So, we arrived in Bangkok at midnight after being on a plane for over 16 hours total. When we walked out of the airport the heat and humidity hit us like a brick wall. This is something I am relatively accustomed to, since Florida has very similar weather, but it is definitely a little unsettling at first.
Something I remembered very quickly during the taxi ride to our hotel is that the number one thing you notice while traveling to other countries is the difference in smell. It absolutely overwhelms the senses, and generally not in a good way. The closest comparison I can come up with is a mixture of trash, a lot of trash, think landfill... and sewage floating in a stagnant river.
Our drive into town was a great introduction to Khaosan Road where our hotel is located. Picture a narrow road lined with outdoor cafes,bars, and massage chairs, packed with pedestrians (mostly other backpackers), getting visibly intoxicated at 1 AM on a Monday night. We however, had a few Singhas in our air-conditioned room, took a cold shower(this is a good thing in SE Asia as opposed to in Peru), and crashed.
Currently, we are sitting on the patio at Sawasdee Smile Inn, having another Singha, sweating in places I cannot admit on this blog, and waiting for the heat to subside before we venture out again.
Earlier this morning we ate noodles for breakfast down the street, and then walked around the nearby area, finding as many "less traveled paths" as we could until the heat sent us running back to our lovely room. Though the areas of Khao San and Banglamphu are saturated with backpackers and stores catering to foreigners, we found a few alleyways leading to locals' markets which are filled with stray cats and piles of garbage, and strange scenes of a world I cannot imagine living in.
Bangkok has this bipolar combination of a tight-gripped traditional side with a rapidly changing Western influence. For instance, I had to take my shoes off before I entered a tattoo parlor.
Tomorrow night we plan to leave for Chiang Mai for a few days after absorbing some more this city has to offer. Until next time...
C & V
