My journey has begun! The flight went well, or as well as an 11 and a half hour flight can go. Was sat next to a Londoner called Kelly who was easy to chat to when I wasn’t eating, taking advantage of the free in-flight alcohol or watching ‘The 40 Year Old Virgin’.
It took a whopping 2 and a half hours to get from Bangkok Airport to my hostel on the Khao San Road (about a 20km journey). Total nightmare! It was about gas mark 4 in the cramped coach too. I decided not to sleep right away, which would do my body clock no favours the next day, instead I went out to sample some of the Khao San nightlife. The first bar I went in I met a German man called Walter who was trying his luck with a ladyboy. ‘Isn’t she beautiful, Stephen?’ ‘Yes, but she’s probably got a bigger pair of bollocks than you.’
After a couple more bars I got in at around 1am and slept quite well, getting up at 11 ish. My hostel is very nice, about 300B (4.20GBP) a night and I have air con. The bathroom is shared but I don’t mind. If any travellers are reading this it’s called ‘Shambara Boutique’ and is ideally situated just off the Khao San Road at the Burger King end.
Today I had a tuk-tuk tour whereby you get dirt cheap rides around popular tourist points in exchange for going in a couple of tailor and jewellery shops affiliated with the tuk-tuks. I didn’t buy anything which is perhaps why my driver buggered off when I got off at the last temple. Turned out OK though because referring to my guidebook I could see that Dusit Zoo was only a short trek away. Saw leopards, tigers, bears, lions, elephants, hippos and, of course, the Malayian Tapir. It was good fun!
Going back to last night I learnt you should always take heed when a street food vendor warns you not once but twice about the spicyness of a particular dish. I didn’t think it could be that bad but it felt like my eyes were bleeding. I tried rubbing them with my forearm but having sprayed those with mosquito repellant it only really added to the stinging sensation. My throat in flames, I left the stall in shame.
Sorry this is long, I honestly cut most bits out. So far so good I’ll update again soon.
Sounds like you got off to a good start. All sounds very exciting. Glad you arrived OK and have already had some interesting experiences. Looking forward to reading more at regular intervals whilst i continue to attend to the mundane!
Take care buddy.