Bangkok can only really be described in one word .... insane.
Now, how that word is interpreted is really up to you. If you don't mind at least 6 life threatening near misses in every taxi journey, or inexplicable smells coming from each street corner, or little Thai men shouting 'whats the craic' at you to try and get you into their Tuk-Tuks (the bottle-white skin must give me away), or crowds so big and busy that you cant keep your thoughts near you let alone your friends, then Bangkok is the place for you. If you don't like those things, or cant put up with them at least, dont come to Bangkok. Simple.
Its quite a shock when you arrive I have to say. You can do all the googling you want on the city before you come, but nothing can prepare an amateur traveller for the wall of humidity that hits you when you walk out of the air conditioned airport. We arrived at 9pm and we took a few minutes to get our breath. The air is wet and clammy, and even moving your head from side to side as you look for a taxi can result in a wave of heat and sweat. According to the locals though, this is cold .... I hate to think what awaits me in Surin next week ....
After arriving at the hotel last night, and following a slight bit of confusion and panic over the reservation or non reservation of my room, I settled down to a well needed sleep after 36 hours of no sleep, only to find that my room is located over a bar. A bar with really loud music. Not fun. Luckily bars seem to close at about half 2 here, or at least the music goes down, so I had a nice lie in til 11. We then made our way to the MBK shopping centre. This place is massive! 5 floors of shopping, with everything you want from gadgets to massages to clothes to home wears. It took us a good 4 hours to get around it, and we didnt see it all. Stuff here is mad cheap too. I got three skirts for about 20 euro, a lovely purse for 4 euro, even the taxis are cheap with a 20 minute drive costing only 5 euro between the three of us. The food is equally as cheap, with a take away thai meal costing between 1-2 euro. Although we havent been brave enough to try anything authentically thai yet with our stomachs still recovering from the long sleepless flight yesterday. Coffee, fruit and a subway is all we have been able to manage so far.
Plans for tonight? A few drinks on our road; the tourist-mad Khao San Road. With a night full of dodging men shouting 'ping pong' at you (google it, I just cant explain it) and sussing out the local beer, no doubt there will be more to tell tomorrow. Til then, sa-wat-dee-kha :-)
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