Bangkok, Thailand

It has been four days since I landed in Bangkok, Thailand. 

And these four days have absolutely turned my world around. 

I started by flying from Spokane to LA (thank you for the ride, Charlie and Dave!). 

In LA, I ran to my connecting flight to Guangzhou, China.

I have never been on a flight that long, or big, or where no one spoke my language! What a culture shock! I was the only European on my flight, and coming from Idaho (only Europeans), it was quite the change! And I loved it. I almost cried when I boarded this plane. My thoughts revolved around how culturally limited CDA is, and how culturally limited I have been this past year. I almost forgot how beautiful people are: their differences, their passions, their cultures. I think that I had grown to dislike people over the year, as horrible as that is to come out and say… I think it’s important to be truthful about it. I have been witnessing close-minded people. People who don’t know what it is to be an outsider, or what completely different cultures feel like, or how to navigate a place when you don’t speak the language. It made me sad, and it has made me isolate myself and be blinded by a generalized dislike for everything around me. I am ashamed that I was this way, and I hope that through my travels, I can find my light and joy again, and then keep that as I return home.

Anyway… the flight to China was 15 hours, we got two meals (fun!), I watched three movies, read one book, and I lost complete track of the date and time (China is 12 hours ahead). 

I made it to Guangzhou, and again ran to my next flight to Bangkok.

We got yet another meal on this quick two-hour flight.

Landing in Bangkok at 10pm, my heart started to race at the thought of the adventures ahead. I was nervous, excited, and filled with life in anticipation. 

I got ripped off in a taxi to get to my hostel, The Yard. My taxi driver spoke no English, and did not use the meter when we left the airport, so I overpaid by a lot! I was too nervous and sleepy to negotiate.

I made it to the hostel though, and was greeted by the friendly Thai owners, and shown to my room, a 6-bed dorm room. I picked top bunk (of course). 

I threw my packs on the bed, and headed to the yard to meet some travelers. Traveling solo meant that I needed to find my extroverted side and be open to meeting new friends. 

I pulled up a seat with two people from Germany and two from Austria. They were kind enough to stop speaking German so that I could participate. 

We chatted for some time, and when I couldn’t keep my eyes open anymore, I went to bed. 

The first full day was jam packed! I woke up at 9am, ate breakfast consisting of tea, toast, jam, and homemade yogurt, and headed out in search of temples.

I took the Skytrain (Ari station) to what the ticket lady said was close to Wat Pho and the Grand Palace. I quickly learned that the Skytrain does not go there… 

I walked around for about ten minutes before I realized I was really lost. So I found a coffeeshop with air conditioning and WiFi, got an icy beverage, downloaded a Google map of Bangkok, and figured out there was a public bus that would take me to the temples.

I clarified this with the one barista who knew a little English, and made my way to the bus stop. 

It was 10 baht to take the bus wherever you wanted to go (34 baht= $1), and that was probably one of my favorite adventures of my time in Bangkok, funny enough! We went through Chinatown and many neighborhoods, and it was so fun to see the city that way!

I felt like I got a peek at daily life in the city, and I felt completely out of my comfort zone, which is always fun!

I finally made it to Wat Pho!

All temples require visitors to cover your shoulders and knees, and when you enter the physical temples (not just the grounds), you must remove your shoes. 

Wat Pho is the home of the famous Reclining Buddha.

It’s HUGE. 

Many of the typical colors used in Thai architecture are gold and maroon. 

Temples tend to take architectural styles from many time periods and places from Thai history. This includes Lanna (historical Thai), Ayutthaya (also historical Thai), and Chinese. 

I was hoping to learn about cultural and religious history by going to these temples, but the informational signs that were displayed throughout, focused more on architectural history. Still interesting, but not quite what I had hoped for. 

I walked around the Wat Pho grounds for almost two hours before I realized that I was parched and starving.

I found a little cafe, and sat down to have water and delicious Pad Thai.

After this, I decided to check out the Grand Palace. 

These grounds were also huge! But they didn’t let you explore around as much. The temples were beautiful, golden, and ornately detailed. There was not as much signage about the structures, which was a bummer, and I didn’t pay for a tour guide because it was already more expensive to get into this temple. 

The Grand Palace is the home of the Emerald Buddha (actually made of Jade). It was amazing, and truly humbling to witness both the art, as well as the religious practices of the Thai people.

The temple of the Emerald Buddha did not allow cameras, which I think made the experience even more special and spritual. It was an honor to see. 

From here, I walked through the amulet market that was along the Chao Phraya River, and farther along to Khaosan Road.

Khaosan Road is the backpack capital of Southeast Asia. Packed to the brim with travelers, stands selling clothes, elephant pants, food, and trinkets, and bars with buckets of alcohol, it is quite overwhelming and a sight to see. 

I found an off road of this area still filled with stands, and got a beer to people watch with. 

Most travelers stay in hostels in this area because of it’s proximity to the temples, but after visiting, I am happy with my choice to stay a bit farther away. My goal of the trip was to relax, rejuvinate, and find simple pleasures. Partying (which one can do at home), was not on my list of priorities. 

It got dark fast (time flies when you’re having fun), and I needed to head back.

I found a bus station and hopped on without doing much research… 

Luckily a very nice man named Dean spoke some English and asked if I needed help! Another reason I am so thankful for the never-ending kindness of the Thai people.

I told him where I needed to get to, and he actually walked me to the train station, stayed to help me get my ticket, and made sure I made it on the right train! After seeing how much I needed to do: bus, walk, metro, Skytrain, Skytrain transfer, I was extremely grateful for his assistance. 

I made it back to the Ari station and my hostel, and virtually collapsed on the bed. 

The second day, I had a relaxing morning with my German friends.

Come lunch time, we decided to venture out on bikes around the Ari neighborhood- no 90 degree weather could hold us back!

We biked around for 2 hours through the various markets and houses. It was incredible to witness daily life for the Thai people. Even these people who somehow found a way to play a TV under the highway! 

Dripping in sweat and in awe of what we got to see, we freshened up, and got ready to see the Chinese New Year!

Like other major cities, Bangkok has an area of Chinatown. 

Lucy, Lukas, Christoff, Valentine, and I took a taxi to Chinatown, which was completely decorated in red.

Strands of lanterns hung across the streets, and people everywhere were dressed in their best and ready to celebrate.

Dragons danced through the streets that were lined with vendors.

We trialed donuts, mango smoothies, spring rolls, dumplings, scorpions, worms, grasshoppers, and fried rice. Everything (minus the bugs) was amazing!

We tried waiting for the King of Thailand, but we got a little bored of this, so we went back to the Main Street for more food and the parade!

Or what we thought was a parade…

We sat on the ground, great seats, and waited for the dancing, fans, dragons, and floats to come by. For two hours. We waited.

We finally asked a friendly girl next to us what we were waiting for.

The princess, she says. 

We waiting for 2 hours, until 6:30 for the princess.

Who wouldn’t be there until after 8pm. Oops.

We left then, looking for some food and drinks and good conversation. It turned out to be a lovely night. We discussed culture, religion, traveling, education, and more until all hours of the night. We ate rice, veggies, and papaya salad. With our bellies and hearts full, we migrated back to the hostel.

The final day in Bangkok, I visited the Chakuchat Market.

This market is ginormous- bigger than a football stadium and a maze of alleyways filled with more vendors, selling everything you could ever need. 

I bought some trinkets, ate some amazing mango sticky rice, and tried Thai iced tea (Thai tea with condensed milk). Slow meandering was the only way to get through just a corner of this market, and when I was done with the crowds, I sat in the nearby park to take my shoes off and relax. 

Back at the hostel, I did some much-needed yoga. Shout out to CDA Power Yoga for inspiring the flow of the day!

I read my book, did some journaling, found delicious noodles and veggies for dinner, and hit the sack early. 

Now, I am on a 8-10 hour train ride North to Chiang Mai. I have met a really interesting traveler from LA who teaches Chinese kids English as her job. This is done through Skype, and then she travels full time! What a life. 

I have loved hearing people’s stories of why they travel, why they see the world, where their curiosity comes from.

The majority? To enlighten from a job that they dislike. 

Isn’t that crazy? I have met four people already, who have quit their jobs, and are traveling, searching for their passion that they have lost through the years, in hopes that it leads them to a more fulfilling job. 

In one of my discussions, I witnessed the most profound statement.

One friend stated he was staying in a job to be there longer and gain more vacation time.

Another one said, “Why stay? This lengthened vacation time is basically increasing your pain medication dose.”

That really hit me. Many of us do use vacation as a pain med. Why increase it, when you could live a more joyful and wholesome life? There are so many options with the internet these days, that it isn’t that challenging to live whatever life you dream of- filled with passion, life, light, joy, and culture.

These people that I have met are inspiring, knowledgeable, and kind. It is inspiring to hear their stories and converse with them. 

Here’s to more of that and more adventures in Chiang Mai!

Cheers,

Rach