Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Bustling Bangkok

I arrived yesterday in Bangkok to begin my trip through Southeast Asia. I'll be in the region for the next ten weeks, with plans to visit six countries and relax and have a good time. Along the way, I'm going to blog the trip for friends and family at home and anyone out there who might be interested in reading. I've never done anything like this (either the trip or blog) so this should be fun...

I've been here for just about 36 hours now and am already getting used to being sweaty all the time! Bangkok is an assault on the senses - hot, loud, and smelly - but the most striking impression I have is how alive the city is. Bangkok is teeming with life. I've been to Thailand once before (on a package tour with family) so this is not entirely new to me but it is an amazing experience nonetheless.

Bangkok is also a city of striking contrasts - this morning I took the subway over to the old city/Chinatown area to just wander around a bit and get a sense of the city. The subway is only about five or so years old and is clean, efficient and modern. The computer-controlled train hums along, barely making any noise at all and I was crowded in with Thais on the way to work in Silom, the city's finance and business center. After I got to my destination I wandered over to Yaowarat Road, the core of the city's Chinatown district. Here was the Bangkok that I had always imagined - narrow alleyways filled with vendors hawking all sorts of different goods and flavorful, sometimes pungent, aromas of fresh-cooked Thai food filling the air. I've posted some of the photos from my morning meanderings for your benefit.

One of the main reasons I decided on Southeast Asia for my trip is because of how affordable (cheap) it is. The Thais love their food - they tend to eat small meals throughout the day rather than three square meals a day like in the West, so they are always eating. There are vendors on the street everywhere selling all different kinds of food. So far most of my meals have been under $2 each and delicious. See some of my food posts for more on this.

Tomorrow I plan to wander a little more and then on Friday I head to Cambodia to visit the temples at Angkor Wat. For now, I'm still adjusting to this whole travelling on my own doing whatever I want whenever I want thing. So far, it's pretty cool.

5 comments:

  1. Great descriptions! What kind of place are you staying at?

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  2. Sounds fun. I know it can sometimes take a while to upload, but pictures are fun to see.

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  3. I'm jealous and looking forward to more updates. I'm in Germany, but it's not fun. Enjoy and be safe!

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  4. Hey Elizabeth -
    I'm staying in a really neat hostel. The website is www.suk11.com. I'm paying about $14/night for my own room. I figured I'd ease myself in before I rough it. Though in most of SEA I can get my own room for about $10 a night so I'll probably mainly be doing that.

    and hello to Mike, Nathan and Ehrlich as well. It's nice to hear from friends :)

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