15/01/2011
Bangkok airport is VERY nice, clean and huge! Also had a positive bathroom trip so all in all thought things were looking up. Got through customs after trying to hide that I was from the UK as a yob dad made scene in the airport, very embarrassing. I got the bus to the hostel but did NOT feel good so slept. I eventually found the hostel, bu as I was discovering, the Thai people do not speak English! Ahh... they wouldn't let me check in yet but they let mesit in the lobby and use the facilities :s. Eventually got to the room, really nice and clean- complete contrast to Mumbai. I tried to sleep all day. A lovely Chinese girl, YingYa Li was staying in the room, she had stayed at the hostel for over a month! Then two guys, Kevin Applegate and Nick Zimmermann arrived. I was very antisocial and tried to sleep. Nick had taught TEFL in Japan for tw years and Kevin was teaching in Korea for his second year which was really interesting. I did nothing all day.
16/01/2011
I woke up early thinking felt better so,followng Ying's advice I went to the weekend marke. AMAZING! Thousands of stalls selling everything you could imagine. However it was very easy to get lost. Starting to feel iffy I went to eat. The staff didn't speak English or have a menu so they ignored me, just walked away. These lovely Thai girls next to me ordered for me without asking, so kind. They then told me how toeat with the spoona dn chopsticks properly. They had ordered me the spicy one though- and it was spicy! Burn! After 3 times of asking and hearing 'no' I paid then wandered a bit more. Food had not helped so trid to leave the market, which took over an hour as I got lost! Running to the toilet and found a new style of toilet, it was a drop toilet but was half raised so you're meant to stand on it and balance- not easy! After the subway back I went to bed, the boys bought me chocolate and water which was lovely.
17/01/2011
I felt better. I woke to Ying correcting Nick on his knowledge of the history of Jim Thompson (the guy who got Thailand into the silk trade giving them a huge export), 'check your history' she said waltzing out of the room. Very funny. Kevin and I went out. The 53 bus, featuring the lovely Thai service (just a hint of sarcasm) and China Town. Arriving we got some sort of meat on a stick, which I don't really want to think about too much, although it wasting king of like pork? Wat Pho- a huge laying down gold Buddha with mother of pearl decorated feet is what we saw. I liked it a lot. The grounds had so many buildings all covered in gold and shiny coloured glass. I also larnt- accordin to Kevin- that the nipples of the Buddhas change dependant on the ear and country they came from, some had pointy ones, some had none. Their arm postion also signifies different meanings. They also have 240 commandments!! Must be hrd to follow that! We then got some fruit, water melon- yum- then some lunch fro a street seller who makes you omelette in front of you. They laugehed at me when I tried their home made suace- SO hot! We ate in the shade in front o the river and watched a Thai man at work- covered head to toe andhis face despite the heat. He was watering th lawn over ad over, then the sprinklers cae on, strange, they obviously have water to waste. We could see te Temple of Dawn over the river. Walking to the Grand Palace at each entrance there was the 'Tourism Police'telling us we weredressed inapporapriatey or that it was a Buddhist holiday and the Temple was closed. Each one was a scam, lukily Kevin knew this as I belived them and wa going to get i the TukTuk to go on a tour. Lots of people did fall fr it though but we continued walking and got in the main entrance. We had to hire clothes- they looked like prison outfits! The Palace hd some nice elephant statues. It was huge, hard to describe!- See the pictures! When we left we bought what we thought was lemon and lime juice (Miranda Green), but was fluorescent green and disgusting so we threw it and got coke. I started to feel funny so we got the bus back. Chatting away we didn't see the station to get offand ended up further away then we had started, woops. So we got off to go back. Turns out the bus didn't pass the station that's why we didn't see it!
18/01/11
Today was laundry day, I washed everythingby had on the roof but unfortunately my Ali Baba pans ran and made all my white stuff a shade of green in places! :( Ying, Kevin and I planned our trips. I planned Cambodia.
19/01/2011
Got my Cambodian VISA in the morning thanks to the help of a lovely Thaigirl who I met on a bench who was going to the Laos Embassy. We got on a bus- but it was more like an animal truck with open sides. After the VISA I went to the hostel, and napped. A new girl called Vikki (from Nottingham) had arrived in my room, it was her first day so we went on the bus to Khao San Road which as we passed China Town (SO busy) it took 1 1/2 hours. Quite dissappointed in this so-called road that's meant to be THE place for travellers. It had rubbish markets and was just filled with bars and Western food places. It's basically just a good night out to meet other travellers. I'm glad I didn't get a hostel here. Altogether that night, Vikki, Kevin and Kevin's other TEFL friends who had come to meet him we all wen for dinner in China Town. I love Dim Sung and duck!! So tasty! Then we drank a little in front of the China Gate.
Bangkok airport is VERY nice, clean and huge! Also had a positive bathroom trip so all in all thought things were looking up. Got through customs after trying to hide that I was from the UK as a yob dad made scene in the airport, very embarrassing. I got the bus to the hostel but did NOT feel good so slept. I eventually found the hostel, bu as I was discovering, the Thai people do not speak English! Ahh... they wouldn't let me check in yet but they let mesit in the lobby and use the facilities :s. Eventually got to the room, really nice and clean- complete contrast to Mumbai. I tried to sleep all day. A lovely Chinese girl, YingYa Li was staying in the room, she had stayed at the hostel for over a month! Then two guys, Kevin Applegate and Nick Zimmermann arrived. I was very antisocial and tried to sleep. Nick had taught TEFL in Japan for tw years and Kevin was teaching in Korea for his second year which was really interesting. I did nothing all day.
16/01/2011
I woke up early thinking felt better so,followng Ying's advice I went to the weekend marke. AMAZING! Thousands of stalls selling everything you could imagine. However it was very easy to get lost. Starting to feel iffy I went to eat. The staff didn't speak English or have a menu so they ignored me, just walked away. These lovely Thai girls next to me ordered for me without asking, so kind. They then told me how toeat with the spoona dn chopsticks properly. They had ordered me the spicy one though- and it was spicy! Burn! After 3 times of asking and hearing 'no' I paid then wandered a bit more. Food had not helped so trid to leave the market, which took over an hour as I got lost! Running to the toilet and found a new style of toilet, it was a drop toilet but was half raised so you're meant to stand on it and balance- not easy! After the subway back I went to bed, the boys bought me chocolate and water which was lovely.
17/01/2011
I felt better. I woke to Ying correcting Nick on his knowledge of the history of Jim Thompson (the guy who got Thailand into the silk trade giving them a huge export), 'check your history' she said waltzing out of the room. Very funny. Kevin and I went out. The 53 bus, featuring the lovely Thai service (just a hint of sarcasm) and China Town. Arriving we got some sort of meat on a stick, which I don't really want to think about too much, although it wasting king of like pork? Wat Pho- a huge laying down gold Buddha with mother of pearl decorated feet is what we saw. I liked it a lot. The grounds had so many buildings all covered in gold and shiny coloured glass. I also larnt- accordin to Kevin- that the nipples of the Buddhas change dependant on the ear and country they came from, some had pointy ones, some had none. Their arm postion also signifies different meanings. They also have 240 commandments!! Must be hrd to follow that! We then got some fruit, water melon- yum- then some lunch fro a street seller who makes you omelette in front of you. They laugehed at me when I tried their home made suace- SO hot! We ate in the shade in front o the river and watched a Thai man at work- covered head to toe andhis face despite the heat. He was watering th lawn over ad over, then the sprinklers cae on, strange, they obviously have water to waste. We could see te Temple of Dawn over the river. Walking to the Grand Palace at each entrance there was the 'Tourism Police'telling us we weredressed inapporapriatey or that it was a Buddhist holiday and the Temple was closed. Each one was a scam, lukily Kevin knew this as I belived them and wa going to get i the TukTuk to go on a tour. Lots of people did fall fr it though but we continued walking and got in the main entrance. We had to hire clothes- they looked like prison outfits! The Palace hd some nice elephant statues. It was huge, hard to describe!- See the pictures! When we left we bought what we thought was lemon and lime juice (Miranda Green), but was fluorescent green and disgusting so we threw it and got coke. I started to feel funny so we got the bus back. Chatting away we didn't see the station to get offand ended up further away then we had started, woops. So we got off to go back. Turns out the bus didn't pass the station that's why we didn't see it!
18/01/11
Today was laundry day, I washed everythingby had on the roof but unfortunately my Ali Baba pans ran and made all my white stuff a shade of green in places! :( Ying, Kevin and I planned our trips. I planned Cambodia.
19/01/2011
Got my Cambodian VISA in the morning thanks to the help of a lovely Thaigirl who I met on a bench who was going to the Laos Embassy. We got on a bus- but it was more like an animal truck with open sides. After the VISA I went to the hostel, and napped. A new girl called Vikki (from Nottingham) had arrived in my room, it was her first day so we went on the bus to Khao San Road which as we passed China Town (SO busy) it took 1 1/2 hours. Quite dissappointed in this so-called road that's meant to be THE place for travellers. It had rubbish markets and was just filled with bars and Western food places. It's basically just a good night out to meet other travellers. I'm glad I didn't get a hostel here. Altogether that night, Vikki, Kevin and Kevin's other TEFL friends who had come to meet him we all wen for dinner in China Town. I love Dim Sung and duck!! So tasty! Then we drank a little in front of the China Gate.
No comments:
Post a Comment