Khronicles in Korea: Bangkok

Hello friends! I'm happy to be drafting this post in sunny Thailand! After a long day of travelling, I made it safely to Bangkok and to my hostel. Before I left I was really anxious and nervous about travelling alone for the first time but there was definitely no reason for it! Now that I'm confident, I can do it again.

Anyway, back to Bangkok. I was not drawn to Thai people at all upon my arrival. My first impression was not a good one. I think Korean people are rude but they're like Miss Manners compared to Thai people. Rather than making a line to board the plane, Thais formed a mosh pit. Also, even though I'm an ESL teacher and understanding broken English is my job, I can't decipher what most Thais are saying. They sound like a deaf person talking. No offence to deaf people or Thais! It probably isn't good karma but my impression of them is quite hilarious.

The taxi ride to my hostel was fun... The driver had no idea where he was going even though I showed him the address twice. At one point he stopped the car to walk around the next corner to see if it was there. It was. I asked how much and he said 370 baht. I gave him 500 and expected my change. He gave me 50 baht. (If you're any good at math you know that 500-370 does not equal 50.) I demanded more so he took the 50 back and gave me 200. 500-370 does not equal 200 either but I decided not to fight it since it was in my favor.

After a night's rest in my lovely hostel, I was ready to explore the city. I met a nice German fellow at breakfast so he and I decided to sight see together. Well it was more like walk around the entire city and get lost for most of the day. It was still fun though. And I felt more cultured since I was amongst the city folk. We saw some Buddahs and temples. Took a nice boat ride on the river. It was just like a bus, only it was a boat! Too cool! We also went to the Grand Palace. Where, in fact, women must have their knees and shoulders covered and men must wear long pants. I had to purchase some extra clothing but it was okay. I would have bought it for a souvenir anyway.

We finally made it back to the hostel, sunburnt as all get out. After showers and a rest we set off to Kho San Road for dinner and drinks. Dinner was AMAZING and I got a nice buzz going on. I finished off the evening back at the hostel with some other new friends I had made.

This morning I started the day with a nice breakfast. Then I was determined to get a Thai massage. Luckily one of my new friends knew where to find one and helped me out. I've had a few massages at home but this one was a little different. There were a lot of cushion/beds all around the room, some occupied by customers. The masseuse led me to a curtained area and followed me in. With a giant smile and deaf voice she said, "Take off your clothes," keeping eye contact the whole time, and stays in the area, waiting for me to undress in front of her. No problem. The next part almost had me dying with laughter. As I'm taking off my shirt she says, "I take off too. He he he." Luckily she had another shirt on! The massage was wonderful and well worth the $5 I spent on it.

Then I was back to Kho San Road to look around and do a little shopping. Once my money was nearly depleted, I stopped for a fresh fruit smoothie. Yum! Now I'm just relaxing at the hostel, trying to decide what to do next...

Tomorrow Ashton and I will be off to Phuket for the rest of our time here. So, that's all for now!

PS: I'll post pictures later when I'm home!