Adventures of a Student

Ah, Thailand. My first time travelling solo. And by solo, I don't mean enduring a ten hour megabus from Glasgow to London alone, but three weeks backpacking in a county I knew very little about. My main concern arriving in Bangkok wasn't that I'd came completely unprepared (really, I couldn't have bothered to learn one Thai word?) but that I was going to suffocate on the thick and grimy air that was blowing in my face whilst travelling by Tuk Tuk, a kind of bicycle taxi, to the hostel.

My hostel was located on the colourful and bustling Khaosan Road. I would discover just how colourful and bustling later that evening. Entering the hostel, I met a bunch of fellow travellers, and instantly made plans to hit the famous nightlife on Khaosan road that night with a group of Brits. My tiny room was what I expected, with a group of cockroaches to keep me company. Finally, it was time to ignore the jetlag and join my new travel buddies to see what all the fuss was about.

Khaosan Road was not the exotic vision I had in mind, but hundreds of people dancing away, fashioning highly fluorescent outfits and UV paint. They also appeared to be drinking from sand buckets, of which I can sadly confirm the vodka to juice ratio is all wrong. After meeting people from all over the world, I climbed into my small bed feeling drunk and happy.

Unfortunately, the same could not be said for the next morning.

I had booked myself on a boat trip to visit the local Buddhist temples. I proceeded to sit at the back of the boat, and vomit continuously over the side into the lake. I did manage to lift my head and see a bunch of roofless wooden boat houses, with their residents hanging their washing out and enjoying the peaceful water. I was suddenly envious not only of their hangover free state, but their beautifully simplistic way of life. Arriving at the first temple, I struggled to find the energy to walk. Out of nowhere, an elderly Thai man kindly led me to a marble bench and signalled for me to lay down. He then gave me his fan, and rubbed my feet whilst smiling at me sadly. I'm glad he didn't speak English, I didn't have the heart to tell him this was self inflicted.

Eventually I was taken back to the hostel. Don't worry, the rest of my time wasn't spent this way. I explored the most beautiful country in the world, trekked in the jungle and road elephants. But on that first day, nothing made me happier than reuniting with those cockroaches in my teeny tiny room.