Bangkok

Hey guys,

I would like to start off by saying that I am still safe and sound. It is currently 16:00pm (4:00) Thursday afternoon here. I am in Bangkok right now waiting for my train to Chiang Mai. The train doesn't leave until about 730pm. So I thought this would be the best time to post about my adventures in Bangkok. The number of stories that I can tell are endless even for only being here about 2 and half days. So I will only give you guys the short version. Rather than the long detailed version, I don't want to drag this on and bore myself and the people reading this. Lets just start off from the beginning. 

So I arrived in Bangkok on Monday night at 11:30pm, and headed straight to my hotel to get some rest. Getting a taxi here is very easy because there are taxis everywhere. It seems as if there are more taxis on the street than regular personal cars.  The next morning, I woke up and headed straight for the streets to look for some food. As I read, it is cheaper to get food from street vendors than to sit at a restaurant or any other western style place, not to mention it is fresher. For breakfast, I got a spicy beef soup, 35 baht ($1) . All the food here has some kind of spice or kick to it. Which if you know me well. The spicier the better. After that it was off to see downtown Bangkok. So I got a shuttle to take me to the city train and took that to downtown. The traffic here is insane. It is nothing that I have seen before. And trust me I have seen tons of traffic due to living in Corona and experiencing the parking lot of the 91 freeway. There are cars and bikes everywhere and the chances of you getting hit by a car are high. The people driving here do not care what it in front of them. They will not stop or slow down. 

Once I got into the city I met with one of my buddy's friend Jing. Who is a manager at a hostel here and where I stayed while I was in Bangkok. I dropped off my backpack and set off for a little shopping adventure. I spent a few hours going to the local malls and little boutiques here. It is crazy to see how cheap everything here. The currency rate is 30 Baht to 1 Dollar.  After shopping, jet lag started to set in so I decided to rest because Jing told me earlier in the day that she will show my the "nightlife" of Bangkok and that we will "party like a rockstar". She took me and our other new friend that we met at the hostel, whose name was Yando (probably misspelt). He was from Spain and like I was backpacking alone. Jing took us to Khao San road. This place was insane! It is basically "PB" of Bangkok and I will leave it at that! It had music blaring with all up to date western hits. 

The next day, after a rough morning, I went to go see the majestic Grand Palace and the Emerald Buddha Tempe.  This place is beyond beautiful. I can go on for days about the Asian architecture and the beauty of it but I will let the pictures do the talking. Just note that pictures do not justice. It's something that you have to see in person. After walking the temples and the streets of Bangkok. It was yet again one of Jing's crazy nights. We went with Jing's friends that live and work here, they are from America and Belgium. This time we went to Patong, known for its hookers and "ladyboys". The night included multiple drinks and games of pick out the ladyboy. All I can say about is that it's very hard to tell the difference from a ladyboy and a real lady.  

This brings us to today. Today is more of a resting and try to shake off the hangover day. Ha Bangkok has so much to offer I can't even explain it.  From its people, traffic, food, and night markets. Now it is a 14 hour train to Chiang Mai. Which I have heard is more traditional Thai rather than the craziness of Bangkok.  So as the rain starts to fall, the first time is has rained since I have been here (it's rainy season), I'm going to conclude this long essay of a blog. Until next time, which I hope will be on Sunday right before I leave for the islander Phuket.

Thanks 

PS I will be safe!