Fast times in Bangkok

I’m not much of a city gal so I was quite nervous when we first arrived. My first full day in the city is one I don’t think I’ll soon forget. Having woken up at 4:30am to that slightly panicked feeling of ‘where am I?’ I was feeling very aware of how new my surroundings were. My head space going into the first day in Bangkok was a concoction of emotions ranging from pretty overwhelmed, very jetlagged, excited and slightly claustrophobic. Everything was new and it was really starting to set in…I’m not in Kansas (or rather Guelph) anymore. It was then that I experienced my first pain of homesickness. Funny, I couldn’t quite place what the feeling was at first; the last time that I felt homesick was first year university (and I’ve tried desperately for years to bury that phase in my life). Fortunately, I’m traveling with one of the most compassionate and caring people I know and once I opened up to him about my apprehensions he listened to me and reminded me that we’re in this together. With that in mind and a much needed cup of coffee in my belly I began to loosen up.

My first impression of the Bangkok was that it was quite chaotic and after spending 3 nights and 3 days in the city, I stand firm on that. To my surprise, getting around the city was fairly simple. Bangkok has a SkyTrain which we used to travel from our first hostel (near the airport) into downtown. We took our first tuk tuk ride to our hostel near Khaosan Rd and payed 200bhat (about 10$) for a 8km ride…we would later find out that there were much cheaper modes of transportation, such as the good ol’ city bus for between 8-20 baht!

We really enjoyed our second hostel called ‘Baan Nampetch’ as it was quiet, in close proximity to Khaosan Rd and the host (Jay) was delightful. He gave us very useful tips to navigate the city such as how to get around using the buses and how to avoid local scams. For example, he mention that locals may try and scam tourists by telling them that major temples (such as the Grand Palace) are closed. This piece of advice came in handy we were able to avoid being swept away by an overly friendly local who wanted be our tour guide and his buddy our own personal Tuk Tuk driver for only 40 Bhat. We quickly learned that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably IS (good advice mom)! Good thing Matt was on his game, saw right through this scam and politely yet firmly declined.

We spent most of our days walking around and getting to know our neighbourhood, stopping at local convenience stores and restaurants and petting any and all street cats (well that last one was mostly just me 😏).

Other highlights from Bangkok include:

All in all, Bangkok was beautiful and we had a lot of fun however we both agree that it’s time to move on. We’re both looking forward to some much needed fresh air and getting closer to nature. Check back soon for more updates on our latest adventures!

– K 🌙