-Went to the cinema
-Sorted out India Visa
-Went to see Muay Thai boxing at the city staidum. I expected to hate this, and only went for the experience, but I really enjoyed it - it was interesting to watch!
-Wandering round a Thai food market I found in the middle of a city park
Tonight I'm off on a nightbus to Chang Mai, the backpacker hotspot in the cultural north of
Thailand.
- Oh yes, I also did a day trip in order to escape the city for one day! We started out at a floating market. This contrasted to the ones I saw in Vietnam, since it was not a local market but one designed for tourists that very effectively attracts hundreds of people every day wanting to experience the spectacle being rowed past floating market stalls selling crafts and food.
-Next we visited an elephant show and crocodile farm. Although the show was undoubtedly good in both spectacle and achievement, I felt very uneasy watching it. I dread to think how they trained the elephants to perform such unnatural acts, however, the sticks with spikes on the end that were used to guide the elephants, and one set of mother and baby elephant outside the show chained at the ankle, were a pretty sad indicator.
Finally we were taken to a cultural dance show and various places hoping to sell us wares, including a wood carving centre and gem factory...before returning to Bangkok. I had a nice day, met some friendly people, and felt increasingly better about being back travelling by myself.
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neil s
non-member comment
wow! elephant football looks amazing! well done for finding that! reminds me strangely of bedknobs and broomsticks! missing u lolly, ns